In my campaigns I have frequently given my players magic items, many of which are homebrew. Unfortunately, they usually place them in their inventory and forget they exist. Any advice on keeping my players interested in these items? They usually don’t even spend time figuring out their properties, just pocket them and move on…
One thing you might try in-game is to have an NPC make a big fuss over one of the items, explain how awesome it is, and offer to purchase it. (Don’t offer what it’s actually worth, that way they will be less likely to actually sell the thing.) That might get them interested in the rest of the items.
The most helpful thing though would probably have an out-of-game conversation with them, DM to Players and ask them why they are (or at least appear to be) so disinterested in the items. Maybe they don’t like them. Maybe the items don’t particularly appeal to them as players. Maybe the items don’t seem to appeal to the characters. Maybe the players just don’t really care about magic items and trying to get them interested is like trying to get me interested in camping or going to live concerts.*
*(I don’t like sleeping anywhere without a clean, private lavatory in reasonable proximity, and I don’t enjoy music for long periods or loud volumes. (Not even music I actually do like.) Nor do I like having to deal with large crowds of what I have come to expect will be mostly inconsiderate people. And I don’t dance except to Waltz. I got an irritable bowel, a tin ear, a bum knee, and I was born without a patience gland. The one they transplanted for me when I was young has a hard time sustaining production levels at high output for extended periods of time. Rush hour traffic sometimes overtaxes it.)
Talking to the players is your most effective tactic.
If you want to exert a little more pressure, put them in a really tough fight, have something other than just their health as the stakes, like the life or liberty of a favourite NPC. Or have them locked up or blocked somehow. Have the problem easily solvable if they used one or more of the items.
If any player says something like "how could we have solved that!?" Say completely deadpan "you could have just... checked your inventory".
It's also possible that there is something off about the items. Could you give us some examples?
“Figure Out the Properties of This Item I Made Up” has always been a mini-game that DMs have more fun with than players. I like attunement, which was new to me when I got back into 5e. If someone cares enough to spend time out of combat figuring out what it does, I just let them know what it does.
I find that it works wonders to make item cards for the players to have in 9-pocket plastic pages besides their notebook/character sheets. The simpler and more visually appealing they are, the more attention they get.
It is extra work but it makes a big difference in my experience.
“Figure Out the Properties of This Item I Made Up” has always been a mini-game that DMs have more fun with than players. I like attunement, which was new to me when I got back into 5e. If someone cares enough to spend time out of combat figuring out what it does, I just let them know what it does.
This is more or less why I stick to the magic item identification rules. Spend an hour with an item and you know what it does. Exceptions for artifacts and mcguffins.
“Figure Out the Properties of This Item I Made Up” has always been a mini-game that DMs have more fun with than players. I like attunement, which was new to me when I got back into 5e. If someone cares enough to spend time out of combat figuring out what it does, I just let them know what it does.
This is more or less why I stick to the magic item identification rules. Spend an hour with an item and you know what it does. Exceptions for artifacts and mcguffins.
I made sure their PNPC can cast Identify as a ritual, and only needs 4 hours per long rest. All they have to do is pick the stuff up and hand it to their NPC, and everything is identified for them when they wake up the next day.
To be fair, I’d happily reveal all properties to them if they chose to attune / spend time studying the item. They do not do this.
Do they know this? It's a significant change from earlier editions and is only in the DMG. Unless you've let them know, it's entirely possible they've dismissed identifying items as too much work.
give them an item, a problem that can be solved with the item and time. just leave them to figure things out and they may get into habits of reviewing their items.
40ish years ago our party came to the outside of a room with a ledge on the far side with a chasm prior to the entrance of a castle. the room had a line in at the near doorway and when we crossed the line, some statues/creatures (that could only sense by hearing) attacked the party. when we retreated to the other side of the line, they returned to their starting positions. We had previously acquired a scroll of audible glamour which we eventually used to get a parcel of noise to move beyond the ledge. The creatures followed and plunged into oblivion. It served to prompt me to check my inventory.
give them an item, a problem that can be solved with the item and time. just leave them to figure things out and they may get into habits of reviewing their items.
On the other side of this, sometimes it's fun as a player to quietly take an item that you see being exploitable and never mention it again.
One DM had enemies that wore suicide bomb necklaces that killed the person that destroyed them then did AoE damage based on their remaining life. We captured a couple, attached them to arrows, and stowed them safely away for a couple years real time. The DM was eventually very surprised by us one shotting an entire boss encounter when the necklace was destroyed by (impacting with) the full health boss.
In my campaigns I have frequently given my players magic items, many of which are homebrew. Unfortunately, they usually place them in their inventory and forget they exist. Any advice on keeping my players interested in these items? They usually don’t even spend time figuring out their properties, just pocket them and move on…
Maybe too frequently? If they have a whole inventory of magic items like Magic Santa Claus paid them a visit, maybe it's overwhelming. Maybe it's boring due to oversaturation. Maybe they just want an item straight from the book. Many people who love to DM homebrew style probably have the most fun with players who can enjoy the DM homebrew, or better yet, DM/Player collaboration home brew.
Maybe it's just me but, if I look in the D&D rules and the DM has homebrewed everything to the point that their game has next to no resemblance, I'm outies.
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In my campaigns I have frequently given my players magic items, many of which are homebrew. Unfortunately, they usually place them in their inventory and forget they exist. Any advice on keeping my players interested in these items? They usually don’t even spend time figuring out their properties, just pocket them and move on…
One thing you might try in-game is to have an NPC make a big fuss over one of the items, explain how awesome it is, and offer to purchase it. (Don’t offer what it’s actually worth, that way they will be less likely to actually sell the thing.) That might get them interested in the rest of the items.
The most helpful thing though would probably have an out-of-game conversation with them, DM to Players and ask them why they are (or at least appear to be) so disinterested in the items. Maybe they don’t like them. Maybe the items don’t particularly appeal to them as players. Maybe the items don’t seem to appeal to the characters. Maybe the players just don’t really care about magic items and trying to get them interested is like trying to get me interested in camping or going to live concerts.*
*(I don’t like sleeping anywhere without a clean, private lavatory in reasonable proximity, and I don’t enjoy music for long periods or loud volumes. (Not even music I actually do like.) Nor do I like having to deal with large crowds of what I have come to expect will be mostly inconsiderate people. And I don’t dance except to Waltz.
I got an irritable bowel, a tin ear, a bum knee, and I was born without a patience gland. The one they transplanted for me when I was young has a hard time sustaining production levels at high output for extended periods of time. Rush hour traffic sometimes overtaxes it.)
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Talking to the players is your most effective tactic.
If you want to exert a little more pressure, put them in a really tough fight, have something other than just their health as the stakes, like the life or liberty of a favourite NPC. Or have them locked up or blocked somehow. Have the problem easily solvable if they used one or more of the items.
If any player says something like "how could we have solved that!?" Say completely deadpan "you could have just... checked your inventory".
It's also possible that there is something off about the items. Could you give us some examples?
“Figure Out the Properties of This Item I Made Up” has always been a mini-game that DMs have more fun with than players. I like attunement, which was new to me when I got back into 5e. If someone cares enough to spend time out of combat figuring out what it does, I just let them know what it does.
I find that it works wonders to make item cards for the players to have in 9-pocket plastic pages besides their notebook/character sheets. The simpler and more visually appealing they are, the more attention they get.
It is extra work but it makes a big difference in my experience.
This is more or less why I stick to the magic item identification rules. Spend an hour with an item and you know what it does. Exceptions for artifacts and mcguffins.
To be fair, I’d happily reveal all properties to them if they chose to attune / spend time studying the item. They do not do this.
I made sure their PNPC can cast Identify as a ritual, and only needs 4 hours per long rest. All they have to do is pick the stuff up and hand it to their NPC, and everything is identified for them when they wake up the next day.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Do they know this? It's a significant change from earlier editions and is only in the DMG. Unless you've let them know, it's entirely possible they've dismissed identifying items as too much work.
give them an item, a problem that can be solved with the item and time.
just leave them to figure things out and they may get into habits of reviewing their items.
40ish years ago our party came to the outside of a room with a ledge on the far side with a chasm prior to the entrance of a castle. the room had a line in at the near doorway and when we crossed the line, some statues/creatures (that could only sense by hearing) attacked the party. when we retreated to the other side of the line, they returned to their starting positions. We had previously acquired a scroll of audible glamour which we eventually used to get a parcel of noise to move beyond the ledge. The creatures followed and plunged into oblivion. It served to prompt me to check my inventory.
On the other side of this, sometimes it's fun as a player to quietly take an item that you see being exploitable and never mention it again.
One DM had enemies that wore suicide bomb necklaces that killed the person that destroyed them then did AoE damage based on their remaining life. We captured a couple, attached them to arrows, and stowed them safely away for a couple years real time. The DM was eventually very surprised by us one shotting an entire boss encounter when the necklace was destroyed by (impacting with) the full health boss.
Maybe too frequently? If they have a whole inventory of magic items like Magic Santa Claus paid them a visit, maybe it's overwhelming. Maybe it's boring due to oversaturation. Maybe they just want an item straight from the book. Many people who love to DM homebrew style probably have the most fun with players who can enjoy the DM homebrew, or better yet, DM/Player collaboration home brew.
Maybe it's just me but, if I look in the D&D rules and the DM has homebrewed everything to the point that their game has next to no resemblance, I'm outies.