Handing Out Treasure Without Breaking Your Game
Making Treasure Simple and Fun Again
I’ve always stressed out when it comes to doling out treasure. Magic treasures gives me hives. I never know what to give and to whom and at what level. I’m tinkering around with an idea for my table and and thought I’d write out the details here and invite you to comment.
These ideas are not tested or research, I’m just clickty-clackity-ing in a stream of conscience-ness. Do with it what you will.
Here’s the idea
Magical Treasure is given out based on the spell level.
If 1st level spell slingers can have cantrips, these cantrips could be distributed to other party members in a form that makes sense to their class.
Let me use three cantrips as an example: Acid Splash, Chill Touch and Booming Blade.
Here’s a diagram I came up with to help come up with different magic items ideas.
Let’s begin with Acid Splash. If spell slinger can use it at 1st level, it’s not going to break the game. What if I wanted to take acid splash and make it a magic anyone could use, with limitations.
The spell acid splash says,
You hurl a bubble of acid. Choose one or two creatures you can see within range. If you choose two, they must be within 5 feet of each other. A target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 acid damage.
What if I created a magic bubble blower, you know, the plastic bubble blower you get at the dollar store.
This would be fun for a Bard who decides to blow bubbles at the enemy while they gawk in confusion.
Decisions, Decisions
Once you’ve come up with the magic item you can decide or roll a die to see if
the item only has x amount of bubbles or charges
the item recharges with a long rest
the item can be recharged with powerful magic (for a hefty price tag)
it can only be used during a full moon
it can only be used by a certain alignment
I read somewhere (sorry I can’t remember the source) of the idea of magic items that grow with you, this could mean that the character,
At 5th level rolls 1d4 to see how many acid bubbles it can produce.
At 7th level rolls a 1d6 to see how many bubbles it can produce
At 12th level rolls a 1d8 etc.
At 15th level rolls a 1d10 etc.
At 20th level rolls a 1d12 etc.
How about Gloves Of Chill Touch?
Chill touch might be something a chaotic neutral rogue may use.
The spell reads,
You create a ghostly, skeletal hand in the space of a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the creature to assail it with the chill of the grave. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage, and it can't regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target.
If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.
I can see a thief loving to throw a punch from a distance sending a skulled head zooming toward a target.
Booming Butter Knife?
A butter knife is a blade, right? It doesn’t matter, dagger, sword, butter knife, anything sharp and pointy will do, am I right?
The spell reads,
You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects and then becomes sheathed in booming energy until the start of your next turn. If the target willingly moves 5 feet or more before then, the target takes 1d8 thunder damage, and the spell ends.
I would definitely give this weapon to a high level (15 and up) big bad.
I would definitely not give this to a first level character, unless it only had 1d4 charges and became normal after the last blow was struck.
Treasures like this gives low level martial players a taste of magic with decent damage and cool effects.
Does This Hurt The Party Spell Caster?
It is not my intention to encroach upon a player’s unique character. I want every player to feel like they add something unique to the party which I why I would offer magic casters an Imbue Spell or Feat
Imbue Spell/Feat would allow casters, at level 10 let’s say, to create magical treasures like the ones I’ve shared above. The spell would allow other party members limited access to the wizards spells through items that favor the characters class. But think of the possibilities,
Whip of Lightning Lure
Bell of Toll of the Dead
Arrows of Eldritch Blast
and don’t get me started on Wizards who are also bakers. Fire Bolt Cookies anyone?
Untested
Before you say, “This will break the game”, I know, it might. But the joy of creating cool magic items, with limited power, may also add a lot of fun to my game.
Also, I did zero research before writing this, some of these ideas may already exist, like magic items that grow with you? Pretty sure I read that somewhere.
How about I test out the whole, “let’s make crazy, cool magic items” out and I’ll let you know what happens? Deal? Deal.
For now, feel free to add your own ideas below.