Why Put magic Items in The PHB?

[Gentlegamer]

Experience points are a rewards, and as an extension so are the benefits of lvel advancement.

Experience is a reward. Magic items are a reward. They don't have to be the same kind of reward to fall into the same general category.

They are different types of reward in that the options available through character advancement at "level up time" are explicitly entitlements. Are you saying players are entitled to magic items as rewards the same way they are entitled to choose a new feat, talent, skill, etc.?

And actually, magic items have indeed generally been a character's permanent possession until he decided he didn't want it anymore.

Not permanent the way it would be if it truly purchased through character advancement resources. In HERO, such an item is permanent in the sense that if it is lost, damaged, destroyed, a replacement will someone be contrived to come back to the character's possession (because the player has paid character points for the item).

This has never been the case with D&D magic items. They can be used up, lost, stolen, damaged, and destroyed and the player has no expectation that a replacement will be contrived back into his possession. When the item is gone, it's gone, until a new one is acquired through in-game adventuring.

 

[Felon]

They are different types of reward in that the options available through character advancement at "level up time" are explicitly entitlements. Are you saying players are entitled to magic items as rewards the same way they are entitled to choose a new feat, talent, skill, etc.?

What makes for an "inherent entitlement" in D&D? Are you entitled to fight monsters? Are you entitled to finding treasure? Do you get to regsister a formal complaint with the Ministry of Dungeonmastery if your are denied these things? A much better word than "entitled" would be "assumed" or "expected". And yes, the acquisition of magic items is both of those things.

Not permanent the way it would be if it truly purchased through character advancement resources. In HERO, such an item is permanent in the sense that if it is lost, damaged, destroyed, a replacement will someone be contrived to come back to the character's possession (because the player has paid character points for the item).

Not sure what HERO has to do with the discussion, but suffice to say that D&D magic items include the -2 limitation "Independent".

This has never been the case with D&D magic items. They can be used up, lost, stolen, damaged, and destroyed and the player has no expectation that a replacement will be contrived back into his possession. When the item is gone, it's gone, until a new one is acquired through in-game adventuring.

Experience can be lost. Levels can be drained, and you can be killed and thne be raised and find yourself a level lower. Heck, you can be killed and find yourself making up a new character. Indeed, character death (and subsequent XP loss) is a more common occurence that item loss.

But what you're evidencing as a drawback of magic items is actually their strength. The thing that makes magic items special in D&D is that they are disposable and interchangeable. You can swap them out to a degree that you can't do with class features and feats.