The one thing 5e could fix over 4e that would make me so happy is getting rid of the idea that you need to hand-pick the specific magic items you need to optimize your character. When I DM 5e, I am absolutely doing random treasure tables. It's such a rewarding challenge to make do with whatever magic weapon you're given.
D&D 5E I demand randomization in 5e.
Yeah, players should not be able to choose too much. When I play 5e, almost everything will be determined randomly: race, class, stats, height, hair and eye color, hp, heck, even armor. I will not stop with treasure tables! I want everybody to roll as much as possible. And I will make sure with different dice, too. I am also thinking about rolling what kind of modules I will play: one die would determine the letter of the alphabet, the other the number. So S2 followed by C3 or something like that. I think this could be a lot of fun.
Tequila Sunrise
Adventurer
Even better, the players should do the rolling. They don't get to see the loot charts; all they know is which dice to roll, and that higher is [usually] better!
'Cause everybody loves rolling dice.
One other thing to consider is the commonality of magic items in the world you are playing.
Consider the diablo series. In these, you had a great example of random drops being integral to the game. It worked for one key reason...SO MUCH DROPPED! It was just drop after drop after drop. So much fell at your feet that it was almost inevitable that you werre going to get something you needed.
Now, imagine diablo with a really low drop rate to match the campaign world (pretending for a sec that the campaign world dictated that magic items were insanely rare). So after 3 hours of gameplay, 1 item drops... and its not helpful at all. Not very rewarding.
So, for instance, lets say random charts for darksun, which is meant to be more "loot light" than other world. The party finds "something magical" after weeks of play, they roll on the charts and get...
"Ring of Seasoning Enhancement"
Once per day you can convince tavern owners to put slightly more seasoning in you stew
It would kind of suck. In fact, for a world like darksun, as a DM I would pick the item drops.
So yes, like random treasure tables, but for a little perspective, they arent appropriate every time.
Consider the diablo series. In these, you had a great example of random drops being integral to the game. It worked for one key reason...SO MUCH DROPPED! It was just drop after drop after drop. So much fell at your feet that it was almost inevitable that you werre going to get something you needed.
Now, imagine diablo with a really low drop rate to match the campaign world (pretending for a sec that the campaign world dictated that magic items were insanely rare). So after 3 hours of gameplay, 1 item drops... and its not helpful at all. Not very rewarding.
So, for instance, lets say random charts for darksun, which is meant to be more "loot light" than other world. The party finds "something magical" after weeks of play, they roll on the charts and get...
"Ring of Seasoning Enhancement"
Once per day you can convince tavern owners to put slightly more seasoning in you stew
It would kind of suck. In fact, for a world like darksun, as a DM I would pick the item drops.
So yes, like random treasure tables, but for a little perspective, they arent appropriate every time.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
For stats, I recommend 3d6 in order.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Random treasure tables are a key resource for DMing, in my opinion. If nothing else, they speed things up tremendously for people who want to use them. There are plenty of games that don't need random tables, but nothing is lost by including them while also putting plenty of language about how DMs can hand-pick treasure if they prefer or if it's more appropriate for a specific encounter or adventure. Also, even if they aren't used directly, they convey information about frequency and rarity.
There's a difference between players choosing details about their characters and players choosing details about the game world. If players want to save their gold and buy items, that's fine. But I've seen a trend in 4e games where the players actually tell the DM what the dungeon loot should be, and I'm hoping to see less of that in the new edition.
FireLance
Legend
Eh, whatever the official rules are, I'm probably going to allow the players to choose at least some of the magic items their PCs receive. More fun for them (at least, the players in my group) and less trouble for me.
That said, it would be interesting to have the occasional random or DM-selected item pop up to spark the creativity of the DM and the players. You can have a mix. There is no reason why magic items have to be entirely player-chosen, DM-selected, or randomly generated.
That said, it would be interesting to have the occasional random or DM-selected item pop up to spark the creativity of the DM and the players. You can have a mix. There is no reason why magic items have to be entirely player-chosen, DM-selected, or randomly generated.
Tallifer
Hero
Just open the Adventurers' Vault to the table of contents and roll percentile dice.
And make sure you have Ye Olde Magick Shoppe for me to sell and trade all the junk that is rolled.
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