D&D General Weapons should break left and right

[Hussar]

Sometimes someone lucks out and can buy exactly what the character wants. Most of the time, though, most of the items for sale are ignored.

See, that's even more pointless to me. Endlessly frustrating the players - "Oh, sorry, you can't find that magic item today, come back later" - is not improving anything. Because players only try to buy stuff that's 100% practical. They will never buy stuff that's interesting. Making it into a random loot bag every time they roll into a town isn't resolving the problem.

I get that this is a me problem. Totally understand. If I actually had the energy to do it, every single magic item would be completely random. There would never be a list of magic items by rarity. There would never be Bags of Holding. There might be a Box of Holding, or a Locket of Holding, or a Boot of Holding (that might actually be pretty funny), but, nothing would ever be for sale.

I ADORE things like The Griffon's Saddlebag. That's where I get all the magic items I parcel out now. I haven't opened the DMG for a magic item in months.

 

[Micah Sweet]

While I agree that ritual casting for everyone needs a limiter, if you use Gold, you would also give the game an ... economy. Or at least clear guidelines on how mich Gold should be given out under what circumstances.
That's a problem 5e 2014 and 2024 are lacking - the DMG doesn't even tell the DM how much Gold a party will roughly have at which level when they use the treasure tables in the DMG.
Like, if Gold is a ressource to be used, you need an Idea of how big the resspurce pile is.
I know some bloggers did the math for WotC, but come on, that is basic stuff that needs to be in the DMG.

Agreed. To me the answer is...give your setting an economy. And make sure there are multiple ways to spend your gold.

 

[Hussar]

If I will battle whatnot in melee combat my whole career, then I want the best weapon and armor that I can get my hands on.
I want to make my job as easy as possible, and have best chance of surviving said job.

Oh, I totally understand why it happens. Totally get it. Just hate it with a passion.

 

[Micah Sweet]

never randomize.
while it sounds logical, it just uses your time without any payout for anyone.
especially if you spent time to create a custom, cool item.
at best it will be vendored if found as loot as a glorified platinum bar, at worse if for sale, simply ignored.

just save yourself time and dont bother with items that no one in the party can use in any decent capacity.

limiting is always a good idea to keep the reins on how much items are in circulation.

Whether or not something like what @Lanefan does is a waste of time depends greatly on what your goals are. If you want the effect of verisimilitude and realism in what might be available, you have to allow for the possibility that what is available at any given time isn't exactly what the players want for their PCs.

 

[Hussar]

Yup. Fighting stuff, killing others and avoiding being killed yourself is fundamental part of D&D game play. Given option, players will always gravitate to items that make them better at it. It's same in real life, you want best tools you can get to do your job in easiest, most efficient way.

See, but that's my problem. It doesn't actually work. All it does is means that you wind up in this vicious circle where the DM just jps the baddies because the PC's are dealing more damage, so the PC's up their damage, so the DM picks bigger baddies.

It's a treadmill with zero actually chance of getting ahead because the DM controls the baddies. Oh, you're now doing 30% more damage per round? Ok, I'll just up the number of HP in the encounter by 30% and let's go.

 

[GrimCo]

DM just jps the baddies because the PC's are dealing more damage, so the PC's up their damage, so the DM picks bigger baddies.

Sometimes. Sometimes DM just lets you steamroll opposition. At least all DMs i played with did that and that's what i do as a DM. Sure, it is kind of weapons race between players and monsters, but just cause my players are kitted out for the dragon, doesn't mean they wont encounter some orcs or goblins on the way to dragon. Then again, i'm not really concerned with proper encounter challenges, i mostly go with opponents that make sense story and location in setting wise.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's a treadmill with zero actually chance of getting ahead because the DM controls the baddies. Oh, you're now doing 30% more damage per round? Ok, I'll just up the number of HP in the encounter by 30% and let's go.

Seems to have been popular enough in Skyrim!

 

[Horwath]

Just hate it with a passion.

I get it, but what is alternative?
bashing someone on the head for 20 levels with same crappy sword you got in boot camp?

that sure is not fun either...

 

[AlViking]

All we've done is argue that Nietzsche was wrong about the objective truth.

We can objectively say that a bowling ball is heavier (or if you want to be pedantic, it has more mass) than an apple, I don't think we can objectively judge the quality of game design.