D&D 5E (2014) Sane Magic Item Prices

[Azzy]

Here's the link for the Angry GM's take

The Great Magic Item Analysis: How to Describe an Item | The Angry GM

The Angry GM delivers advice to players and dungeon masters of fantasy role-playing games with humor, snark, and attitude. Game masters and players are sure to find something of use, whether they are playing AD&D, D&D 3.5, D&D 4E, 5E, Pathfinder, D&D Next, or any other role-playing game.

theangrygm.com

And most of his reasoning behind.

Thank you, you rock!

 

[S'mon]

Maybe it's just a problem with my group, but I think it's actually the DMG advice (don't give out treasure)

The 5e DMG doesn't say not to give out treasure. It does say the game will work without treasure. But the default suggested number of treasure hoards is fairly substantial.

 

[tetrasodium]

But, by the same token, because magic items aren't fungible, it's easy to just not give those items.

I will never, ever give a flaming sword in my games. They are just too powerful. But, if I allow the PC's to buy magic items, I can guarantee that every single campaign I ran for my last group will feature every single fighter type carrying a flaming sword. Five campaigns in a row. Every fighter type had IDENTICAL magic item loadouts.

No thanks.

And? I don't like to run forgotten realms games for an equally useful datapoint.

Nobody is telling you that you are engaging in badwrong fun if you don't give out magic items by saying that 5e's lack of supporting rules & structures needed for GMs who do want magic items to be present in previously acceptable ways is a problem that should be fixed. If WotC finished those areas of the rules tomorrow & stealth published them you would still be free to not use those rules.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

Nobody is telling you that you are engaging in badwrong fun if you don't give out magic items by saying that 5e's lack of supporting rules & structures needed for GMs who do want magic items to be present in previously acceptable ways is a problem that should be fixed.

Hmmm.... I'd say that unless you have players who have never played anything but a magic item less 5e game, they will probably (and rightly so IMO) expect a steady steam of loot.

 

[Stattick]

Hmmm.... I'd say that unless you have players who have never played anything but a magic item less 5e game, they will probably (and rightly so IMO) expect a steady steam of loot.

It can be done. But that needs to be part of the initial game pitch, so the prospective players can decide whether or not they want to actually play in your game. "The game I want to run is about a group of enslaved gladiators, fighting for glory in Rome's Coliseum during the decadent days of a crumbling empire. There will be glory, and a system in play that lets you leverage glory for things you want. But there will be no gold, no magic items, just the testosterone fueled soap opera involving people who fight, kill, and die for the amusement of those who think themselves better than you. Are you guys interested, or would you rather I run the same old thing in Forgotten Realms again?"

 

[Lanefan]

It can be done. But that needs to be part of the initial game pitch, so the prospective players can decide whether or not they want to actually play in your game. "The game I want to run is about a group of enslaved gladiators, fighting for glory in Rome's Coliseum during the decadent days of a crumbling empire. There will be glory, and a system in play that lets you leverage glory for things you want. But there will be no gold, no magic items, just the testosterone fueled soap opera involving people who fight, kill, and die for the amusement of those who think themselves better than you. Are you guys interested, or would you rather I run the same old thing in Forgotten Realms again?"

Sounds like a cool game idea, but you just know that within a few sessions they'll find a way to go all Spartacus on it and escape, after which you'll be running a game of battles against the Romans (which would also be cool!) and they'll be picking up non-magical loot as they roam about the countryside.

 

[Stattick]

Sounds like a cool game idea, but you just know that within a few sessions they'll find a way to go all Spartacus on it and escape, after which you'll be running a game of battles against the Romans (which would also be cool!) and they'll be picking up non-magical loot as they roam about the countryside.

"Wait, Hannibal is out wrecking the Italian Peninsula right now!? Ok, we gotta bust out of this damn arena, and throw open the gates to let the war elephants into Rome, proper!"

 

[Hussar]

I like randomly rolling my items, it can lead to fun

In my current campaign, I roll treasure 100% randomly at the time, and completely in the open for the players. They kill something that should have a treasure hoard, I just click the button on Fantasy Grounds and I let the chips fall where they may. Recently resulted in the party gaining a Hammer of Thunderbolts. :wow: It's worked absolutely fantastically. Magic items are what they are supposed to be in 5e, an actual power up, not a base assumption.

 

[S'mon]

It can be done. But that needs to be part of the initial game pitch, so the prospective players can decide whether or not they want to actually play in your game. "The game I want to run is about a group of enslaved gladiators, fighting for glory in Rome's Coliseum during the decadent days of a crumbling empire. There will be glory, and a system in play that lets you leverage glory for things you want. But there will be no gold, no magic items, just the testosterone fueled soap opera involving people who fight, kill, and die for the amusement of those who think themselves better than you. Are you guys interested, or would you rather I run the same old thing in Forgotten Realms again?"

Sounds cool. Doesn't sound like a good fit for most D&D editions; might work great with 4e D&D and the Martial Power book, though!

 

[Hussar]

And? I don't like to run forgotten realms games for an equally useful datapoint.

Nobody is telling you that you are engaging in badwrong fun if you don't give out magic items by saying that 5e's lack of supporting rules & structures needed for GMs who do want magic items to be present in previously acceptable ways is a problem that should be fixed. If WotC finished those areas of the rules tomorrow & stealth published them you would still be free to not use those rules.

Actually, I had two players very recently tell me, pretty much word for word, that I was engaging in badwrongfun because I wasn't making magic items fungible. The second that anything remotely resembling an official price list comes out for magic items, there is going to be a non-zero number of players who will straight up demand to be able to buy magic items.