Matt Mercer DM Tips: Creating Magical Items! November 16, 2022Zoltar <strong>THIS IS A AN AUTOMATIC CAPTION TEXT from YouTube, so it’s not “perfect”.<br /> My advice is to use it just to help people like me that are not english speaking, to understand the Video/Podcast</strong><br /> MATT: Hello. My name is Matthew Mercer.<br /> I’m a voice actor and the Dungeon Master</p> <p>on Critical Role here at Geek & Sundry,<br /> and today’s topic is the</p> <p>nuts and bolts behind actual magical–<br /> I shouldn’t say actual, because we’re</p> <p>not actually creating an item.<br /> That’d be kind of cool but no, we’re not doing that.</p> <p>All right. From the top.</p> <p>[music]</p> <p>Now there are a number of great magical items<br /> and equipment provided as reward options in many,</p> <p>many RPG systems. However, sometimes<br /> either you have inspiration to design and</p> <p>customize a piece of enchanted gear for<br /> a member of the adventuring party,</p> <p>or a magically inclined member of the party<br /> wishes to craft their own piece of custom loot</p> <p>during in-game downtime.<br /> Well, here are a number of tips</p> <p>to consider while coming upon either<br /> of these circumstances.</p> <p>One, how prevalent are magical items<br /> in your campaign, and how integral</p> <p>do you want them to be to a PCs ability<br /> and power level? If you hand them out rather</p> <p>often, perhaps you would want to keep<br /> the enchantment fairly light and situational,</p> <p>adding it to their toolbox.<br /> If you prefer to build the mystique of magical items,</p> <p>gifting them rather infrequently, consider<br /> making them a little more robust in description</p> <p>and function, therefore, it’s a more special<br /> occasion when it’s actually presented for them.</p> <p>I’d say read up on the suggested rules on<br /> magical item distribution.</p> <p>Most systems will have a section written<br /> for GMs describing the intended PC levels for certain items.</p> <p>Use those as a gauge regarding the<br /> general amount of power you want to</p> <p>give any custom items so as not to overbalance<br /> the party because once you do that,</p> <p>it’s a little hard to reel it back, buddy.<br /> If there is none, err on the side of less</p> <p>than more at first. If the item appears to be<br /> a dud shortly after granting it,</p> <p>you can always have the item suddenly evolve<br /> or exhibit new qualities that improve its usefulness</p> <p>as they progress further in the game.</p> <p>Often you’re creating a new magical item<br /> with a specific PC or PCs in mind.</p> <p>Now consider what that PC is missing,<br /> or what benefit would make for a fun and engaging</p> <p>enchantment for that PC. Are they generally<br /> grounded and lack ranged attacks to deal with flying foes?</p> <p>Perhaps a benefit that enables a ranged strike<br /> or method of temporarily reaching a distant foe</p> <p>so they don’t feel completely useless<br /> in those situations. Now try not to load down</p> <p>a new magical item with a laundry list<br /> of abilities too early into a campaign.</p> <p>It can seem overwhelming to non-veteran players<br /> and most of those cool abilities will go forgotten and unused.</p> <p>Some really good items can come with a cost,<br /> like a curse that inhabits the item and isn’t</p> <p>revealed until used. They must quest to<br /> cleanse the item or find a powerful enough</p> <p>healer to break the curse to utilize its true power.<br /> Maybe something terrible is also seeking</p> <p>the item and as long as you wield it, you know<br /> you are slowly being stalked by the previous owner.</p> <p>Some magical items can be sentient,<br /> either harboring the soul of the creator</p> <p>or a previous owner, or the item was instilled<br /> with life essence when crafted.</p> <p>Consider the personality elements of the<br /> NPC persona locked within.</p> <p>What are their goals? Their hatreds?<br /> What would they not tolerate in a wielder?</p> <p>Perhaps you design a series of magical items that,<br /> on their own, carry a meager enchantment,</p> <p>but when worn with other items from<br /> the set the benefits increase.</p> <p>Now the search is on for other members of<br /> the item’s family. Aw… family. Bringing people together.</p> <p>Now the monetary worth of the item can<br /> follow the suggested worth in recommended</p> <p>RPG systems, but also keep in mind that what<br /> an item is worth is far more than most merchants</p> <p>are willing to pay for it. I mean, after all,<br /> that’s how they make a profit.</p> <p>So when considering the party selling back<br /> magical items through the game, merchants</p> <p>will generally try and barter from anywhere<br /> from half to a quarter of what it’s worth.</p> <p>Then you can go ahead and gauge your<br /> social encounter and how much they actually</p> <p>pay for it, based on the success of the party.</p> <p>Now some players may have access to materials<br /> and resources in game to create and enchant</p> <p>their own magical accessories. If so,<br /> here are a number of things to consider,</p> <p>as well as some tips to keep in mind.</p> <p>How often do you imagine the adventuring party<br /> will be able to have downtime during the adventure</p> <p>you’ve set out for them? If it’s not very often,<br /> consider truncating the recommended crafting</p> <p>time to allow the PC the chance to occasionally<br /> make use of their skills in this.</p> <p>If the player wants to create a new, original<br /> magical item, let them pitch you the gist of their item.</p> <p>Maybe even send you a mock-up of the item<br /> from their perspective. Now take that item</p> <p>and compare it to other existing magical items<br /> of similar or equal intended power level.</p> <p>You can then adjust the item’s power, if needed,<br /> to befit the level of equipment you wish your</p> <p>party to have access to at their current level.<br /> Adjust the cost, and time required to create</p> <p>the item accordingly and let the player know<br /> the changes you made. If you both can agree on it,</p> <p>then allow it to be done within the game. Hurrah!</p> <p>If the item they wish to create is a bit beyond<br /> the power level you’re comfortable with</p> <p>at the moment, you can always let them<br /> craft a part of it and notify them that some pieces</p> <p>needed to complete the item must be located,<br /> recovered, or scrounged from very dangerous</p> <p>locales in your world. They can now travel forward<br /> with the party keeping an eye out for those</p> <p>missing components while getting excited<br /> at the prospect of a new piece of equipment</p> <p>that they’ve been working on.</p> <p>Anyway, I hope these tips have been useful<br /> for the implementation of custom items in your campaign.</p> <p>You can see other episodes of GM tips<br /> here at geekandsundry.com.</p> <p>My name is Matthew Mercer. Thank you for watching,<br /> and I’ll see you on the internet.</p> <p>[Geek & Sundry music]</p> <p>[Fantasy music]</p> <p> Share this:TweetWhatsAppTelegramEmail
