A Maximum on Stat-Increasing Magical Items?

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

In the last high-fantasy D&D game I was playing, we really took advantage of stat-increasing magical items. We had more money (and wizards) than we knew what to do with - and we really, really took advantage of it.

We modified all sorts of magic items to increase stats that they normally wouldn't, added stat-increasing magic to other (already magic) items (ie - my circlet of persuasion also had a cha increasing bonus, my breastplate of command had all kinds of enchantments on it).

Our stats were AWESOME.

But, it got me to thinking: does anyone put a cap on just how high a stat can get? "Your hero's stats can only be X?" or "You can only have X-amount of magical stat-increasing points/stat?"

 

[The_Fan]

Normally the stacking problems negate that. You can wear a circlet of charisma +6, a cloak of charisma +6, and, I dunno...sunglasses of charisma +6, but you'd only get a total of +6. Such would also make the eagle's splendor spell pointless for you.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

There is a maximum of +6 to attributes for non-epic items. That's also an enhancement bonus.

So, if you had a +6 STR headband and a +6 STR belt, you'd still only have +6 STR. Unless you had it enchanted to be a +6 luck bonus to STR, which is a lot more expensive.

I once messed around with introducing a circlet of +30 to Diplomacy, Bluff, Gather Information, and Sense Motive. The idea was that it would be the kind of thing my game's emperor would have. It was increidbly expensive. As in "would you like a small nation on the side?" expensive.

 

[Turanil]

Our stats were AWESOME.

Give some examples!

 

[Mercule]

Mmmmh... reading this post I will now rule that stat-enhancing items don't stack, only the greater enhancement is counted.

Which is probably good, since it'd be a house rule to do otherwise. Most stat-bonus items give an Enhancement bonus. Like-named bonuses do not stack (except Dodge bonuses).

Edit: The only exception of which I can think is Wishing your stats higher. That'll give you an Inherent bonus, which caps at +5 and does not stack with itself.

 

[Turanil]

Which is probably good, since it'd be a house rule to do otherwise. Most stat-bonus items give an Enhancement bonus. Like-named bonuses do not stack (except Dodge bonuses).

Crap! Someone caught me saying an idiocy before I had time to delete!

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Wow - I'm pretty sure we were all doing it incorrectly, then... or the people that noticed we were all adding bonuses like crazy just didn't say anything and continued to add up those modifiers....

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Always thought our stats seemed jacked up... now I know they were.

Don't know how I missed *that* rule.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Always thought our stats seemed jacked up... now I know they were.

Don't know how I missed *that* rule.

This game has a million rules. I feel your pain.

 

[The_Universe]

This game has a million rules. I feel your pain.

We didn't miss it. Her DM just forgot to enforce it until it was too late, and then (after some heated discussion/whining from the other players) decided it was just as easy to jack up NPC sats into the stratosphere so they could still compete.

Give some examples!

It was not uncommon for the adventurers to have modified stats above 30, and one character (by the end) had a dexterity that neared 40.