[Adventurer's Vault] Problematic Items

[silentounce]

Yeah, but those are two different slots. And one is actually on armor. That's an apples and oranges comparison. Most of the same level armors have much greater benefit that same level arms slot items. Plus as you mentioned, one is an immediate interrupt, and one you have to turn on.

 

[Graethynne]

Also, by level 2, a character wearing this armor likely has a surge value of 10, or more. Thus, not only do you need to guess when to use this power (because you must use it on your turn) you also need to get hit more than once for 10 or more damage per hit, per use. Otherwise it wasn't worth it to recharge the power. If this power didn't recharge (or recharging is not worth while), the bracers of defence are simply better in most cases (getting swarmed by scads of very accurate enemies being the exception I suppose).

Best!

Graethynne

 

[ricardo440]

Items that can be recharged using healing surges start each day automatically recharged.

 

[Hambot]

Wow I thought the bracers that added +2 or +4 or +6 extra damage to all melee or ranged attacks made wizards sad sad puppies. Until I read through the whole book and saw

Staff of Ruin
lvl 3 +1 up to lvl 28 +6

enhancement to attack and damage rolls
critical +1d10 per plus

Property: In addition to the normal enhancement bonus, add the staff's enhancement bonus to damage rolls as an item bonus.

So the level 3 staff is +1 to hit and +2 damage to all wizard attacks, pretty cool. But the lvl 13 is +3 to hit and +6 damage to each attack, giving casters similar boosts to the no brainer arms slot equipment. This gives wizards quite the damage boost if they are targeting 2 creatures/shot. The lvl 28 +6 to hit and +12 to damage seems pretty cool, if you can get 2-3 monsters in a daily area of effect. Still, by then the monsters have such mondo powers they tend to daze you by glancing in your general direction so it may all balance out in the end.


Also there was one item somewhere in the book that dealt ongoing damage with no (save ends). Can't find it now though.

 

[deleteme123456]

Well, it's +6 beyond the normal +6 that everyone is expected to have at that level. So it's basically the same as the iron armbands.

 

[keterys]

But in a much more expensive slot for benefits - I'd much rather dedicate an arms slot to it than the weapon benefit.

 

[DracoSuave]

I still don't like the idea of ANY propertied weapon or armor being LVL1.

Enchant Item is a level 6 ritual. So when players can enchant their own gear, they'll be eying level 6 stuff, not level 1 stuff.

But even then, even if you randomly rolled every magic item in the game, your players will -never-, and I mean -never- see a level 1 magic item.

They simply don't exist on the treasure charts.

Anything else is by your own volition.

 

[CapnZapp]

Enchant Item is a level 6 ritual. So when players can enchant their own gear, they'll be eying level 6 stuff, not level 1 stuff.

But even then, even if you randomly rolled every magic item in the game, your players will -never-, and I mean -never- see a level 1 magic item.

They simply don't exist on the treasure charts.

Anything else is by your own volition.

That's bending the truth somewhat.

While it's true there isn't an "level + 0" entry in the treasure parcel table, you say "even if you randomly roll". I'd say it's only if you roll for all treasure this holds true.

In all those campaigns where magic items can be purchased, a plain Magic Weapon will cost you (slightly more than) 360 gp, which you could conceivably afford even at 1st level. (Easily so if the party pools its resources)

Edit: Also, in campaigns where the party can find NPCs who are willing to cast the ritual for them, they could get hold of level 1 magic items.

"By your own volition" - You make that sound like that's some obscure non-standard method of introducing treasure...

 

[Alikar]

From PHB Gaunlets of Piercing. Lvl 3. Ignora all resistance of 10 or lower? Are you kidding?

[Daily] Till the end of the encounter.

Symbol of Hope. +5 to intemidiate saving throw? Lol.

[Daily] Immeadiate reaction to ONE effect that encounter.

Bloodclaw is good but not great. You loose HP and damage isn't so terrifying.

I'd actually argue this a pretty powerful weapon. Especially on classes that can easily get temporary HP.

Boots of Fencing Master. +1 to KP and Ref after Shift is must have.

These are pretty nice, but they highly restrict your movement to just shifting and the effect only lasts a turn.

 

[CapnZapp]

But even then, even if you randomly rolled every magic item in the game, your players will -never-, and I mean -never- see a level 1 magic item.

One more case where this isn't true: when you create a higher-level character.

By DMG guidelines, any fresh level 2 character gets three magic items; one of levels three, two and one, respectively.