I'm preparing a treasure hoard for a group of four level-two PCs (Cleric, Monk, Fighter, and Wizard). I decided to roll on the Treasure Hoard Table for CR 0-4, and take either the average result or my roll, whichever was higher. I ended up with a hoard that includes d4 items from Magic Item Table B. Here's where my dilemma begins.
Magic item table B contains items of wildly different rarities and utilities. Even if I roll (or fiat) a 4 on my d4 roll, I'm unlikely to end up with one good item for each of my players. In practice, I ended up rolling 2 potions (Water Breathing and Greater Healing) and two very situational uncommon items (Helm of Comprehend Languages and Cloak of the Manta Ray). This means two players are going to get to wear cool magic stuff, and two players are going to effectively be left with nothing. Yes, there's gold in the hoard too, but it's only about 70gp, which is nothing compared to the value of those uncommon magic items.
I've tried fudging the results, replacing the cloak and helm with an Immovable Rod and an Alchemy Jug, which at least don't require attunement and can be shared. I'm also considering replacing the Water Breathing potion with a Spell Scroll, so that the Wizard can get a spell out of the ordeal. But that still leaves one player who won't be able to hold anything interesting. I don't want to turn every treasure hoard into "okay, now everybody gets one special magic item" because I feel like that breaks immersion, and may not be balanced at certain levels/with certain items. So how can I design/present an asymmetrical magic item hoard in a way that leaves all four players feeling rewarded?
Best Answer
Handling of the treasure is generally left to the players
Tables vary and as Thomas Markov said, you can directly ask your players how they want to handle treasure.
But the way I handle it, and I believe this is one of the more common methods, is that the players simply decide among themselves, especially if you are determining the contents of the treasure largely by rolling. You, as the DM, in that case let the dice handle determining what the hoard contains and let the players figure it out.
Make it symmetrical over the long haul
Its important that power distribution between the players be kept at least somewhat fair. But players will encounter many, many hoards over the course of a long career. If one hoard seems skewed towards certain players one time, just make sure the next hoard skews the other way.
This in effect is similar to making it symmetrical by fiat, except by spreading it out over multiple hoards it will feel much less forced and avoid having what should be a small hoard be ridiculously generous.
Literally make it balanced and symmetrical
I know you specifically said you don't like this one, but another options, especially after a plot important battle or "boss fight" is to get rid of the issue by making it symmetrical. You select one item you intend to go to each player and include it in the hoard.
Yes, this can break immersion to a limited degree, but in my experience most players find this to be a very acceptable break from reality because the advantage of keeping everything obviously fair outweighs any concerns about it feeling forced. In my experience at least players are particularly unlikely to complain about breaks in immersion when those breaks literally and directly lead them to having a shiny new toy to play with...