D&D 3E/3.5 3.5E magic item compendium

[Stormonu]

Agreed. Barring weapons, armor, scrolls, potions, metamagic rods and +stat items and other basic stuff (like the stuff mentioned in the affinity table in the back of the MIC), I just plain don't use the DMG for magic items. I like the cheaper 3 charges per day items better than a lot of the more expensive continuous or at will items in the DMG. I also like the swift action activation 1 round duration items. Once you get a few of them plus some other swift action abilities (like those in ToB), swift action economy and budgeting becomes an important part of the game. Should I switch to Leading the Charge and charge, or activate my Heartseeker Amulet and Power Attack, our should I just full attack and recover maneuvers in anticipation that the encounter will last a couple more rounds? Having options is awesome, and a lot if the late game books like the MIC and ToB give that.

Yeah, most of the reasons you stated here for liking the book were the exact reasons I removed it from my game. The game balance shifted in a direction I did not agree with.

 

[Dandu]

Oh, don't get me wrong, there were issues even in the Core. But it's quite noticable that every spell you've listed there is high level, with the exception of polymorph.

It's also worth noting that the classes you've mentioned (and, in fact, the polymorph spell) become vastly more troublesome as the edition goes on, and especially as the SC and MIC are added.

It may just be a matter of my experience being an outlier, but I've had vastly fewer problems with "Core Rules only" than I have had with supplements added - even fairly benign supplements to the game.

... Sleep, Grease, Color Spray, Glitterdust, Web, Alter Self, Rope Trick, Slow, Shrink Item, Enervation, Black Tentacles, Freedom of Movement...

 

[delericho]

... Sleep, Grease, Color Spray, Glitterdust, Web, Alter Self, Rope Trick, Slow, Shrink Item, Enervation, Black Tentacles, Freedom of Movement...

Never had a problem with any of these.

 

[Dandu]

Never had a problem with any of these.

I'm sure there are groups who never had a problem with the SpC, or who were forced to ban monks because they were too broken. The spectrum of individual D&D experiences can very widely... but that won't change the fact that some spells are more powerful, versatile, open ended, or badly written than others.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Personally I find the MIC to be one of the absolute most useful books outside of the core rules. Given the secondhand market for it, it's probably a wise choice for reprinting.

 

[Treebore]

Yeah, I think I have pulled this off my shelf maybe 3 times since buying it the first time. I definitely do not "need" this. Or really want it, so pass.

 

[jeffh]

... Sleep, Grease, Color Spray, Glitterdust, Web, Alter Self, Rope Trick, Slow, Shrink Item, Enervation, Black Tentacles, Freedom of Movement...

Please elaborate. The only one of those I have any problem with is Rope Trick.

 

[Dandu]

Please elaborate. The only one of those I have any problem with is Rope Trick.

Sleep: Will save or fall asleep for 1 minute/level. Capped by HD (4HD of creatures can be affected in all) but absolutely deadly at first level. An standard MM orc warrior has a will save of -2, whereas a first level wizard with 16 Int can have a save DC of 14, which means that an orc has to roll a 16 or better to resist sleeping. This is a 25% chance of success.

So, if your level 1 party is attacked by four MM orc warriors, your wizard has a statistically good chance of shutting down most, and possibly all, of them with one spell.

Or maybe he casts Grease. It affects a 10ft square, and forces a reflex save to avoid falling down. The default orc warrior has a reflex save of +0, so he has a better chance of making the save for Grease than Sleep. However, Grease demands a reflex save each round for people standing on it to avoid falling down. Grease can also target a weapon, forcing a reflex save each round to avoid dropping it.

One thing Grease has going for it over Sleep is staying power: At level 10, Sleep is useless against most enemies you encounter, but many of your foes will have pitiful reflex saves and/or balance checks, Such as a Stone Golem. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be the bane of casters, but it falls on its face when greased, and its Spell Resistance does not help because Grease is a Conjuration spell and ignores SR.

Can you get that much mileage out of Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, or Burning Hands?

Glitterdust. An AOE spell with a 10 ft radius which forces a will save vs being blind for 1 round/level which also reveals invisible creatures. It ignores SR, and is not a mind-affecting spell, so it's really hard on creatures without good will saves and extraordinary sensory capabilities. Hydras, for example, really don't like to be blinded. Dread Wraith's don't care so much.

Alter Self. Due to the wide variety of 5HD or less humanoids published, you can find many useful forms. In core, for example, you could turn into a Troglodyte to gain a +6 natural armor bonus to AC, a Merfolk for 50 ft swim speed, the ability to take 10 on swim checks, a +8 bonus on swim checks to avoid hazards or perform special maneuvers, and run while swimming in a straight line, or any other creature you might want to be disguised at. This spell is very, very versatile.

I have to take a break to work on tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron, but I hope this has answered some of your questions?

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I enjoyed the Magic Item Compendium well enough. It has some need items, and I still pull the occasional item out for my Pathfinder game.

Still, the greatest book for 3.5 is the Rules Compendium. I wonder if it will get a reprint.

 

[jeffh]

Sleep: That is the point of this spell. At the levels where the 4 HD limit doesn't completely cripple this spell (so that would be first to about third then), it can only be done two or three times a day, and even at 1st level it won't work on a "boss" of any seriousness.

In any case this isn't that much more devastating than what a well-built 1st level fighter with decent support can unleash on those four orcs. Mooks are, well, mooks. They're not supposed to be a major challenge and getting past a few of them with relative ease once or twice a day is almost the only thing mages of that level have going for them.

I'll give you Alter Self; I was thinking of the Pathfinder version which is reined in considerably. But the rest of your complaints seem to amount to "Oh noes! Mages can actually DO stuff!".