D&D 5E (2014) [Out of the Abyss]Magic item distribution?

[Vicar In A Tutu]

That's true and for many groups it works admirably.

Others, however, view D&D more like a game. A game in which you can do better or worse.

A +3 shield wouldn't break anything if the bard or warlock in my campaigns got in, since their AC was low to begin with.

But a +3 shield in the hands of the AC 21 Paladin... well, that would borderline break the game, since his AC would be a whopping five steps higher than anyone else.

Suddenly I'm faced with having to choose between stepping up my game or not.

The problem is: if I add monsters that can handle AC 24, that would obliterate the AC 15 members of the party. But if I don't add such monsters, the Paladin has effectively become invulnerable.

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Your point of view is a decent one to have, Adam.

But only if you are aware it's not the full story.

You could have monsters that have special attacks that are "armour piercing", i.e. if they attack a character that has an AC of 20 or higher, they get a +X bonus to hit. Of course, just a few monsters should be like this, it would feel too much like a gimmick if every monster starts having this attack.

 

[Awesome Adam]

Or the Paladin could just get hit less often... or grappled, or hit with spells, or fall in a pit, swarmed by kobolds

Our Party's Dwarf Barbarian with the +3 Shield (AC23) has always been the tank of the group. Most of the things we ecnounter, at our CR and higher, have +7 to hit and multiple attacks, so he's still getting hit, just 15% less often than when his shield was nonmagical.

The Bard and Mage have other functions than to have AC that matched the Tank of the party. They are suppossed to hide behind the meat shields.

 

[CapnZapp]

Or you could agree that for some groups, wildly varying values (AC or otherwise) is a hugely unbalancing issue, that can't be resolved by "hiding behind the meat shields". For these groups, there really is no better solution than to avoid the situation altogether. Take for instance Saidoro and his "Sane Magic Prices". There he puts the AC bonus items squarely in the Gamechanging category, together with flying, teleportation, and crystal balls.
Link: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?462510-Sane-Magic-Item-Prices

And don't think AC 24 is where it ends. The Shield is only the foundation to build upon.

Look, there's groups which can happily have a level 5 character tag along in a level 10 party. And then there's groups that find this inconcievable.

To those DMs that are unsure or inexperienced enough, I say, hold off the +3 shields until you know better. It might look innocous enough, but 5E really won't handle things for you. So unless you're prepared for what's coming, you'd better hold off doling out these items until you have mastered the game.

If you have no doubt you can handle any issues, fine. But then I'm not addressing you, so you don't have to write defense posts.

I thought I was courteous enough when I acknowledged your position. Now I expect you to acknowledge mine, otherwise there's nothing left for me to do here.

 

[Awesome Adam]

There is nothing left for you to do here

The unarmored Wizard and the Fighter in Heavy Armor with Shield have had wildly varying AC values for 30+ years.

I acknowledge that, given everyone has an opinion, someone is going to declare this a crisis that must be addressed, but I feel that avoiding them altogether, with heavy handed game mastering, is throwing out the baby with the bath water.

So do you deny the party's martial character's protective magics altogether, because the spell caster's AC will never close the gap ?

Do you avoid creatures with Poison because most of the party isn't proficient in CON saves ?

Do you avoid using illusions because only the party's Wizard is likely to see through them ?

Do you avoid using traps because only the Rogue is proficient in DEX saves ?

A D&D party is ALWAYS going to have wildly varying values, unless they are carbon copies of each other.

 

[Endur]

Don't forget +1, +2, and +3 Drowcraft weapons and armor (sure they have issues with sunlight, but your party will rarely if ever leave the underdark).

Also, there is an artifact that one member of the party can attune to.

 

[Motorskills]

I'm giving the +1 mace that the party finds inside Glabadogool some permanent benefit linked to the Green-Flame Blade cantrip, since the item itself had some kinda greenish glow, IIRC.

The party is now 6th level, and heading towards Neverlight, en route to Blindgenstone.

Should it be always-on, or would y'all advise something else?

 

[CapnZapp]

That mace, IIRC, is described as magical, shedding light, and doing 1 fire damage extra on a hit. Thus it's a +0 Mace with a damage rider, or if you want to get technical, a +0/+1 Mace.

In short, it's magical but it doesn't give a bonus to attack rolls.

 

[Motorskills]

I already allowed my guys to shop for +X/+Y weapons in the Bazaar (using the Sane Price List as a template guide, with Gracklstugh variances, including legality). As it turned out, they decided that they couldn't afford anything.

They have picked up a couple of magic weapons along the way, but are still under-gunned, so I'm good with them finding this thing.

I was just going to leave this item as statted, but I really like the idea of using the SCAG cantrip on this weapon, seemed to fit the theme quite nicely. What I'm not clear on is how best to execute that change?

 

[NeverLucky]

I was just going to leave this item as statted, but I really like the idea of using the SCAG cantrip on this weapon, seemed to fit the theme quite nicely. What I'm not clear on is how best to execute that change?

You know Green-Flame Blade while holding the mace, and you must attack with the mace if you use it. It uses your highest mental ability as its casting attribute, and deals an extra 1 fire damage to both the primary and secondary targets when used that way. If you simply use it as a mace without the cantrip, it still deals 1 extra fire damage to the target of the attack.

 

[Motorskills]

You know Green-Flame Blade while holding the mace, and you must attack with the mace if you use it. It uses your highest mental ability as its casting attribute, and deals an extra 1 fire damage to both the primary and secondary targets when used that way. If you simply use it as a mace without the cantrip, it still deals 1 extra fire damage to the target of the attack.

Nice, thanks!