A quick question about 4th edition Dudgeons and Dragons.
- Thread starter lionday
- Start date
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There is no real one-size-fits-all average number that would work for a party of a given size. It all depends on many, many different factors. Are these magical items important to the plot of the campaign? Does the party work together to easily overcome obstacles without them? Do any individual party members seem overpowered or underpowered? Are you planning on making magic items the primary reward (aside from XP) for completing tasks in your campaign? Are you going to hide them or hand them out openly? Can the party buy or make magic items aside from what you're giving them?
If you're planning on using a ready-made campaign module, I would say go with what the module recommends for a party of that size. If you're building your own campaign, I would suggest this, personally: take a session or two of play to watch how your party handles the stuff they run into. Note if the challenges are leaning towards being too easy or too difficult (with a party of seven it's likely they'll be on the easy side), and the role each party member plays in the overall party. Then, when you want to give out the magic items, give them something that complements their role in the party well, and I would recommend giving them something of a lower strength, like a minor magic item, if the party has had an easy time with your quests, to a more powerful item if it looks like the party needs more help to survive.
If you're planning on using a ready-made campaign module, I would say go with what the module recommends for a party of that size. If you're building your own campaign, I would suggest this, personally: take a session or two of play to watch how your party handles the stuff they run into. Note if the challenges are leaning towards being too easy or too difficult (with a party of seven it's likely they'll be on the easy side), and the role each party member plays in the overall party. Then, when you want to give out the magic items, give them something that complements their role in the party well, and I would recommend giving them something of a lower strength, like a minor magic item, if the party has had an easy time with your quests, to a more powerful item if it looks like the party needs more help to survive.
Depends on their level. I usually let about 1 or 2 magical trinkets slip into an adventure, along with another 1 or 2 more powerfully enchanted items, like magical weapons or armor or rings that improve saving throws or abilities.
The key is to not let them overpower themselves to quickly, and work the items themselves into the story. Like, if they're exploring a lighthouse next to the ocean, let them find nautical themed items, like potions of water breathing and such.
The key is to not let them overpower themselves to quickly, and work the items themselves into the story. Like, if they're exploring a lighthouse next to the ocean, let them find nautical themed items, like potions of water breathing and such.
You are the DM you decide, if at any point they start to abuse the itmes, take them away. But make sure they earn them. I had a character who won a horn of blasting (I believe from the deck of many things. I proceeded to use the horn to level towns that mistreated me. Someone convinced the DM that I shouldn't have it at my level. So the DM had someone steel it from me. I followed them into the village and murder everybody just to get it back. I was then confronted by the dragon in human guise who stole my horn and proceeded to roll an instant kill (natural twenty on hit roll, and a natural twenty on the crit roll) killing the dragon and getting my horn back. I worked very hard to have my magical itemlionday said:
Give players enough to have fun with, but make sure they have to earn it or it will feel like charity and take away the challenge. As a player I love magical goodies but find that if too many people are have them it gets distracting.
I'd only concern yourself with major items, don't sweat the small stuff. Introduce at least couple of items but initially rationing powerful magical items to no more than half the group keeps things more interesting.
I'd only concern yourself with major items, don't sweat the small stuff. Introduce at least couple of items but initially rationing powerful magical items to no more than half the group keeps things more interesting.
Ok, well even though I'm like a day late the DM's guide recommends the following:lionday said:
Lvl 4 magic item
Lvl 3 magic item
lvl 6 magic item
lvl 5 magic item
lvl 4 magic item
lvl 3 magic item
and about 1040gp worth of coin, art, gems and potions. Divide this up into about 12 parcels of treasure across the level.