D&D 5E Magic Item Slots in D&D Next

[Mattachine]

There are a lot of people who have issues with aspects of the game that other people do not have. This is simply one of them.

Back to magic items, this is actually an important consideration due to adventure creation. Adventure designers need to be able to predict the general power level of a party for their adventures to be adequately challenging without heavy modification.

Very true if WotC is going to be in the business of writing modules. When playing first and second edition adventures the amount of magic and money earned by character varied from none (or take a loss) to a Monty-Haul superabundance. When I was a more inexperienced DM back then, I went with what was written, and the PCs ended up way overpowered with magic, which I then had to contrive a way to remove.

Third and fourth edition had expected or define amounts of treasure for characters of a given level, and published adventures stayed in the ballpark. A less-experienced DM could go forward without significant problems. If you were an experienced enough to DM to modify your campaign to be lower or higher magic, then you were also likely to modified a published adventure.

 

[delericho]

dont forget the locate city bomb:

Take Locate City. AOE, no save, radius 10 miles per CL. (Really, any low level large area spell works.)

Add Snowcasting (frostburn). Adds a snow material component, and gives the spell the Cold descriptor.

Add Flash Frost Spell (PHB2) . modifies any Cold spell with an area to slick that area in ice, for a short duration Grease effect and 2 cold damage, no save.

Add Energy Substitute (CA). Modify any spell with an energy descriptor to use another energy type from the list. Here that list is Electric. It deals 2 electric damage in its area but lacks a save. [EDIT: If you think this prevents the system from working because it's no longer [cold] for flashfrost (despite order of operations on metamagic producing different results), you can also use Energy Admixture and get around the problem.]

Add Born of Three Thunders (CA). Modifies any damaging electric or sonic spell to be both electric and sonic. It also gives the spell a Fortitude save for deafening and a Reflex save for prone, similar to the Great Thunderclap spell. Our spell is now an AoE [Electric/Sonic] (or [Electric, Sonic, Cold]) effect with, among other things, a Reflex save.

Use Explosive Spell (CA). Modifies any AoE spell which has a reflex save, which you'll note we now have. Subjects in the area are pushed to the nearest unaffected square. They take 1d6 damage per 10 feet moves this way, due to the FEAT (ie not reducable by evasion). The spell has a radius of MILES. That's a lot of 10' increments before the creatures stop.

That's awesome. But...

Isn't the caster standing right at the centre of the AoE when he casts the spell?

 

[Lord Mhoram]

There are a lot of people who have issues with aspects of the game that other people do not have. This is simply one of them.

True-

I play a lot of Hero, so the idea that the DM puts the kibosh on any book legal but mechanically outrageous ability is part of my assumptions of running the game, or playing it.

But I understand how that others come from other POV.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

As for Magic Items, I'm for no slots.

Is there a rule that says a fighter can only wear one suit of armor, not two? Or that a character with 2 hands cannot wield 3 weapons simultaneously.

If the magic items make sense that multiple items can be worn they can. Maybe a limit on Rings saying how many total, but overall no.

There were some magic item restrictions on certain classes in earlier games, but where it really got locked down was 3rd and 4th - games where the magic items were part of the math of encounter balance - and some required. With D&DNext having been stated that Magic items will not be part of that math, I don't see a reason for Magic Item limitations... other than maybe to hard code out Monty Haulism.

Put in a "magic items guideline" chart showing 2 or 3 different possible limit ranges - a Low Magic, Regular and "magic Items as normal Tech" levels - but not hard code them in - have them be something the GM decides on for what fits that game, or that appear in Campaign sourcebooks.

 

[Andor]

I think this belongs in the modules and dials part of the GMs book.

Want a high-powered Monty Haul game? Use slot limits.

Want a low magic grim and gritty game? Then it doesn't matter because they only ever find the one poison-dripping dagger. The one that doesn't grant the user immunity. and that the Church is hunting for.

Happy Medium? You try to put on a 3rd ring. Roll on the magic item miscability table.

 

[Lothlos]

This strikes me as the PERFECT kind of topic for the "Modularity" that is being toted for the new edition.

There ought not be any "rule" for magic items, but a set of "options" to be chosen from by the DM/group (or make their own!) for their preference of playstyle.

I think the suggestion for a general guide (low magic=3 items, "average" magic=5, high magic=7) is a perfect example for any game.

Add to that the full on "Slots" option, for those that like/want it. With the proposed guidelines that you could do: head, neck, back, body [front/torso], belt/waist, arms, wrists, hands, feet, 2 rings...and/or anything in between.

The "No slots" option...either because you're following the "3/5/7" rule, because you're not going to have magic items at all OR you ant to use...

...the "Go Gonzo" option! (for those that like/want that) Wear 2 rings on one hand, 3 rings on the other and put one in your nose? No problem. "Yes, your leiderhosen +3 works just fine with your socks of endless odor and the boots of levitation." You find a headband of intellect, a hat of disguise and earrings of comprehending languages? All yours, man!

Additional optional things to point out for the DM:
1) Magic Items all work together just fine.
2) Some/Certain items may cancel each other out ("Your Flaming sword seems to flicker and snuff when you put on the Breast Plate of the Frost Giant King") or do wonky things to their effects ("Your flaming sword dims a bit, but is still burning. But your new breast plate seems to be endlessly dripping/'leaking' very cold water, leaving a noticeable trail on the ground")...or YOU! (a.k.a. DM's FUN DAY! )
3) Items do not/will not work in tandem/stack, so you really have to keep to slots to make sure everything works as it says on the box.
4) Items do not/will not work in the same vicinity! "Aura crash!" You get ONE magic item on your person...and best to keep a minimum 10' from the other items in the group or nobody's +'ing anything!
5) Make it an element of Class...non-caster's can effectively get/use X items of Z type without repercussion. Casters can possess up to Y of any type, but can only use 1 at a time...
6) What-/however you want.

Anywho, I trust the point is made, use of magic item "Slots" as a "rule" in the books not only seems unnecessary, but at odds with the "optional/modularity" proposed for the addition. Let the DMs/groups "Choose Your Own" (gods, I loved those books ) way to incorporate them.

Have fun and good morning, ENworld!
--Steel Dragons

I agree, but I think it should be up to the DM to set some sort of control over magic in his campaign. The 3=low/5=average/7=high/9=insane seems pretty cool. I have been in games where magic items were fairly common and in others where I felt lucky to have one by the time was 20th level, but mostly I have been in groups where the level of magic was somewhere in between.

If you want all your magic items to have a story make it that way. If you want characters to adventure for the necessary ingredients to craft an item make it that way. If you want no spell casters make it that way. I think that magic items are a fun part of the game.

 

[JasonZZ]

OMG! Really?!?! Seriously?!?! THIS is how 4e works?! No wonder I hardly played it.

Cuisinart not withstanding... (but cute descriptive)

You [the "royal" you,meaning whoever you are/want to be] are welcome to keep your "sack of rats."

ugh. yuck.
--SD

No. That is how 3E worked. 4E actually called this out as an example of where the rules should give way to common sense.

Edit: ninja'ed by TwinBahamut.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I am for eliminating limits on worm magic items entirely and leave it up to DMs and Organized Play administrators to set limits they wish.

 

[jadrax]

I'm not a big fan of "slots" as such; I prefer a more common sense, freeform approach

Pretty much this, with the proviso that similar effects should never stack.

 

[Dausuul]

Clearly, one of the benefits for a wizard who picks the Necromancy specialty should be a bonus item slot for Threads.