When playing Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (5e), magic items can greatly enhance a character's abilities and overall gameplay experience. However, magic items are often seen as rare and expensive treasures, making them inaccessible for players with limited resources. That being said, there are still several **wallet-friendly magic items** available in 5e that can be obtained without breaking the bank. Firstly, **consumable magic items** are a great option for cost-conscious players. These items grant temporary magical effects and are typically one-time use. Examples include potion of healing, which restores hit points, and scroll of mage armor, which grants an armor bonus.
Once again, the AD&D DMG fares slightly better than average. They at least had a table for loot containers – part of the random dungeon generator, as I recall – and with absolutely no certainty that the treasure in question would actually fit within the container – but it at least listed several different possibilities.
When the command word is uttered, loud enough to be heard at the location of the bottle, it shatters, and if it contains ordinary lamp oil , 1-3 rounds later, ignites the oil. Each such increase consumes one life from the weapon including a magical plus 1 from any enchantment within the weapon ; when the ninth life is consumed, the sword shatters, doing 9d4 damage to anyone within 30 range of it, including the wielder.
Examples include potion of healing, which restores hit points, and scroll of mage armor, which grants an armor bonus. Consumable magic items are generally more affordable and can be found in various shops or looted from defeated enemies. Another **affordable option** is purchasing or finding **low-level magic items**.
D&D 5E Guidelines for magic items for high level characters?
I'm running a high level one-shot (17th level). Cleary the PC's should have some magic items but I have no idea how much. Anyone have any rules of thumb?
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Fanaelialae
Legend
I have to admit, I miss the guidelines from 3.5 and 4e.
I'm running a high level one-shot (17th level). Cleary the PC's should have some magic items but I have no idea how much. Anyone have any rules of thumb?
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DMG pg 38 has recommendations for starting gear for high level characters.
Cap'n Kobold
Hero
Why should the PCs have some magic items?
What sort of power level do you want to give them? The base game is balanced if they don't have any, and so the more/more powerful items that you give them, the higher power they will be compared to the baseline.
Decide how much additional capability that they need, and whether you want to give them anything particularly thematic based upon their backstories. Use that as your basis for what to give them.
Quickleaf
Legend
I have to admit, I miss the guidelines from 3.5 and 4e.
I'm running a high level one-shot (17th level). Cleary the PC's should have some magic items but I have no idea how much. Anyone have any rules of thumb?
Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app
There are lots of approaches. Probably the kind of approach you're looking for – judging by your referencing 3.5e and 4e – is someone reverse engineering the treasure horde tables in the DMG.
One roll on Table A for every level from 1 to 5.
One roll on Table B for every level from 6 to 10.
One roll on Table C for every level from 11 to 15.
One roll on Table D for every level from 16 to 18.
One roll on Table E for levels 19 and 20.
One roll on Table F at level 4 and again at level 7.
One roll on Table G at level 10 and again at level 13.
One roll on Table H at level 16.
One roll on Table I at level 19.
Which translates to.
1 common consumable every level from 1 to 5.
1 uncommon consumable every level from 6 to 10.
1 rare consumable every level from 11 to 15.
1 very rare consumable every level from 16 to 19.
1 legendary consumable at level 20.
1 uncommon permanent item at level 4, and another at level 7.
1 rare permanent item at level 10 and another at level 13.
1 very rare permanent item at level 16.
1 legendary permanent item at level 19.
Hyperlexic
Explorer
This is what really confuses me about CR in 5e. Do the CR's assume NO magic items? If so then your comment makes sense.
In terms of roleplay / backstory: ordinarily, yes. but this is purely intended as a system / tactical experience. We have a regular game at lower levels for our RP fun.
Why should the PCs have some magic items?
What sort of power level do you want to give them? The base game is balanced if they don't have any, and so the more/more powerful items that you give them, the higher power they will be compared to the baseline.
Decide how much additional capability that they need, and whether you want to give them anything particularly thematic based upon their backstories. Use that as your basis for what to give them.
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Hyperlexic
Explorer
Thanks, that's helpful! To be clear: those counts are for a full party of 4, not per character?
There are lots of approaches. Probably the kind of approach you're looking for – judging by your referencing 3.5e and 4e – is someone reverse engineering the treasure horde tables in the DMG.
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Hyperlexic
Explorer
Color me underprepared and embarrassed! I will read.
DMG pg 38 has recommendations for starting gear for high level characters.Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app
Quickleaf
Legend
Thanks, that's helpful! To be clear: those counts are for a full party of 4, not per character?Well, those counts are roughly per PC.
But you really owe it to yourself to read that link I posted, if 3.5e/4e style magic item accounting is important to you. [MENTION=3424]FireLance[/MENTION] gives a really good thorough breakdown.
Hyperlexic
Explorer
But you really owe it to yourself to read that link I posted, if 3.5e/4e style magic item accounting is important to you. [MENTION=3424]FireLance[/MENTION] gives a really good thorough breakdown.
It's not so much that I love them; more than in a high level 1 shot it seems like a critical balancing question.
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Jester David
Hero
I'd skip magic items for a one-shot.
Giving each character a rare a couple uncommon items wouldn't be out of line tho. But roll randomly. Letting players pick is potent.
Quickleaf
Legend
It's not so much that I love them; more than in a high level 1 shot it seems like a critical balancing question.
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My experience so far echoes Jester David's (though I haven't played or DMed above 11th level). The game works fine & combats are roughly balanced without magic items entirely.
It's actually when you put a bunch of optional rules (feats & multiclassing) and magic items in the hands of savvy players where the combat balance is more likely to get off kilter. That's actually one of the #1 comments from DMs on ENWorld: the combat encounter budget guidelines producing less-than-challenging combats for their parties. and in pretty much all those cases the culprits seem to be feats, multiclassing, and magic items.
For your purposes of a one-shot, I'd recommend using the Adventuring Day guidelines in the DMG p. 84.
Last edited: Feb 26, 2017Fanaelialae
Legend
This is what really confuses me about CR in 5e. Do the CR's assume NO magic items? If so then your comment makes sense.
In terms of roleplay / backstory: ordinarily, yes. but this is purely intended as a system / tactical experience. We have a regular game at lower levels for our RP fun.
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That's correct. According to the designers, magic items were not factored into CR calculations. The game can be played without any magic items whatsoever (though for certain party configurations, you may need to watch out for damage immunity if they lack magic weapons). Giving PCs magic items effectively makes the game easier than the baseline.
AaronOfBarbaria
Adventurer
. though for certain party configurations, you may need to watch out for damage immunity if they lack magic weapons.
To expand on that point: Or at least provide the party the means to have damage of types other than bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing available in those instances, whether it is by carrying acid vials, alchemist's fire, and holy water, or environmental means to defeat the weapon-immune creatures they encounter.
Fanaelialae
Legend
To expand on that point: Or at least provide the party the means to have damage of types other than bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing available in those instances, whether it is by carrying acid vials, alchemist's fire, and holy water, or environmental means to defeat the weapon-immune creatures they encounter.
What I did, in one instance, was allow the players to wrap their bludgeoning weapons in rags soaked in holy water. (The players came up with this plan, I simply allowed it.) The weapons didn't deal any extra damage but instead were able to penetrate the DR of a ghost, for a short time (1 minute). The rogue bought a water proof quiver and was able to effectively do the same by soaking his arrows in holy water (I ruled, however, that he couldn't do it far ahead of time because after a minute the water would become befouled from outside contact and lose its properties). I'd probably allow the same sort of thing with alchemist's fire and acid (Thoros of Myr, anyone?), although doing so would ruin most weapons.
CapnZapp
Legend
My experience so far echoes Jester David's (though I haven't played or DMed above 11th level). The game works fine & combats are roughly balanced without magic items entirely.
It's actually when you put a bunch of optional rules (feats & multiclassing) and magic items in the hands of savvy players where the combat balance is more likely to get off kilter. That's actually one of the #1 comments from DMs on ENWorld: the combat encounter budget guidelines producing less-than-challenging combats for their parties. and in pretty much all those cases the culprits seem to be feats, multiclassing, and magic items.
Of course, plenty of D&D gamers are "savvy" and like enabling all the crunch in the game.
That the game cannot challenge players that like the building complexity that feats, multiclassing and magic items provide is perhaps the biggest problem with 5e.
Fanaelialae
Legend
Of course, plenty of D&D gamers are "savvy" and like enabling all the crunch in the game.
That the game cannot challenge players that like the building complexity that feats, multiclassing and magic items provide is perhaps the biggest problem with 5e.
It's not that the game cannot challenge players like that. It's that if you allow all of the optional rules that make the game easier, it requires a "savvy" DM to maintain the same degree of challenge. Adding more/tougher monsters to an encounter is one way, but IMO the better way is to use combinations of monsters/terrain that have synergy. One (extremely cruel and heartless) example would be a mind flayer or two with several intellect devourers. The mind flayers use mind blast to stun (and therefore incapacitate) their opponents and then the IDs just steal their bodies. That example borders on being unfair, admittedly, but it showcases how using monster synergistically can bring about a level of challenge that neither monster would possess on its own.
CapnZapp
Legend
It's not that the game cannot challenge players like that. It's that if you allow all of the optional rules that make the game easier, it requires a "savvy" DM to maintain the same degree of challenge.
That sounds like a description of 3E or 4E.
In 5E I've found that this isn't telling the whole truth.
In 3E or 4E, sure, my players would have made short work of "standard" encounters, and you wanted and needed to spice things up on occasion.
But in 5E savvy players with feats and items absolutely destroy encounters. It's not just a matter of upping the challenge; it's often so bad you could throw out the encounter and completey replace it with something completely different in a whole other league of difficulty.
5E monsters are helpless in the face of a sharp party. They have substandard ability scores, skill bonuses and saving throws. They don't have elementary tricks and tools to survive the most trivial of tactics. They have nothing to counter the myriad of special abilities given to player characters.
5E gives out more goodies to PCs than ever before: just things like Bless, Bardic Inspiration and Battlemaster superiority dice give players unprecedented control over when and where monsters aren't allowed to succeed, and when and where PCs will succeed at their actions. And this doesn't even begin to talk about feats like Lucky and Great Weapon Mastery. Or even significant bonuses like Inspirational Leader or Alert, bonuses players frankly don't need because they'll succeed anyway.
At the same time, 5E simplified monsters to the point where they threw out the baby with the bathwater - most monsters are reduced to big bags of hit points with little recourse than to rush up to the heroes to try to kill them in melee. But negating this is trivial in D&D, and monsters all too often lack means of overcoming battlefield and movement control.
The overall effect is clear and distinct: 5E is by far the "easiest" edition in a long while (at least since 2000).
It is at this stage adventures are built on the expectation that play groups does not use feats, items or multiclassing, and that they somehow keep adventuring for up to 8 encounters a day (despite humongously generous resting rules and spells such as Rope Trick and Leomund's Hut)
The end result is catastrophically easy challenges in published products.
These items are generally less powerful compared to their higher-level counterparts, but they can still provide useful benefits. Examples include the cloak of protection, which grants a bonus to AC and saving throws, and the ring of feather falling, which allows the wearer to descend safely from high heights. A cost-effective way to acquire magic items is through **crafting**. By investing time, effort, and materials, players can create their own magical equipment. The 5e Dungeon Master's Guide provides guidelines for item creation, allowing players to tailor their creations based on their characters' needs. Crafting can be a rewarding and budget-friendly option, especially for characters with the necessary skills and resources. Lastly, **quest rewards** or **special events** can provide players with magic items without the need for purchasing. Dungeon masters can design adventures that reward players with unique and valuable items as they progress through the story. These items can range from simple enchanted weapons to powerful artifacts, all provided as part of the narrative experience. In conclusion, while magic items are often considered rare and expensive, there are several **wallet-friendly options** available in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Consumable magic items, low-level magic items, crafting, and quest rewards are all viable ways for players to obtain magical equipment without breaking the bank. These options ensure that players with limited resources can still enjoy the benefits and excitement that magic items bring to the game..
Reviews for "Finding Magic in the Clearance Bin: Discounted Magic Items for Sale"
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