Question for the veterans here: if you have a magic item that has its charges restored at the next dawn, do those charges not come back if your player is in a place where the sun doesn't rise? Is that mechanic dependent on the rising of the sun, or is it just another way of indicating a 24-hour period needs to elapse before charges are restored?
If you mean a different plane where time works differently and/or the sun doesn't rise or set, IDK. There might have been something about that in past editions, but that probably isn't isn't intended in 5e (they simplified a lot).
If you just mean "does it have to see the sun?" No. It works underground.
It is probably intended to just be a 24 hour cycle thing. There arent any rules I know of that say differently in the very few occasions adventures go to other planes.
I'm currently playing in the Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign where the sun doesn't come out, hence my question about the mechanics of that recharge.
I'm currently playing in the Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign where the sun doesn't come out, hence my question about the mechanics of that recharge.
The sun may not be visible, but there is still a "Dawn". The days are brighter than the nights etc.
And there is nothing saying magic items don't get their charges.
I never understood why they chose to write some magic items this way. We usually just consider it to be recharged on a long rest since you can only do 1 long rest per 24 hours. Sure thematically it might make sense but it just seems an odd mechanic in this edition
Because it makes sense thematically. There are long-standing associations between magic and dawn/dusk, but how would a wand take a “rest.” Besides, the party may take their long rest during the daytime, and dawn may be either sooner or way later. And this way, if the party can’t rest at least they can count on their items to recharge with the Sun no matter how exhausted they might be from not resting.
Some magic items can be used a limited number of times but are recharged by the arrival of dawn. What if you’re on a plane of existence that lacks anything resembling dawn? The DM should choose a time every 24 hours when such magic items recharge on that plane of existence.
Even on a world that experiences dawn each day, the DM is free to choose a different time — perhaps noon, sunset, or midnight — when certain magic items recharge.
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Some magic items can be used a limited number of times but are recharged by the arrival of dawn. What if you’re on a plane of existence that lacks anything resembling dawn? The DM should choose a time every 24 hours when such magic items recharge on that plane of existence.
Even on a world that experiences dawn each day, the DM is free to choose a different time — perhaps noon, sunset, or midnight — when certain magic items recharge.
In my campaign when there is no dawn occuring due to absence of Sun or on different plane of existance, i simply have these recharging after a long rest or grant it automatically if none was taken in the last 24 hours.
I actually stole a plane from someone else* once where it was always midnight and the full moon was always shining down on the entire (very small) plane. It was designed for the PCs to only spend a few days there and I made it so that magic items couldn’t recharge until they escaped from the plane.
Yes, it was cruel. But it was short term and it added to the mystery of the plane that they were trapped on.
* Simon R Green’s Nightside. An excellent series of books by an incredible author!
When I write things I generally write into the description things like, weapon has to be toughed by the rays of the dawns sun or it gets 1/2 charges, or in the case or 5e roll with disadvantage. So wording of the ability is very important to me as a GM or a player.
Why? Thematically it works for some items as well as provides or can provide some limits on powerful abilities. Such as (quick example) Warhammer of Dawn can do x10 damage to most undead or x3 damage to all undead for 60 min and the ability requires the warhammer to be in the first rays of the sun for 60 days. Thus it gives the PC a powerful ability they can use when need and cannot simply be used every adventure.
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Question for the veterans here: if you have a magic item that has its charges restored at the next dawn, do those charges not come back if your player is in a place where the sun doesn't rise? Is that mechanic dependent on the rising of the sun, or is it just another way of indicating a 24-hour period needs to elapse before charges are restored?
Thanks!
If you mean a different plane where time works differently and/or the sun doesn't rise or set, IDK. There might have been something about that in past editions, but that probably isn't isn't intended in 5e (they simplified a lot).
If you just mean "does it have to see the sun?" No. It works underground.
It is probably intended to just be a 24 hour cycle thing. There arent any rules I know of that say differently in the very few occasions adventures go to other planes.
I'm currently playing in the Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign where the sun doesn't come out, hence my question about the mechanics of that recharge.
The sun may not be visible, but there is still a "Dawn". The days are brighter than the nights etc.
And there is nothing saying magic items don't get their charges.
“Dawn” still happens, even on planes without a sun. It’s magic, don’t ask.
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I never understood why they chose to write some magic items this way. We usually just consider it to be recharged on a long rest since you can only do 1 long rest per 24 hours. Sure thematically it might make sense but it just seems an odd mechanic in this edition
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Because it makes sense thematically. There are long-standing associations between magic and dawn/dusk, but how would a wand take a “rest.” Besides, the party may take their long rest during the daytime, and dawn may be either sooner or way later. And this way, if the party can’t rest at least they can count on their items to recharge with the Sun no matter how exhausted they might be from not resting.
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There's this section from from Xanathar's:
Helpful rewriter of Japanese->English translation and delver into software codebases (she/e/they)
Thank you. I'm glad it is written somewhere.
In my campaign when there is no dawn occuring due to absence of Sun or on different plane of existance, i simply have these recharging after a long rest or grant it automatically if none was taken in the last 24 hours.
Thanks all, I appreciate the feedback on this!
I actually stole a plane from someone else* once where it was always midnight and the full moon was always shining down on the entire (very small) plane. It was designed for the PCs to only spend a few days there and I made it so that magic items couldn’t recharge until they escaped from the plane.
Yes, it was cruel. But it was short term and it added to the mystery of the plane that they were trapped on.
* Simon R Green’s Nightside. An excellent series of books by an incredible author!
Professional computer geek
When I write things I generally write into the description things like, weapon has to be toughed by the rays of the dawns sun or it gets 1/2 charges, or in the case or 5e roll with disadvantage. So wording of the ability is very important to me as a GM or a player.
Why? Thematically it works for some items as well as provides or can provide some limits on powerful abilities. Such as (quick example) Warhammer of Dawn can do x10 damage to most undead or x3 damage to all undead for 60 min and the ability requires the warhammer to be in the first rays of the sun for 60 days. Thus it gives the PC a powerful ability they can use when need and cannot simply be used every adventure.