Yesterday, I was playing an Adventurers League game with a Bugbear character (from Volo's Guide to Monsters). I am aware of the Adventurers League's PHB+1 rule, which prevents me from using material from other D&D 5e sourcebooks, like Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
However, I received a magical item that comes from Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and I'm wondering if I'm now violating the PHB+1 rule or not.
Does the Adventurers League's "PHB+1" rule also apply to received magical items?
The PHB+1 rule applies to character creation/advancement, not to items/treasures. It's contained in the "Character Creation" section of the Adventurers League Player's Guide and details the options "available to build your character." (Emphasis mine.)
(The "advancement" part matters when choosing spells on level-up.)
Note that the ALPG is updated every season--roughly twice per year--so you should always consult the most recent version. When this post was composed the current version was 7.0, for the Tomb of Annihilation season.
On that note, AL no longer uses a +1 rule per se, having replaced it with a broader and setting-dependent rule. The above should still apply, including consulting the most recent applicable ALPG material.
