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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rallek" data-source="post: 4016215" data-attributes="member: 8463">Trying to make a system of items that's balanced is not worthwhile in my opinion, true. You yourself said, "The fact that I (as the DM) have to keep an eye out for new rule options that screw up game balance is hardly anything new." So what has this new "system of items that's balanced" given us that we didn't have before?I learned the art of DMing way back in the days of 2e. My early games were moderately horrible... you know every DM I've ever spoken with agrees that their early games were also moderately horrible? I guess that's how you know you've gotten better at it. At any rate, magic items were in no respect "balanced" and it never seemed to kill the game. In all honesty, it never even seemed to hurt the game. When the players found magic loot they used what they could, or saved it for a rainy day, a future retainer, a possible bribe, whatever. When they really wanted a specific kind of item they researched some legends to see if they could track down a suitable whatsits, and if that proved unworkable, they would locate a powerful mage and bargain to have one made. When they were powerful enough, the PC wizard researched the relevant components, spells needed, and proper rituals to craft items themselves, and that was a good source of a quest or two. Over the many years we played 2e hundreds of magic items were encountered, many more were made by PC mages, all without benefit of a "balanced item system". Now we all agree that creating a balanced system of magic items is extremely difficult. Further I think that we agree that with the presence of third party materials, and the inevitable series of splatbooks from WoTC itself, it is likely an impossible standard to meet. So what is our situation? The developers spend a great deal of time and energy and (one would assume at least some) page count on something that is both likely impossible and largely unnecessary. This does not seem the course of wisdom to me. I think the game would be better served by allowing fledgling DMs to find their own balance, and learn their art at the table, rather than trying to hardwire an impossible standard of "balance" into the core rules.Just one DM's opinion, and hopefully a clarification of where I'm coming from on this issue.</blockquote>

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