D&D (2024) Why are weapon masteries limited?

[Epic Meepo]

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea. If you get a mastery feature, you choose a mastery instead of a weapon. When you make an attack with a weapon you’re proficient with, you can apply one Mastery property you know to the attack if the weapon meets the requirements for that Mastery property. It would no longer serve the function of making different weapons more distinct from each other, but it would make weapon masteries actually offer tactical options instead of always doing the same thing every round, and it would make having multiple weapon masteries actually beneficial, as the more masteries you can access, the more versatile your attacks would be. And it would completely eliminate the “I found a magic weapon but it’s the wrong kind” effect. Personally I’m not convinced that last point is a positive, but clearly a lot of folks would consider it one, so who am I to disagree.

Your post closely resembles the feedback I gave on weapon masteries during the playtest. If the designers read it, they clearly weren't moved.

 

[Vaalingrade]

No harder than building a PC that doesn't require specific treasure.

Player: "I want to play a swordsman"

DM: "Sorry, dice say 'whips'. Lol."

Player: "So as a ranger, the class literally sets me up for either bows or light weapons for TWF."

DM: "Survey says... greatclub!"

Player: "I'm playing a wizard."

DM: "Right this way to the enemy spellbooks, your majesty. You get to pick all the spells you actually want, so the rest is just gravy."

Doesn't sound like a fun time just never getting to play the character you want while the guy with infinite dragons mocks you with dice.

 

[FrozenNorth]

If MOST tables were complaining about it, I don't think it was a player-side problem.

How hard is it to just give useful treasure?

We had this problem on Pathfinder 2. Character advancement depends on an expected level of treasure dropping, BUT significantly, because “no magic marts” sale of magical items was fixed at 50% of the value. So, despite the DM arguing that he was awarding treasure above the recommended guidelines, certain characters felt under leveled because they didn’t have appropriate gear.

 

[ezo]

Player: "I want to play a swordsman"

DM: "Sorry, dice say 'whips'. Lol."

Player: "So as a ranger, the class literally sets me up for either bows or light weapons for TWF."

DM: "Survey says... greatclub!"

Player: "I'm playing a wizard."

DM: "Right this way to the enemy spellbooks, your majesty. You get to pick all the spells you actually want, so the rest is just gravy."

Doesn't sound like a fun time just never getting to play the character you want while the guy with infinite dragons mocks you with dice.

Just goes to show you why spellcasters who get to pick from their entire spell list every long rest have the best life and most fun.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Whilst there is some magical items found as treasure in my campaign,* most of the magical gear the PCs have has been made by NPC crafters for the PCs out of monster parts the PCs have harvested. So whilst the PCs cannot dictate exactly what properties the gear will have, the crafters will obviously try to make something that is useful for them.

* A lot of them useful, but not everything, as some of it was useful to the person from whom the PCs took it, but less useful to the PCs.

 

[ECMO3]

In my current game we got a sentinel shield pretty early on (2nd level I think), which one PC used but they switched to two weapon fighting at 4th level, so for the next two levels we just carried it around. He had an offer to sell it, but decided to keep it in case he ever wanted the extra AC.

The last game we got a Sentinel Shield in none of the players used a shield. I think the Wizard ended up "carrying" it (not equipping it) to get the bonus to initiative.

We also had a staff of the python but the PC who could use it died. We still have it around. It is a good item and someday we might have a PC who can use it again...

We got one of those too. The party Ranger (me) switched Fighting Style to Druid Warrior to use it with Shillelagh. That would not be doable under the new rules because you can't switch fighting style and Shillelagh would conflict with the reliance on Hunter's Mark in the new rules.

 

[ECMO3]

Player: "I want to play a swordsman"

DM: "Sorry, dice say 'whips'. Lol."

So swing your non-magical sword. TBH though the swordsman are not generally a problem. The problems are generally Polearmsmen or Crossbowmen.

Player: "So as a ranger, the class literally sets me up for either bows or light weapons for TWF."

DM: "Survey says... greatclub!"

That is what Druid Warrior is for, and the magic staff I got in an earlier campaign is actually why I switched my fighting style.

Player: "I'm playing a wizard."

DM: "Right this way to the enemy spellbooks, your majesty. You get to pick all the spells you actually want, so the rest is just gravy."

I think a few campaigns ago when I played a Wizard I got 2 spellbooks with around 25 spells total from levels 1-7. Due to time, I only scribed about half of them and I don't think I ever cast any of them.

I would put spell books in the category of mostly worthless unless the Wizard for some reason lost his own spell book. You can only prepare PB+level+1 spells in 2024 and slightly more in 2014 and you get far more than that which you can choose for your spellbook.

In the end I think your dex-based crossbow expert is more likely to use a magic Hammer than a Wizard is going to use a random spell in a spellbook you found.

Doesn't sound like a fun time just never getting to play the character you want while the guy with infinite dragons mocks you with dice.

That is exactly what I said above! PCs that drive toward super-focused narrow "optimized" non-caster builds don't have as much fun.

 

[Charlaquin]

Player: "I want to play a swordsman"

DM: "Sorry, dice say 'whips'. Lol."

Player: "So as a ranger, the class literally sets me up for either bows or light weapons for TWF."

DM: "Survey says... greatclub!"

Player: "I'm playing a wizard."

DM: "Right this way to the enemy spellbooks, your majesty. You get to pick all the spells you actually want, so the rest is just gravy."

Doesn't sound like a fun time just never getting to play the character you want while the guy with infinite dragons mocks you with dice.

I do think random treasure requires an active magic item trade to work. You need to be able to sell unwanted items and use the money from doing so to buy wanted items. Or if you don’t like the idea of buying and selling magic items, at least allow players to break them down into a resource they can use to craft the items they want. Otherwise, just give players items they’ll actually want to use.

 

[Minigiant]

Getting +1/+2 to a weapon (+3/+3 with double specialization for fighters and rangers) is hardly "rocking" those weapons, although the faster attack rate was nice.

Honestly, I don't recall in 2E if the double specialization was expanded beyond those two classes or not... or if 2E even had double specialization.

I've never seen a DM purposefully give someone a magic weapon just to satisfy something they took specialization in. YMMV of course.

Thats the point.

The DM drops the "wrong" weapon, doesn't hand out or allow for trade for the right weapon, and now the player and DM are arguing.

 

[ECMO3]

I do think random treasure requires an active magic item trade to work. You need to be able to sell unwanted items and use the money from doing so to buy wanted items. Or if you don’t like the idea of buying and selling magic items, at least allow players to break them down into a resource they can use to craft the items they want. Otherwise, just give players items they’ll actually want to use.

It works in the games I play and those games don't have this at all until very high level (15+) and some of them don't have it even at very high level.

In a game I finished in August my 20th level Eladrin Glamour Bard had:
1. a pair of Gauntlets of Rage (caused Barbarian-like Rage with damage resistance, extra 2d6 damage in melee, some mental resistances and disabled spell casting).

2. A charm that let her use spell slots to do a necrotic version of Divine Smite that did extra damage to Celestials (2014 Divine Smite)

I had these both by around level 12. This character was not intended/designed to use weapons at all. How did I handle it? I got Tensers Transformation through Magic Secrets. It was a load of fun. The worst part was it took a while before I even had a magic weapon to use with it!

Both of these were actually gifted to her due to a plot device based on specific things she did and not usable by other characters in the party.