Artifacts

[Bishmon]

What has happened to artifacts? First, they're all sentient now, with their own goals and motivations and attitudes towards the wielder. And second, the damn thing goes away after a few levels once you've either satisfied it enough or disappointed it enough.

They managed to take artifacts from cool, unique, powerful magic items to unique, powerful magic items that I wouldn't ever want to deal with. That's an incredible turnaround, and one I didn't think was possible.

 

[Andur]

Just keep it disappointed enough that it is not satisfied and satisfied enough that it is not disappointed.

As far as personality, back to 2e baby...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They managed to take artifacts from cool, unique, powerful magic items to unique, powerful magic items that I wouldn't ever want to deal with. That's an incredible turnaround, and one I didn't think was possible.

Sounds like 1E artifacts to me. Ever since then, artifacts have been too good, IMO.

 

[drjones]

I am not real clear on how they worked in 3e (other than just being the 'really good' magic items) but I like what I have read so far. I never used them in 1e or 2e (though I did like thinking about it) because my players were usually too low level to not be completely imbalanced by them. This way, you can still use them at a lowish level without having to work around them in your encounter design for the rest of the campaign.

But if that really bugs ya just make 2 changes: no move on, item gives full benefit all the time to anyone. Enjoy the unbalance.

The vecna one gives me pause though, can a Player ever be revived from dust? Maybe the Archmage ghost power kicks in? Unless it was the last campaign arc where someone was knowingly going to try to bond with the items to destroy them or to attain godhood themselves 'use this and your character is destroyed permanently' is a pretty nasty trick even for mean old Vecna and makes them less usable in a story arc.

 

[Bishmon]

But if that really bugs ya just make 2 changes: no move on, item gives full benefit all the time to anyone. Enjoy the unbalance.

Obviously artifacts are hard to balance.

The 4E designers have apparently said 'screw it' and didn't even try, instead thinking the better solution would be to have them not balanced, but make it so they are little more than a fleeting mistress in the character's adventuring career.

I can't imagine how that's a good solution for something as iconic and monumental as an artifact.

 

[DreamChaser]

Artifacts are (and always have been) a DM plot device.

The in many cases, past editions have treated them as uberitems with some (lesser or greater) drawbacks.

I think that when it comes to something like this, less is certainly more. For a novice / busy DM, the guidelines sound like they are going to help maintain the purpose and feel of these inherently unbalanced items.

Keeping in the mindset, lets say I have a weapon (say a sword) that I want to use as a centerpiece for my epic campaign. Let's say this sword is an ancient life drinking weapon invested with all the powers of chaos. Clearly, I have a sense that there will be conflict between the user (who likely does not worship or wish to give into the powers of chaos) and the weapon, similar to how I would expect there to be conflict between the party and BBEG of the story. As I move forward, I would expect to have a clear sense of what ROLE the sword will play in the story and how it will motivate the party. Once it has fulfilled its purpose, there is no good reason to keep it there: it should "move on"

I for one, think that such guidelines make sense and I applaud them.

DC

 

[ThirdWizard]

I can't imagine how that's a good solution for something as iconic and monumental as an artifact.

I don't quite understand. The problems you have with the artifacts in 4e are the reasons that they're iconic and monumental.

 

[fuindordm]

I haven't seen the rules yet, but artifacts should be fleeting mistresses IMHO.

The 3rd edition artifacts were lackluster--just the "super item" your character could hope to find near the end of the campaign. And they weren't that super--just high-end items with a little icing on top. Bah!

Finding an artifact should be a world-changing event, and not one of the "the PCs now rule" variety.

 

[Plane Sailing]

What has happened to artifacts? First, they're all sentient now, with their own goals and motivations and attitudes towards the wielder. And second, the damn thing goes away after a few levels once you've either satisfied it enough or disappointed it enough.

Wow!

From the sound of it, the answer to your question is "made them fantastic!".

Artifacts that are sentient, with their own goals and motivations and attitudes? That can be satisfied or disappointed with their wielder?

That 'move on' when the time is right to pastures new?

This sounds abso-fraggin-lutely fantastic!

 

[Mouseferatu]

This is how artifacts have been described since 1E. It just hasn't been implemented mechanically in a while.