Core, and Epic magic items

[Sil]

My question is regarding magic item pricing. When discussing it many people say "But that’s epic"

As I understand the epic rules, they apply to players and campaigns over level 20. I don’t see how rules created for a +20 environment should effect the lower level environment.

Is this not like publishing a campaign setting that changes all the magic rules, and when someone wants to play core, telling him or her they are doing magic wrong.

There are no magic item bonus limitations in the core rules, or even the current campaign settings that I am aware of. I think it is stupid that one can make an item pre Epic cheaper than epic, but that is a problem with Epic, not core.

Am I way off in left field, or is this a valid point?

 

[Endovior]

Hmm? Of course there are limitations. You can't have more then a +5 enchancement bonus to weapons or armor, nor can you a single ability worth more then +5 (although you can combine them easily enough, up to +10). You can't get more then a +6 enhancement bonus to a stat from a wonderous item. Etc...

Exceeding these limits requires Epic Feats and Epic Characters, which dramatically increases the price.

 

[Sil]

Hmm? Of course there are limitations.

I could not find any, excepting Epic rules, of course. Could you point me to them?

 

[Endur]

Table Armor and Shields, footnote 1 in the DMG/SRD. Various other places in the rules.

 

[Bront]

I've seen the armor and weapon limits, and those are fine, but I've never seen any writen limets on things like skill or stat based items, at least spelled out in the non-epic SRD/DMG.

 

[Sil]

Thanks. So there is a "nothing over +5" for weapon and shield. Where is the cap on ability and skill bonus?

EDIT
Heh, sorry, didnt check before posting

 

[Len]

Inherent bonuses to stats are also limited to +5. You'll find this tucked away under the Wish spell:

Note: An inherent bonus may not exceed +5 for a single ability score

 

[Saeviomagy]

The big thing is that ANY item outside the standard lists is subject to DM approval. The DM should probably look at an item that is flat-out better than those (ie - a +16 to a skill, a +8 to a stat etc etc) and say no.

 

[Sil]

And every DM ought to have a very good reason to quash something inside the rules.

 

[Trainz]

I like to sometimes give an epic magic item to ONE of my players at levels 15 and up, so as not to say "ah... you're now level 21... well I guess you now have access to a whole new batch of items.".

Nothing much though. A ring +6 or a belt of strength +8, nothing that unbalances your game.