D&D 5E +# magic items so much fun!

[Blackwarder]

Go for it? I mean, this is exactly how games like Burning Wheel and FATE work.

But we're talking about D&D, so maybe they should go hunt for Abyssal items?

Or to flip it around - if you want roleplaying to be its own reward, and don't want this sort of metagame mechanic attached to it (and that would be fair enough - I don't use these metagame mechanics in my 4e game), then what is the point of including items that give Abyssal nightmares? Let the players impose there own interpretations on things, and do their own RP.

I think that I wasn't clear enough, I love your idea about storing rolls for good role-play, my question is why should I take a mechanic for role-play and make it exclusively tied to an item?

As for your last question, the point is to give the players some reference point about the world and the point of the game is to give the players challenges and obstacles.

You can just tell the player that he is having nightmares that he can't remember and let him run with this with nothing else happening and that is fine but depends on the DM and player wishes it might be more, and different abyssal items will have different manifestations of the nightmares.

Same can be said for Draconic items, Drow, Dwarven, etc

Personally, if I roll a Drow item I might probably make it more powerful but let sunlight slowly destroy it, an elven item in the hands of a non-elf will automatically cause suspicion and distrust by elves who will believe the character stole it, the ideas just keep on flowing.

Warder

 

[Blackwarder]

Btw, it looks like we are completely disregard the minor properties and minor quirk tables, both add mechanical effects.

Warder