D&D 5E To Many Magic Items?

[Wik]

Personally, when converting old dungeon modules (and I just converted one last month, too!), I think the trick is to figure out what magic items the module NEEDS the PCs to have, and either give them that item, or find a workaround.

Otherwise, just throw away all the treasure the module awards, use DMG tables to make a master list of treasure, and sprinkle those treasures throughout your converted module.

I'm a big fan of awarding consumables, as well as items that the PCs can't use... because they'll sell those items for less than they're worth and then spend their ill-gotten gains on over-priced magic items they want. Doing it this way makes them feel more like they "earned" it than if they had just found it in the lair of a +3 salamander. I have no idea why this is; my players are weird.

 

[Lancelot]

I have a 5th level party (five players) which has a total of two non-consumable items.

I also have a 10th level party which has, on average, 2 non-consumable items each. Only two of those items are magic weapons. Nobody has a +2 item or better.

So, basically, we're playing low magic. When converting old modules, I allow for the possibility of finding 3-4 non-consumable magic items per level. This means: take the old Dungeon module (which usually has sufficient adventure to advance the characters half a level), pick 2 items listed in the module to keep as non-consumables, and turn the rest into one of the following:

a) Non-magical art objects with a GP value, and an extra-interesting description, and maybe some researchable history.
b) Non-magical useful weapons and armor, such as platemail (worth 2,000gp!) or silver/adamantine/cold iron weapons.
c) Standard consumable magical items, such as potions or spell scrolls.
d) Non-standard consumable magical items, such as a brooch of shielding that only has 4 non-rechargeable uses remaining, or a wand of magic missiles that has a 1-in-20 chance of being permanently drained per charge used, each time it is used (so, 5-in-20 chance of drain if 5 charges are used, even if the character doesn't use the "last" charge per day).

It's also worth mentioning that my players can never purchase or make permanent items, without a level of cost and effort that makes it less appetizing than simply adventuring. Also, I never grant items based on wish lists. I've got a berserker barbarian whose only magic weapon is a dagger of venom. He'd like a magical greataxe, but instead he has to choose between using the sub-optimal magic shiv, or his ol' trusty (but non-magical) tree-whacker that he's had since 1st level.

This has been working out pretty well. The players don't miss the "magic item christmas tree", because they're still getting loot - just not of the permanent item variety. Creatures that are resistant to magical weapons are still a viable threat at 10th level characters. The world seems more "realistic" somehow, with no magic item shops and enemy NPCs not equally loaded down with phat magical loots.

...

So, on a side-note, what do they spend their gold on, if there are no magic item shops and I'm replacing all those module-specific items with art objects? Well... ships, horses, bling, servants, mercenary armies, castles, temples, bribes, components for raise dead, and building their own dominions. I've never heard a player ever complain they've got nothing to spend money on, even if they can't buy permanent magic items.

 

[Wik]

So, on a side-note, what do they spend their gold on, if there are no magic item shops and I'm replacing all those module-specific items with art objects? Well... ships, horses, bling, servants, mercenary armies, castles, temples, bribes, components for raise dead, and building their own dominions. I've never heard a player ever complain they've got nothing to spend money on, even if they can't buy permanent magic items.

I've been seeing similar in my own 5e game, although I DO allow them to buy magic items! These items are for sale in magic item auctions, and PCs put in bids for items. However, because it's an auction, they tend to bid on only one or two "good" items, and overbid to make sure they get it. Then they also put in smaller bids for things that interest them... such as the last sale, in which a player bought a petrified pseudodragon, unsure of how to "unstone" it.

Another PCs bid on a rock that let you speak to earth elementals, but didn't win the bid. She's kind of bummed, but also has no idea what an "earth elemental" actually IS. She just thought the rock looked pretty.