Ymdar
Explorer
Please help me with constructive criticism on a system I will use to hand out magic items over the course of a lvl1-20 game with around 3 or 4 campaigns.
The items will not magically appear in front of characters' doorsteps, instead they will find them at curio shops, in dungeons as loot and might be handed to them by friendly and/or powerful NPCs who had them maybe as a family heirloom or just something they were holding on to for some reason. The NPCs might not even know an item was magical or might not know the item's properties. Players will know each others' lists and are not the bickering type so we'll be fine if everyone is there when they find a new item.
I intend to use the following system to have some permanent magic in the game keeping the fantasy theme.
Upgrades work in the following way:
If the PC does not select Mithral armor at level 4 but want a magic armor at level 8 they will not have the option to get a +1 Mithral armor anymore as selecting the non magical mithral armor earlier mechanically represents the PC making a less directly useful choice. For example a character getting a Mithral or Adamantite armor would get arguably less benefit than selecting a Gauntlet of Ogre Power. I would by the way allow a Gauntlet be a Belt instead and could be 'upgraded' to belt of giant strength.
With the current system at level 16ish, PCs are planed have 4 legendary items or more depending on their selections. Can this be too powerful for level appropriate combat? Should I change something in the list? Should wondorous figurines capable of fighting be considered as 'noncombat' just for the sake of someone actually selecting them for any reason? Any other comments?
The items will not magically appear in front of characters' doorsteps, instead they will find them at curio shops, in dungeons as loot and might be handed to them by friendly and/or powerful NPCs who had them maybe as a family heirloom or just something they were holding on to for some reason. The NPCs might not even know an item was magical or might not know the item's properties. Players will know each others' lists and are not the bickering type so we'll be fine if everyone is there when they find a new item.
I intend to use the following system to have some permanent magic in the game keeping the fantasy theme.
- Every PC will have generally 4 items at level 16 (see below for more details).
- Players can start sending a list of 4 desired items from level 3 and will get a magic item starting level 4 and every 4 level afterwards.
- Items might not appear at the PCs doorsteps at the exact moment they hit the level threshold, the
- At level 4 every PC can have one uncommon item
- At level 8 every PC can have an additional rare item and 'upgrade' their uncommon item to a rare tier
- At level 12 every PC can have an additional very rare item and upgrade all of their previous items to the next tier (rare to very rare)
- At level 16 every PC can have an additional legendary item and upgrade all of their previous items to the next tier (very rare to legendary)
- PCs cannot have two of the same items
- PCs cannot have two items giving the same bonus (mainly to disallow a PC having a +3 full plate and a +3 shield, but also against a +3 bow and +3 arrows)
- Selecting consumable items allows a PC to have carry a reasonable number of 'free' items with them (1 quiver of ammunition/arrows or 4 potions) before needing to return from the adventure location to a reasonably safe place with civilisation to replenish their stock
- In place of one of the items a PC can have two lower tier items (or two uncommon in case of level 4) with mostly no direct combat impact (decanter of endless water maybe, Daern's instant fortress no)
Upgrades work in the following way:
- Level 4: PC selects Mithral armor
- Level 8 Mithral armor+1
- Level 12 Mithral Armor +2
- Level 16 Mithral Armor +3
If the PC does not select Mithral armor at level 4 but want a magic armor at level 8 they will not have the option to get a +1 Mithral armor anymore as selecting the non magical mithral armor earlier mechanically represents the PC making a less directly useful choice. For example a character getting a Mithral or Adamantite armor would get arguably less benefit than selecting a Gauntlet of Ogre Power. I would by the way allow a Gauntlet be a Belt instead and could be 'upgraded' to belt of giant strength.
With the current system at level 16ish, PCs are planed have 4 legendary items or more depending on their selections. Can this be too powerful for level appropriate combat? Should I change something in the list? Should wondorous figurines capable of fighting be considered as 'noncombat' just for the sake of someone actually selecting them for any reason? Any other comments?