Attunement and the long game

[Hal]

I'm running a game that hit its 2nd anniversary this summer. The players started at level 1 and are now level 13. It's been a fun journey, but I'm running into a problem.

By this point, the players all have their attunement slots filled. What I'm finding is that, the players find new treasure, they're not interested; they've already settled their builds and strategies around particular items and have little interest in swapping things out, barring obvious numeric increases.

I'm not sure how to deal with this for the remainder of the campaign. Magic items are fun, but I feel silly carefully planning treasure if they're just planning to dump it, nor do I want to shower them in the strongest items so they will use them.

Any thoughts or advice on dealing with this?

[Ralanr]

Well the only reason a player will drop an already attuned magic item is to find a better magic item. But I think there are plenty of magic items that aren't attunement based.

Like an iron flask.

[Unoriginal]

Well the only reason a player will drop an already attuned magic item is to find a better magic item. But I think there are plenty of magic items that aren't attunement based.

Like an iron flask.

True, but let's not forget there is many way to do "better".


I'm running a game that hit its 2nd anniversary this summer. The players started at level 1 and are now level 13. It's been a fun journey, but I'm running into a problem.

By this point, the players all have their attunement slots filled. What I'm finding is that, the players find new treasure, they're not interested; they've already settled their builds and strategies around particular items and have little interest in swapping things out, barring obvious numeric increases.

I'm not sure how to deal with this for the remainder of the campaign. Magic items are fun, but I feel silly carefully planning treasure if they're just planning to dump it, nor do I want to shower them in the strongest items so they will use them.

Any thoughts or advice on dealing with this?

Magic items you won't use are still good treasure, you can lend them to allies, gift them, bribe people with them, etc.

My question is: are they facing opponents and challenges where the builds and strategies they've settled in are always relevant?

Unexpected difficulties often make people look at the ressources they ignored before, if they want to stand a chance.

Another question: have the players ignored items that were more powerful than what they got before, because it didn't fit their build/strategies?

[Amnestic]

Some options:-
A) Tie attunement slots to proficiency bonus (and give artificers, if you have one, an appropriate increase to match).
B) Provide them rituals (that cost gold, or other magic items) to fuse magic items together. Got a +1 sword and a Flametongue sword? Pay some gold, talk to a blacksmith, now it's a +1 Flametongue sword.
C) Don't worry about it; they'll use what they want, and deciding what to attune to and not attune to is part of the game players make, just like picking ASIs/feats/spells.

[stoutstien]

I'm running a game that hit its 2nd anniversary this summer. The players started at level 1 and are now level 13. It's been a fun journey, but I'm running into a problem.

By this point, the players all have their attunement slots filled. What I'm finding is that, the players find new treasure, they're not interested; they've already settled their builds and strategies around particular items and have little interest in swapping things out, barring obvious numeric increases.

I'm not sure how to deal with this for the remainder of the campaign. Magic items are fun, but I feel silly carefully planning treasure if they're just planning to dump it, nor do I want to shower them in the strongest items so they will use them.

Any thoughts or advice on dealing with this?

One of the main reasons why I stay away from flat numerical increases on magical items alongside the ones that can become more defining than their entire class decision (ring of spell storing, staff of power).
Also why I'm a firm believer that no DM should really tailor the magic items found to the party because it's cheapens the whole experience. Can't really be special or extraordinary if it's expected and predictable.

Unfortunately it looks like you already started down the path where you've given them items that are going to be hard to challenge for that limited attunement slot. The good news is it opens up some very interesting role-playing opportunities. maybe introduce them to a hag/ devil who can give them an additional attunement slot at some very steep costs. my favorite is just a favor of undeterminable time or
place. You could literally never call on that favor and it would do its job.

[Rafaelfras]

Yeah my situation is very similar to yours, but six years long.

We have finished princes of the apocalypse and now going through Storm king thunder, with a ton of custom adventures in chapter 3 plus Kraken gamble, we are at the ending of part 2 of 3 from the last custom adventure I've made, after that we will enter in chapter 4 and things will speed up from there to the end of the campaign, party will be lvl 14 by the end of this adventure.
I will have to adapt the next chapters both in chalange and loot, most of then have 3 attunement slots.

I am planning going forward to award, in due time, more powerful itens to then, I will roll on the higher tables and put some +2 bonuses on the weapons (if a weapon drop at all) to make then more attractive.

But I'm already fine with the idea that some things will only be replaced in the next campaign (level 16+) when white robes of the archimage and Vorpal swords start to shown up

[False God]

Honestly, don't carefully plan treasure.

Create interesting and unique items. Items that may be situationally powerful but otherwise useless. Items that will communicate when they're supposed to be used. ie: "The Ancient Sword of Dragon Slaying" that is a +1 sword normally, but it's +5 and bypasses damage reduction/immunities against dragons and has special effects against specific dragon types, or even a specific dragon.

Set bonuses are a great way to introduce lower-power items that get more powerful when you wear 2 or more of the set. IE: The Shield of Dragon Breath gives you immunity to fire, but if you wield the Sword of Dragon Slaying and the Shield of Dragon Breath it'll reflect a breath attack back that'll bypass damage immunity.


Create whatever you think is cool and interesting and include it in the treasure, even better if it ties into the history and the lore of the setting and serves some purpose the players may not realize. They may never wear the Armor of the Ancient Shogun, but they may put it somewhere interesting.

And of course, as other people have suggested, non-attument items are always a good idea.

[Ryton]

Honestly, don't carefully plan treasure.

Create interesting and unique items. Items that may be situationally powerful but otherwise useless. Items that will communicate when they're supposed to be used. ie: "The Ancient Sword of Dragon Slaying" that is a +1 sword normally, but it's +5 and bypasses damage reduction/immunities against dragons and has special effects against specific dragon types, or even a specific dragon.

Set bonuses are a great way to introduce lower-power items that get more powerful when you wear 2 or more of the set. IE: The Shield of Dragon Breath gives you immunity to fire, but if you wield the Sword of Dragon Slaying and the Shield of Dragon Breath it'll reflect a breath attack back that'll bypass damage immunity.


Create whatever you think is cool and interesting and include it in the treasure, even better if it ties into the history and the lore of the setting and serves some purpose the players may not realize. They may never wear the Armor of the Ancient Shogun, but they may put it somewhere interesting.

And of course, as other people have suggested, non-attument items are always a good idea.

This.

Alternatively, modifying/upgrading players gear as they accomplish narrative feats is a great way to improve their gear without making them swap out things that they've become attached to. The party fighter heroically defeated 9 frost giants in that huge battle? Cool, now her weapon deals an extra 1d6 cold damage that bypasses immunity.

Kinda like the old Weapons of Legacy back in 3.5. Except, you know, not terrible.

[Rukelnikov]

You could consider allowing an ASI or Half-ASI for an extra attunement slot.

Or maybe if you know one character will never part with item X because its as much part of their build as their ASIs and class levels, give them a boon as a reward from something that makes sense where item X doesn't cost them an attunement slot anymore.

I've only played 2 tier 4 characters in 5e, and the magic item constraint is pretty notorious. Its one of the reasons I consider the artificer an extremely powerful class, 3 attunement slots at high level are worth more than most class features.

[Rafaelfras]

This.

Alternatively, modifying/upgrading players gear as they accomplish narrative feats is a great way to improve their gear without making them swap out things that they've become attached to. The party fighter heroically defeated 9 frost giants in that huge battle? Cool, now her weapon deals an extra 1d6 cold damage that bypasses immunity.

Kinda like the old Weapons of Legacy back in 3.5. Except, you know, not terrible.

Agree with this, eldritch knight got her flame tongue sword after we defeated the dragon Halinaxus at the end of Princes and I intend to let her try to upgrade her weapon

[Zhorn]

This is one of the reasons I rarely tailor gear for my party any more.
There will always be a combination of items that will be better than anything else of offer for a particular build, and if you hand those out to your party too early in a campaign then the appeal additional of magic items diminishes as it is with Hal's group of them just not being interested.
So was this a case of just some very fortuitous rolls on the loot tables, or did you customize the treasure piles early on with your party in mind?

[False God]

This.

Alternatively, modifying/upgrading players gear as they accomplish narrative feats is a great way to improve their gear without making them swap out things that they've become attached to. The party fighter heroically defeated 9 frost giants in that huge battle? Cool, now her weapon deals an extra 1d6 cold damage that bypasses immunity.

Kinda like the old Weapons of Legacy back in 3.5. Except, you know, not terrible.

Oh man, I had a DM try to use that once and it was just like...whhhhhyyyyy are these so terrible????

But yes, upgrading items based on accomplishments is also a good approach. Also "absorbing" items, ie: taking an interesting magic effect from a new item and adding it to an existing item a player already like via some ritual or special forging technique or quest is a good way to add new stuff without taking away or forcing them to give up old stuff.