Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Atherion-Foehammer Nov 13, 2014 17:13:39	So having read through Hoard, of the Dragon Queen, and skimmed through Rise of Tiamat, I am puzzled and disappointed in the lack of magic items that the party can acquire. I am by no means a proponet of Monty Haul, but what is listed in the books is bordering on non-existant. I compare this with the the included adventure in the starter set, and it seems to have an appropriate amount of magic items for characters.  In a non-adventures session this wouldn't matter, as I would add as I saw fit as a DM, but since these are run as semi official, it means the players are pretty much bereft of neat toys. Yes I realize that the +1 or +2 isn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it does lessen the sense of wonder. At least in IMO, as both a player and DM.
#2 Tyranthraxus Nov 13, 2014 18:04:49	I take the opposite view, I like the fact there are few magical items. In expeditions you are finding on average one a scenario.. I think thats too many myself as there will be 14 episodes. To me 5e stresses more of a low magic item collection system where characters abilities matter far more. On reading other posts here and there though, its certainly challenging peopls notions of what an rpg game should offer though.
#3 akaddk Nov 13, 2014 23:46:25	The Tyranny of Dragons adventure path is not only meant for Encounters but also home games. It essentially assumes that the same people will be playing it to its conclusion. If you look at how many items are gained throughout it (don't rely on the appendix, btw, there are more items scattered throughout the modules within the text of the adventure), then it's sufficient for such a scenario.   The problem with this logic is that in Encounters, you do NOT always have the same people at the table. In this situation, magical items become far more scarce. This is why there are Expeditions. All but two of the Expeditions have at least one permanent magical item in them.
#4 TheBreen Nov 14, 2014 11:03:23	One interesting side effect of Adventurers League play is that all magic items are, in effect, cursed. That is, you can't really get rid of them. You don't have to take them to begin with, but if you do, the only way to get rid of them is to trade them away to someone else (assuming you both have certificates, and the items are "equivalent"). Even this is limited; low-powered magic items become "hot potatoes," where the person who fills out the last space on the trade log has to keep that item "forever."   In a home campaign you might be able to sell, give away, or simply abandon a magic item, but you can't do that in AL play.* You're stuck with it, and it interferes with your ability to get other, more interesting or powerful magic items later. (Of course, in a home campaign the only limit on how many magic items a character can have is what the DM provides.)   This makes it (in my opinion) beneficial to have fewer magic items introduced into the game. On the one hand it's great to get a Weapon +1 at 2nd or 3rd level, but on the other it kinda sucks to be stuck with that Weapon +1 instead of something better at, say, 10th level.   Another benefit (again, IMO) of having fewer magic items in the game is that it makes PC's abilities and choices stand out more. Combats are a lot easier when everyone has magical weapons and armor, so great tactics or smart uses of special abilities are less important. Figuring out how to get across a chasm is easy if every party has scrolls with the Fly spell on them. And so on.   So I'm happy to have just a few magic items handed out. I'm hoping to see a few really interesting, quirky items that get used in creative ways, rather than a flood of oh-so-common Thingys +1.           *According to the FAQ recently posted at http://dndadventurersleague.org/magic-items-faq/
(Reply to #4) SteveMND	TheBreen wrote:
#6 akaddk Nov 14, 2014 13:57:52	SteveMND wrote:
(Reply to #5) Pauper	SteveMND wrote:
#8 Coredump00 Nov 14, 2014 18:21:49	Thanks for the FAQ link... had not seen that before.   Few questions to make sure I get all the details... True or False?   1) You can trade your magic item, but only for another permanent item of an equivalent rarity.  You may *not* give away a magical item.   2) Magic items 'possession' is figured on a 'per character' basis, not a 'per player basis.   3) If you have two AL characters, you may not have one character give the other character a magic item.   4) If you have two AL characters, you may have them trade magic items of equal rarity. (Not sure about this one...)
#9 IxidorRS Nov 14, 2014 19:15:01	Coredump00 wrote:
#10 Coredump00 Nov 16, 2014 12:12:53	Coolness, thanks
(Reply to #9) Pauper	IxidorRS wrote:
#12 guachi Nov 21, 2014 21:12:41	You can also let someone borrow a magic item for the duration of a session, correct?
#13 Blade2718 Nov 22, 2014 6:49:30	guachi wrote:
(Reply to #13) Jeraxle	Blade2718 wrote:
#15 Rich14 Nov 24, 2014 15:31:06	With the dirth of magic items, I think I would pick up an extra magic item (expecially a weapon) if no one wanted it, you nevr know when your going to be on a table with a fighter without a magic weapon,  that is just about teh time for that wraith to appear.   I assume that you could load a weapon / item to a player on the same table for duration of the adventure.
#16 BRJN Dec 15, 2014 8:56:08	Tangent: In LFR, my 4e Warlock bought a matching set of the Gloves with the property "When you get bloodied, an ally can make a Basic Attack".  Then I made some 3x5 cards with the item description on them.  At convention play, I would offer the cards to whoever wanted one.  This way I got to take a whack at whoever was bothering my friends.  (Eldritch Blast = ranged basic attack)  This would have been a LOT more effective at L4 (when the gloves became available) than it was at L11 (when I could afford it) due to level-up +HP > +dmg in 4e's math.  But it was still a fun teamwork move.   Conclusion: If you wind up with a magic gadget that other people can use, make it available for borrowing !
#17 Byakugan01 Dec 24, 2014 13:54:56	Having gotten used to being able to find magic items in 3.x its been hard for me to adjust to basically having no magic items in 5e AL     our 6 person party is 5th with some nearing 6th.  Sofar there are only 3 magic items in the party.  2 of them were from expeditions.  The last one was a reward for a quest in chapter 5 i think.    The thing i hate most is we have found 0 spell scrolls or spellbooks.  Really stings for my wizard's versatility.
#18 Coredump00 Dec 24, 2014 17:39:11	Yeah, the lack of spell scrolls does seem a bit harsh for wizards.....
#19 Kalani Dec 24, 2014 17:45:04	Byakugan01 wrote:
#20 Coredump00 Dec 24, 2014 20:40:08	LMoP have more magic than Expeditions, which has more magic than HotDQ.  The difference is pretty large...
#21 Byakugan01 Dec 25, 2014 10:30:46	Yeah, I havent been able to play in any of the expeditions because they are always on days I have to work.  They mentioned a red robed wizard, but yeah I couldnt justify losing a real life days pay for a chance at a few scrolls/spells.