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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clint_L" data-source="post: 8819851" data-attributes="member: 7035894">I totally get your point and I thought about that. I think you have a point about them not being a "player-facing" option to the same extent that non-magical items are. Although, this is a bit of an arbitrary line, since we do put non-magical power-ups in the PHB even when they aren't easily accessible to players, especially at low levels (classic example: full plate), and given that many settings have shops that sell magic items, especially the more common ones, the distinction between an expensive non-magical item and an equally expensive magic one is not clear, other than the word "magic." Like, why should a player be able to know that if they save enough gold they can up their power by getting a suit of full plate, but the existence of a +1 shield is somehow best left as a mystery?I think when Gygax put them in the DM's Guide it was during an era when the DM/player division was more exaggerated, when the DM was expected to live behind their DM screen and deliver mysteries. Even then, that was sort of BS - I dunno about others, but back in the day all of us read all the source books and probably owned our own copies whether we were DMs or not, so we all knew exactly what a Vorpal Sword could do, etc. Similarly, every player today can have instant access to what magic items are out there, so all we do by splitting them into the DM's Guide is create a reason for people to have to buy the DM's Guide.</blockquote>

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