D&D 5E (2024) Martial Magic Items Thoughts?

[Zardnaar]

Recurring thene online seems to be DMs not giving martials decent magic items.

Thoughts on the following if you were a martial player in my gane? I'm still in AD&D mode in a way an a few of these are from 3E.

Relevant Main Items

Barbarian.

Has a + 1 shocking Greataxe. Deals extra 1d6 lightning damage, no attunement. 3E item
Magic armor

Paladin
Storm Star. Legendary +3 Morningstar. Deals +1d6 lightning damage, +1d10 on a crit. Lightning bolt 3/day, call lightning 1/day. 3E item

+2 charisma Mask (very rare). Another minor effect 3E item.

Paladin got lucky exploring netherese ruins.

Monk
Bracers of defense
+1 freezing wraps (+1d4 frost damage),

Spellcasters have have 2-3 uncommons each they'll be getting rares next session. Cleric has hadnand of intellect, +1 amulet of devotion, another item i forget, bard has +1 dagger +1d4 necrotic and a mind sharpener, druid has Magic shield and a staff.

Very close to RAW 5.5 dmg suggestions. Outlier is storm star and that's a storyline related item. Damage sees close between the 3. Paladin rits usually get a smite added which hurts.

 

[ECMO3]

As a player I tend to favor Wands and Staffs for martials. Things like Wand of Fireballs, Wand of Magic Missiles, Wand of Fear, Staff of Thunder and Lightning, Staff of the Python, also things like Necklace of Fireballs, Bead of Force, Gem of Brightness etc.

As a DM I don't really worry about players, usually I use what is in the published adventure and occasionally I will add a story-related custom ite.

 

[Zardnaar]

As a player I tend to favor Wands and Staffs for martials. Things like Wand of Fireballs, Wand of Magic Missiles, Wand of Fear, Staff of Thunder and Lightning, Staff of the Python, also things like Necklace of Fireballs, Bead of Force, Gem of Brightness etc.

As a DM I don't really worry about players, usually I use what is in the published adventure and occasionally I will add a story-related custom ite.

They can't attunement to a few of those items.....

Your heavy MC builds barely count as a martial.

 

[Whisper-Kitten]

I have always given my players a fairly equitable amount of magic items. I don't see why someone would short martials in that department.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have always given my players a fairly equitable amount of magic items. I don't see why someone would short martials in that department.

Well 5.0 had the perception of few magic items and 3.0/3.5/4E you could
buy them.

 

[ECMO3]

They can't attunement to a few of those items.....

I don't think that is true. I think anyone can use almost all of those items.

I think the only one of the items I listed that have any restrictions is the Wand of Fireballs. That requires a "spellcaster" but the vast majority of martials are spell casters. In 5.5E "spellcaster" includes all Elves, all Tieflings, all Aasimar, all Gnomes, all Rangers, all Paladins, EKs, Purple Dragons, ATs, Dead 3 Rogues, Shadow Monks, Elemental Monks, high Level Wild Tree Barbarians, anyone else that gets a spell from a feat and as a final catchall a high level Thief can use it even if they are not a spellcaster.

I am pretty sure anyone at all can use the rest of the stuff I listed. I could be forgetting something though.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think that is true. I think anyone can use almost all of those items.

I think the only one of the items I listed that have any restrictions is the Wand of Fireballs. That requires a "spellcaster" but the vast majority of martials are spell casters. In 5.5E "spellcaster" includes all Elves, all Tieflings, all Aasimar, all Gnomes, all Rangers, all Paladins, EKs, Purple Dragons, ATs, Dead 3 Rogues, Shadow Monks, Elemental Monks, high Level Wild Tree Barbarians, anyone else that gets a spell from a feat and as a final catchall a high level Thief can use it even if they are not a spellcaster.

I am pretty sure anyone at all can use the rest of the stuff I listed. I could be forgetting something though.

Point. Easier to count that than acquiring the item.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I have always given my players a fairly equitable amount of magic items. I don't see why someone would short martials in that department.

It's as Zardnaar said. A near-constant refrain during "D&D Next" and the launch of 5.0 was that magic items were optional. Super super ultra mega nigh-infinite optional. It's totally okay to never ever give even a single magic item to your party if you don't want to! We definitely didn't design the game to need them!

Except...that's pretty much a straight-up fabrication. Martial characters need good magic gear in order to keep up. It's still there, just as much as it always was, they just tried to pretend otherwise.

For literal years--probably 5-6, I'd say!--that was the never-ending drumbeat. It created practically an entire generation of GMs who think that if you give your players a single magic sword before 10th level, you're spoiling them.

And people wonder why I was so skeptical of the glorious "GM empowerment!!!!" revolution.

 

[Zardnaar]

It's as Zardnaar said. A near-constant refrain during "D&D Next" and the launch of 5.0 was that magic items were optional. Super super ultra mega nigh-infinite optional. It's totally okay to never ever give even a single magic item to your party if you don't want to! We definitely didn't design the game to need them!

Except...that's pretty much a straight-up fabrication. Martial characters need good magic gear in order to keep up. It's still there, just as much as it always was, they just tried to pretend otherwise.

For literal years--probably 5-6, I'd say!--that was the never-ending drumbeat. It created practically an entire generation of GMs who think that if you give your players a single magic sword before 10th level, you're spoiling them.

And people wonder why I was so skeptical of the glorious "GM empowerment!!!!" revolution.

Online IRL it seems people hand out more than ENworld assumes.

WotC product is full of them.

Theres no assumptions for specific bonuses though.

I'm kinda old school in assigning them.

 

[CreamCloud0]

It's as Zardnaar said. A near-constant refrain during "D&D Next" and the launch of 5.0 was that magic items were optional. Super super ultra mega nigh-infinite optional. It's totally okay to never ever give even a single magic item to your party if you don't want to! We definitely didn't design the game to need them!

Except...that's pretty much a straight-up fabrication. Martial characters need good magic gear in order to keep up. It's still there, just as much as it always was, they just tried to pretend otherwise.

For literal years--probably 5-6, I'd say!--that was the never-ending drumbeat. It created practically an entire generation of GMs who think that if you give your players a single magic sword before 10th level, you're spoiling them.

And people wonder why I was so skeptical of the glorious "GM empowerment!!!!" revolution.

well, and the other half the reason they were claiming they 'weren't essential' other than it being outright false was that they were assuming hard that martials would all have their casters enabling them with the Magic Weapon spell, so they wouldn't need an actual magic weapon.