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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bacon Bits" data-source="post: 8144089" data-attributes="member: 6777737">This phrasing gets trotted out all the time, and it's often misused.What it means is the game doesn't require you to give out magic items in order to function on a basic design level. Why does it need to say that? Because 3e and 4e both did require magic items in order to function on a basic design level. 4e even had it scheduled so you got +1 at level 2-5, +2 at 6-10, +3 at 11-15, etc. in order to maintain your hit rate. A 30th level character in 4e with no magic items will hit in combat 10-15% of the time against equal CR and will, in turn, be hit in combat 80-90% of the time. That game requires magic items to function on a basic design level because the math is tuned tighter than a drum. Similarly, in 3e characters require magic weapons in order to overcome damage reduction which becomes pervasive at high level. You can't run 3e or especially 4e without it. That is all that it means.What it does not mean is "it's okay to not give the PCs rewards". It certainly does not mean "it's desirable to not give the PCs magic items" or "magic items are a legacy feature of the game." It does not mean "a 12th level Fighter should feel happy with the mundane gear he bought in a shop at level 4 and an array of situational potions and scrolls." That is not what the game is trying to tell you. We know that because if you're playing the game straight as the DMG suggests, you're rolling on treasure tables that spit out permanent magic items with significant effects quite regularly. If you're in organized play, every adept/tier 2 character (level 5-10) gets up to 3 permanent magic items, and you can just choose to fill it with +1 items:[excerpt]At Adept and higher rank, your character gain access to basic magic items—specifically bags of holding, +1 weapons, +1 shields, +1 rods of the pact keeper, and +1 wands of the war mage—and can choose as many of them as their Magic Item Limit permits. While they can’t be sold or traded, they can replace and be replaced by other items between sessions.[/excerpt]-- <a href="https://media.wizards.com/2020/dnd/downloads/AL_PGv10_1.pdf" target="_blank">Adventurer's League Player's Guide v10.1</a>There are also magic rings on that list from factions. And when you hit level 11, that item limit goes to 6. At the very least, an 11th level Fighter could could take full plate +1, shield +1, longsword +1, longbow +1, ring of protection, and bag of holding. Adventurer's League calls that basic.The point is: If you're using magic items as rewards, the designers very clearly think you're supposed to get a lot of magic items. They thought that in 2014 when they wrote the DMG. They think that now when they're writing Adventurer's League rules. Yes, Virginia, you're supposed to give out magic items.All the phrase means is that magic items make you better. Magic items used to make you hit par. Now they make you better. The game is saying that you don't have to reward your players with magic items like you did historically, but you still need to reward players with something. If you're not giving out magic items, you should be giving out equivalent alternate rewards of some kind.Your players are absolutely justified being frustrated if [SPOILER="DotMM spoilers"]they're 9 levels deep in a dungeon and they've found a wand of detect secrets, a wand of fireballs, one boot of elvenkind, a dozen potions and scrolls, and the only magic weapon they've even seen was a sword of sharpness (mathematically worse than a +1 longsword in 5e) that is embedded in the head of a green dragon who is besties with a 17th level archdruid that lives 500 feet away[/SPOILER].Edit: Dropped a word.</blockquote>

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