Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 SillyMind Dec 12, 2014 10:02:23	Hi all! I'm going to start a new campaign with a new group of people and we had a discussion regarding what type of game they want. 2 things stood out:   The 4 of them are MMORPGs players and what they particularly like is the equipment management that comes with those games. They want to use D&D 5e because we already played a one-shot with the ruleset and they like what WotC has done with it. My question is the following: Would it be possible to play a 5e game using the 4e magic items/economy (for me it feels like 4th magic item were more balanced/streamlined than older editions)?   Coincidentally, using 4e magic item through level 20, the highest bonus possible is +4, just a little over what is possible in 5e (+3). So would it work and stay balance if I do: Level 1-4: I don't think any fix would be necessary because of the rarity of permanent magic items at that level. Level 5-10: Monsters gain +1 to every rolls, +2 damage/+10 HP. Level 11-16: Monsters gain +2 to every rolls, +4 damage/+20 HP. Level 17+: Monsters gain +4 to every rolls, +8 damage/+40 HP.   So basically, I want to reintroduce item-dependency for that campaign and don't feel 5e's magic items and their price can be use in this way so I though I could use 4e's magic items/economy and tweak things incompatible or non-convertable.   What are your thoughts? Bonus question: Do you have any idea how to reintroduce item-dependancy and a good magic item economy using 5e's magic items?
#2 mykesfree Dec 12, 2014 10:35:38	The 4e magic items/ economy are very similar to the 5e ones as written in the 4e rules.  In order to gain magic items you needed to adventure for them and were not easily obtained in a market. All 4e magic items were given a rarity level like 5e.  My group currently uses 4e magic items and they pretty much run well with their 5e translations without any tweaks to the monsters.      In playing a bit of 5e and a whole lot of 4e, I think the systems are just as item dependent as the other one  if you used the 4e magic item rarity rules.
#3 AaronOfBarbaria Dec 12, 2014 11:07:00	I strongly suggest playing 5e with 5e rules, but since the players like to have lots of "gear", aim for a high magic setting.   Use the optional rules in the DMG regarding crafting, buying, and selling magic items with the specific variations that magic items are more common in the setting (including trimming down the prices on them so that the player expectations can be met), and then just place more treasure than normal (i.e. if you would normally roll once on the treasure hoard table for a lair of bugbears, twice for a hoard shared by giants, and three times for a dragon, instead roll twice, three times, and five times, respectively).   I make this suggestion because there are some significant differences in the expectations of what particular potency of powers do that could cause issue, ranging from critical hits working differently so items like a basic weapon +3 would actually be far more powerful if you were using the 4e version that would add +3d6 damage on a critical hit to items that provide benefits like resist fire 5 in 4e being underpowered in 5e if kept functioning as-is, and more powerful than their 4e level would suggest if treating that "resist fire 5" as 5e would "fire resistance."   My opinion ultimately being that altering costs of 5e items is easier and less likely to result in issues than either option of using 4e items as-is or trying to alter them to fit 5e's mechanics.
#4 dafrca Dec 12, 2014 19:16:21	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#5 Ocule Dec 13, 2014 9:52:11	Magic items in 5e pack a much bigger punch than in 4e, and 4e assumes the party will have certain bonuses at certain levels thats why they put in inherent bonuses as an option for dark sun but were used for any low magic games. 5e assumes sword and sorcery level magic you can go all the way to twenty without a single magic weapon or armor and adding in more actually assumes you will up the encounter difficulty or give baddies more magic gear as well.
#6 MydKnyght Dec 13, 2014 14:56:04	Good Morning,   I am starting to design a campain, and I have graph paper to complete towns, keeps, dungeons, abbeys, and so forth.  My question is, since paper can be lost or ripped, is there a good program for the computer, or an app for a tablet that would let me design in the digital world, and then I can transfer the drawings to my mat when battle happens?   Thank you
#7 Goober4473 Dec 13, 2014 15:59:33	I don't think you need to do much to monsters, really. You could jsut as easily use slightly tougher monsters, or more of them, bringing the average difficulty up a little bit, and if you feel the need, give out a little less XP for it.   As for the items themselves, I'd recommend just using what's there, but give out a lot of treasure.