So the only FACT here is that the IAoP are obviously HUGELY superior to the other options Wizards has provided.
Exactly. So the options, roughly, are:
1) Leave them as is. Implement users are SOL compared to melee and archers in this regard. Also, there's no point to having any of the other arm item types. Even giving out level 10-15 arm items will be ignored compared to the level 6. That level 16 one, snapped up like hotcakes.
2) Replace or add other options to the game that are on par. This is a totally valid tactic, but as discussed above, one complicated by the degree of work required and the fact that we're talking about fairly literally 49 out of every 50 items.
3) Drop them from the game. Opens up the arm slot to other options, doesn't leave the warlock in the dust, and hey... it's just +2 damage, the lack of it isn't breaking the game. So poof, easiest option.
You seem to be arguing that Wizards should never have offered the IAoP. I am arguing that their other choices are ridiculously lame.
Both can be true, of course. Though I still am dubious that '+1d6 to all crits' and 'Reroll an attack' are ridiculously lame. Not very powerful, sure.
To me this is a game balance issue that Wizards screwed up. I would rather all of their items were reasonably competitive with the IAoP, not that the IAoP were never created.
In for a penny, in for a pound. They need to pick a spot on the scale and _try_. In the very same book, in the very same slot, very same level, there's an item that gives you +1d10 _once per day_ and one that gives +1d6 to OAs only. You think there was an actual plan involved in the IAoP?
There is no way that I am the only person who has perused the magic items available in the Character Builder shop and has laughed out loud at how lame a HUGE NUMBER of these magic items are.
By design.
Secondary Slots
These items don’t have enhancement bonuses. That makes them essentially optional. You could adventure with no items in your secondary item slots and not see a huge decrease in your overall power. Take what looks cool, but don’t worry about having empty slots.
You can dislike it. That's totally cool. You can update every single item they've put out to put them to a higher level of balance. That's wicked cool, and I'd love to see the result.
But it doesn't make you right. Nor the armbands.
But after awhile even they looked at what they had created and said "geez, these magic items suck. Let's at least make some magic items that people will actually be excited about using."
This would almost make sense, if it's what actually happened. What actually happened is there were some outliers in almost every single product put out. They're a few prominent ones in AV. There are a few more in AV2. But still the lion's share (or perhaps the dinosaur's share) follow the pattern.
My personal opinion is that their main mistake was in deciding to make magic items so easily available in the first place.
Maybe - but they decided back in 2000 with 3e to make magic items easy to obtain, and they've only continued that principle. At least now they have levels on items to constrain things and selling items is 20%, so it's actually more difficult than it was in the previous edition.
If it were me I'd completely revise magic items, make them rarer and more powerful.
A totally valid option. I played around with the concept myself. I even played around with trying to keep things balanced if someone did go a little hogwild - like have items all have reasonable but not earth shattering passive bonuses, and then one kickass item usage, and you get 1 item usage per tier per encounter. That way the guy with 1 item is a little behind the guy with 6, most particularly in terms of versatility, but they get equal opportunities to shine by smashing a guy through a wall with their shield of bashing or whatever.
But, it was a lot of work, and I realized it wouldn't go in the character builder. So instead I just give out a lot of magic items to my players. And they're happy for it. They love their Couters of Second Chances and Throwing Shields. Even though I didn't give them armbands of power.
My ninth level ranger has about ten magic items. He just went to the store and bought them. It's like a Super Walmart. My 14th level ranger in 3.5e had fewer magic items, but they were all VALUABLE and POWERFUL items. Most of them were EARNED because you couldn't just walk into a store in 3.5e and buy what you wanted, nor could your party wizard take a few minutes and some gold and create a +2 sword for you.
My 10th level 3.5e fighter had over three dozen items, including all manner of swift action gadgets, wands I bought solely to loan out to others in a pinch, maxed out AC gear, bonuses to three or four stats, etc. And I got them by traipsing down to a store and buying 'em all.
My 4e 10th fighter has 7 pieces of gear. I found 4 of them, and 3 of them are low level (1 6th, 2 2nd) and I bought those.
I did have a 10th-ish 3e monk once who got a... helm of crazy gems that gave fire resist 30 and exploded if it took fire damage and you could hurl off fireballs, walls of fire, prismatic sprays and stuff. Something like a 108,000gp item, straight from the DMG, probably intended for 16th-ish level characters and randomly found as treasure from a random encounter.
This isn't an edition thing, on getting treasure easy, even if you want to make it out to be.
It is my opinion that 4e has truly screwed up magic items royally, and is now in a no-win situation.
Was there ever a 'win' situation for magic items? People hate and love every way you can do it.
