Hello, new DM here. I am currently running lost mines of phandelver and it says in the module that the players find scrolls of charm person and fireball along with a staff for defeating a specific encounter. The only problem is my party is made up of a monk, a barbarian, and a fighter. How should I alter the rewards to better suit them as I don't want them to be disappointed when receiving many things that they can't use. Should I encourage one of them to multiclass in order to use the spells?
You can either customize the items, for example I created a DM special scroll of Water Breathing that I told them any character class could use. Or you can give them the option to sell the items. Or, of course, you can swap the items out for completely different items.
Do whatever will be the most fun for your players and yourself.
It might be repetitive, but tell them it's a way to avoid the restriction on scrolls. A 1 charge ring for each scroll they would normally find, and maybe ignore the attunement requirement for these scroll replacement rings. You can call it a "Ring of Scroll Storing" to justify the change if you want.
In general, you can probably replace it with any other entry above the entry from the same Random Magic Items table the item normally appears on, which would be A for the scroll of charm person and B for the scroll of fireball. Alternately, you can just roll on that table, which will give a small chance of a superior treasure (picking above will reliably produce an equal or lower value treasure).
If you want treasure that's basically equivalent to the scrolls, I'd go with a potion that casts Eagle's Splendor on the drinker, and a Potion of Fire Breath.
You could make customized items that either enhance the abilities they have for a limited time or do something different like the potion of fire breath. There are a ton of ideas on the homebrew pages.
Cool potions are an alternative. I invented homebrew crystals that act sort of like scrolls that anyone can use. You can use those. Any consumable magic items really could replace the scrolls.
What staff does it give them? I’m sure there’s some other weapon or something that could replace it.
When I've DMed, I've usually stuck with giving out whatever loot the adventure gives (or the random table gives) regardless of whether it's useful or not - BUT in towns and cities I've let players 'trade' magic items for ones of equal power that are more useful to them.
My reasoning is this: on one hand, it's a bit immersion-breaking if the party always finds useful items, like if a rogue, monk, and ranger invading an evil necromancer's tower find monk, rogue, and ranger items instead of necromancer and wizard items. On the other hand, it's no fun for players to find items they can't use. So I split the difference - I have them find whatever items are thematic for the area, but then say that they can be traded for more useful ones.
This works best if the players never spend *too* many sessions away from places they could reasonably do the trade. If they're out in dungeons for 5-6 sessions at a time then it doesn't make sense to wait that long, and just redo the items to something that they could use.
If it is the staff I am thinking of, it would actually be good in the hands of the monk. I believe it would be considered a magic weapon for the sake of attacks (used as a quarterstaff) and it could buff their AC as well.
Cool potions are an alternative. I invented homebrew crystals that act sort of like scrolls that anyone can use. You can use those. Any consumable magic items really could replace the scrolls.
Just like a recent Disney film, which was pretty cool.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
Cool potions are an alternative. I invented homebrew crystals that act sort of like scrolls that anyone can use. You can use those. Any consumable magic items really could replace the scrolls.
Just like a recent Disney film, which was pretty cool.
Of course, you're the DM; you can waive the requirement on scrolls that someone be able to cast the spells, since it makes much more sense for the game you're running. Jeremy Crawford is not going to kick in the door and take your books away.
Cool potions are an alternative. I invented homebrew crystals that act sort of like scrolls that anyone can use. You can use those. Any consumable magic items really could replace the scrolls.
Just like a recent Disney film, which was pretty cool.
Which Disney film. I have to admit that I’m not up on my Disney.
Hello, new DM here. I am currently running lost mines of phandelver and it says in the module that the players find scrolls of charm person and fireball along with a staff for defeating a specific encounter. The only problem is my party is made up of a monk, a barbarian, and a fighter. How should I alter the rewards to better suit them as I don't want them to be disappointed when receiving many things that they can't use. Should I encourage one of them to multiclass in order to use the spells?
You can either customize the items, for example I created a DM special scroll of Water Breathing that I told them any character class could use. Or you can give them the option to sell the items. Or, of course, you can swap the items out for completely different items.
Do whatever will be the most fun for your players and yourself.
Professional computer geek
They can use the Ring of Spell Storing.
It might be repetitive, but tell them it's a way to avoid the restriction on scrolls. A 1 charge ring for each scroll they would normally find, and maybe ignore the attunement requirement for these scroll replacement rings. You can call it a "Ring of Scroll Storing" to justify the change if you want.
In general, you can probably replace it with any other entry above the entry from the same Random Magic Items table the item normally appears on, which would be A for the scroll of charm person and B for the scroll of fireball. Alternately, you can just roll on that table, which will give a small chance of a superior treasure (picking above will reliably produce an equal or lower value treasure).
If you want treasure that's basically equivalent to the scrolls, I'd go with a potion that casts Eagle's Splendor on the drinker, and a Potion of Fire Breath.
You could make customized items that either enhance the abilities they have for a limited time or do something different like the potion of fire breath. There are a ton of ideas on the homebrew pages.
Strength
Agility
Movement
Stealth
Armor
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Cool potions are an alternative. I invented homebrew crystals that act sort of like scrolls that anyone can use. You can use those. Any consumable magic items really could replace the scrolls.
What staff does it give them? I’m sure there’s some other weapon or something that could replace it.
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When I've DMed, I've usually stuck with giving out whatever loot the adventure gives (or the random table gives) regardless of whether it's useful or not - BUT in towns and cities I've let players 'trade' magic items for ones of equal power that are more useful to them.
My reasoning is this: on one hand, it's a bit immersion-breaking if the party always finds useful items, like if a rogue, monk, and ranger invading an evil necromancer's tower find monk, rogue, and ranger items instead of necromancer and wizard items. On the other hand, it's no fun for players to find items they can't use. So I split the difference - I have them find whatever items are thematic for the area, but then say that they can be traded for more useful ones.
This works best if the players never spend *too* many sessions away from places they could reasonably do the trade. If they're out in dungeons for 5-6 sessions at a time then it doesn't make sense to wait that long, and just redo the items to something that they could use.
If it is the staff I am thinking of, it would actually be good in the hands of the monk. I believe it would be considered a magic weapon for the sake of attacks (used as a quarterstaff) and it could buff their AC as well.
Just like a recent Disney film, which was pretty cool.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I think I missed the reference there.
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Of course, you're the DM; you can waive the requirement on scrolls that someone be able to cast the spells, since it makes much more sense for the game you're running. Jeremy Crawford is not going to kick in the door and take your books away.
Which Disney film. I have to admit that I’m not up on my Disney.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting