Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="MerricB" data-source="post: 6721956" data-attributes="member: 3586">Originally posted by Bumamgar:I'm not sure if this is actually an error, but it certainly seems to be odd / inconsistent at the very least. I've examined the entire adventure, all 8 episodes, and the amount of magical treasure is significantly lower than what is available in the starter set adventure. Also, many of the items aren't actually intended to be found or obtained by the adventurers, being in the posession of NPCs who are scripted to escape and possibly re-appear in the Rise of Tiamat adventure. Other than a few potions of healing (which are purchasable for 50gp according to the PHB and thus don't actually count as 'magical treasure') there is only one magic item made available to the players prior to level 5 (episode 6), and that is a +1 longbow which only becomes available if a specific random encounter is randomly rolled and the DM selects one of three possible outcomes for that encounter (the other two options resulting in no magical reward at all). I'm referring to one of the possible options in the Golden Stag encounter, which frankly, is extremely unlikely for the characters to have, but it does technically exist. Also, there is a typographical error as the +1 longbow is not in italic text as all magic items should be. Beyond that, there are a few items in episode 6 and several more items in episodes 7 and 8. Again, however, most of the equipable items aren't available to characters the way the module is written. Contrast this with Lost Mine of Phandelver, an adventure that goes from 1st - 5th level (instead of 1st - 8th level). In that adventure, the party has the potential to find a potion of invisibility, scroll of augury, +1 longsword, scroll of charm person, scroll of fireball and a staff of defense in the second portion of the adventure (all available at level 2), and in the third portion of the adventure , a ring of protection, potion of flying, scroll of darkness, scroll of misty step, scroll of lightning bolt, +1 battleaxe, scroll of silence and a scroll of revivify (all available at level 3), and finally in part 4, a pair of boots of striding and springing, wand of magic missiles, potion of vitality, +1 mace, +1 breastplate, gauntlets of ogre power and a spider staff (all available at level 4). In summary, by the time a party is level 5 in LMoP, they have had access to 3 potions (not counting potions of healing), 8 scrolls, 3 +1 weapons, 1 +1 armor, 2 staves, 1 wand and 3 misc. magic items. In HotDQ, by the time a party is level 8, they have had the potential access to 3 potions (not counting potions of healing), 4 scrolls, 6 +1 weapons (2x +1 longbow), 3 +1 armor, 1 staff, 1 wand, and 5 misc. magic items, however, of that, 1 +1 weapon, 1 +1 armor, 1 wand, 1 staff, 3 scrolls and 2 misc. items are extremely unlikely to actually be acquired by even the most dilligent party due to the way the adventure is scripted to save certain NPCs who are weilding these items, leaving the actual comparison at 3 potions, 1 scroll, 5 +1 weapons, 2 +1 armor, 0 staves, 0 wands, and 3 misc. magic items. This is a difference between the lower level LMoP of 7 scrolls, -2 +1 weapons, -1 +1 armor, 2 staves and 1 wand. I guess one could argue that two +1 weapons and one +1 armor are the equivalent to 7 scrolls, 2 staves and a wand, but I don't really think so, especially since only one of the +1 weapons (one which is extremely unlikely to actually be present) is available to a party before they are level 5, meaning that for the entire portion of this module which overlaps LMoP, there is effectively no magical loot what-so-ever, and that the items that do drop are only available once a party has achieved level 5! Add in the fact that most of the +1 weapons in LMoP have secondary effects of some sort (max damage to plant creatures, bonus radiant damage to undead, etc) and only the dagger of venom has a secondary effect in HotDQ, it is clear that the itemization in HotDQ is no where near the same as the lower-level starter set adventure. Is this actually as intended, or, like so many other things with this adventure, the rules for magical items were in such a state of flux during the creation of this module, that they were simply left out of the first 2/3rd of the module? Itemized inventory of items in HotDQ: (page #, episode, party level, comments)2x potion of healing (p12, episode 1, L1, consolation prize if a character is defeated in the duel)+1 longbow (p35, episode 4, L4, if a specific random encounter occurs and if the DM selects this specific outcome)2x potion of healing, oil of etherealness (p52, episode 6, L5)dagger of venom (p53, episode 6, L5)potion of greater healing (p53, episode 6, L5)2x potion of healing (p67, episode 7, L6)+1 scale mail, wand of winter (p68, episode 7, L6, only if the characters kill Talis, an option that is unlikely the way the adventure is written)Dragongleam a rusty spear with 10 charges of the daylight spell but no combat effect (p69, episode 7, L6)+1 chain mail (p69, episode 7, L6)scroll of scorching ray (p69, episode 7, L6)arrow-catching shield (p71, episode 7, L6)tankard of plenty (p74, episode 8, L7, extremely unlikely to be obtained by party)black dragon mask (p80, episode 8, L7, extremely unlikely to be obtained by party)insignia of claws, Hazirawn (p80, episode 8, L7)scroll of dimension door, scroll of feather fall, scroll of fireball, staff of fire (p80, episode 8, L7, extremely unlikely to be obtained by party)bag of holding (p84, episode 8, L7)potion of gaseous form, +1 longsword, +1 longbow, +1 leather armor, and bracers of defense (p86, episode 8, L7)</blockquote>

Verification