D&D (2024) DMG 5.5 - the return of bespoke magical items?

Ancalagon

Dusty Dragon
So

Something that some people loooved about 3.x and PF1e, and some others (I'm mostly in this camp) didn't like was how easy it was to make and buy magical items. no longer are the items the PCs get uniquely in the control of the DM, the players get a say too!

This thread is NOT about if this (magical item markets) is a good or a bad thing! People, and DnD itself, have disagreed for decades, I don't want to rehash that debate yet again.

Instead, I want to note how the new DMG is sort of letting this aspect of the game return, to a degree. I'm specifically looking at enspelled items. You can now have weapons, shield/armor and staves that cast spells. I'll use the staves from now on, but the rule set between the 3 are quite similar. They have 6 charges and recharge 1d6 charges/day.

The first thing I note is that there is a "barrier", a huge jump, from going to the uncommon to the rare level. An uncommon magical item takes 10 days to craft, and 200 gp. This seem... preeeety reasonable. Unless your campaign is either extremely quickly passed or very gold-starved, this is not an unsurmountable obstacle.

However, a rare item takes 2000 gp to craft and 50 days. The time seems like a real barrier to me, in most campaigns it would limit the great majority of item crafting to uncommon. This means that our enspelled staves are casting cantrips and first level spells only (spell level 2-3 is rare, 4-5 is very rare, 6-8 is legendary). And at first glance, this seems like a really decent compromise between the almost free for all of 3e and the much more restricted affair of 5e. I also note that the attack/DC aren't great, so it's best with buffing/defensive/utility spells. A few more first level spells is not such a big deal is it?

Welllllll.... what if you have a weapon with hex, or divine favor (a holy sword for 200gp!)? A shield with, well, the shield spell? A staff with cure, bless, the much improved jump? I'm sure there are even better examples I'm not thinking of at the moment.

These items are not incredibly powerful. But they can be exactly what the PC needs. And that makes them quite potent. And there are also all those "miscellaneous" uncommon magical items that are really good... those uncommon items are going to be fairly common!
 

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Distracted DM

Distracted DM
Supporter
However, a rare item takes 2000 gp to craft and 50 days. The time seems like a real barrier to me, in most campaigns it would limit the great majority of item crafting to uncommon. This means that our enspelled staves are casting cantrips and first level spells only (spell level 2-3 is rare, 4-5 is very rare, 6-8 is legendary). And at first glance, this seems like a really decent compromise between the almost free for all of 3e and the much more restricted affair of 5e. I also note that the attack/DC aren't great, so it's best with buffing/defensive/utility spells. A few more first level spells is not such a big deal is it?

Welllllll.... what if you have a weapon with hex, or divine favor (a holy sword for 200gp!)? A shield with, well, the shield spell? A staff with cure, bless, the much improved jump? I'm sure there are even better examples I'm not thinking of at the moment.

These items are not incredibly powerful. But they can be exactly what the PC needs. And that makes them quite potent. And there are also all those "miscellaneous" uncommon magical items that are really good... those uncommon items are going to be fairly common!
I can't tell if your issue is that the rare items will be too rare, or the uncommon items too common... but yeah, as soon as my players got a Ring of Spell Storing, they'd fill it with Shield spells. Is this an issue with the items, or with the spells? Hard to say... well, I'd say it's an issue with some spells being way more relevant than they should be at later levels, while others become pointless.. but yeah, I can hardly fault the items that hold them.

Are those items Attunement? In tiers 3+ my players are always griping about limited slots, I don't know how much they'd want to save one for a wand/staff that they'll need in-hand (unlike a ring) to use for shield, hex, etc.
 



EzekielRaiden

Follower of the Way
So

Something that some people loooved about 3.x and PF1e, and some others (I'm mostly in this camp) didn't like was how easy it was to make and buy magical items. no longer are the items the PCs get uniquely in the control of the DM, the players get a say too!

This thread is NOT about if this (magical item markets) is a good or a bad thing! People, and DnD itself, have disagreed for decades, I don't want to rehash that debate yet again.

Instead, I want to note how the new DMG is sort of letting this aspect of the game return, to a degree. I'm specifically looking at enspelled items. You can now have weapons, shield/armor and staves that cast spells. I'll use the staves from now on, but the rule set between the 3 are quite similar. They have 6 charges and recharge 1d6 charges/day.

The first thing I note is that there is a "barrier", a huge jump, from going to the uncommon to the rare level. An uncommon magical item takes 10 days to craft, and 200 gp. This seem... preeeety reasonable. Unless your campaign is either extremely quickly passed or very gold-starved, this is not an unsurmountable obstacle.

However, a rare item takes 2000 gp to craft and 50 days. The time seems like a real barrier to me, in most campaigns it would limit the great majority of item crafting to uncommon. This means that our enspelled staves are casting cantrips and first level spells only (spell level 2-3 is rare, 4-5 is very rare, 6-8 is legendary). And at first glance, this seems like a really decent compromise between the almost free for all of 3e and the much more restricted affair of 5e. I also note that the attack/DC aren't great, so it's best with buffing/defensive/utility spells. A few more first level spells is not such a big deal is it?

Welllllll.... what if you have a weapon with hex, or divine favor (a holy sword for 200gp!)? A shield with, well, the shield spell? A staff with cure, bless, the much improved jump? I'm sure there are even better examples I'm not thinking of at the moment.

These items are not incredibly powerful. But they can be exactly what the PC needs. And that makes them quite potent. And there are also all those "miscellaneous" uncommon magical items that are really good... those uncommon items are going to be fairly common!
Why is it a problem that players pursue a thing that fits their needs well? Especially when they're paying for the privilege?
 

Mistwell

Crusty Old Meatwad (he/him)
I am really looking forward to enspelled items. I think they're terrific and a good compromise in item creation. In general they are slightly less powerful than a Wand of Web, which was itself uncommon.

The major question I wanted answered is if they are usable by a Rogue Thief with their Fast Hands ability. I know how I lean on that question, I think both sides of the issue have a fair point, but I don't think we have the data necessary to conclude one way or the other how it's supposed to work.
 


tetrasodium

Legend
Supporter
Epic
and recharge 1d6 charges/day.
It's unfortunate that stayed the default. It becomes really tough for the GM to play with the speed that time passes to suit the needs of gameplay adventure and story when the result is that PCs are showered in an embarrassment of riches causing their magic items to practically become at will cantrips flingers. I've never once seen a player use the last charge so they become permanent too.
 

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