From the title it should be clear: I HAAAAAAATE the Christmas Tree effect. I recognize it’s part of the game’s heritage and I like a cool magic item as much as the next guy. People love to hold up the One Ring, Sting, Elric’s Sword, and other examples from fiction as justification for their availability. Yet most of the time, magic items don’t work in-game like their fictional counterparts.
The primary issue I have with it isn’t even one of campaign flavor (although that's a close 2nd) –it’s the impact on players’ mindset: I have to have a magic sword or I’m not effective in combat. I have to have AC boosters to be an effective character. I have to have a stat-booster to compensate for a dump stat or to give my fighter the strength of a giant. etc.,etc. Player’s begin to define their characters by their gear --- that’s my turn-off.
In video games like Dragon Age or Warcraft, those items are just as present (or moreso) as they are in your typical Pathfinder game. Yet because they’re scripted stories to a large degree, they’re moved to the background. Even in a high-magic setting like Harry Potter’s, they’re tools – not extensions of the character.
However, in Pathfinder (& earlier D&D incarnations), they’re front-and-center in many of the players’ minds. As the GM Guide states, you’re trading atmosphere for convenience. I want atmosphere over convenience.
So while it’s easy enough to houserule or import OGL variants to minimize the magic item dependence, I find myself with an atypical scenario: My kids are now playing Pathfinder.
As a result, I’m trying to keep to RAW & keep house- and optional-rules to a minimum. They’re really taking to it and having a ball. I want to provide the wonder of magic items yet avoid having them feel that their characters are defined by them. I’m trying to use the guidelines presented in the GM Guide but honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve opened the Pandora’s Box of commonplace magic that I thought I’d look for advice.
So, how do you help your players avoid the “My Character is his Gear” trap?
The primary issue I have with it isn’t even one of campaign flavor (although that's a close 2nd) –it’s the impact on players’ mindset: I have to have a magic sword or I’m not effective in combat. I have to have AC boosters to be an effective character. I have to have a stat-booster to compensate for a dump stat or to give my fighter the strength of a giant. etc.,etc. Player’s begin to define their characters by their gear --- that’s my turn-off.
In video games like Dragon Age or Warcraft, those items are just as present (or moreso) as they are in your typical Pathfinder game. Yet because they’re scripted stories to a large degree, they’re moved to the background. Even in a high-magic setting like Harry Potter’s, they’re tools – not extensions of the character.
However, in Pathfinder (& earlier D&D incarnations), they’re front-and-center in many of the players’ minds. As the GM Guide states, you’re trading atmosphere for convenience. I want atmosphere over convenience.
So while it’s easy enough to houserule or import OGL variants to minimize the magic item dependence, I find myself with an atypical scenario: My kids are now playing Pathfinder.
As a result, I’m trying to keep to RAW & keep house- and optional-rules to a minimum. They’re really taking to it and having a ball. I want to provide the wonder of magic items yet avoid having them feel that their characters are defined by them. I’m trying to use the guidelines presented in the GM Guide but honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve opened the Pandora’s Box of commonplace magic that I thought I’d look for advice.
So, how do you help your players avoid the “My Character is his Gear” trap?
