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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 4225313" data-attributes="member: 29398">Absolutely.&nbsp; But, two things to say here:1. You did the right thing and actually had your Fighter *do* the test in character (some here see to think such things are a waste of time), and2. You still have no idea what the weapon's base &quot;plus&quot; is, if any, nor if it has any other neat and funky abilities, curses, etc.I have no problem at all with characters figuring out what their items do, provided such figuring is done in character as exampled above.&nbsp; Where I have a problem is with too much information being handed out...in the example above, being told after the same test that it's a +2 Flaming sword that cannot function in an ambient temperature less than -10 C (let's assume the test was done outdoors on a fine spring day) is just too much.At least preserve *some* mystery!As for the &quot;problem&quot; of DMs losing track of what various items do, we-ell, I have no sympathy whatsoever as it's incumbent on you as DM to keep track of items anyway...an item numbering system can be a big help here - every time you give out an item (magic or not) in treasury, give it a number.&nbsp; *Insist* your players record the number on their sheets along with the item.&nbsp; Keep your own list of items in numerical order.&nbsp; Then, when someone swings with an unidentified sword you just ask &quot;what number is it?&quot; and can then easily reference your list to remind yourself what it does.&nbsp; This becomes essential when a) items have properties unknown to the characters/players e.g. curses, and-or b) when there are several similar-on-the-surface items e.g. &quot;+2 swords&quot; in a party but they are in fact not the same at all...item #36 that Sharana is using is in fact +1 to hit/+3 damage, item #38 that Astacoe is using is a straight +2, while item #39 in Khurin's hands is +1 base with extra benefits vs. dragons only.&nbsp; But they all radiate about the same level of magic and the party have assumed they're all +2's...it's up to you to keep them straight until such time as the party gets them ID'ed - if ever.Item numbers for non-magic items can be a big help also - &quot;You find 6 assorted gems, call them item #41; they look pretty nice on first glance.&quot;&nbsp; You write down &quot;41 - 6 gems, 350 g.p. total [or list individual values if you like]&quot;, then when the party goes to divide treasury later and (one assumes) gets things appraised you have a ready-to-hand value.&nbsp; Never give them the value on the spot when they find the gems, as the gems could get stolen or shattered or lost long before reaching town and a chance for a decent appraisal. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Lanefan</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 4225313, member: 29398"] Absolutely. But, two things to say here: 1. You did the right thing and actually had your Fighter *do* the test in character (some here see to think such things are a waste of time), and 2. You still have no idea what the weapon's base "plus" is, if any, nor if it has any other neat and funky abilities, curses, etc. I have no problem at all with characters figuring out what their items do, provided such figuring is done in character as exampled above. Where I have a problem is with too much information being handed out...in the example above, being told after the same test that it's a +2 Flaming sword that cannot function in an ambient temperature less than -10 C (let's assume the test was done outdoors on a fine spring day) is just too much. At least preserve *some* mystery! As for the "problem" of DMs losing track of what various items do, we-ell, I have no sympathy whatsoever as it's incumbent on you as DM to keep track of items anyway...an item numbering system can be a big help here - every time you give out an item (magic or not) in treasury, give it a number. *Insist* your players record the number on their sheets along with the item. Keep your own list of items in numerical order. Then, when someone swings with an unidentified sword you just ask "what number is it?" and can then easily reference your list to remind yourself what it does. This becomes essential when a) items have properties unknown to the characters/players e.g. curses, and-or b) when there are several similar-on-the-surface items e.g. "+2 swords" in a party but they are in fact not the same at all...item #36 that Sharana is using is in fact +1 to hit/+3 damage, item #38 that Astacoe is using is a straight +2, while item #39 in Khurin's hands is +1 base with extra benefits vs. dragons only. But they all radiate about the same level of magic and the party have assumed they're all +2's...it's up to you to keep them straight until such time as the party gets them ID'ed - if ever. Item numbers for non-magic items can be a big help also - "You find 6 assorted gems, call them item #41; they look pretty nice on first glance." You write down "41 - 6 gems, 350 g.p. total [or list individual values if you like]", then when the party goes to divide treasury later and (one assumes) gets things appraised you have a ready-to-hand value. Never give them the value on the spot when they find the gems, as the gems could get stolen or shattered or lost long before reaching town and a chance for a decent appraisal. :) Lanefan [/QUOTE]

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