D&D 5E Magic Items Found vs Wants
I meant more like crit range, crit multiplier, brutal, acp, asf, meaningful damage type, etc
Zardnaar
Legend
I don't miss that to much but revising 3E might be worthwhile. Eliminate the confirm the crit part.
I'm thinking my ideal would be advanced B/X with microfeats and 5E skill system. Bring back energy drain but make it exhaustion levels vs level loss.
I honestly forgot about confirming criticals, I like those other things because it allows me a lot more freedom to make things that are better or interesting without being a silo of advancement.
Iry
Hero
Sometimes I listen when my players mention a dream item that would really make their character click.
Sometimes I roll straight out of the DMG or Xanathars and toss that into a treasure pile.
Sometimes I make items from scratch, with strange and unusual properties.
Mixing it up keeps things fresh for me, and keeps my players happy and surprised.
Sometimes I roll straight out of the DMG or Xanathars and toss that into a treasure pile.
Sometimes I make items from scratch, with strange and unusual properties.
Mixing it up keeps things fresh for me, and keeps my players happy and surprised.
Sword of Spirit
Legend
Well, it depends.
I'm really a huge fan of random items, the same as I'm a fan of random monsters. Recently, I prerolled a random encounter with a troll, and in it's lair the party randomly found an instrument of the bards, and ivory goats. We actually have a bard in the party, so that instrument is a huge boost to his capabilities (5th level characters). We distributed the three goats amongst party members, and we'll have to see when they come up in play.
We also have found two +1 shields so far. I rolled up some of the fun little features in the DMG and gave each of them a name. Literally nobody in the party uses a shield. Of the two-characters with proficiency, one is a dedicated dual-wielder, and the other is a caster who doesn't want to tie up his casting hand, and dislikes shields for style. That said, that same character has been wearing one of the shields on his back during non-combat travel on the Isle of Dread, because its special minor property eliminates the discomfort of environmental heat or cold.
So, as a general rule, you use what you get.
But at the same time, the party has found themselves in Sigil in the past, and will find themselves there again later likely. They can buy/sell/trade for items there (I increase the prices for most magic items considerably over what 5e recommends, though prices aren't as inflated in Sigil). I use a lot of random rolls to determine what any individual magical shop has available. If it's not available, you might be able to get someone to acquire it for you at a steeper cost. That's why the party has multiple bags of holding now--each one of them with a different appearance. In some place like Waterdeep a magic shop (by which I mean the place wizards buy all of that stuff they need like spellbooks, special inks, spell components, etc, as well as some scrolls and potions) will likely have a very small number of magic items they happen to have acquired. A high-end weapon or armor shop might feature one or two sets of magic armor they got somewhere and would be willing to sell for a high price. You could try to have someone find the item you're looking for for you, but it's going to be harder than out on the planes. It might be easier to get a divination of some sort telling you where one of the item you are looking for might be found, and then go adventure for it!
When it comes to pre-made adventures, they get whatever is in the adventure (though I divide all treasure by half or more because we have a slower advancement). If I make an adventure, I'll put in whatever seems appropriate for the context, which almost certainly involves random rolls.
I'm really a huge fan of random items, the same as I'm a fan of random monsters. Recently, I prerolled a random encounter with a troll, and in it's lair the party randomly found an instrument of the bards, and ivory goats. We actually have a bard in the party, so that instrument is a huge boost to his capabilities (5th level characters). We distributed the three goats amongst party members, and we'll have to see when they come up in play.
We also have found two +1 shields so far. I rolled up some of the fun little features in the DMG and gave each of them a name. Literally nobody in the party uses a shield. Of the two-characters with proficiency, one is a dedicated dual-wielder, and the other is a caster who doesn't want to tie up his casting hand, and dislikes shields for style. That said, that same character has been wearing one of the shields on his back during non-combat travel on the Isle of Dread, because its special minor property eliminates the discomfort of environmental heat or cold.
So, as a general rule, you use what you get.
But at the same time, the party has found themselves in Sigil in the past, and will find themselves there again later likely. They can buy/sell/trade for items there (I increase the prices for most magic items considerably over what 5e recommends, though prices aren't as inflated in Sigil). I use a lot of random rolls to determine what any individual magical shop has available. If it's not available, you might be able to get someone to acquire it for you at a steeper cost. That's why the party has multiple bags of holding now--each one of them with a different appearance. In some place like Waterdeep a magic shop (by which I mean the place wizards buy all of that stuff they need like spellbooks, special inks, spell components, etc, as well as some scrolls and potions) will likely have a very small number of magic items they happen to have acquired. A high-end weapon or armor shop might feature one or two sets of magic armor they got somewhere and would be willing to sell for a high price. You could try to have someone find the item you're looking for for you, but it's going to be harder than out on the planes. It might be easier to get a divination of some sort telling you where one of the item you are looking for might be found, and then go adventure for it!
When it comes to pre-made adventures, they get whatever is in the adventure (though I divide all treasure by half or more because we have a slower advancement). If I make an adventure, I'll put in whatever seems appropriate for the context, which almost certainly involves random rolls.
David Howery
Hero
uh... are hand crossbows way more lethal in later editions or something? In 1E/2E, they weren't much, and making a +2 version wouldn't disrupt a campaign at all. in 2E, they did a whopping 1-3/1-2 damage and could fire once per round.
I don't remember but there might have been some silliness you could accomplish n 3.5 with them
Ok, I know I'm still pretty new to 5E.
I'm reading some repeats of what I've heard in the local shop. So I'm going to ask for some clarifications of some of this.
Why is a Rod Of Lordly Might less 'disruptive' than a +2 weapon?
Why is a +1 shield more of a problem than a +1 armor?
Why is a +1 hand crossbow more of a problem than a +1 keen shortsword?
Why is a cloak that boosts AC acceptable but a +1 armor is not?
Granted (as I said) don't have a lot of history with this version of the game. But I've been playing through some mock combats. A +1 anything doesn't usually make all that much difference, except at very low (1-3) levels. And it doesn't seem to be much different whichever item it is.
Unless the target's build is almost exclusively focused on defense, most weapon or spell attacks will hit.
If a spell uses a prof save, the target will usually make it.
If a spell uses a non-prof save, the target will probably fail.
I just don't get the 'this' +1 is perfectly ok, but OMG 'that' +1 is the end of the game.
I'm reading some repeats of what I've heard in the local shop. So I'm going to ask for some clarifications of some of this.
Why is a Rod Of Lordly Might less 'disruptive' than a +2 weapon?
Why is a +1 shield more of a problem than a +1 armor?
Why is a +1 hand crossbow more of a problem than a +1 keen shortsword?
Why is a cloak that boosts AC acceptable but a +1 armor is not?
Granted (as I said) don't have a lot of history with this version of the game. But I've been playing through some mock combats. A +1 anything doesn't usually make all that much difference, except at very low (1-3) levels. And it doesn't seem to be much different whichever item it is.
Unless the target's build is almost exclusively focused on defense, most weapon or spell attacks will hit.
If a spell uses a prof save, the target will usually make it.
If a spell uses a non-prof save, the target will probably fail.
I just don't get the 'this' +1 is perfectly ok, but OMG 'that' +1 is the end of the game.
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David Howery
Hero
in 2E, hand crossbows cost 300 gp, a rather big amount to pay for that tiny amount of damage... I had a character who used one in 1E days, before there were any official rules for them other than the notes on the Drow in the GDQ modules... I think we decided it would cost the same as a light crossbow...
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