D&D 5E Level 1 Magic Item To Powerful?

[Zardnaar]

I have put this weapon in a level 1 adventure. Odds are the PC will not find it but you never know.

+3 SYLVAN WEAPON: This +3 weapon, when used outdoors in a woodland climate, inflicts an additional 1d6 of damage on a hit. If a target is struck to 0 hit points by a single strike, the wielder of the weapon gains an attack as a bonus action on another single target within melee range of the weapon’s wielder.

How would you reword this for 5E? Its from Castles and Crusades and I might require that it requires attunement by a Druid or Ranger otherwise it functions as a +1 sword. Druid melee damage sucks anyway so I am not to worried if one of them gets this and I will likely make the blade a short sword or scimitar (probably scimitar).

 

[JonnyP71]

A +3 weapon, at 1st level? Are you mad? My own group are 6th level and have 2 magic weapons between 4 of them (a sword which does an extra 1d6 damage to undead, devils and demons (with no + to hit), and a +1 rebounding sling stone which has a chance of also hitting allies).

Is there a really good 'story' reason you want to have this weapon in the game? I know Druids are generally expected to either avoid direct melee, or use wild-shape, but if the party has a Ranger who gets it that could cause you problems. It they do manage to find it then it might set a dangerous precedent. I tried to ensure that each party member was able to find 1 suitable, low powered magic item by roughly level 4/5.

5e's bounded accuracy is generally based on the assumption that the party has few or no magic items.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'd remove the +3 and probably the extra attack. Keep the +1d6 when used outdoors in woodlands.

5e magic items are designed to be a raw boost, so it's not like those things would wreck the game, but generally speaking finding what is unique and flavorful to the item and removing the other "cruft" is a worthwhile pursuit.

 

[S'mon]

Make the 'free attack' a bonus action and it's not so overpowered. Attunement is obvious, but will make little difference at 1st level.
It won't wreck your game, 5e is very forgiving, but obviously it would make one (Ranger) PC a lot more powerful in melee, rarely missing and killing ca 12-15 hp foes like bandits & orcs in one blow when they usually need a couple hits at this level, then cleaving into a second.

 

[Zardnaar]

A +3 weapon, at 1st level? Are you mad? My own group are 6th level and have 2 magic weapons between 4 of them (a sword which does an extra 1d6 damage to undead, devils and demons (with no + to hit), and a +1 rebounding sling stone which has a chance of also hitting allies).

Is there a really good 'story' reason you want to have this weapon in the game? I know Druids are generally expected to either avoid direct melee, or use wild-shape, but if the party has a Ranger who gets it that could cause you problems. It they do manage to find it then it might set a dangerous precedent. I tried to ensure that each party member was able to find 1 suitable, low powered magic item by roughly level 4/5.

5e's bounded accuracy is generally based on the assumption that the party has few or no magic items.

Have you seen the weapon they put in Out of the Abyss for level 3 PCs lol.

As I said I highly doubt they will find it and it is for an unknown party composition. If found the finder will not be getting much in the way of magic items upgrade for the next 10 levels.

 

[Zardnaar]

A +3 weapon, at 1st level? Are you mad? My own group are 6th level and have 2 magic weapons between 4 of them (a sword which does an extra 1d6 damage to undead, devils and demons (with no + to hit), and a +1 rebounding sling stone which has a chance of also hitting allies).

Is there a really good 'story' reason you want to have this weapon in the game? I know Druids are generally expected to either avoid direct melee, or use wild-shape, but if the party has a Ranger who gets it that could cause you problems. It they do manage to find it then it might set a dangerous precedent. I tried to ensure that each party member was able to find 1 suitable, low powered magic item by roughly level 4/5.

5e's bounded accuracy is generally based on the assumption that the party has few or no magic items.

I put a +5 holy avenger in a level 1 adventure but it was never found until much later. I tend to scatter clues around. THe Holy avenger was in the town square as part of a Paladins statue which was coated in paint negating detect magic and similar means (in AD&D).

 

[Satyrn]

Go with the banana.

 

[JonnyP71]

Have you seen the weapon they put i Out of the Abyss for level 3 PCs lol.

As I said I highly doubt they will find it and it is for an unknown party composition. If found the finder will not be getting much in the way of magic items upgrade for the next 10 levels.

Ignore Out of the Abyss, published adventures have a history of giving too much magic to thorough parties - I guess it's because they don't expect the players to find everything, but it can serious overpower a party who play in a thorough manner.

As others have said, forget the +3 bonus, make the extra attack use the PC's Bonus action, and you might just have something that works ok for the levels. Even then, I would hold it back until they were at least level 2/3.

I much prefer the approach of drip-feeding in magic items which are more level appropriate, if you hand out a great item at the early levels your players will probably either expect that to continue until they get one each, or perhaps lose a sense of the 'wonder' of magic, so that when they find something a little more mundane they think 'is that it?'

 

[Zardnaar]

Ignore Out of the Abyss, published adventures have a history of giving too much magic to thorough parties - I guess it's because they don't expect the players to find everything, but it can serious overpower a party who play in a thorough manner.

As others have said, forget the +3 bonus, make the extra attack use the PC's Bonus action, and you might just have something that works ok for the levels. Even then, I would hold it back until they were at least level 2/3.

I much prefer the approach of drip-feeding in magic items which are more level appropriate, if you hand out a great item at the early levels your players will probably either expect that to continue until they get one each, or perhaps lose a sense of the 'wonder' of magic, so that when they find something a little more mundane they think 'is that it?'

My players have been getting used to the AD&D magic item way of things as opposed to d20. I have managed to deprogram of the constant expectation of upgrades especially if they get a whacked out item at lower levels. They have also heard stories form some of my ex players of the things they found in AD&D and how they used them for the next 5-8 levels without an upgrade.

 

[JonnyP71]

...and it they find a weapon as good as you suggest then you immediately ruin all that 'deprogramming' you have been doing.

In 5E a +3 weapon which grants a free extra attack is the sort of item a 15th level PC might even dare to dream of owning!