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<blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5113389" data-attributes="member: 58197">The Christmas tree effect presents some mechanical hassles, but it's mainly a style issue.Hassles include the following:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">DMs must worry about the players' gear &quot;keeping up with their level.&quot; This is especially a concern in 3E where some classes are more tree-dependent than others; if you don't provide enough WBL, the fighter falls (further) behind the wizard. In 4E, it just means the monsters' power level inches ahead of the PCs', so encounter difficulty is harder to calculate.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Attempting to control PC access to items through pricing leads to hyperinflation as the PCs advance through levels. This is particularly visible in 4E, where they had to invent a whole new &quot;epic currency&quot; for characters who routinely drop 25K on a single healing potion.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Interesting and unique items tend to be ignored in favor of the standard tree ornaments. A broom that sweeps on its own is fun to have, but when you're an adventurer choosing between that and +1 to hit, it's a no-brainer.</li>
</ul>Stylistically, I don't like the number-crunching attitude toward magic items engendered by the Christmas tree, and I think it also pushes item design in a bad direction... bland mechanical functionality instead of strange and exciting in-game utility.(As a note, the Christmas tree has nothing to do with PCs having lots of items per se. It's the integration of those items into the core math of the game, via the &quot;+X item&quot; mechanic, such that PCs are expected by the game to have certain gear at certain levels. If &quot;+X items&quot; were done away with, the Christmas tree effect would vanish with them, regardless of how much loot the DM handed out.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dausuul, post: 5113389, member: 58197"] The Christmas tree effect presents some mechanical hassles, but it's mainly a style issue. Hassles include the following: [LIST] [*]DMs must worry about the players' gear "keeping up with their level." This is especially a concern in 3E where some classes are more tree-dependent than others; if you don't provide enough WBL, the fighter falls (further) behind the wizard. In 4E, it just means the monsters' power level inches ahead of the PCs', so encounter difficulty is harder to calculate. [*]Attempting to control PC access to items through pricing leads to hyperinflation as the PCs advance through levels. This is particularly visible in 4E, where they had to invent a whole new "epic currency" for characters who routinely drop 25K on a single healing potion. [*]Interesting and unique items tend to be ignored in favor of the standard tree ornaments. A broom that sweeps on its own is fun to have, but when you're an adventurer choosing between that and +1 to hit, it's a no-brainer. [/LIST] Stylistically, I don't like the number-crunching attitude toward magic items engendered by the Christmas tree, and I think it also pushes item design in a bad direction... bland mechanical functionality instead of strange and exciting in-game utility. (As a note, the Christmas tree has nothing to do with PCs having lots of items [I]per se[/I]. It's the integration of those items into the core math of the game, via the "+X item" mechanic, such that PCs are expected by the game to have certain gear at certain levels. If "+X items" were done away with, the Christmas tree effect would vanish with them, regardless of how much loot the DM handed out.) [/QUOTE]

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