trinkets?

[goatmeal]

So another question prior to running my first 5e campaign. I kind of like the idea of trinkets as a sort of interesting bit of flavor for the game. But if everyone has one, they aren’t quite as special as they might otherwise be. I was thinking maybe they could be an option that somehow replaces another flavorful bit of the game. Maybe the PCs can choose between a trinket and a bond. Thoughts?

[mgshamster]

That could work.

Trinkets are really only useful if they have some sort of emotional impact on the PC.

Try using my Trinket Game idea in my signature.

[swoop_ds]

I like to give my PCs fun trinkets that are useful:
Two mirrors that show what the other one sees
A pocket watch that points to midnight if undead are near
A compass that points to the nearest bottle of rum
Etc

[goatmeal]

That could work.

Trinkets are really only useful if they have some sort of emotional impact on the PC.

Try using my Trinket Game idea in my signature.

Thanks. I'll check it out.

[TrinculoLives]

That's some effective usage of trinkets mgshamster! I might have to try that if I get to play a character again sometime.

As it stands, it seems as though trinkets are largely forgotten in my games. But I haven't gone out of my way to include them in the game, so that's partially on me. Honestly, as a DM I like the idea of them being used to flavour the character's backstory rather than serve as plot hooks. I have enough on my plate already without having to come up with an entire adventure focused around why some PC is carrying around a floating block of stone.

The only time a trinket was used effectively in my game was when a player came to me and said, "hey, I was taught a language by the mechanical goldfish inside this glass sphere, and it told me that I needed to go adventuring too."

It became a whole thing where the goldfish had been planted by an aboleth to entice a creature into adventuring, gaining knowledge, and then ultimately meeting the aboleth to be devoured. It was like an aboleth knowledge-seed-thing. Like the aboleth plants them around in various locations, and a couple years later he gets adventurers coming to his lair to add their memories to his.

[mgshamster]

That's some effective usage of trinkets mgshamster! I might have to try that if I get to play a character again sometime.

Thanks!

Another trinket idea is to give them out as low level rewards.

I did this in a game and they ended up getting a deed to a parcel of land in a realm unknown city. We spent the next hour describing that realm and the land. Each player took turns adding to the story, and it ended up being a library in the same city that the bard previous made-up as a cover story. It ended up bonding the players together a lot more than it would have otherwise.

So give it out as a reward, and then spend some time having the players tell stories about it and connecting it to their PCs. :)

[Sigreid]

IMO the trinkets are really there just to give each character their own little sub plot plot hook. A "What is this and where did it come from" thing.

[TrinculoLives]

IMO the trinkets are really there just to give each character their own little sub plot plot hook. A "What is this and where did it come from" thing.

Ah, but that's why I'm digging this "Build your character around the trinket" idea. It takes the meaning behind these things to a whole new level. Instead of just being plot hooks, they are plot hooks that are central to the character's backstory.