LEB Discussion Thread '10

evilbob · Jul 29, 2010

Technically also you could give him an n+1 item, btw. You get 5 different parcels and then they reset.

Antithetist · Jul 29, 2010

Oh hey, you're right, Amulet of Protection +2 is level 6. Huh. A Compendium search for level 6 neck slot items totally fails to turn it up, how thoroughly unhelpful. Problem solved I guess.

Thanks.

twilsemail · Jul 29, 2010

Antithetist said:
Oh hey, you're right, Amulet of Protection +2 is level 6. Huh. A Compendium search for level 6 neck slot items totally fails to turn it up, how thoroughly unhelpful. Problem solved I guess. Thanks.

I have to wonder how you phrased the search. I got it just fine through Scryer.

renau1g · Jul 29, 2010

One item that everyone except implement-only users would likely want at level 6 is either Iron Armbands of Power or Bracers of Archery. +2 to damage for all melee or ranged attacks is pretty good.

Velmont · Jul 29, 2010

I always felt these items are broken, because everyone end their dogs want it (and sometimes me too). I think they should have halved the bonus, and people would still be considering those items but might also want to use something else.

KarinsDad · Jul 29, 2010

That's weird.

If you explicitly state "Amulet of Protection", you get it from the Compendium.

If you try a lot of other searches based on level or the keyword amulet or protection or many other things, you don't get it.

Antithetist · Jul 29, 2010

KarinsDad said:
That's weird.

If you explicitly state "Amulet of Protection", you get it from the Compendium.

If you try a lot of other searches based on level or the keyword amulet or protection or many other things, you don't get it.

Exactly. :/

re: Armbands of Power/Bracers of Archery - it's a wizard.

evilbob · Jul 29, 2010

Also, as an aside, the parcel system helps highlight a semi-frustrating issue with items in general in 4.0. Specifically, you are supposed to get an item about every 4 out of 5 levels... but if you want to continue to keep up with your upgrades, at least 3 of the 4 items are spoken for: weapon, armor, neck. That leaves precious little time to accumulate interesting or fun items - especially with stuff like the iron armbands, which are practically required and ALSO need to be upgraded every 10 levels.

I find you're much better off doing everything you can to skip an upgrade toward the beginning - like skipping your +1 armor or neck item - in an effort to save your precious "buys" for those non-big-3 items, especially since levels 6-9 have a lot of great stuff to choose from for your other slots. Another tactic is to just purchase plain magic equipment until you get much higher in levels; you save a ton on your "buys", and a lot of the good properties and powers aren't available until the mid-levels anyway. In other words: you don't gain much by getting that level 4 sword instead of just a level 1 sword most of the time, so save that higher level item buy for something better. Then, get a level 14 sword with a better property when the time comes.

Again, this is not a reflection on the parcel system, just on how 4.0 works. In fact, I think the parcel system is more than fair when it comes to items: the only downside is that it favors people who enjoy planning out what you get for the next several levels.

stonegod · Jul 29, 2010

Actually, in my experience, things seem to "open up" a bit more at higher levels. My lower level (< 6) PCs focus on the big three, but afterwards, there starts to be a more interesting mix. The big three are still important, but other items start holding their own.