When PCs find a cool magic item, do you tell them the name and exactly what it does? Or let them figure it out for themselves?
I haven’t been because if they don’t know what it is, then it wouldn’t make sense for them to suddenly just know, right? But then they don’t get very hyped about it
obviously this excludes like cursed items or whatever where you don’t WANT them to know
I typically tell them what it is if they're in a situation where they're going to find out almost immediately anyway. If they can't easily identify it, I'll keep them in the dark until they can.
My players are generally willing to burn an Identify spell at the drop of a hat, so I've taken to just briefly describing what the item looks like and then handing over an item card for it as soon as they cast the spell. I don't inform them of curses though. Some things just need to be a surprise.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
How about curses? How upfront are you about any curses the item may have?
That is something you keep to yourself and let the curse take its hold. When things start to get weird, they may have an inkling that the item is cursed. The Identify spell typically does not give information about the curse unless the magic item's description says so.
I usually have NPCs that can identify magical items, or let the wizard shine with the Identify spell to figure out what is what. I believe the only time you should instantly tell them is if its a 'common' type of magical item, or an insane legendary item that is a part of ancient histories and stories or weapons/items wielded by powerful figures that they somehow get their hands on.
But if you find a magical ring, you may not know what it does until it does the thing, or it is identified by your wizard/helpful NPC.
How about curses? How upfront are you about any curses the item may have?
As upfront as the description of the item says to be if it's a standard item, as upfront as the creation process would have caused it to be if it isn't. The standard identification rules give roughly the same information for either short rest or identify, so unless it's been hidden, taking the time will give the information.
Mostly 'no' but I give exception for straight up bonuses just because that impacts the math of the character so much. So if it is just a +1 sword or +1 shield then yeah I go ahead and tell them. If it's something more special like a defender sword or wand of fireballs then I make them either identify it or experiment with it.
As a side note on this...I really hate 'mystery' magic items just for the sake of it. Especially if it directly impacts a character in some consistent way. Like attuning to a belt of giant strength and the DM not telling the player what his/her new strength is. That is just silly. All a magic item like that does is change some basic math on the character. Going through a couple combats with the player constantly asking 'did I hit?' and saying 'I did 15 damage plus my belt' is unnecessary and slows down the game while adding nothing.
And potions...I don't care who you are but you will be labeling your healing potions. Most likely you will be labeling all your potions so you don't accidentally mix them up. Same for most bought potions. An apothecary will label his potions so he knows what he is selling and can take inventory. There is almost NO situation in which potions would not be labeled unless a party grabs some that were just bottled. Sure the language may be something different but that is about it.
And potions...I don't care who you are but you will be labeling your healing potions. Most likely you will be labeling all your potions so you don't accidentally mix them up. Same for most bought potions. An apothecary will label his potions so he knows what he is selling and can take inventory. There is almost NO situation in which potions would not be labeled unless a party grabs some that were just bottled. Sure the language may be something different but that is about it.
It's possible the marking has worn off or the label has fallen off if it wasn't directly on the container, but by the default rules, potions are very easy to identify anyway.
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When PCs find a cool magic item, do you tell them the name and exactly what it does? Or let them figure it out for themselves?
I haven’t been because if they don’t know what it is, then it wouldn’t make sense for them to suddenly just know, right? But then they don’t get very hyped about it
obviously this excludes like cursed items or whatever where you don’t WANT them to know
I typically tell them what it is if they're in a situation where they're going to find out almost immediately anyway. If they can't easily identify it, I'll keep them in the dark until they can.
If you have to attune to it, I think you know what it does. The name, I usually let them name it themselves or express some curiosity.
I let them figure it out during their next rest (short or long).
I have them do an Arcana check, usually at DC15, depending on rarity
How about curses? How upfront are you about any curses the item may have?
"Not all those who wander are lost"
My players are generally willing to burn an Identify spell at the drop of a hat, so I've taken to just briefly describing what the item looks like and then handing over an item card for it as soon as they cast the spell. I don't inform them of curses though. Some things just need to be a surprise.
That is something you keep to yourself and let the curse take its hold. When things start to get weird, they may have an inkling that the item is cursed. The Identify spell typically does not give information about the curse unless the magic item's description says so.
I usually have NPCs that can identify magical items, or let the wizard shine with the Identify spell to figure out what is what. I believe the only time you should instantly tell them is if its a 'common' type of magical item, or an insane legendary item that is a part of ancient histories and stories or weapons/items wielded by powerful figures that they somehow get their hands on.
But if you find a magical ring, you may not know what it does until it does the thing, or it is identified by your wizard/helpful NPC.
As upfront as the description of the item says to be if it's a standard item, as upfront as the creation process would have caused it to be if it isn't. The standard identification rules give roughly the same information for either short rest or identify, so unless it's been hidden, taking the time will give the information.
Mostly 'no' but I give exception for straight up bonuses just because that impacts the math of the character so much. So if it is just a +1 sword or +1 shield then yeah I go ahead and tell them. If it's something more special like a defender sword or wand of fireballs then I make them either identify it or experiment with it.
As a side note on this...I really hate 'mystery' magic items just for the sake of it. Especially if it directly impacts a character in some consistent way. Like attuning to a belt of giant strength and the DM not telling the player what his/her new strength is. That is just silly. All a magic item like that does is change some basic math on the character. Going through a couple combats with the player constantly asking 'did I hit?' and saying 'I did 15 damage plus my belt' is unnecessary and slows down the game while adding nothing.
And potions...I don't care who you are but you will be labeling your healing potions. Most likely you will be labeling all your potions so you don't accidentally mix them up. Same for most bought potions. An apothecary will label his potions so he knows what he is selling and can take inventory. There is almost NO situation in which potions would not be labeled unless a party grabs some that were just bottled. Sure the language may be something different but that is about it.
Current Characters I am playing: Dr Konstantin van Wulf | Taegen Willowrun | Mad Magnar
Check out my homebrew: Items | Monsters | Spells | Subclasses | Feats
It's possible the marking has worn off or the label has fallen off if it wasn't directly on the container, but by the default rules, potions are very easy to identify anyway.