Hi all,

If you can crack open your 1E Monster Manual to page 39 and read the magic item frequency paragraph (last paragraph on the left side of the page), Id like to get some feedback on interpreting the number of magic items.

Is this saying there is a percentage chance of having a single magic item, based on a percentile basic, starting from left to right (for a fighter/magic user/thief for example, first checking fighter, then magic user, then thief), and the first to score means they have the magic item compatible with that class? So in this case, its one item, not potential for three items?

I have been considering this 1 item, because the following paragraph states specifics only for the magic user class possibly yielding 2-5 magic user focused magic items.

How do you interpret this?

My interpretation is that there's a chance of a magic item in every usable category, same as with Men and NPCs, but that 4+ lvl m-u gets a bunch of.scrolls or wands with a suvcessful check.

Yeah, take a look at the beginning of Men, and use that as a guideline. Elf is funky wording to account for multiclassing.

An eleven fighting-magic-user would check for armor, shield, sword, misc. Weapon, potion, (if 4+ lvl 2-5 each of!) Scroll, ring, wand/staff/rod, and misc magic!

Lesson learned: hunt down elves for their magic items!

Kinda evocative of Poul Anderson and fairy tales.

Quote from: Planet Algol;620090Yeah, take a look at the beginning of Men, and use that as a guideline. Elf is funky wording to account for multiclassing

Hmmm. That is a helpful chart there. I wonder though if its use here, and what's written under Elf though are intentionally different or not.

If this is the case, then you are right, Elves are dripping with magic items!

Quote from: Planet Algol;620089My interpretation is that there's a chance of a magic item in every usable category, same as with Men and NPCs, but that 4+ lvl m-u gets a bunch of.scrolls or wands with a suvcessful check.

Sorry that this is completely off topic, but I love your avatar.  Man, I watched the HELL out of that movie as a teenager.

Teen boys + 1980s = sole reason Jean Claude VanDamme's had a career

Depending on the campaign, I usually go with either a 5% chance per level (starting at level 4; that is, a 3rd level dude has 0% chance unless circumstances dictate otherwise, while a 4th level dude has a 20% chance) of there being one magic item per type of item his class can use; or just a 5% chance per level of having ONE single magic item period (in "lower magic" campaigns like Albion).

Of course, in Albion with the Elves(Fae) I would probably go all batshit with the magic items because they were the terrible alien empire ultra-magic dudes of ancient history.

RPGPundit