This will be my first one-shot and I am a relatively new DM. My one-shot will start at 6th level and in the first act there will be an armory where the characters can get decked out. What stuff should I put in there so that they have some powerful items and feel cool but not break the game?
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has a table called "Magic Items Awarded by Tier" that breaks this out.
For a 5th to 10th-level character group, They should have acquired 28 minor items and 6 major items (full details in the book).
They should also have used some of them along the way to 6th level but, using this as a guide each of them could have a single major item and 3 or 4 minor items based on how generous you are feeling.
It’s tough to say for sure without knowing the classes of the characters. But in general, I’d give a +1 weapon for each martial. A couple of scrolls of the appropriate level spells. And then maybe 1-3 randomly rolled wonderous items. I would not give anything above common. Oh, and the +1 weapon might not even be +1 per se, just magical. A weapon of warning, a vicious weapon. Mostly just something in case they run into an enemy with resistance to nonmagical b/p/s damage.
The DMG has rules for Starting at Higher Levels: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/creating-a-campaign#StartingatHigherLevel). For a PC starting at 6th level in a “high magic” campaign it recommends 1 Uncommon magic item of the player’s choice. I would also personally throw in 1 Uncommon consumable, or 1 Common permanent item as well, but that’s just me.
I'm always keen to not worry as much about balance for one-shots. If you have any cool magic items you really wanted to see the players interact with, just put it in there. Deck of Many Things? Why not! Toss a dancing sword in there, give 'em a dwarven thrower... toss in a pair of winged boots and see who snags them first.
This will be my first one-shot and I am a relatively new DM. My one-shot will start at 6th level and in the first act there will be an armory where the characters can get decked out. What stuff should I put in there so that they have some powerful items and feel cool but not break the game?
None. It is a one-shot.
Focus on building a few encounters (you will never get through as many as you expect) that are entertaining, and if you are one for "balance" (truly a silly concept in an RPG) where you don't want to have the PC's steamroll encounters, and likewise not be steamrolled, keep magic items out of the game, for both the PC's and their adversaries. 6th level chars are powerful enough in their own right.
I'd suggest any mundane items like full plate are perfectly fine to pick.
1x +1 weapons for martials. Especially if you have resistant monsters. No additional effects.
1 fun but not especially useful common magic item and 1 uncommon item (martials can apply this to their weapon instead). These are both your suggestions that arise from their BG or BG based ideas of their own. But in either case you decide what is appropriate to avoid optimization like Eldritch Knight and Headband of Intellect. This is to encourage making a more detailed BG.
Wizards get to add 3 extra lvl 1 spells into their spellbook and 2 x lvl 2 and 1 x lvl 3.
Aeson_Keel, what is the party size and make up? Can you provide a brief description of the setting for this one shot, particularly if it is low magic or high magic or somewhere in-between. The answers to those questions make a big difference in how to answer your question.
1 uncommon weapon, 1 common worn item (cloak, boots etc…) both players choice, during this one shot drop a few other items as rewards they can squabble over, scrolls potions anything you like common or uncommon.
Since it is a one shot the final treasure can be legendary, not like it will affect the game in anyway but it will add to the awesomeness of the reward.
1 uncommon weapon, 1 common worn item (cloak, boots etc…) both players choice, during this one shot drop a few other items as rewards they can squabble over, scrolls potions anything you like common or uncommon.
Since it is a one shot the final treasure can be legendary, not like it will affect the game in anyway but it will add to the awesomeness of the reward.
Giving magic items to any chars for a one-shot is fraught with danger, but under NO circumstances should be players be allowed to choose the items. That guarantees a broken game.
None, let them go with vanilla items, which allows you to throw in some enemies with resistances to slashing/piercing/bludgeoning damage. At that level, there are plenty of support spells to help overcome said resistances, but realistically, at that level magic items really aren't necessary.
If you're desperate for each player to have a magic item, then I'd rule one item (not weapon or armour) that is up to Rare. That way they've got the one cool thing unique to their character, but isn't too overpowered.
If you're running a pick-up game, then none. I've tried saying "you each get one uncommon item" to a group decided on the day at the local D&D club, and it resulted in half an hour of book browsing.
If you really want some, then give them consumables and minor utility. A couple of scrolls, a bag of holding, some potions, that sort of thing. Also mundane items like armour and weapons, bullseye lanterns, and that sort of thing. As you're in an armoury, try to make it that there is enough mundane stuff for everyone to have one, so you can avoid arguments over who gets which armour and can get to the oneshot!
Remember, most people will make a character for oneshots who are already everything they want them to be. Magic items will throw a curvebal lat most players if you ask them to pick one!
This will be my first one-shot and I am a relatively new DM. My one-shot will start at 6th level and in the first act there will be an armory where the characters can get decked out. What stuff should I put in there so that they have some powerful items and feel cool but not break the game?
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has a table called "Magic Items Awarded by Tier" that breaks this out.
For a 5th to 10th-level character group, They should have acquired 28 minor items and 6 major items (full details in the book).
They should also have used some of them along the way to 6th level but, using this as a guide each of them could have a single major item and 3 or 4 minor items based on how generous you are feeling.
It’s tough to say for sure without knowing the classes of the characters. But in general, I’d give a +1 weapon for each martial. A couple of scrolls of the appropriate level spells. And then maybe 1-3 randomly rolled wonderous items. I would not give anything above common.
Oh, and the +1 weapon might not even be +1 per se, just magical. A weapon of warning, a vicious weapon. Mostly just something in case they run into an enemy with resistance to nonmagical b/p/s damage.
The DMG has rules for Starting at Higher Levels: (https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/creating-a-campaign#StartingatHigherLevel). For a PC starting at 6th level in a “high magic” campaign it recommends 1 Uncommon magic item of the player’s choice. I would also personally throw in 1 Uncommon consumable, or 1 Common permanent item as well, but that’s just me.
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I'm always keen to not worry as much about balance for one-shots. If you have any cool magic items you really wanted to see the players interact with, just put it in there. Deck of Many Things? Why not! Toss a dancing sword in there, give 'em a dwarven thrower... toss in a pair of winged boots and see who snags them first.
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None. It is a one-shot.
Focus on building a few encounters (you will never get through as many as you expect) that are entertaining, and if you are one for "balance" (truly a silly concept in an RPG) where you don't want to have the PC's steamroll encounters, and likewise not be steamrolled, keep magic items out of the game, for both the PC's and their adversaries. 6th level chars are powerful enough in their own right.
I'd suggest any mundane items like full plate are perfectly fine to pick.
1x +1 weapons for martials. Especially if you have resistant monsters. No additional effects.
1 fun but not especially useful common magic item and 1 uncommon item (martials can apply this to their weapon instead). These are both your suggestions that arise from their BG or BG based ideas of their own. But in either case you decide what is appropriate to avoid optimization like Eldritch Knight and Headband of Intellect. This is to encourage making a more detailed BG.
Wizards get to add 3 extra lvl 1 spells into their spellbook and 2 x lvl 2 and 1 x lvl 3.
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Aeson_Keel, what is the party size and make up? Can you provide a brief description of the setting for this one shot, particularly if it is low magic or high magic or somewhere in-between. The answers to those questions make a big difference in how to answer your question.
1 uncommon weapon, 1 common worn item (cloak, boots etc…) both players choice, during this one shot drop a few other items as rewards they can squabble over, scrolls potions anything you like common or uncommon.
Since it is a one shot the final treasure can be legendary, not like it will affect the game in anyway but it will add to the awesomeness of the reward.
I didn’t see what you did there.
Giving magic items to any chars for a one-shot is fraught with danger, but under NO circumstances should be players be allowed to choose the items. That guarantees a broken game.
A +1 weapon and a +1 something for protection.
And then maybe an uncommon magic item.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/xgte/magic-item-tables#MinorItemsUncommon
don't load them up. Rather as part of the one shot it may be fun then to find upgrades and superior things.
I am fairly lean on giving out magic and it can get out of hand. However, I ran a 6 session one shot and I doled it out at the end of each session.
But I knew it was not coming back to haunt me
None, let them go with vanilla items, which allows you to throw in some enemies with resistances to slashing/piercing/bludgeoning damage. At that level, there are plenty of support spells to help overcome said resistances, but realistically, at that level magic items really aren't necessary.
If you're desperate for each player to have a magic item, then I'd rule one item (not weapon or armour) that is up to Rare. That way they've got the one cool thing unique to their character, but isn't too overpowered.
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If you're running a pick-up game, then none. I've tried saying "you each get one uncommon item" to a group decided on the day at the local D&D club, and it resulted in half an hour of book browsing.
If you really want some, then give them consumables and minor utility. A couple of scrolls, a bag of holding, some potions, that sort of thing. Also mundane items like armour and weapons, bullseye lanterns, and that sort of thing. As you're in an armoury, try to make it that there is enough mundane stuff for everyone to have one, so you can avoid arguments over who gets which armour and can get to the oneshot!
Remember, most people will make a character for oneshots who are already everything they want them to be. Magic items will throw a curvebal lat most players if you ask them to pick one!
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