D&D 5E The Case for a Magic Item Shop?

[ExploderWizard]

You don't see an issue when one of the players in a campaign is saying his enjoyment is being diminished? Isn't the point of getting together and playing these games to have fun?

The OP feels his character is useless in the role he is supposed to shine in because of a situation the DM has placed them in, not just for one encounter or two, not just one session even, but for an extended period of time covering multiple game sessions. His character tried to overcome the handicap but was told he couldn't.

The whole notion of " I am supposed to shine" can jump off a cliff. As an adventurer, sometimes you will kick ass, and sometimes you will struggle just to survive.

Whatever comes up, just do the best that you can with what you've got.

Diminished enjoyment is totally up to the player. You can have a sour outlook on any setback and choose to be surly or choose to enjoy the high level of challenge. Isn't winning through in the end even facing impossible odds what heroes are all about?

This character is supposed to be a ninja. For a ninja, being unable to see is only a mild inconvenience. Sight is only one sense. In the underdark it may be one of the least valuable. Echos travel quite a ways underground warning of potential danger long before it could be seen even with 120' darkvision.

Smell is also important. Smelling/tasting an area of bad air before stumbling right into it is important.

Be a ninja. Remember KAI and let the other senses do the heavy lifting when vision isn't the most reliable.

 

[Paraxis]

The whole notion of " I am supposed to shine" can jump off a cliff. As an adventurer, sometimes you will kick ass, and sometimes you will struggle just to survive.

Whatever comes up, just do the best that you can with what you've got.

Diminished enjoyment is totally up to the player. You can have a sour outlook on any setback and choose to be surly or choose to enjoy the high level of challenge. Isn't winning through in the end even facing impossible odds what heroes are all about?

This character is supposed to be a ninja. For a ninja, being unable to see is only a mild inconvenience. Sight is only one sense. In the underdark it may be one of the least valuable. Echos travel quite a ways underground warning of potential danger long before it could be seen even with 120' darkvision.

Smell is also important. Smelling/tasting an area of bad air before stumbling right into it is important.

Be a ninja. Remember KAI and let the other senses do the heavy lifting when vision isn't the most reliable.

It is not up to the player it is up to the group and that includes the DM.

If a wizards can't cast spells for multiple game sessions why bother showing up?

If the DM makes the gods disappear and the cleric can't do any magic, why show up?

If you are not having fun in the game, why show up?

There are no rules about using your other senses to navigate in the dark, he can't be an effective scout with just hearing, he always has disadvantage in darkness that gimps his ability to hit and prevents sneak attack, this is the core of his character.

Sure challenge your players, throw them into situations where they have to think out of the box or where their go to abilities are useless, but that should be a small number of the situations they find themselves in, not every encounter of every game night for weeks at a time.

 

[CM]

Personally, I'd add darkvision to the Dungeon Delver feat. That feat is pretty situational already. Adding darkvision would make it more generally useful as well as being thematically appropriate. There was a feat in the playtest which granted low light vision if I recall correctly, so it's not unprecedented.

Doesn't really address OP's point, though.

 

[jimmifett]

Find a wizard, dump thousands of gold on him to produce a magic item that you require. This will take time. Come back after some game time, hey look, I finished your thing.

Unless you're in Eberron that has a magic service economy in the form of a magewright's guild. Then, at guild stores that require knowing the right ppl to even enter, bring a shopping list.

 

[ExploderWizard]

If the DM makes the gods disappear and the cleric can't do any magic, why show up?

I suppose Goldmoon should have told her companions to sod off she was staying home because she was gimped because the true gods had been forgotten.

If you are not having fun in the game, why show up?

Agree 100%. At my table if being handed a new toy to compensate for a disadvantage every time it comes up is a requirement for fun then its best to not play.

There are no rules about using your other senses to navigate in the dark, he can't be an effective scout with just hearing, he always has disadvantage in darkness that gimps his ability to hit and prevents sneak attack, this is the core of his character.

Sure challenge your players, throw them into situations where they have to think out of the box or where their go to abilities are useless, but that should be a small number of the situations they find themselves in, not every encounter of every game night for weeks at a time.

Perception is not limited to sight. If the DM is treating it that way then yeah it sucks, and bats and many other underground creatures that don't rely on sight shouldn't exist in the world either.

 

[Paraxis]

I suppose Goldmoon should have told her companions to sod off she was staying home because she was gimped because the true gods had been forgotten.

I have never met anyone that would volunteer to play goldmoon, or any cleric without their powers, it is hard enough to get people to play clerics when they have all of their abilities.
What is enjoyable to read in a novel is not always enjoyable to play through as a character in a roleplaying game.

Agree 100%. At my table if being handed a new toy to compensate for a disadvantage every time it comes up is a requirement for fun then its best to not play.

Not every time, just when all the toys are taken away and not given back for an extended period of time.

 

[Tazawa]

I agree that playing in a game where your character can't contribute in the way you anticipated is not fun and something should probably be done to rectify the situation.

I wouldn't put all of the responsibility on the DM for this though. One of the problems is that the OP designed a ninja-like character that had no plan to be able to see in the dark. This is a pretty essential consideration when you are designing a character that is meant to strike from the darkness!

When you look at the most ninja-like class in the PH, the way of the shadow monk, you see that the darkvision spell is supplied as an option fairly early on (3rd level). The other obvious ninja-like class, the rogue, can get darkvision at 8th level as an arcane trickster. Other ninja-like classes get darkvision at the following levels:

Warlock: 2nd level
Ranger: 7th level
Fighter: 8th level

Aside from that, there is also the Find Familiar trick I mentioned earlier. A similar trick can be done with the Beast Senses spell. It has a shorter duration but doesn't require your action. Like Find Familiar, it is a ritual and available to any character that takes the Ritual Caster feat.

In short, their are many ways for a human ninja to get the ability to see in the dark other than magic items.

The other obvious way is to work with the other players. Wizards, druids, sorcerers, and rangers all have access to darkvision. The spell lasts for 8 hours and doesn't require concentration. If a party has a scout that can't see in the dark, it benefits everyone to spend a 2nd level spell slot to help him out.

Happy gaming!

 

[Dausuul]

You could take the time to research how people used to scout and see at night in times before IR goggles and such. A sufficiently low-tech solution should work for you. I mean... people did get around our lack of darkvision back in the day.

We got around our lack of darkvision by inventing light sources. In pre-modern times, the way you got around at night was to a) rely on a nice bright moon, b) carry a torch, candle, or lantern, or c) wait for the sun to come up. You don't seriously think there were pre-modern equivalents of IR goggles, do you?

 

[BASHMAN]

This character is supposed to be a ninja. For a ninja, being unable to see is only a mild inconvenience. Sight is only one sense. In the underdark it may be one of the least valuable. Echos travel quite a ways underground warning of potential danger long before it could be seen even with 120' darkvision.

Smell is also important. Smelling/tasting an area of bad air before stumbling right into it is important.

Be a ninja. Remember KAI and let the other senses do the heavy lifting when vision isn't the most reliable.

Wow, why didn't I think of this before! I'll just refuse to throw the Disadvantage dice on my attack rolls. If the GM calls me on it, I'll say I don't have to because because Ninja. I'll also tell him that enemies don't get Advantage to hit me for the same reason.

 

[BASHMAN]

We got around our lack of darkvision by inventing light sources. In pre-modern times, the way you got around at night was to a) rely on a nice bright moon, b) carry a torch, candle, or lantern, or c) wait for the sun to come up. You don't seriously think there were pre-modern equivalents of IR goggles, do you?

Exactly. Since there is no natural light source of any kind, it means carry an artificial one, which basically is like trying to use stealth while singing a loud song about how stealthy you are while crashing symbols together. You carry a light source in pitch darkness, you auto-fail stealth checks; at least in this game.