D&D 5E Which classes shine/suffer in campaigns highly restricting found magic items?

[Swarmkeeper]

Of course, most of the advice here is centered around combat so the effects of “minimal magic weapons” may be directly proportional to the amount of combat you run.

Then again, I’m of the mindset that a well rounded cooperative party is going to succeed more often than not regardless of magic item availability. It all comes down to how the DM builds challenges.

 

[Remathilis]

Another thought: despite most people saying casters need magical items less, the overall lack of magic items indirectly affects them because they need to rely on spells more to do things magic items would cover, stretching thier resources thin. Spells like Mage Armor, Magic Weapon, Cure Wounds and like get used to make up shortfalls that bracers of defense, +1 swords and potions of healing provide. This creates two problems: a drop in overall power (as the cleric who is concentrating on magic weapon also can't cast bless) and shorter workdays (as casters go though more spell slots to make up the slack).

Neither of those are a game breaker, but a good thing to keep in mind.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

"Suffers most" has to be topped by Fighter, as whatever special thing their weapon does it will eventually do it up to 3 times per turn (or if you got to level 20, 4 times), and more if they action surge. Also the powerhouse fighter builds use their Fighting Style and extra feats (assuming you play with those) to specialize in particular weapons, so in a campaign where magical weapons are limited in a way such that they are less likely to find the one they want they suffer on that front. Dex oriented Fighters suffer most here, as they have a substantially more limited subset of weapons available to them.

But see, like most folk my mind went straight to magic weapons, as being the type of magic item that seems a bit obligatory to distribute. This is why I recommend considering the possibility of making low level magic weapons fairly common or even ubiquitous and just not really having much magic swag beyond that.

You can also give out suboptimal-to-their-build weapons with a low level enchantment. I had a glaive oriented polearm master at one point whose only magic weapon was a quarterstaff he would get out when he suspected resistance to mundane weapons. The big loot can be getting the low level magical version of the weapon they actually want.

That said, depending on what you consider a "found magic item" the Wizard may be the most put out, given that they are the class built around the assumption of finding some spellbooks and magic scrolls and that stupid special ink to copy them with.

Also I would note that, while the Artificer is the class that is designed to provide their own magic items, in a campaign with few magic items this may mean they really get to shine by being the only one decked out in magic bling, really get to shine by providing for the needs of the group, or feel put out because they need to spend their infusions dealing with group needs. It really depends on the player.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

So much great advice, thanks everyone!

The players are getting done with a continent-spanning/plane-hopping/artifact-collecting/world-saving adventure built from stitching together solo adventures. For the next campaign, I’m bouncing between a published campaign-length adventure path and a sandbox. I’ve already started heavily curating a list of monsters for the sandbox if they vote that option, it’s a good reminder that it will be even more critical to take extreme care picking the creatures.

Through the current campaign I’ve slowly granted some options from Matt Colville’s Strongholds and Followers to see how they’d go over and how those options might work in play. They’ve proven popular. I will be continuing to make organizations and retainers accessible in follow up campaign as rewards.

If anyone has more experiences to share, please do!

 

[jmartkdr2]

I'll second @Benjamin Olson and note that wizards can have a lot of their fun removed if there aren't any scrolls or spellbooks to find. Doing magical research is a big part of the class fantasy for wizards, and easy to leave out if you don't realize this.

They'll still be powerful, but a major feature (the spellbook) gets all the fun bits removed.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Through the current campaign I’ve slowly granted some options from Matt Colville’s Strongholds and Followers to see how they’d go over and how those options might work in play. They’ve proven popular. I will be continuing to make organizations and retainers accessible in follow up campaign as rewards.

I'd love to hear more about your experience with S&F sometime. But that's probably best left as fodder for an entirely new thread.

 

[Dausuul]

I'll second @Benjamin Olson and note that wizards can have a lot of their fun removed if there aren't any scrolls or spellbooks to find. Doing magical research is a big part of the class fantasy for wizards, and easy to leave out if you don't realize this.

They'll still be powerful, but a major feature (the spellbook) gets all the fun bits removed.

Thirded. Giving out spellbooks to wizards is an easy win for the DM. It's gratifying for the wizard player, and it doesn't have a dramatic impact on the character's power level. (The power impact is not zero, but it's low; the benefits of versatility have diminishing returns.)

 

[Eltab]

Monks will have a lower ceiling on their AC if there are no Bracers of Defense to be found / made. Running around the battlefield in a T-shirt and jeans (plus Unarmored Defense) is more dangerous than it looks.

 

[jgsugden]

Consider that there are rules that allow a PC to make a magic item as early as 3rd level. There are lots of ways to work around it, but it is something you'll need to address. I played in a game where the DM said there was no market for magic items, and no way to get them - unless you made them yourself using the core rules. My PC retired at 3rd level and formed a business of making magic items for profit.

 

[Dausuul]

Consider that there are rules that allow a PC to make a magic item as early as 3rd level. There are lots of ways to work around it, but it is something you'll need to address. I played in a game where the DM said there was no market for magic items, and no way to get them - unless you made them yourself using the core rules. My PC retired at 3rd level and formed a business of making magic items for profit.

The easiest way to address it is "as DM, don't invoke the optional rule, in the Dungeon Master's Guide, that allows PCs to do it."

Even if you do allow it, the DM has total control over what magic item formulas the PCs can find.