D&D General DMing Theory #1: The Single Gauntlet

[bsss]

I generally track with Charlaquin's answer too, but this stupid idea got in my head and this is how I excise it:

Gauntlet of Ogre Power must be an arcade cabinet. Sorry players, this typo is legally binding.

 

[aco175]

It might be cool to have goblins each wearing one of the gauntlets and make it a thing like they rule the tribe as the K.O. Bros, but then once the PCs get them and think they can use them separately it might not work. There could be a reason they work for the goblins such a 'magic' but you might need to explain it.

Might work placing one in a trap to do something like push someone into a pit. This way if the PCs find one they will be looking for the other and more traps.

 

[Tigris]

If people split it up it does no longer work.


If for some reason one would find only a single one, then well there would either be a quest to find the other one or just have the item changed to be called gauntlet of ogger power without an S.

 

[payn]

Splitting works but instead of making you strong, it makes you a better dancer.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The party finding single Gauntlet of Ogre Power is a story decision. I, as the DM, decided that as part of the narrative of the campaign the party was going to find just the one... thus my reasoning for it was to be a potential plot hook to follow and let the narrative of the campaign continue.

If I had no interest in giving the players the opportunity to roleplay what they would do with finding only a single Gauntlet... then I'd just give them the two, let a player bump up their STR board game stat, and then move on. And no one would ever reference those Gauntlets again, they'd just reference their total STR modifier whenever it came up.

 

[aco175]

"Check out my Boot of Climbing, I can only go down though".

"My slipper of Spider Climbing lets me take one step onto the wall".

"My glove of Missile Snaring did not work, tell my family I was awesome".

 

[Bae'zel]

Grants Strength bonus as normal, but only for actions or attacks that can be accomplished with only one hand.

One handed weapons, arm wrestling, punching someone, pulling a stuck door etc...

edit: it's magic, not physics. The gauntlet only works for one hand! Doesn't provide half strength benefits for two-handed weapons and tools. Magic != logic. Someone made this item for a specific purpose (maybe a smith?)

 

[Jacob Lewis]

A single gauntlet will only give you half-ogre strength.

 

[sevenbastard]

Im not sure. I dont want to make a ruling that penalizes the person with only one hand, but I also dont want to make a rule that allows the PCs to game the system but splitting the gauntlets.

Luckily i have a third solution. Once the single gauntlet is found I just create scheduling conflict for each future game session until people lose interest and the campaign fizzles out.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

In Alex Kammer's published 5e adventure, Sea King's Malice, a single gauntlet of ogre power can be found in the King's Guard barracks. He's added the following mechanic for it:

Unfortunately, the matching gauntlet of this set was lost long ago. And while only one can be used at a time, they were designed to be used as a pair. If a character dons and attempts to use the single gauntlet, that action or attack is performed at Strength 19. However, because the magic powering it is not balanced by its lost twin, the user must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or become overbalanced to the side bearing the gauntlet and fall prone.