Linked Magical Items (ie. Gestalt Link)

[Centaur]

Has anyone ever used, seen or created rules for a set of magical items that allow for the pooling and sharing of a resource.

For example:
- A set of magical amulets that allow everyone using them to pool all their HP into one big pool. If anyone is attacked, the Damage comes off top of the pool. If anyone drinks a potion of healing, it and back to the pool. Temporary HPs are added to the top of the pool.
- A set of magical amulets that allow a group of srocerers to share their spell casting pools. (if each Sorcerer can cast 3 1st level spells, then the two combined could cast a total of 6 1st level spells split between them)

Another form of this would a set of items that provide a bonus resource that can be shared between all involved. Example
- A set of rings that provides a total of 200 points per day of fire resistance. If anyone takes fire damage, it comes off this total first before being applied to the target.
- A set of bracers that can block up to 3 crtical blows per day, but divided between 6 people, there will never be enough to go around.

Should items of either of these natures be allowed in a game. If so, what sorts of costs would be attributed to them.

What are the possible routes of abuse and why should they be dis-allowed?

 

[Belphanior]

I can't see why anybody would want to develop such an item.

If you have an item that can block 3 crits a day (or 200 fire damage, whatever), why would you want to share it with somebody else? It would be better to make another such item for that person, so you both are protected 3 times a day. With the gestalt version, you're just diluting both your protections.

Why would the warriors want to pool their hp with the bard? Every smart foe would launch all their assaults at the poor drummer boy en masse (low hp and poor AC), so the entire party keels over dead in an instant, Juggernaut the Barbarian and Buff-Meister the Wizard included. Even if the entire party is buffed up, a single targeted dispel magic is a chink in the armor for the entire group.

 

[Centaur]

I can't see why anybody would want to develop such an item.

While it is true there are some holes with such a device, there are advantages as well. If the enemy doesn't know the party has a HP sharing device, then they can't use a selective target method such as this. Also, the Cleric could hide around a corner, and cast heal spells on himself constantly in saftey.

Then there is the concept of giving the HP sharing item to a group of equaly armored, equaly tough fighters and setting them against someone. Now you can't mass target one guy until he is down and then move onto the next guy. All the combatants are equally healthy and all functional until they all fall at once.

It could make for a very scary encounter for the PCs when a group of 8 mid level Orcs Attack them with buffed strength and Constitution scores wielding great Axes but don't seem to be phased much by the individual blows of the PCs. Meanwhile, the Orc Shaman is 100' away behind a tree casting cure spells on himslelf to keep the fighers going. A single 8th level Orc might have 50 HP or so by 8 of them would total up to 400+ in this senario, making them more of a threat.

 

[JayOmega]

I agree with Bel about the crit and elemental protections... why would such an item be created? A party of six is not going to give up all their bracer (etc) slots to get the effect of half a magic item, except possibly at low levels. And, I would assume that the "magic" going in to linking the items should make these items harder to create than a normal item of the type... it would break my suspension of disbelief to find out that 6 linked rings were easier to manufacture than a single ring with the same power.

The "share Sorcerer spells per day" item would be a capital-A Artifact.

The hit-point pool item makes some sense, but consider the game-play effects. "[T]he Cleric could hide around a corner, and cast heal spells on himself constantly in saftey." Being the healer is a boring job to begin with... giving the party an item that makes "keep the healer out of combat" the strongest tactic is just punishing the poor god-follower even more. Granted, he doesn't have to sit out every fight, but this strong tactic will get used for the "boss monster" fights, which are the most enjoyable to play. Also, distributing hit points hurts high-hit-point characters and helps low-hit-point characters disproportionately... the d4/d6 hit point set gain survivability from these bracers, while the d10/d12 set lose survivability... low-hit-die characters have low hit dice because of their power in other areas, so these items make wizards too powerful and warriors too weak for their level. And I've never had a party where everyone was selfless enough to join into such an arrangement.

As an aside, the goddess of community & marriage in my world has a prestige class called the Lifebonded which has "pooled hit points" as one of its powers. It doesn't have as much of this "hide-the-cleric" and "cripple the fighter, boost the wizard" effect, as hit points are only split between two (married) characters, both of whom must be 5th level+ clerics to begin with. The mechanics are a bit different, as well... each keeps track of their own h.p., but when reduced to 0 h.p., the other takes damage for them, instead. (The usual penalties for being at 0hp apply, making this a not-terribly-strong ability to depend on.)

As ideas for other "gestalt items", this class also gets abilities of the following sorts: the "linked minds" ability of Axiomatic creatures; making certain saving throws together (i.e. both make Fort saves against death effects, and the target only dies if both fail the save); spontaneously cast a cleric spell that the other has prepared; voluntarily share Ability Score bonuses (one can transfer his Strength bonus to the other to aid in lifting a heavy gate, for instance... the donator has a +0 bonus until the effect ends); combine mental ability score bonuses for skill checks (perform heal checks with the sum of both characters' wisdom modifiers).

I do like items of this sort, though. It makes sense in a world where "adventuring groups" are common that magical items designed to take advantage of such group dynamics would exist. My party currently has a set of mugs that act as "walkie-talkies" (when the mug is filled, a localized clairaudience effect is broadcast to the other full mugs... I stole this idea from somewhere, but I forget where). That could be considered "sharing the resource" of knowledge.

"Team" items that don't specifically share resources are useful, too. Telepathic and teleporting items are a natural choice for this. "Pack attack" weapons that hit harder when their wielders gang up would make sense, as would a set of items that act together for an occasional strong attack (like the Shocker Lizard's ability).

I'd like the items you listed if they guaranteed everyone some use out of them... for the bracers, perhaps the critical damage absorbed is divided amongst the other wearers as temporary hit points, or a blocked critical gives everyone a one-shot +1 bonus to hit the creature that dealt the critical? The fire-resist rings could grant the Flaming special ability to a random wearer's attack for 1 round per 10 hp absorbed?

Bonding items that give some form of aid, but geas their wearers to work together, would make sense as a "gift from the (non-good) king" or "guarantee of loyalty to the evil wizard."

I have done multi-item sets for a single user, as well... my current group have (or once had) paired swords that are more magical when dual-wielded, a protective bracer/glove/ring set, and a pair of rings that only function when both are worn.

 

[der_kluge]

Centaur, you'll want to pick up the Artificer's Handbook by Mystic Eye Games. It should be in stores soon, and was available at GenCon. It has rules for "gestalt" sets which are sets of items that provide virtual effects when combined together. What you are looking to make could be made relatively easy with those rules.

 

[thundershot]

Aww... When I saw the title "gestalt", I thought it was going to be about magic items that combine into different items...



Chris