If a player received a specific end reward and doesn't like it, can the new DM change that item's traits (whether or not the item was created differently than in the book)?

We are playing home games, and the group has been changing DMs after each campaign, so it isn't going by strict Adventurers League rules.

I wouldn't recommend it without discussion

There was a period of a few years that one of my groups had a rotating DM. During this time, we generally didn't step on the toes of previous DM decisions.

This was for a couple of reasons:

1. Continuity


2. That person would DM again and we didn't want to create a series of changes going back and forth.

We didn't hand out any homebrew items, either, so that may have been part of it. But overall, we left decisions and storyline points in place to keep the continuity from one DM to the next and to allow people to reference back to previous portions they had DM'd.

In your case, it's not clear what the item is or how it was changed, but retconning items can be problematic.

There wasn't a case where we needed to do this, but if there was I would have begun it as a communication and discussion around my concerns and made it a table discussion at the minimum between the item owner, the previous DM, and myself.

Retconning without communication can very easily lead to unhappy players, which is the one thing we all try to avoid.

But as DM, they can if they want

As stated above, the problem may lead to player dissatisfaction and eventual departure. But ultimately, the DM is the final arbiter - it's up to the players if they're okay with the decisions the DM makes and if they want to continue playing.

Yes, but...

The short answer is, yes. The DM's power is constrained only by what the players are willing to accept. The DM can, under "Rule 0" change the item as they see fit at any time, with or without a story-based reason.

However, as NautArch mentioned, changing the item can have repercussions. It impacts the continuity of the game. It can also simply feel unfair to the player's that have come to expect an item to work in a certain way and may have made character or story altering decisions based on relying on that item. It also seems disrespectful to the last GM who, it sounds like, may now be a player in the same campaign.

I have had games with GMs that rotate and as a general rule for the reasons stated above, we tried to avoid altering something that was already set in the campaign.

With that said, there are times it does need to be done. Even when GM changes are not in play, sometimes an item has unexpected repercussions and it is necessary to alter it to avoid the item causing problems in the game, this is especially true with homebrew items but even published items can cause problems if given too early in a campaign or in the wrong type of campaign.

You haven't provided a lot of background here, but in dealing with this type of situation I would recommend a few things:

• If the former GM is still available, and especially if still involved in some way, the current GM may be wise to consult with them first. If nothing else, this shows respect to the former GM's decisions before altering them.


• The matter should be discussed with the players rather than done by fiat. Sometimes, it is necessary to preserve balance, but explaining the reasoning rather than just declaring it done can help everyone accept the situation.


• If continuity is a concern at that table, it may be worth finding a story based reason the item has changed going forward or perhaps that item is lost but a new item is promptly found to take its place.

Baring any group/house rule, rule zero always wins (the DM is always right). If the current DM wants an item changed, it's changed.

It's best to talk among the entire group to have an item that won't keep changing as each DM takes over.