No Random treasure !?!?...

[S'mon]

I hated the 3e approach where pretty much everything got sold in order to buy optimised gear. I think 4e seems like an improvement. For one thing, it's the first edition to support the Tolkienesque trope of having most items gifted by friendly NPCs - your liege-lord, the witch in the woods, etc - rather than looted from the foe's corpse.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I hated the 3e approach where pretty much everything got sold in order to buy optimised gear. I think 4e seems like an improvement. For one thing, it's the first edition to support the Tolkienesque trope of having most items gifted by friendly NPCs - your liege-lord, the witch in the woods, etc - rather than looted from the foe's corpse.

Side note: The enemies got barely looted in our first KotS session. Yes, the group looked for treasure, but they didn't bother with the weapons and armor of fallen foes. Well, at 1st level, there's not much to gain, but since they are also not gathering money for their first Wand of Cure Light Wounds, I suppose Kobold gear is not that interesting to sell anymore...

 

[Vanuslux]

Side note: The enemies got barely looted in our first KotS session. Yes, the group looked for treasure, but they didn't bother with the weapons and armor of fallen foes. Well, at 1st level, there's not much to gain, but since they are also not gathering money for their first Wand of Cure Light Wounds, I suppose Kobold gear is not that interesting to sell anymore...

After the first encounter in KotS, the players started to loot the bodies and I noted to them that they'd get next to nothing for the used weapons and armor...after that they lost all interest in looting mundane items and I think that definitely was a good thing.

 

[pr1]

A game without players is just masturbation, because you're only playing with yourself.

Are you twelve? Not too useful to the discussion, I fear.

 

[AllisterH]

From what I've seen is that the longsword is chosen because it is most likely going to be an item given via the adventure module the group is playing. I've seen a lot of treasure lists that had longswords in them. Not too many ear-spoons though.

That too.

But if you look through the actual treasure tables from the DMG in 1e/2e, you had the same thing going on.

Most of the weapons were either axes or longsword. Not many polearms or scythes being generated.

 

[tankschmidt]

WTF is going on here, in the DMG...Is this the first edition of D&D that doesn't include a random treasure generator?

I can't beleive some of the suggestions for handing out treasure, the worst one is this...Have your players give you a wish list (5 items) and pick an item from the list in an upcoming adventure!!! Imagine their surprise when they find the item they have on their list in an upcoming adventure... I mean seriously what's the fun in that? OK DM these are the items aI really like, sdo something about it. Deus Ex Mechanica anyone???

A lot of the random stocking dungeons was to spark your imagination and find out how exactly that item got there. Then use that to inspire your story for the dungeon.

Now we are just supposed to pick items that would excite your players and items they can actually use. So, I need to put a Warlock item in a dungeon although the story or the dungeon inhabitants might not have any probable reason to find or use these items.

Also there's no more ID'ing items, you just know exactly what bonus they give and power they have automatically. WTF???

If I ever play 4ed at the store, I will definitely ask for wish lists and then make sure none of those treasures ever make it into my games...

Last thing, it say in a paragraph that magic item shops are rare and whatnot and the next sentence it says that you should generally be able to find the magic item you want to buy??? Where the hell is the mystery? Seriously this is one of the few sections of the new game I can't abide buy, there is just no effing way...

I really cracked up when I read that. This new game is hilarious, but it's definitely not for me!

 

[The Little Raven]

Are you twelve? Not too useful to the discussion, I fear.

You were told that a game without players is like a novel without protagonists, to which you responded that you wanted a game, not a novel, thus dismissing the point that was made to you without actually addressing it.

Thus, I brought up that playing with yourself (playing without players) is just playing with yourself... I'd have used Solitaire as an example, but card games are one of the great evils right now.

Now, do you want to continue to focus about how it's phrased, or are you prepared to deal with the fact that without players, you don't have a game?

 

[Spatula]

As to the wishlist issue, assuming each player's wishlist includes an item for each slot, including two rings, a melee weapon, a ranged weapon, and an implement, that's 12 items on each list. If the party has five characters, that's a grand total of 60 items.

Assuming the characters retire immediately on reaching level 30 and have been receiving the suggested treasure, they will have acquired 116 magic items.

Under these assumptions, nearly half of the items acquired will be items not on anyone's wishlist.

Planning on still using that +1 longsword at level 30, are you?

 

[pr1]

You were told that a game without players is like a novel without protagonists, to which you responded that you wanted a game, not a novel, thus dismissing the point that was made to you without actually addressing it.

Thus, I brought up that playing with yourself (playing without players) is just playing with yourself... I'd have used Solitaire as an example, but card games are one of the great evils right now.

Now, do you want to continue to focus about how it's phrased, or are you prepared to deal with the fact that without players, you don't have a game?

If you read my post, the novel versus game point was an aside. My second point clarified my concern about what he said. (Btw, you also dismissed the point as to whether or not you're twelve without addressing it.) I have a group. Players play in it. That in and of itself isn't your business. I listen to them when I want to, but take responsibility for my game. Part of that responsibility is not giving them what they want just because they want it without an in-game action that they take to find the thing they want. Your post nor the "well, you don't have any players in your game" crap was a point in the first place. I'm sure players who come to the game with a magic item wishlist will leave eventually, if that really bothers them, but that's definitely not everybody.

I don't care how much you care to post on ENworld. If you call deciding the magic items that are in my game masturbatory, you're a troll. Or a kid, or both.

 

[theNater]

Planning on still using that +1 longsword at level 30, are you?

Nope. But you see, on my wishlist I'm putting Terror Longsword, not +1 Terror Longsword, +2 Terror Longsword, +3 Terror Longsword, etc.

My wishlist is the list of items I'd like to end up with, not every item I ever expect my character to hold. With Terror Longsword on my wishlist, I'd be quite happy to make do with other types of longswords until level 24. Or, if I get an earlier Terror Longsword, maybe having a different kind of longsword for 5 or 10 levels in the middle of my adventuring career.