I have a burning question that lives rent free in the back of my mind and I would love your help answering it.
In my limited experience as a DM, I have noticed players appreciate a Magic Item significantly more when the item is a reward for a quest, they stole it, or somehow earned it in another way. I love to give my players powerful and unique magic items, especially ones tailored to their specific character. But I don't want to rob them of the achievement or the experience of "earning" the item. With that in mind...
My question is: What are some examples of the best ways you have used for a player to "earn" (steal, craft, find, etc.) a cool magic item?
I guess I'm not sure I understand the premise of the question. Pretty much all magic items are bestowed as loot after a successful encounter, rewards for a quest, or stolen from the previous owner. When are you giving them out outside of those times?
I guess I'm not sure I understand the premise of the question. Pretty much all magic items are bestowed as loot after a successful encounter, rewards for a quest, or stolen from the previous owner. When are you giving them out outside of those times?
When it is a legacy piece of equipment that levels up as the character level up or when the player is in a large city and commissions an item
This isn’t quite the question, but I find what makes magic items interesting is giving them a little story/background. A +1 longsword is kind of boring. But the sword wielded by the great hero when they stood against the cultist horde, even if it’s still just a +1 longsword, that’s something cool to have.
And, of course, it gives you a little story hook when the remnants of the cult see the sword of their ancient enemy has a new owner.
Outside of the basics they can buy at a magic shop[ in any major city - If its a potent / Modified / Homebrew item - I usually make it an end of arc in a campaign reward or let the players participate in creating a concept for a one shot where they go and steal / kill / quest for - whatever the item is. I find giving the players some agency in this regard is really appreciated.
Almost finished items. It's a pretty common trope for a potion or weapon to require just one more ingredient that the hero's need to get. This often involves killing or dealing with a specific magical creature. They'd get an item that reads as magical to detect magic ect... but has no effects. Identifying or appraising the item reveals that it needs something extra to work. It can be an old item that needs recharging or a new item that needs the last ingredient
Prototypes are a type of unfinished item but instead of simply not working they function but do so poorly. Basically they get an item and it has a chance for something bad to happen. It can function like a normal unfinished item but you also have an option of making the dysfunction the goal. For example each time there is a mishap they may have a chance to understand what is happening and fix the problem. This is good for inventor style characters.
Similarly Uncursable are items with a curse that can be broken. So they negative effective like a prototype. Breaking a curse usually involves meeting some condition like defeating the one who cast the curse or a ritual involving rare ingredients. Typically I won't have remove curse instantly remove it but instead remove curse must be cast at some point in the process and if you use remove curse or identify they reveal the conditions required to break it. So if they cast remove curse at a high enough level it reveals the secret to breaking the curse but also weakens it so that method can work. Curses don't need to be game play effects they can be story based for example bad luck may manifest as things like bad weather or running into bandits on the road. You can also just occasionally throw in bad luck like disadvantage and that gets the point across.
Another option is rewarding a crafter instead of an item. By rescuing that character they're rewarded with their services which doesn't have to be a shop with completed items but could include recipes, crafting quests, unfinished items and prototypes.
Finally you can challenge players to come up with their own recipes. To make it balanced you need to make sure it has an appropriate challenge for power and to make it interesting you need to put minimum crafting requirements. Generally mine are
Special materials adding up to the crafting cost of the item ( with costs based on xanathars)
Magic crafting method
Must involve a monster of an appropriate challenge rating ( with the challenge ratings from xanathars)
The recipe must be related to the effect. For example it can involve the casting of a related spell and a monster that has a related ability or story.
You ask the player for a recipe and then they need to execute it
For example for a moon touched sword the recipe needs
Something related to moon light
A monster encounter of Cr 1-3
50 gp worth of materials.
1 week of work
This could mean finding a Druid to charge a moonstone with a moonbeam every night for a week that is added to the sword. It could mean making the sword of silver and having it blessed by a team of 4 pixies every night under a full moon. What ever the player comes up with as long as it meets those requirements.
You can also customize the item based on the recipe with special features and sentience
I have a burning question that lives rent free in the back of my mind and I would love your help answering it.
In my limited experience as a DM, I have noticed players appreciate a Magic Item significantly more when the item is a reward for a quest, they stole it, or somehow earned it in another way. I love to give my players powerful and unique magic items, especially ones tailored to their specific character. But I don't want to rob them of the achievement or the experience of "earning" the item. With that in mind...
My question is: What are some examples of the best ways you have used for a player to "earn" (steal, craft, find, etc.) a cool magic item?
I guess I'm not sure I understand the premise of the question. Pretty much all magic items are bestowed as loot after a successful encounter, rewards for a quest, or stolen from the previous owner. When are you giving them out outside of those times?
When it is a legacy piece of equipment that levels up as the character level up or when the player is in a large city and commissions an item
This isn’t quite the question, but I find what makes magic items interesting is giving them a little story/background. A +1 longsword is kind of boring. But the sword wielded by the great hero when they stood against the cultist horde, even if it’s still just a +1 longsword, that’s something cool to have.
And, of course, it gives you a little story hook when the remnants of the cult see the sword of their ancient enemy has a new owner.
Outside of the basics they can buy at a magic shop[ in any major city - If its a potent / Modified / Homebrew item - I usually make it an end of arc in a campaign reward or let the players participate in creating a concept for a one shot where they go and steal / kill / quest for - whatever the item is. I find giving the players some agency in this regard is really appreciated.
Almost finished items. It's a pretty common trope for a potion or weapon to require just one more ingredient that the hero's need to get. This often involves killing or dealing with a specific magical creature. They'd get an item that reads as magical to detect magic ect... but has no effects. Identifying or appraising the item reveals that it needs something extra to work. It can be an old item that needs recharging or a new item that needs the last ingredient
Prototypes are a type of unfinished item but instead of simply not working they function but do so poorly. Basically they get an item and it has a chance for something bad to happen. It can function like a normal unfinished item but you also have an option of making the dysfunction the goal. For example each time there is a mishap they may have a chance to understand what is happening and fix the problem. This is good for inventor style characters.
Similarly Uncursable are items with a curse that can be broken. So they negative effective like a prototype. Breaking a curse usually involves meeting some condition like defeating the one who cast the curse or a ritual involving rare ingredients. Typically I won't have remove curse instantly remove it but instead remove curse must be cast at some point in the process and if you use remove curse or identify they reveal the conditions required to break it. So if they cast remove curse at a high enough level it reveals the secret to breaking the curse but also weakens it so that method can work. Curses don't need to be game play effects they can be story based for example bad luck may manifest as things like bad weather or running into bandits on the road. You can also just occasionally throw in bad luck like disadvantage and that gets the point across.
Another option is rewarding a crafter instead of an item. By rescuing that character they're rewarded with their services which doesn't have to be a shop with completed items but could include recipes, crafting quests, unfinished items and prototypes.
Finally you can challenge players to come up with their own recipes. To make it balanced you need to make sure it has an appropriate challenge for power and to make it interesting you need to put minimum crafting requirements. Generally mine are
Monster Cr's: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/xgte/downtime-revisited#MagicItemIngredients
Time and cost : https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/xgte/downtime-revisited#MagicItemCraftingTimeAndCost
You ask the player for a recipe and then they need to execute it
For example for a moon touched sword the recipe needs
This could mean finding a Druid to charge a moonstone with a moonbeam every night for a week that is added to the sword. It could mean making the sword of silver and having it blessed by a team of 4 pixies every night under a full moon. What ever the player comes up with as long as it meets those requirements.
You can also customize the item based on the recipe with special features and sentience
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/dmg-2014/treasure#SpecialFeatures
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/dmg-2014/sentient-magic-items-artifacts#CreatingSentientMagicItems