Magic Item Distribution
The Magic Item Distribution tables are an attempt to produce a rational allocation of magical items for encountered creatures, based on the assigned amounts of treasure they possess for their number, including an "X.P." assigned number for magic. What magic items then received should reflect this amount in a way that allows only small, less-powerful items appearing in the hordes of more ordinary creatures, while permitting highly dangerous and powerful creatures to possess a meaningful trove of effective, potent items for the players to overcome and in turn acquire.
This requires a scaling of magic upon each table, listed simply as I, II, III and so on, with each progressively having magic of a greater potency. The first table accounts for items between 100 x.p. (the minimum) and 200, as listed in the original Dungeon Masters Guide, with zero-X.P. items being rated according to the average of that type of item. For example, a cursed potion, either "poison" or "delusion," would appear on a table that fitted the average of all potions that could possibly be obtained — placing them at midpoint in the likely span of possible potions that might be found. As a further benefit, lower-potency magic items would not appear on higher-tier tables, ensuring a minimum value whenever one of those tables was rolled upon.
| Total X.P. | Magic Table | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 150 x.p. |
II 300 x.p. |
III 550 x.p. |
IV 950 x.p. | |
| less than 100 | — | — | — | — |
| 100-225 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 226-375 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 376-500 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 501-625 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 626-775 | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| 776-900 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| 901-975 | — | — | — | 1 |
| 976-1050 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1051-1175 | 1 | — | — | 1 |
Though not strictly accurate, the table shown indicates, first, the average experience of items found there. The leftmost column indicates the amount of "magic experience" granted by the monster's treasure table, which is then compared to the columns to determine which is rolled on when that amount of magic is specified. For example, let us say that 31 troglodytes have accumulated a treasure that the party has obtained. With 22.3 x.p. per troglodyte, the total is 691, the fraction ignored.
