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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CF07" data-source="post: 9657350" data-attributes="member: 7052262">A few thoughts about making magic items more interesting. Unfortunately it's possible to end up Monty Hall, for sure, although 5E's attunement system makes that boring because eventually PCs get the items they want and then tend to ignore every other item to come their way. None of these issues are actually that new in D&D. Items don't grow with the PCs, for one, so there's a hedonic treadmill of magical gear. Selling or trading items is something people often get upset by but really it helps PCs get rid of unwanted items and get better, more interesting things. So having a magic shop of some sort (maybe it's something you have to adventure for!) isn't necessarily bad. Beyond that, I encourage people to play with magic item design, especially given how boring 5E magic items are overall. For example, I have introduced "Legendary" items. These aren't what they say in the book, but instead the idea comes from Magic: The Gathering, where Legendary cards need to be unique in one's deck. A character can only have one Legendary item of a particular type. Here's an example for an Egyptian-themed campaign based on the classic Desert of Desolation. Carta of LegendsThese cards portray heroes of legend. Their names have been forgotten but their deeds carry down the ages and across the multiverse. Any spells are cast with the caster’s choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Only one hero’s card can be attuned at a time. Here are two examples. Alzanbaq al’Aswad (The Blackest Lily)The face of this card portrays a beautiful, dark-haired half elf woman wearing dark leather armor, a black cloak, with a shield with the emblem of a bull’s head, the symbol of Ptah, the Opener of Ways. She holds a rune-carved rapier and has a lute on her back. Her eyes are a starfield. The obverse shows a tear in the fabric of reality. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Walking Speed +5’</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Misty Step 1/short rest</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Arcane Gate (burn card)</li> </ul>Qabdat Al’Qaswa (The Cruel Fist)The face of this card shows a shaven-headed man with a queue, wrapped hands, and a strangely cruel look. One eye is slanted and the other appears to be a gemstone. He stands in a pose of martial readiness. A mace is tucked in in his sash. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gain the Tavern Brawler feat</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The user gains the effect of a Potion of Vitality (burn card)</li> </ul>So, built in are some nifty low-end bonuses but a very nice one-use item. I make sure as DM there comes a time when the burn ability is really tempting to use and then another carta will show up so the PCs get to experience the whole deck.</blockquote>

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