DM's Share your opinion.

[mentle]

How do you feel about players bringing custom gear (from existing characters) into your game? I'd like to award my players with some custom gear, but not sure how welcome it would be in other campaigns.

-"Did he really just try to pickpocket that dragon?"

 

[Firebird]

That's a very hard question to answer without knowing the nature of the custom gear involved. If the custom gear is not superior to what other party members already possess, thee seems little harm in allowing it into your game. I've done it with some success in the past.

 

[mentle]

Please forgive how sloppy this is written, i'm half asleep; but for instance similar items to this...

+2 Shield of Narcissus.
"It's smooth surface is polished to a mirrored perfection."
Encounter Power
Trigger: Attack made against AC.
Effect: As an immediate reaction, player raises shield to provide full cover against attack, granting an additional 3 AC until the beginning of player's next turn. Taking cover under the shield causes player to be dazed for .5x Cha mod turns rounded down.

 

[was]

I'm open to it as long as it doesn't unbalance things..I'd insist on reviewing them first

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

+2 Shield of Narcissus.

Wait, this shield has an enhancement bonus? That's a no-no for my game.

Of course, I don't allow crossover characters at all. You want to play in my game, make a new PC. Come to think of it, I don't know any DMs who do allow crossover PCs.

 

[mentle]

what is your objection to the bonus?

 

[mentle]

and correct me if i'm wrong, but I thought all shields were +2 AC?

 

[Rune]

and correct me if i'm wrong, but I thought all shields were +2 AC?

In 4th Edition, light shields provide +1 AC, +1 Reflex. Heavy shields provide +2 AC, +2 Reflex. Magical Shields occupy the arm slot and there are no arm-slot items with enhancement bonuses in 4E (Enhancement bonuses are reserved for weapons, implements, armors (not shields), and neck-slot items.).

 

[Rune]

Please forgive how sloppy this is written, i'm half asleep; but for instance similar items to this...

+2 Shield of Narcissus.
"It's smooth surface is polished to a mirrored perfection."
Encounter Power
Trigger: Attack made against AC.
Effect: As an immediate reaction, player raises shield to provide full cover against attack, granting an additional 3 AC until the beginning of player's next turn. Taking cover under the shield causes player to be dazed for .5x Cha mod turns rounded down.

There are a few things I would refine if I were to allow it in my game.

First, it appears as if you have an enhancement bonus, but I'll assume what you really mean is that this is a large shield (which grants +2 shield bonus to AC and to Reflex)

In order for this to do what it seems to be designed to do, it would have to be an immediate interrupt, rather than a reaction.

Because it is a shield, I would change the trigger to "When you are hit by an attack that targets your AC or Reflex."

Because superior cover is not a shield bonus (and, therefore stacks with the shield bonus) and because the penalty for using this power is severe, I would go with the full -5 penalty to the attacker's roll in addition to the normal shield bonus. But, then, for flavor's sake, it would be good to see high-Cha characters using this shield, so I'd probably drop the superior cover feature and instead penalize the attack by the wielder's Cha mod.

Under no circumstances would I keep the penalty as is. Currently it penalizes high-Cha characters who try to use it but has no penalty at all for the Cha-dump stat tank who would actually be using this this shield (as currently written). Okay, I'm really not big on the idea of including a penalty at all (unless it's cursed), but, assuming I keep a penalty for the sake of flavor, it would be a lot flatter in application: "dazed until end of next turn," or something.

I'd probably also change the power to a daily.

And, for flavor, I'd give it a property: "+2 item bonus to diplomacy and bluff checks while wielding this shield."

 

[mentle]

I did mean for it to simply be a large shield. As for the rest, very good input. Thanks!

"Did he just try to pickpocket that dragon?"