Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar Nov 15, 2014 8:50:32	I am playing around 10-15 hours of 5E a week with 2 groups, 1 I play in and one I DM. I started with a Light cleric and picked up 3 magic items in the LMoP (Gauntlets, +1 Breastplate Armor, Light bringer Mace) and then rebuilt my PC as a bard later on. No magic items were added to my haul until level 9 where I got a +2 short sword.   In my own game I have been using mostly 3.x from Dungeon and homebrew adventures with maps etc ripped from OSR sources and we even ried out the Tomb of Horrors. By level 4 or so there were half a dozen magic items in the party mostly +1 weapons and a horn of blasting from the BECMIO rules cyclopedia was found by level 5.    Only 1 PC had an "ideal" weapon. 3 of the weapons were a short sword, dagger, and a long sword and the PCs were using different weapons. The weapons came from a published adventure but it kept the power level down while giving them magic weapons they could use to bypass resistance and immunities.     Not a lot was added until about level 9 or so except for potions and a couple of rings of fire resistance.. I started to notice PC ACs were mostly static. The found an ancient structure and weapons cache with NPC guardians, completed a puzzle and retrieved an artefact of a semi dead god. As a reward they got to choose a single magic item from an ancient armoury. They had a choice of.   +2 weapon +1 armor granting advantage vs Dragon Breath Weapons +1 weapon Dragonbane (1d6 damage vs Dragons) +1 Ring of Protection (only for the wizard)   Most of them chose the +2 weapons at level 9, the next several encounters featured Dragons and Half Dragons. One of them tried to talk the wizard into picking a magic weapon so he could have 2 weapons.   The current adventure I am running is a 3.0 Adventure called the Dying of the Light from Dungeon jan/feb 2001. They have 7 Vampires to defeat and probably a single day to do it in. 6 person party level 10. I have cut most of the magic items at least the combat related ones from the adventure (I don’t care about scrolls and potions) and most of the vampires have 1-2 items mostly ones the party doesn’t use. 3 of them however are powerful by 5E standards and these are the most powerful items I have handed out yet. They are.   +2 Studded Leather Armor +2 Ring of Protection (toned down from +3 in the adventure) +2 Greatsword (used by Vampire fighter, no PC uses Gereatswords)   So monty haul by previous standards of the party. The PCs will get a lot of magic items this adventure so they will not find much the next few levels.   So the party was level 9 before they got magic items matching up to ones they used and level 10 before +2 armor turned up (+1 armor has been rare, +1 weapons not so much).   Not really planning on handing out +3 weapons and if I do it will be things like daggers, staffs, etc not long swords, great weapons, hand crossbows or longbows.+3 armor will be things like leather, chain mail and beastplate not +3 plate or studded leather.   In both games more magic items have come from prepublised adventures than DM fiat. I do not mind so much as one can always remove said items if they are a problem. 1 set of Gauntlets of Ogre Power have turned up along with 2 amulets of health in regards to stat buff items.
#2 OrwellianHaggis Nov 15, 2014 9:14:05	I always try to avoid +items, instead giving out a lot of utility items e.g. the vestments of saint Aarons (reduces your need for food and water by 1/4, ignores one level of exhaustion). I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the items found in LMoP... I might replace them with my own items.
#3 sleypy Nov 15, 2014 9:36:48	Rarely handout magic items that are purely combat related. The weapons I do hand out with +1 are one of a kind in my setting.
#42 Zardnaar Nov 16, 2014 22:26:19	MechaPilot wrote:
#43 MechaPilot Nov 16, 2014 22:42:02	Zardnaar wrote:
#44 Zardnaar Nov 17, 2014 0:51:07	MechaPilot wrote:
#45 Lawolf Nov 17, 2014 9:03:26	Because of inherent bonuses, 4e is the only edition where you can give out 0 magic items without affecting game balance. So, there is that.    As for magic item hand outs. There is nothing more lame than carrying around a variety of magic items that nobody in the party can or wants to use. Carrying a suitcase full of magical junk was probably the thing I hate most about random treasure tables.
#46 Zardnaar Nov 17, 2014 9:05:05	Lawolf wrote:
#47 mellored Nov 17, 2014 9:10:34	Lawolf wrote:
#48 Lawolf Nov 17, 2014 9:19:01	mellored wrote:
#49 Zardnaar Nov 17, 2014 9:32:06	mellored wrote:
#50 mellored Nov 17, 2014 9:42:00	Zardnaar wrote:
(Reply to #48) Timborama	Lawolf wrote:
#52 Shasarak Nov 17, 2014 12:10:21	The best use for an unbreakable stick of chalk is to break other things with.
#53 dmgorgon Nov 17, 2014 12:53:28	Shasarak wrote:
#54 Shasarak Nov 17, 2014 13:01:15	dmgorgon wrote:
#55 MechaPilot Nov 17, 2014 13:37:25	Lawolf wrote:
#56 Synjin Nov 17, 2014 13:46:07	I'm in the "+0 +Utility Bonus +Counts as a Magic Weapon" camp as well. With the amounts of damage a PC can do, coupled with Bounded Accuracy, the Utility features add more flavor to the game than generic number bonuses to hit and damage, while still making the Monsters their intended CR.
#57 MechaPilot Nov 17, 2014 13:47:34	Zardnaar wrote:
#58 Mirtek Nov 17, 2014 14:21:18	Rastapopoulos wrote:
#59 Zardnaar Nov 17, 2014 19:49:05	Mirtek wrote:
#60 Ramius613 Nov 17, 2014 20:47:24	Hi. I'm Ramius, and I'm a DM, and I like magic items. I figured I'd start this post out this way because it seems I have a problem with wanting my players too have cool items that make monster's go splat. I like when the Demon I've thrown at them is reduced to nothing but smoking boots. I like seeing what nifty ways my players can come up with using these things that I give them. And do you know why I like doing this stuff as a DM? Because that's what I would expect as a player. That is the fun of the game.
(Reply to #47) CCS	mellored wrote:
#62 Nevvur Nov 17, 2014 23:58:36	There's the proverb, "If all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail" that I think applies here.   If the DM wants combat to be the most important part of his game, I see no reason not to load up the party with combat-oriented tools. Having read various other of the OP's posts, the way he hands out magic items makes perfect sense to me.   However, if one does not want combat to be the first solution, or the most frequent type of challenge, utility and flavor based magic items are better rewards, and incidentally, as implied by the proverb, your players may look for alternative solutions if they have tools that aren't weapons.   (Sorry if I'm repeating anyone here, didn't read the entire thread)
#63 JohnLynch Nov 18, 2014 0:58:48	Nevvur wrote:
#64 Shasarak Nov 18, 2014 1:16:39	CCS wrote:
#65 mellored Nov 18, 2014 5:32:51	Shasarak wrote:
#66 Slyck314 Nov 18, 2014 11:02:38	In my campaign the characters are most of the way through 5th level and just picked up their third "standard" magic item. So far they have a +2 dagger (gonna use the tables in the dmg to round this out), an amulet of proof against protection and an alchemical jug. But more importantly as a story item they have a decanter and a cask of condensed rage that gives the imbiber the class features of a beserker but forces them to attack the clostest creature randomly. Its come in very handy both as a potion for the players and as a poison against their enemies.
#67 Orethalion Nov 18, 2014 11:06:15	JohnLynch wrote:
#68 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 12:48:50	Orethalion wrote:
#69 Orethalion Nov 18, 2014 12:55:40	MechaPilot wrote:
#70 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 13:02:47	Orethalion wrote:
#71 Orethalion Nov 18, 2014 13:18:16	MechaPilot wrote:
#72 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 13:23:45	Orethalion wrote:
#73 seti Nov 18, 2014 17:17:09	IMO, 4e was the only edition where you didn't need magic weapons eventually. Every other edition I played had monsters that required something special to hit them, or to wound them w/o their damage reduction or regeneration working*. 5e has monsters in the MM that cannot be hit w/o using spells or magic weapons.   When the Dark Sun Campaign Guide and the DMG 2 came out, the math was fixed with automatic extra bonuses for low magic campaigns. But, nothing in 4e (including demon lords, etc.) demanded you use a magic weapon to even be able to damage it. Even incorporeal foes (ghosts, etc.) just had the 'incorporeal' trait, but also had less HP than solid monsters of the same level.    *ie: +1 or better to hit, cold iron, silvered, DR 10/good, etc, etc, etc.
#74 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 17:21:36	seti wrote:
#75 Shasarak Nov 18, 2014 17:54:52	seti wrote:
#76 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 18:02:12	Shasarak wrote:
#77 Zardnaar Nov 18, 2014 18:04:36	MechaPilot wrote:
#78 seti Nov 18, 2014 19:08:38	I don't really remember 1e, but as I recall, there are plenty of monsters (usually higher level/CR monsters, but still) in 2e, 3e, 3.5e, PF, and 5e that require magic and/or special weapons to hit them.    4e had no such restrictions in any of its MM's.   All editions have a few with DR, or a few with regeneration...But, 4e has none with the 'can only be hit by +1 or greater' thing attached to their MM discription.
#79 MechaPilot Nov 18, 2014 19:19:15	seti wrote:
#80 Shasarak Nov 18, 2014 20:06:59	MechaPilot wrote:
(Reply to #80) AaronOfBarbaria	Shasarak wrote:
#82 FFSAA Nov 18, 2014 21:25:35	Orethalion wrote:
#83 JohnLynch Nov 18, 2014 22:16:44	Orethalion wrote:
#84 autolycus Nov 19, 2014 9:00:05	FFSAA wrote:
#85 shpelley Nov 19, 2014 9:27:02	autolycus wrote:
#86 Lawolf Nov 19, 2014 9:32:12	shpelley wrote:
#87 Karnos Nov 19, 2014 10:08:51	Lawolf wrote:
#88 Zardnaar Nov 19, 2014 10:24:12	Karnos wrote:
#89 1eejit Nov 19, 2014 10:52:09	Stop obsessing over the published modules FFSAA, not everyone's campaign involves the potential to face off against the toughest CR30 creature we've seen yet, a God. And in Lost Mines the magical items are not in plain view or handouts.
#90 Orethalion Nov 19, 2014 11:10:55	1eejit wrote:
#91 Lawolf Nov 19, 2014 11:19:57	Orethalion wrote:
#92 Orethalion Nov 19, 2014 11:45:22	Lawolf wrote:
#93 Shasarak Nov 19, 2014 11:47:27	Orethalion wrote:
#94 Orethalion Nov 19, 2014 12:49:00	Shasarak wrote:
#95 Lawolf Nov 19, 2014 13:05:57	Orethalion wrote:
#96 FFSAA Nov 19, 2014 23:32:13	Lawolf wrote:
#97 AaronOfBarbaria Nov 20, 2014 3:29:03	You haven't proven what you think you have. Magic weapons are only one of multiple ways that resistance to nonmagical weapons can be made irrelevant - and you have shown that the designers figure the party will have a way, but not necessarily THAT way.
#98 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 6:42:41	FFSAA wrote:
#99 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 6:45:04	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#100 Timborama Nov 20, 2014 8:23:56	To be fair, you can have a no-magic item campaign and still be just fine throwing in a magic weapon resistant/immune monster.   Spellcasters, clever play, class abilities (Monk and Druid!), and party compostition/optimization are all ways to overcome this. That, and certain weaker monsters with those resistances will STILL fall to higher level PCs. An Intellect devourer is dangerous to low-INT folks, but even if you don't spend a fireball to kill it, the HP basically goes from 23 to 46. And mid-level no-magic PCs can chew through a couple of those puppies in no time.   But! You can also just not touch certain monsters, like golems, if you wanted. That's an easy method, too!
#101 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 8:25:47	FFSAA wrote:
#102 Slyck314 Nov 20, 2014 8:49:23	I find, in my campaign, having given out one magic weapon, every character will have the capabilty of getting around resistance to mundane weapons by 6th level.
#103 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 9:19:26	Lawolf wrote:
#104 Karnos Nov 20, 2014 9:38:16	Lawolf wrote:
#105 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 9:43:03	Orethalion wrote:
#106 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 9:52:40	Lawolf wrote:
#107 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 10:00:35	Karnos wrote:
#108 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 10:10:40	Orethalion wrote:
#109 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 10:33:24	Lawolf wrote:
#110 Karnos Nov 20, 2014 10:38:00	Lawolf wrote:
#111 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 10:46:20	Orethalion wrote:
#112 Orethalion Nov 20, 2014 11:14:09	Lawolf wrote:
#113 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 11:21:00	Orethalion wrote:
#114 DaveDash Nov 20, 2014 14:08:06	I'm running City of the Spider Queen (PCs currently level 12) and have decided against handing out magic weapons at this point. Resistance really isn't much of a problem as there are numerous ways around it without magical weapons. I feel at this point, adding magic into the game (weapons, armour, etc) would require a fair bit of rework from my part as a DM due to bounded accuracy. Having +2 weapons at level 11+ is almost like having permanent bless and given how low AC is already, you're looking at monsters dropping VERY fast. My solution will be that anything to adds to combat bonuses has a limited use per day. Its a bit of an odd design decision to avoid bonuses to combat stuff like the plague all throughout the game, yet then still have magic weapons. It just adds work for the DM. I hope they have done some of that work for me in the DMG, but given the story focus thus far of 5e I wont hold my breath.
#115 Shasarak Nov 20, 2014 15:18:00	DaveDash wrote:
#116 Lawolf Nov 20, 2014 15:26:16	DaveDash wrote:
(Reply to #115) DaveDash	Shasarak wrote:
#118 MechaPilot Nov 20, 2014 15:49:39	DaveDash wrote:
(Reply to #118) DaveDash	MechaPilot wrote:
#120 MechaPilot Nov 20, 2014 15:57:21	DaveDash wrote:
(Reply to #120) DaveDash	MechaPilot wrote:
#122 Shasarak Nov 20, 2014 16:26:55	MechaPilot wrote:
#123 MechaPilot Nov 20, 2014 16:48:53	Shasarak wrote:
(Reply to #6) dungeondude	trebor_rjf wrote:
#125 dungeondude Nov 25, 2014 22:48:00	Some great posts on this thread, thanks everyone!   As always, I just think its the flavor of what works for you and your game.    My rule of thumb, is that I never pass out an enchanted item, unless I've typed-up some description I can hand the player. This makes me put some thought into the item, maybe some interesting history, stops me from making a poor decision in the heat of session to hand someone something magical, because I think it would be cool! I've been DMing since 1st Edition, I can be a sucker!   Here's just a quick example:   Ring of the Fish   A thick iron bad with a deep blue sapphire, this band is engraved with schooling fish.   History   Rumored to have been crafted by Adolfus the Silent, a northern mage who lived someplace along the Hurricane coast, this ring has not been seen for some time. Adolfus, known for his love of the sea, was said to have been slain by some-type of sea troll during a voyage, with his body never being discovered after this horrble, tragic event.   Properties   This ring will expand or shrink, to fit the wearers finger. Once worn, this ring bestows the wearer with the ability to breath underwater for 1 hour. This power is available 2 times per day.   Special: Once per week, you can summon one fish to act as your messenger. For 24 hours, it will swim to the intended person, and relay a message of 24 words or less.   Wearer must attune to this ring, for it to function.
#126 Xguild Nov 27, 2014 6:40:06	What magic Items become available to the group really depends on the game world and the scale of the game (aka is it low power, mid power, high power or epic fantasy). For example when I ran a Scarred Lands campaign a typical day involved arial combat on griffons against multiple dragons and that was around 5th level.  The game was over the top epic and the players wielded some of the most powerful weapons in the game which did little but level the playing field.  The game was about epic scenes and so they needed epic items to feel epic.   On the other hand I've run survivor like stories where the players where lucky to find old rusty weapons let alone magic ones.   So its all relative.  The general rule is what they carry should match what they are expected to do and what themes your playing on.  If its a survivor "against all odds" type of story, running around with a bag of magic loot is going to break that games core theme while asking the players to do aerial combat against dragons using rusty daggers in their bathing suit will make them feel less like heroes and more like victims.   I do have one general rule and that is I almost never ever allow "purchasing" of magic items even in stories where they have lots of them and I ensure no one can ever afford to buy them from the players so they find them and use them, those are the only options.  This is mainly because I don't like games where players are trying to manipulate economics except for the rare occassion where I make a king maker style story or something like it where raising gold is a part of the game, which would probobly be the only time I make exception that rule.