Mordenkainen's Magical Emporium & magic items

[JohnSnow]

Problem is that if you have common items (that players can make) and uncommon items (that players can make as well), there wont be any real difference. If they can make them, they will make them, and thus be common. No, there must be something else, some other distinction that we are not told yet

It would be cool for example if uncommon items required specific components before you could make them.

You mean like requiring bits of some fire-using creature in order to make a flaming sword? Yeah, something like that would be very cool.

 

[Jack99]

You mean like requiring bits of some fire-using creature in order to make a flaming sword? Yeah, something like that would be very cool.

Precisely. Especially if the book had tables where you could roll or seek inspiration as to which component would be fitting for different types of items.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

One guess:

common - no additional powers

uncommon - has an additional daily power

rare - has an additional encounter or at-will power

I don´t think this would be a good division.

I hope rare items will rather be:

Iron bands of billaro:
Enounter:
make an attack with a +18 bonus against reflex. Target is grabbed (escape DC 30)

Armbands of AC
Counts as light armor, Armor bonus 1 to 8 (just like enhanced cloth armor), maybe up to AC 10 like leather armor.

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

Or a Ring of Shooting Stars.

 

[WhatGravitas]

It would be cool for example if uncommon items required specific components before you could make them.

Actually, I expect that they need formulas/recipes/etc. The rare items have the distinction that they're impossible to make and the snippet talked about more DM control as well... so I assume that common items are automatically available to PCs, while uncommon items need to be studied before - in person or through a formula, i.e. only when the DM allows it. Would also parallel the implementation of rituals a bit.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Problem is that if you have common items (that players can make) and uncommon items (that players can make as well), there wont be any real difference. If they can make them, they will make them, and thus be common.

Unless of course the DM places significant restrictions on crafting magic items, and that has been the case with all of the DMs I have played with.

 

[AllisterH]

I got two questions...one asked by others already "What's the difference between common and uncommon".

AND

"what's the difference between a rare magic item and an artifact?"

Right now, artifacts "break" the game but there's the release valve of them inherently moving on after a time.

Presumably, rare magical items created by DM-fiat are NOT going to have this "out", so what keeps them safe from breaking your game?

Indeed...what does the "rare" category give you that the magical artifact category does not?

 

[AngryMojo]

Artifacts are far more than just game-changing, they are full NPC's that you have to deal with, in the form of Concordance.

I figure a Rare magic item would be something with a lot of abilities not necessarily covered by standard abilities. Like a Crown that when worn causes the loyalty of your subjects to increase, or a mantle that allows you to control the weather. Not necessarily game-breaking in a fight, but desirable nonetheless.

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

The great things is that I directly challenged the WotC folks about 'cool' magic items, of a power level below that of Artifacts, but something better than the 'normal' magic items that we'd had so far:

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Here's what I said in the comments to that blog post:

"Why not create a second tier of magic item...something like 'Lesser Artifact'. I think it has precedence in previous editions, and it would be nice to not have to 'make up our own'. Why not make a DDI article, or a short book (it doesn't have to be a 160 page major work or anything).

I for one as a DM miss 'cool' items like the Ring of Shooting Stars...and I'd buy a book like this in a heartbeat.

Give the DM's a little credit...we might not have time or imagination to create cool magic items...but we can control what the PC's access in the game."

Looks like we might get it?

 

[Jack99]

Unless of course the DM places significant restrictions on crafting magic items, and that has been the case with all of the DMs I have played with.

You did not get the point. I am not asking for a solution involving a common houserule that I myself have been using for years.

And I doubt WotC made the distinction so "that it would be easier for DM's to houserule which items players can make".