Design & Development: Magic Item Levels

[D_E]

It doesn't look like they've gone out of their way to make magic items seem more special:

More than a few levels after that, either item will have lost a lot of its luster -- maybe because more characters have easy access to levitation, flight, or even short-range teleportation effects, in the case of the rope of climbing, or because they're all toting around +3 or better weapons, making the flaming sword seem underpowered.

It looks like items still become obsolete after a few levels, so people will want to be continually trading up. It would have been nice to see things like "+3 whatever" be entirely subsumed by level-based gains.

On the other hand, in 3.5 I thought that the prices on some items were rather random, so swapping that for ballpark figures was a good idea. Their system also leaves open the door for leveling items, which would address my first point.

 

[Voss]

WoL did present specific items, but that's sort've like the DMG presenting specific items like a Flametongue or Helm of Teleportation; WoL presents a system to do exactly what you said.

Not really. WoL presents a way to sacrifice character ablities for item abilities, and end up with something that overall, isn't good. You can always get/make a better weapon that doesn't lower BAB, hit points and whatever else.

I'd like to see a real heirloom/ Item of Power model that allows the weapon to truly scale with character level, and not hit the 'upgrade every 3 levels' feel that this sort of system has.

I'm not sure how, from this description, they'll be avoiding the Christmas Tree effect. I was hoping for at the least more unique item descriptions, a la Baldur's Gate, rather than the +x Weapon of Effect Y we had in 3.x. edit: basically what TwinB said

Well, the christmas tree is more specifically the stack of deflection, natural armor, inherent, enhancement and resistance bonuses to ACs, saves and attributes. Those went strangely unmentioned by the article...

This had five weapons (and why is lightning less than flaming? Fire resistance is generally more common...)

and 4 items that form a spectrum
climb->(better?) climbing -> levitate -> fly.

Still, it is slightly worrying that enhancement bonuses for weapons and armor may still be built into the balance assumptions. Which is disappointing

Overall, this is.... handy, I guess, if you have trouble working out when an item is useful (as opposed to overpowering or merely gp in the hand), but... eh. Not particularly inspired. Weapons seem to be on the same scale as 3e (+1 or equivalent/ 3 levels, except for flaming). Pretty gamist and flavorless, too.

Durendal is not amused.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I remain highly skeptical... I suspect the reports of the death of the Christmas Tree have been greatly exaggerated.

 

[Valiantheart]

I certainly hope these item names are old 3X examples. If any items have +x to hit or to stats the christmas tree of magic items will not be going anywhere.

 

[WhatGravitas]

I remain highly skeptical... I suspect the reports of the death of the Christmas Tree have been greatly exaggerated.

Yeah, these +X things give a bad flashbacks. Really bad. But then, since that's something governed by levels (your expected plus), according to the article, it's easier than ever to fold it into the character progression.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Rechan]

a +X sword is a staple of D&D. WHen you walk up to a gamer and say "I have a +3 Vorpal sword", he knows what you're talking about.

Although, I do wish that the magical weapons just had magical abilities, rather than plusses. So "It's just got the stats of a plain longsword - when you hit people they catch fire." So when you say "I have a magical weapon", the first question should be "Oh yeah? What does it do?"

 

[Traycor]

For example, if a rope of climbing and a +2 flaming longsword are both 10th-level magic items *snip* or the slightly cheaper +2 lightning sword (9th level).

This is very interesting. A +2 flaming longsword is 10th lvl, but a +2 lightning sword is 9th. Apparently they have different effects than the boring +1d6 dmg. Could it be that even our run of the mill magic items are going to start having intersting abilities that are more distict than simple cosmetic differences?

Woot!

 

[Voss]

Maybe not. It may just be that fire stops regeneration (and whatever else fire is for), so a flaming sword *has* to be more expensive. Its the way it is now (really, flaming has a CL requirement of 10th. Frost and shock are 9th).

The rope vs the sword is also troubling. A rope of climbing explicitly isn't worth as much as a +2 flaming longsword. You'll use the sword repeatedly (if not constantly) over three levels. Unless the DM is doing something very strange, the rope will be used maybe a dozen times, if that. At 10th level prices, it stays in the shop.

 

[Mistwell]

You might want to tone it down a bit. Your recent eagerness in dismissing opposing opinions is not only disrespectful but also inevitably disruptive.

I disagree. He's not being harsh enough. The complaints about 4e have gotten so redundant that it's trashing the forum lately. Enough already. We've heard all those old complaints, and your issue is noted for the record. Unless you have some NEW complaint, and not just a repeat complaint about a new aspect, why continue to post it?

 

[Kunimatyu]

The basic setup sounds good, but I'd prefer the complete eradication of "plus" items, and just have unique magical effects on each item. Hopefully Andy was just using 3.5 examples.