Report on the Open Loot Table System

[DaveW]

Another observation...an almost assured chance at finding a magic item in EVERY locked and trapped chest?! I think that is...what's "more than generous"? 11% every locked/trapped chest is going to have magic items? Now, I'm ALL FOR high magic settings and characters dripping with magic items. So, if that's the style of campaign world you're working with, then fine. But I feel many other DMs here would find this 11% "chance" per chest to be very (too) high.

No, not in every locked and trapped chest. This is actually a fairly low magical item game. I allow them to roll on the magical loot table whenever I feel the players should receive a magical item. This may be after getting to the chest at the end of the trapped hallway, after sneaking into the mage's bedroom, or defeating the end boss of a dungeon. So when I want the players to get a magical item, they have an equal chance of getting a level 5 item as they do a random potion (the random potion being a booby prize).

Given the feedback you've received from your players and that they enjoy it (the delusion that they hae some "control" over a die roll) then "Good DM" points for you for engaging and making your players enjoy themselves at your game. I will certainly give you kudos for that even though this "system" is not something I would opt to use myself.

Thank you!

And on a "simply curious" note...why when generating the decks with all of the magic items for "arms, hands, feet, etc..." did you NOT include rings?

Seems to me rings, especially in a "high occasion of magic items world" would be a very common find! So, I'm just wondering your thought process for excluding them.

This is a good question, and the answer is specific to 4e: in 4e, magical rings are supposed to be extremely rare for some reason. In fact, the lowest level magical ring in the Adventurer's Vault is at level 14. I'm not sure why magical rings are rare and magical hats, shoes, etc. are much, much more common. Seems a bit odd to me too.

PS: And don't sweat the lack of responses. Sometimes people have stuff to say (in abundance) and sometimes they just don't. My thread on the "Plots and Places" board, Orea: The World & Its People currently has 987 views...and has garndered not a single comment to any of the content...other than someone I'd never seen on here before telling me "thank you" and subsequently deleting the post, so I think it was a mistake.

Maybe I'm too used to geeks who like to talk and argue. Cheers for the feedback!

-Dave

 

[Stormonu]

Am I missing something, or is this just basically like randomly rolling for treasure from older editions of D&D (except using cards?)

 

[fuzzlewump]

I find it strange WotC hasn't made item cards yet. Would be cool to be able to buy Adventurer's Vault XX in card form, or maybe just have lines of booster packs. I would eat that up. With money.

 

[Stormonu]

I find it strange WotC hasn't made item cards yet. Would be cool to be able to buy Adventurer's Vault XX in card form, or maybe just have lines of booster packs. I would eat that up. With money.

Paizo has done some generic cards that you could write in the info for a specific item on the back, and the old TSR collector cards had item cards as well (though stated for 2E).

WotC has done a couple of cards recently, there is 4magic item cards in the new starter set, so there's a chance we may see more in the future (perhaps you could print them from the new web-based character builder?)

 

[DaveW]

Am I missing something, or is this just basically like randomly rolling for treasure from older editions of D&D (except using cards?)

Possibly! I know this might seem a bit silly, but I was just hoping that someone would be interested in the idea enough that they would be willing to help create a set of item cards for every level. If that's done then everyone can use them however they like. Obviously, I can't share the ones I nicked from the Adventurer's Vault.

I find it strange WotC hasn't made item cards yet.

I agree, it seems like they're pushing in that direction.

I would eat that up. With money.

It already costs too much to play D&D, so I certainly wouldn't buy them. But if you're interested in the idea, we can make our own...

Paizo has done some generic cards that you could write in the info for a specific item on the back, and the old TSR collector cards had item cards as well (though stated for 2E).

I have a sheet of generic blank item cards in a PDF that you can write into before printing. When I cut them out, they're the right size to fit into an A4 CCG wallet, which I picked up from a local shop. Now we're using them to manage inventories, and it makes handing out loot that much easier; I just take the card out of my wallet, and they put it in theirs.

-Dave

 

[delericho]

I find it strange WotC hasn't made item cards yet. Would be cool to be able to buy Adventurer's Vault XX in card form, or maybe just have lines of booster packs. I would eat that up. With money.

I'm inclined to think that the most useful iteration of this would be an online tool that can generate item cards as needed. That way, the cards can be easily modified with the stats as they apply to the character who owns the item (for weapons, armour, and the like). Of course, the Character Builder already does this.

It would also have the advantage that the DM could get exactly the cards he needs as and when he needs them, without the cost and clutter of lots of unnecessary cards.

 

[the Jester]

Two things:

1. As someone pointed out, bad guys ought to use those magic items. I'd at least generate them in advance when the opposition is sentient and has hands.

2. I notice a lack of magic armor, weapons and implements.

 

[steeldragons]

Two things:

1. As someone pointed out, bad guys ought to use those magic items. I'd at least generate them in advance when the opposition is sentient and has hands.

2. I notice a lack of magic armor, weapons and implements.

To point "1" I heartily concur.

To point "2", I believe, not speaking for the OP here and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he said something about the lack of armor and weapons is a measure on the DM's part to maintain some control on the power gained by the characters as they level up.

 

[the Jester]

To point "2", I believe, not speaking for the OP here and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe he said something about the lack of armor and weapons is a measure on the DM's part to maintain some control on the power gained by the characters as they level up.

Whoops, missed that!