Making Magic Items more Magical

[@wolfknight75]

Great Video Jim. Thanks again. Your videos are beginning to become part of my weekly ritual of reading, searching, and watching game related content to put me in the right mood to DM my two campaigns on the weekend. I really look forward to see what you have in store each week. This video was like you were reading my mind as both of my campaigns are in the low level stage and based in Greyhawk as well as Blackmoor. So as I’ve been working on adventures, encounters, and all that goes with those things. I began pondering magic items and how to make them fun, interesting, and custom to the characters and campaigns. Anyway I usually go with the 3-Minute Magic Item creation method. Awesome Name 30 Seconds Appearance 30 Seconds Benefit 30 Seconds Drawback 30 Seconds Lore 60 Seconds Twist 0 Seconds The system was the idea of Johnn Four. Here is his page www.roleplayingtips.com/gm-techniques/how-to-create-great-magic-items-in-just-three-minutes/ So I just use this method whenever I’m trying to create custom items for my Game. I was happy to see your method and using art on one side of the item card with its stats on the other is great. I plan to use this. Btw I just created my own index card box after watching your video showing your index card system for NPCs, adventures, characters etc. what an awesome, but simple and elegant idea. Thank you and thanks again for all the content you are putting up. Keep up the great work. Guys like you are what makes this hobby so great. Take care

[@jimmurphy1591]

Christopher Kearney that sounds very cool. I’ll check it out and thank you

[@jimmurphy1591]

Thank you so much for the input and nice words

[@jimmurphy1591]

Thanks for the info

[@royalg1091]

You said something great. People tend to never go beyond what is written in the books. This apply to everything in D&D, not just magic items. People just don’t want to be smart enough, and they complain in the web!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Niccolò Casorri it also extends a bit into real life

[@heyitsMattyP]

For anyone who can't draw, you can flip your card-making process on its head by looking online for art first, then deciding what the item does second.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Matthew Perkins there are card sets you can but that are blank art.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

If you have (or make) the spare time to run image searches for stuff online, you can probably find a suitable image for just about anything... OR you can find something REALLY REALLY CLOSE... Then import the image to an editor (Gimp, Paint, sutten-r-other Studio Pro, Photoshop, etc...) and "adjust things" until you're approximately happy with it... AND save to stick, so you can print it (and the rest of your "approved of collection" to whatever size required at an office supply shop (Office Max, or even Wally-World will do) in batches. You can always scratch down notes for effects and uses on the back of your "custom made cards" and drop in the game as applicable. It's pretty rare you can't find whatever, and you may have to consider just finding components and tweaking them together... OF course, it's occasionally just advantageous to pop over to fiverr, or check in with Newgrounds Forums and see if there's someone available to fit your budget... in the case the "art requirements" are just a bit "above your paygrade" to accomplish... I've occasionally gotten my own art "cleaned up" from the original conceptual sketchworks to a finished product with reasonable polish for little or nothing... even swapping in trades outright... SO never underestimate the power of a good barter. ;o)

[@jimmurphy1591]

gnarth d'arkanen I am a little less tech and little grognard!

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@jimmurphy1591, While dubiously technical in my own right, I do have limits, and it takes NO technical expertise at all, to watch and rate animated videos or music or artworks for artists to get feedback, a primary constituent of Newgrounds.com... Thereby making it easier to rub-elbows with those "more graphically gifted" than myself (or just patient enough to do the thing I want for the game)... SO maybe some of these suggestions are helpful(?). Randomly searching the web for images is an interesting pastime, too... AND can generate quite a bit of inspiration when mixing and matching "visual keywords" to see how close to a "real deutronic frombotzer" you might actually be able to find. I have no idea what it does either. ;o)

[@wanderinghistorian]

Yup, that's what I do.

[@ballisticus1]

One of my favorite 3.5 books was Weapons of Legacy which provided of both unique magic weapon examples as well as tools to design your own

[@damienfeymont3433]

Of all the DMs on KZbin, I think Matt Colville, DungeonDad, and you inspire me the most! Thanks for your videos!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Damien Feymont thank you, my pleasure

[@crowhaveninc.2103]

I like it if my players are powerful. It means I can be more reckless when throwing monsters at them.

[@F4R207]

I started our D&D 5e campaign by the player finding at least an item each, most of them designed by me to build narrative, tell a bit of the settings history and to give the players more options on their turn, some items were cursed but not that they were all out destructive to the character, they're more give and take items that change or challenge aspects of the characters to build narratives. I play D&D for the fantastical heroic fantasy, if I want something low down and gritty then I'd play other systems (BRP/RQ or WHFRP for example). The move away from that fantastical scale is my major grief with 5th edition, that or the lackluster monster mechanisms, aside from that I prefer D&D 5e from all prior editions (which I never really found agreeable). Such I have not just plain +1 items, while I have some items I feel lackluster about, and probably would have put more effort into to give more narrative presence if I had the time at the time, I still have a good 50 items in my One Note files that are getting the love that the players and the story deserve. Power is an illusion and balance is in the story. Here's a pretty basic example of an item waiting to be found in a later scenario (if the players takes their story there). The Avenging Oath "A plain well-crafted functional short sword with a just as functional and just as plain and rather featureless ornamental face at the center of the cross-hilt. The face carved with is eyes and lips closed, looking serene as if in slumber." The Avenging Oath is usually a +1 short sword and occasionally a +2 great sword. Once a paladin fighting a just cause avenging unjustly wrongdoings in the name of its god, it unfortunately got itself struck by a curse dealing with a fey hag. The noble soul of the paladin rests with in the blade, its body forever cast in magical steel, its once mortal husk long gone withered away as ash in the soil between vines and roots of the realm. Years, decades, maybe even centuries has past, the paladin no longer feels the presence of the deity it once swore fealty to. It feels alone and insecure. Once the fine blade of a great sword now its takes the form of a short sword. Despite the insecurities coming from its abandonment the Blade, The Avenging Oath, still retains some of the power of its vows, the conviction of its own purpose still lingering. Vow of Enmity: As a bonus action, you can utter a vow of enmity against a creature you can see within 10 feet of you. You gain advantage on attack rolls against the creature for 1 minute or until it drops to 0 hit points or falls unconscious. Blinded by Anger: Once your vow of enmity have been uttered the wielder of the avenging oath gains a disadvantage on attack rolls against any creature besides the target of the vow of enmity. Giant Slayer: The avenging oath do 1D6 extra radiant damage as a short sword versus targets larger than the wielder, if the avenging oath has taken its confident great sword form that extra damage is instead 2D6 radiant damage. Slumbering Giant: The presence within the blade suffers from an inferiority complex, which expresses itself in the fact that it takes the form of a short sword [+1 to Hit, 1D6+1 piercing damage, light, finesse] . If the presence ever gets inspired, exhilarated or just in its cause then it will spontaneously take the form of a great sword [+2 to Hit, 2D6+2 slashing damage, heavy, two-handed], granting its wearer proficiency. I like making these "intelligent" but "slumbering" items that can be awakened later on (if one cares for the mechanisms of such features) or perhaps even to be released from its holding? Though from a narrative perspective three favorite items have so far been "Laughing in the face of danger", "Gnawing Hunger" and the pitch black fanged skull relic of an ancient Priest-King (which was a spur of the ment addition that really grew into its own storyline and added some great jack in the box villains to throw into the mix while the story hits a lull between two major parts).

[@jimmurphy1591]

F4R207 sound fun and well thought out. Nice

[@F4R207]

@@jimmurphy1591 Thank you.

[@CaseyKassien]

Hey Jim! Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your content and the years of wisdom you share with your audience. It's truly amazing!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Casey Kassien my pleasure

[@deathbywarcraft1157]

Jim, I found this video reassuring. I often design epic level magic items for each player and dish them out over the early levels (3rd-6th usually). I design the items so they start out decent, but nothing overwhelming powerful. As the characters use these items they unlock more of its power. I find that these ‘tiered’ magic items are a great way to introduce incredibly powerful items to a low level group. It allows the players to feel special and grow a connection with these items, while also gaining more power over time. In the same moment since these items start out niche it doesn’t make low level monsters so irrelevant.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Deathbywarcraft 115 I like items like that. Interesting magic that stays with the player. I found that in 4th and it seems really snart

[@lilcwa]

I follow your protocol on magic items very closely. I try to design signature magic items for each player character, and I seed those items along with additional thematically related loot to augment them throughout the campaign in a harmonious progression balanced among the PCs. When you tailor and tune the magic items, no one ever fights over treasure, because the metagame fact that a given item is a perfect fit for a particular PC’s theme is obvious to everyone, and with themes and balance, everyone is happy-even when another player is getting the loot. It IS an art to give out magical items in a balanced and tailored way-it makes players feel special, and it’s one of the best parts about being a DM. Great video.

[@wanderinghistorian]

One thing I think is cool about the "Teeth of the Dragon" is that they all get stronger when a new one is discovered. This is good design because it means when player B gets a "tooth" not only is player B happy but all the other players who have teeth are excited because theirs also get stronger. Basically a boon for one character is a boon for everyone. That's cool.

[@Daredhnu]

i've made really powerful artifacts for a campaign i DM'ed that were tailored to the characters and they grew with the players as the leveled up. it ultimately didn't destabilize the game since i could simply throw more powerful monsters against them, the threats simply grew larger as they got stronger.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Daredhnu of course. The only destabilizing of the game is the disparity of power between characters. You did well

[@chramesly]

Thank you Jim! Love all the vids, but this is perfect. I'm building an ancient set of eight linked magic items that get better the more they have, and this has just given me the fuel to make them awesome. Thanks!

[@jimmurphy1591]

chramesly glad to help, good luck on your campaign

[@kalebrodenhausen3606]

I started playing DND after highschool when 5e was coming out, though I actually got my hands on the 3e books. I figured they would be cheaper and I was mostly curious about the hobby. I’ve moved on to 5e but ever since that initial Matt Colville interview with you, I was super fascinated with the old school gaming. Matt Colville said in one of his videos that he feels nostalgia for a time before his. As weird as the idea is, I’m totally the same way. Whenever I get my hands on something from the 70s or 80s, whether it art or content, I feel nostalgic. No disrespect to 5e, I admire its direction, and I’ll continue to play it because it’s an easy system and It understands its own math. but I’m always captured by the art of yore and the life of those early modules and campaign settings. On top of that, I get your input and Matt’s input on how to be a better DM and how to add that old school flavor. Anyways, I love when good channels grow and I’m happy to see your follower count growing, keep it up!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kaleb Rodenhausen thank you, Game On!

[@Eupolemos]

It's been a while since I last looked in. Loving the increased production value! Good speech - as someone who's scared of powercreep, you gave me something extra to think about; personalized magical items to root players in the campaign. The thought of having magical items that empower each other is really cool as well - you get the thrill of a new item for one player, but everyone feels rewarded at the same time. Simple and effective. You still really need to put your Patreon link in the dooblydoo :P

[@jimmurphy1591]

Eupolemos good to see you back

[@mattbelcher29]

Thank you for this video. Creating and getting unique magic items is awesome. Having game balance is more about characters being balanced to each other and not to the system.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Matt Belcher yes

[@sath2749]

I agree with you 1000%. When you play you want to become special. If your players never get something unique then how do they feel special? I don't always give items to do this and what I give I want to grow in power and ability making it more a part of them. Like in the Forgotten Realms they have Moonblades. As for things I have given I have had a "trap" that when a person put their hand into the slot it closed on them and they felt immense pain for a small time. When it released they pulled back their hand to see a glowing rune imprinted on it. Over time it grew up their arm. It was magical, but not a typical item. Other things I did was have someone find teeth that when they researched they found they could place them in their mouth and it slowly turned them into a dragon. Right now I am planning an adventure with the first D&D group I ever played with. are characters from 20+ years ago have died and so I am doing an adventure bringing the descendant of all of our characters together. They will be getting Items created by one of the original members so they work only for a person of the bloodline. But during creation Shards of Magic that were supposed to be placed into the items to grant them their power was stolen so they have to go and find the shards to enhance the items.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Sath sounds goid

[@nextlevel8822]

I agree that you do have to be careful about balance between the characters (the only kind of balance that matters, really), but sometimes I find that magic items can actually help bring a game into balance. If you have a party full of mostly long rest-based classes and one playing a short rest class, and that player is feeling left behind because the party rests more than he/she needs to, a good magic item can really bring that back into balance, and it's a whole lot easier than forcing the DM to constantly manufacture reasons that party can't rest as often as they'd like. One thing I loved about 4th was this was never a problem. Every class had abilities that recharged on both types of rests. Also, good video, Jim. I wish I could draw...

[@jimmurphy1591]

next level88 ya, good balance in fourth but I guess that was some of what was disliked

[@laurelhill3505]

What is interesting, if you look at the Lost Mines of Phandelver, it is littered with unique magic items. I wish they had put more of these ideas in the Dungeon Master's Guide, because a new player may not even think to do these sorts of things.

[@jimmurphy1591]

LaurelHill I think the modules should be where they add great items.

[@kevinm3428]

I enjoy your videos, thanks for making them. I'd like to hear how your group(s) divide their treasure after a session. This has been a sticking point for many groups I've ran games for and participated in. Some want to assign items, which devolves into a debate, with someone feeling cheated. We've used a method of each player rolling the d20 and going from highest to lowest and then back, lowest to highest.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kevin M used to do that but now we just figure who can use best or needs and that’s who gets it

[@codyc7477]

Great video. Really makes me want to go draw some magic items after work

[@jimmurphy1591]

Cody Cowden send a picture

[@wingedhussarswiss4703]

I run very powerful magic items; I am currently running a campaign where the Players ascend to Godhood, I give magic items that are very powerful just so the Players can match up against usually impossible odds (Like a ring for our Aasimar player that when he his level 20 will let him turn into a solar, it gives him a +3 to attack and damage, gives him extra radiant damage.) like facing a ancient white dragon while they're level 10. I feared that when I do a more toned down, more story-driven campaign, the magic items I would create would be too powerful for their current level.

[@jimmurphy1591]

PhoenixFire221 the best reason

[@MathewNadzam]

I like having the simple magic items (ex. +1 sword) something you can purchase in any city, but the really cool magic items are essentially rewards of quests dedicated to find them. I think of King Arthur's knights and the search for the Holy Grail.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Mathew Nadzam that seems fine but could be a kings item, loaned to a hero for a limited time

[@alexzephyris1455]

Jim, the idea to draw the items on cards came to me before watching this video some months ago, in Spring 2022. It's funny, I loved the idea and seeing you talk about it just excites me more, but after handing out that magical item I myself made in Spring to one of my players, I was disappointed to learn that he didn't really care for the card neither did he find my magic item that interesting. Its a white teddy bear that can become a polar bear with modified stats and it was given to them by a little girl they saved.

[@jimmurphy1591]

All groups are different. The newer gamers are always harder to impress. They have seen so much cool Computer art

[@megatroymega]

I had a staff of frost in a green dragon horde. The druid took it, and when she found out that Mab the Queen of Air and Darkness made it she stashed it instead of using it. Apparently the staff is rumored to cause you to grow in power, but causes jealousy of others toward you. Well some other dragon sent half breeds to her house to fetch. They couldn't find it so they kidnapped her niece for ransom. Well guess who is wielding the staff into battle to fight half dragon kin.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Nice

[@francescol.bellman9670]

Great advice. Thank you!

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

Giving out cards is great! I'm often running games with very few players, so I also like to hand out hireling (or sidekick) cards!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Nice

[@TubeHeader]

I don't actually know how your teeth of the dragon work, but I loved the idea of these swords that make each other stronger. So I took it. I have five teeth of the dragon, each one named for it's "color" which are the five colors of tiamat's head. All of them start as a +1 sword, which let's the players cast command on 1-10 kobolds as a free action each turn. Each sword in an area adds plus one to the other teeth around it, so they cap out as +5 swords. When all five are together, each sword gets it's magical attack element (an extra 3D10 of damage in that element). And most importantly, each sword is sealing one aspect of tiamat, Black, white, red, blue, and yellow. When the sword is lifted from the dragon's skull, it awakens (as an ancient dragon of that color) and then attacks any nearby players, at this point I tell them that they should run. Once all five swords have been taken, tiamat will reform and start ending the world, good thing there are high level Players with insane magic items

[@jimmurphy1591]

Mine are a little different, but I really like the way you did yours! 👊👿😈👊👁🤬✌️

[@johnmartin9146]

I always try to just make magical items that fill in some gaps in my small group. I am stealing your lens of translation. That is brillant. Keep up the good work.

[@jimmurphy1591]

John Martin game on

[@vitsavicky]

I find that the most interesting games (pen&paper and videogames alike) are the ones where everyone involved feels overpowered. If everyone is overpowered to the same degree (including the encounters), nobody is in fact overpowered. They just feel like they are. But the more power you give out the more difficult it is to keep the balance. But yes, if you can manage it, more magic is definitelly more fun.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Vít Savický we agree

[@LogHewer]

Right on, Jim! So many people fret over homebrew magical items "unbalancing" a game. If you ask me, the best D&D campaigns, like the best DM's, are usually a little unbalanced. 😉

[@masonknight6194]

Thanks Jim. I'm sending this video link to my DM right now.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Mason Knight cool👍

[@kennetth1389]

Since I started DMing in’80 have always used the idea of starting the character with a +1 signature weapon. That weapon then grows with the character gaining abilities, spells and higher +’s as long as we keep playing. This is the only way to gain something like a vorpal weapon, holy avenger or another of the top tier weapons. Let your wizard grow his Staff of the Magi, with all the coolness adding up layer by layer over time. The most fun items have turned out to be the non-weapons. The almost “throwaway” things that you don’t give a lot of thought at the beginning.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kennetth that was also a 4e feature that I like. Seems like a good idea

[@Finkeldinken]

I love legacy stuff! One of my players has a character (fighter, protector) that has a shield that he inherited which grows in power, ornamentation and abilities as he goes through his character's story arch. That thing is going to end up insane. Great video, Jim!

[@Geoffercake]

A while back when I started brewing my own setting I took a previous PC from another game I ran and turned her into an empress. I started statting up some magical crowns which were made from pieces of her original crown (split when the empire split) and named them the Crown's of Kathra after her. I think somewhere along the way I got stuck trying to make them unique but not too op. I'm gonna go dig them out and make them all op as hell but only if you have all 5 crowns.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Geoffercake 👍

[@ryanphgaara]

sensei!!! been waiting for someone to do a good video on this. keep up the great work.love your videos, love your passion

[@jimmurphy1591]

RyPhilip thanks

[@mikegould6590]

I custom make all magic items, and I consider the source: these items are made by ancient races. Hags. Giants. Dragons. That sort of thing. So my items have a quirk. Nothing comes for free. They might be sentient, or require the sacrifice of hit points to activate an ability, or the come with a weird curse. That makes each item special. The players remember them. They TREASURE them. Fitting, since they’re treasure. I have one player who had to prove he was worthy to wield a magic spear. He proved it. Now it sits there, sentient with its own agenda and waits. The player KNOWS this, and welcomes the challenge. Make items special, and the players will feel special. That’s my goal.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Mike Gould very cool

[@robbied8587]

Thank you very much! Will be using all of this in my game right away

[@myownmusic8182]

Sworderang. +1 sword that grants reach 20 feet as you literally throw it around the room, and it returns to your hand each round.

[@jimmurphy1591]

I like it

[@enochromeropress]

I love this video. thanks Jim

[@jimmurphy1591]

Enoch Romero welcome

[@enochromeropress]

@@jimmurphy1591 hey Jim I really appreciate all of the work you have done on your channel, it is really helpful for a semi new DM Like me :D

[@anathema1828]

Nice work on the video!

[@Devynwithawhy]

When you said "the party CR" started laughing. I don't know why

[@jimmurphy1591]

Devmafu Gaming the party is dangerous

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Great video, and great points, Jim! I might offer that it's not so much "breaking the game" that gets in the way of play and drags the whole thing down, but "breaking the book keeping"... Being equipped and careful about keeping TRACK of the items given in treasure (magic or otherwise) is key to keeping up with the steady growth of powers and advantages numerically, so a GM can better estimate the consequences of certain quantities of certain monsters making encounters or attacking outright... Generating custom magic items is a cornerstone of what separates a Good GM from a Mediocre GM. Inexperience is (of course) part of growth, and running "RAW" isn't a bad thing, either, but being confident enough to drop a completely new, different, and reasonably powerful item or artifact in the game is a sign of a GM actively working to draw his Players' interests into the thing... AND it suggests he's not afraid to "jack up" enemies if need be to take a few hits so there's a bit more tension and fun in that throwing dice and shouting part. On the other end of the spectrum, there's also nothing wrong with working in more "utilitarian" and somewhat dubiously under-powered items in a "Low magic" campaign. I've had some great fun with items that extended the ranges of low-light, infra, ultra, and dark-vision... OR torches that never ran out of power, but could be turned on and off... Buckwheat cushions that doubled the values of a rest when sat or slept upon... and modest, lower-cast, subtlety magics like that, where I wanted to imbue a far greater respect to magic in a setting where you might see a fireball spell cast once in a thousand years or so... Lots of interesting advantages can be "stacked" from utility pieces and make an otherwise relatively humble party in a low-magic or low mana situation creatively an unstoppable juggernaut on the field if they think just a little laterally. Benefits from participation in both kinds of campaigns carry over, so Players are more used to having to think "outside the box" to make things easier on themselves, and they get used to asking and proposing creative solutions from the "weaker" campaigns, so you can really yank out stops in the "higher calibers" of running, without fear of "inundating" the Party too quickly. In any case... Love this stuff... Keep it up! ;o)

[@jimmurphy1591]

gnarth d'arkanen I like your thinking. It’s great to present many types of gaming. In an early TFT adventure one of the most powerful had no magic.

[@jimmurphy1591]

my guy that’s a great magic item

[@ieatvirgins]

@@jimmurphy1591 Thanks! The only caveat is that the ring has to be submerged in fresh water for 60 seconds to "recharge" so it's not too spammable. I don't think I've made anything near as cool since.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@ieatvirgins, Actually that's another PERFECT pointer. Instead of sweating so much about the levels of power or advantage you put to a magic item or even an artifact, setting a modest "requirement" or "cost" to control its usefulness in-game is an oft' overlooked means of avoiding trouble. AND it can become a "gag" from time to time. Sure, that lamp has a genie, perfectly willing to grant wishes... as long as you don't mind giving up a half-dozen levels of XP for every wish... OR the "instant rejuvenation (mcguffin)" that WILL undo a PC-death... BUT it also reverts that PC back to the original 1st level sheet(s)... so there's that. Comedy can be very powerful... best used wisely. ;o)

[@ieatvirgins]

Oh no, I got my reply chains mixed up. Whoops!

[@LucasE269]

I hand out oodles of magic items in my games but they are almost never strictly combat oriented. Combat encounters in my games can seem like impossible tasks when faced head on but I strongly encourage players to use altenative thinking when approaching things. A bag full of magic items with unique abilities is a tool box for them to make creative strategies. I was overjoyed when xanathars guide was release with items like the wand of smiles and the staff of flowers. I home brew most of the items I hand out though.

[@jimmurphy1591]

LucasE269 good

[@jeroenimus7528]

Can't agree more. I also feel "balance" is overrated anyway. As long as you as gm ensure the "spotlight" gets shared evenly the average powerlevels don't matter that much. In the new Marvel series (Daredevil, Luke Cage, Punisher etc) it's the non-superpowered characters that steal the light, the awesome ones are nurse Claire |Temple and investigative/persistent Karen Page. In the Transformers movies it's the squishy humans who are the true heroes. In the bygone Buffy the Vampireslayer it were her 'normal' friends who shone just as much.

[@fuzzywigschickenemporium]

Couldn't agree more balance is way overrated.... reminds me of them giving everyone who plays soccer a trophy when your kid.... I cut my teeth on Rifts RPG and that's the most non balance role play game there is you can literally play a dragon and then you can have someone play a vanilla human if you want him to be in the same party now there's gear to help with that he was going to do whole crap-ton to become as powerful as a dragon.... in my mind it's about playing what you want to play and giving everyone a chance to shine:)

[@jeroenimus7528]

It basically shows the wargame roots of the hobby. More specifically the PvP wargaming roots. As this is collaborative storytelling I don't see the value of PvP unless it adds an interesting and for everyone enjoyable dimension to the story. If that's the case then any imbalances can be easily juggled by the gm anyway.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Jeroenimus trike adventures good thinking, I agree

[@jeroenimus7528]

@@jimmurphy1591 feel free to steal for a video if you want. I can't bring things across as easy as you can. Nor can I, unfortunately, contribute to your patreon. If contributing ideas like this would help then at least that's something.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Jeroenimus trike adventures just keep gaming and improve your life.

[@urdaanglospey6666]

I've made custom artifacts for my players in every game I've ever run. I think 1 character ever found one. That did get the rest of the party excited to find out what the others did when they found out it was part of a set. Sadly, that game fell apart due to "being adults" shortly thereafter.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Tim Kearns being adult seems sad

[@TheNerdySimulation]

Great video as always, Jim! I'm very curious if you could possibly give more details on the Random Magic generator from D&D0, because that sounds exactly like the sort of thing I need in my life. If you happen to know which book it was located in, I'd appreciate that information as well! :D

[@jimmurphy1591]

TheNerdySimulation it’s just the chart out of the Greyhawk supplement. I’ll try and post up later

[@TheNerdySimulation]

@@jimmurphy1591 Oh cool! I'd really appreciate it, but if you can't then no biggie! :)

[@needmorecowbell6895]

I like magic, if it moves the story forward. There's no +1 swords and Rings of Protection if I'm GM. No crafting. No magic shops. No one leaves these toys laying around. There's always a price to pay for power. It comes down to choice. You can choose a common life or you can choose a tragic, heroic life. You can rule from your throne but you'll be doing it with one eye and a stump for a left hand. Greed has to have a price or you quickly have two classes adventurers and sheep.

[@ddesouz6]

I gave out a Minotaur Helm which gave the Minotaur charge attack as a action and the gore attack as a bonus action. Then I realized 5e doesn’t even have helms!!! When did d&d get rid of helms??? I had to custom some helm rules and add them back into my game.

[@jimmurphy1591]

ddesouz6 I did the same

[@MarshalltheMarshtompOfficial]

Stealing this helm. Thank you!

[@davek1107]

What "helm rules" were those that you missed and had to add? Assuming we're still talking about magical helms, at a quick glance I see at least four described in my 5e DMG. A few less than 2e but still there.

[@ddesouz6]

Dave K in previous editions there were helm rules. The helm rules i customized for 5e are as follows.... Regular helms give plus 1 to AC and you need medium or heavy armor proficiency. Leather helms can be worn with light armor proficiency but do not give plus 1 to AC, they just protect you from losing an eye or an ear (I use critical hit table in my game and this threat is very real). Helm takes an action to put on. So if your armor is off and you get ambushed you can put your helm on as an action and pick up your shield as a bonus action. Please feel free to use, modify, and enjoy.

[@ddesouz6]

Marshall Sonsteby the Minotaur Helm is actually plus 2 so instead of just adding 1 to AC like my normal helms do it adds 2 like a shield would.

[@bhatfield1417]

I'd pay for a copy of the teeth

[@jimmurphy1591]

Brad Hatfield thx

[@Dteos]

Hello Jim, great video as always! I agree with you that "+X items" are just flat and boring; they might help at start, but won't engage or move forward the curiosity of the players. Perhaps it's me coming from the OpenLegend system, but if players find magic items, they must have a unique flavour that links to the location/story/character's background. A flat "+X damange sword" won't spark a quest to find his crafter or won't make the group say "wow! where did you get it? what's its story?".

[@jimmurphy1591]

Matteo Serra good ideas

[@ricnog7468]

I remember loving the artifacts in the ad&d dmg.... Baba Yagas hut ??? Come on !!!! Vecnas hand and eye??? Come on !!!! 5e get your stuff together now lol

[@jimmurphy1591]

Richard N. I agree, but don’t wait for them, you do it

[@tominatorxx]

Me and a friend thought of a bunch of random silly magical items one night when we were discussing this very same topic. Some of them have been introduced in some of our campaigns and oneshots. Things like: "The dagger of perfect murder" Which would basically be a one use dagger in the form of an icicle, that when used to backstab someone would do an insane amount of damage. But it would also immediately melt after the one hit... leaving no trail (or fingerprints) behind... Very useful item in certain situations. "The dagger of severe bludgeoning" Basically a dagger that if you throw it never hits with the sharp end. Instead it will always hit the enemy with the hilt, resulting in it doing bludgeoning damage when you use it as a throwing weapon... "Boots of overleaping" You can do a leap for instance to attack an enemy but you will always leap right over or past your target... "Boomerang axe" Great weapon to throw with because it does extra damage when you do... however... the axe will (as the name suggests) come back flying to you and you have to roll a D20 to see if you can catch it => on a 6 (or 8 I don't quite remember how I wrote it down) or lower you aren't able to catch it and it does half the damage (you just dealt to an enemy) to you. On a 1 it's even funnier because if a party member is standing behind you, they also take damage. Our barbarian loves this weapon (in fact he regularly switches between it and his greatsword). "The amulet of self esteem/loathing" Basically an amulet mixed with vicious mockery. On a crit you deal 1d4 extra psychic damage to your enemy (player gets to mock the enemy before his/her attack), on a crit fail it's the other way around and you take 1d4 psychic damage (the enemy you targetted gets to throw an insult at you). And I forgot what the cloak was called but it was basically a cloak that just randomly announces you with your full title whenever you enter a room... Actually that's an item my friend thought of and when we were both playing as PCs our DM had actually put it into his oneshot without us knowing. And of course the person who had come up with it, had found it. :) As for balancing items, I agree as long as the balance between the PCs is ok then there is no real problem. And sometimes just a silly item that has no impact whatsoever in combat (like the cloak) is really fun to find.

[@EricVulgaris]

Couldn't agree with you more about bucking the trend for 5e to keep magic items to a drip. I've been running a 3e adventure path (savage tide) in 5e and haven't really modified the treasure (I'd remove several "consumables" like wands of cure light wounds that were in the game for reasons. Players have been loving getting so many items! I've found great success grounding those "+1" magic items in the world. That +1 Breastplate the sahaguin baron random encounter was salvaged off a triton paladin. It helps I have a cleric of fate/history and likes to cast identify so I tend to make up some extra context for items other than just their strict purposes. Do you do anything like this for your magic items?

[@jimmurphy1591]

Eric Vulgaris almost always customize an item for the character

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Consider that the context of an item insta-magically changes it from "The plus 2 do-dah you found in a DMG or Splatbook" to something YOU designed specifically FOR THAT game and scene... the history of it, the source (whoever got killed for a PC to grab it) and everything else AROUND the item is what gives that item "Character" of its own... Without flavor, it's just another plus 2 piece of generic do-dah... Who cares? Right? That's one of the TOP short-cuts to making the game much more interesting and investing the Players much more deeply in the outcome of any adventure or encounter. OF COURSE, we (GM's) do that... all the time! ;o)

[@MrRourk]

I give them magic items they just are not immediately useful for offense / defense.

[@emessar]

Yeah, I'd rather have the characters have 2-3 cool or unique magic items, rather than a +1 whatsit. You can even make it more powerful and give it a number of uses per day. I think that helps channel the characters into a similar tempo as spellcasters, who can only be "cool" a certain number of times per day. One other thing that I don't care for is player crafted magic items. It usually winds up being implemented as a way to grind money into magic, and that always seemed to diminish the magic of it to me.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Michael Roach I don’t like characters creating normally. Takes the Magic out of it unless care is taken

[@cryoshakespeare4465]

Never been interested in +1s and all that, they can be nice, but I'd prefer the wizard finds an ominous rod powered by blood magic, in fact, I'd prefer that the fighter finds that. I don't play DnD itself a huge amount anymore as I've come around to systems with a lower fantasy assumed baseline, where finding any magic really changes the game (and it's never a boring +1 stat increase or the like). It can be nice to get those +1s, they fulfill the powergamer-ey "I'm getting stronger!" tick, but personally I'd prefer magic that feels out of control, as it rewards both risky and creative play as well as the player who seeks mastery over it - your end goal with that fire staff is to channel it as a fireball, well that's going to be an entire character arc for you to do so, or you could just go ham with it and take whatever flame effect you randomly produce with low skill. Just the way I prefer it, and you could definitely do that sort of thing even in a mid-high magic system like DnD.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Cryoshakespeare come on back, the game needs you

[@geoffdewitt6845]

Hey man, I noticed in a few of your most recent videos you have moved the "Will Run War Games for Food" sign out of frame. I wanted to say thanks for that. A lot of my brothers have been homeless since coming back, and I appreciate your sensitivity to their plight. Thanks again, and great video!!!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Geoff DeWitt ya, that’s me, Mr sensitive. If true. Check out sites that help. Long Beach gas a lot but all places are becoming more involved in that plight so begging is not the only option

[@NegatveSpace]

I've only ever played 5e but have read some about 3.5 in the past and would like to know some of the introspective from someone who has a lot of experience into what they did to the balance in the game regarding magic items. Going into 5e one of the least attractive aspects about it is that a player isn't supposed to have a magic item of every type and instead is basically limited to 3 magic items. In 3.5 did monsters have more hp, deal more damage, have a different cr rating or something that made having more magic items ok for the players?

[@MarshalltheMarshtompOfficial]

5e makes magic items so tricky. I prefer older styles myself. The CR model doesn't take into effect Magical Items on a player lvl character. So, balance becomes wacky. I've been giving my baddies magic items too, keeps things interesting.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Marshall Sonsteby I bet

[@MrRourk]

I love the Magic Items in the Hot Springs Island Module. Very imaginative :)

[@jimmurphy1591]

Fredrick Rourk I’ll look for it

[@MrRourk]

They have a web page now. shop.swordfishislands.com/ Guess there is going to be more islands in the future.

[@MrRourk]

They have a web page now. shop.swordfishislands.com/ Guess there is going to be more islands in the future.

[@christophercox8485]

I'm in the same camp. I disagree with the level of reduction of magic items 5E assumes. Magic items is one of my favorite parts of the game (and continues to be regardless of the 5E assumption).

[@mogli549]

I´m always afraid to give someone a strong magical Item and thereby breaking the balance since I only DM since September. How would you fix an unintentionally overpowered item?

[@jimmurphy1591]

Tim Steppenwolf just talk to the player and work it out with them. I have done less I lighted things and regretted it. But if the party becomes all better the player is less of a problem

[@WeShallLoveOn]

Make it so that it only has a certain number of charges......also if it's that powerful, other people will want it for themselves. If the players use it enough people will come looking to take it

[@myownmusic8182]

The Sword of Mediocrity. Cursed item. Instead of rolling 1d20 to attack, roll 1d10+4, scoring a critical hit on a roll of 10.

[@jimmurphy1591]

That’s interesting a

[@stevenumerator]

Perhaps in contrast to your disagreement with how 5E cut back on the proliferation of magical items required to make characters effective, I am grateful that 5E chose instead to make each class unique and effective based on their inherent abilities. No longer is strategic, cherry-picked multi-classing needed to min-max your character, and single-class characters are rewarded for their dedication. No longer are characters required to fill each equipment slot (armor, gauntlets, boots, belt, cloak, etc.) with magical gear in order to be special, effective in combat, and able to contribute to the party. I prefer that the characters feel unique and powerful in and of themselves apart from their gear. However, I do agree that while players need a few plain, +1-type items, they should be given limited magical items of significant power that are tailor-made for them. I want each player to feel like they have their “Excalibur,” a character-defining item-be it a sword, bow, staff, cloak, holy symbol, musical instrument, or whatever-that is as special as they are and makes their particular class abilities shine even brighter. In addition, they ought to have a fair sprinkling of useful but primarily non-combat items appropriate to their class, such as that Lens of Translation for a scholarly wizard or a torch that never goes out (even under water, but can be turned on and off at will) for a roguish seadog who sails through storms and dives for sunken treasure. So, I do wholeheartedly agree with you about the specialness of the magic items dispensed to players-and I love your idea of handing out cards with both illustration and description-but I also appreciate 5E cutting back on having each character carry a golf bag full of swords, bows, staves, or whatnot. Keep up the good work, and game on!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Steve Numerator I have to agree that 5e is growing on me and that the classes are now very cool.

[@cocobean12345]

🙋🏼‍♀️ hi

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kawaii Cupcake hi Chloette

[@jwkrayer]

Does anyone have suggestions for balance? Giving magic like this is something I miss from AD&D . But 5E characters are comparatively super-heroes.

[@jimmurphy1591]

James Krayer balance is up to the DMs

[@TarasBasiuk]

I personally support nerfing the magic items, especially the ability to buy them. I like to play characters, not equipment.

[@jeroenimus7528]

This timid stance towards magic might well be one of the main reasons holding me back from 5e. I'm still running games in pathfinder, yes it's scarily complicated for newbies but only if I drop 'm in the deep without guidance.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Jeroenimus trike adventures well you can fix anything

[@Andonios88]

I think in AD&D magic items were used to really boost your abilities. In 5E your character gets so many bonuses it is unreal.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Andonios Platsidakis hmmm

[@smugli3012]

making ur own magic items > dmg stuff

[@tominatorxx]

Agreed!

[@MrSilvUr]

In 5e, character types all kind of look the same as the game goes forward. You're a Rogue with high Dex? You're a Wizard with high Int, Fireball, Mage Armor, and Shield? Huh. Would you believe I've seen that before? Magic Items, though -- especially randomly discovered -- can really differentiate one 10th level Rogue from another, or one 5th level Wizard from another.

[@jimmurphy1591]

That is very OD&D. But fifth is pretty good with multi class

[@MrSilvUr]

@@jimmurphy1591 Ah multi-classing, arguably the least optional optional rule.

[@CommieApe]

Calling yourself Game methuselah is really funny.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Not that funny

[@percyblok6014]

Why sticking with Old Skool is still the best D&D. Character centrism in both story and play had stolen much of the charm from D&D in general.

[@Joshuazx]

Low fantasy game. No magic items!