Saeviomagy said:
Precisely how does the form of an item alter game balance? Explain to me how it is that the guy from my examples with 10 items is any less powerful than the guy with a single item that does 10 things is? The only difference that I can tell is that the guy with 10 items requires 10 failed caster level checks to lose the full utility of the items, and the guy with 10 effects on one item can lose them to a single dispel.
The guy with ten items has a lot of doubled-price, not-slot-limited items, for one -- so those ten items are costing more than the base price of the single item. Already you've gone form 200Kgp for the powers (before epic markup) to -- using the "ring and nine gems" you suggested -- 380,000gp. That, at least, is a start.
How exactly does that swing the balance to the favour of the guy with one item? Simple - it doesn't. If anything, it swings it the opposite direction.
Not really. Ten items also requires storage, and likely requires time and effort to retrieve the ones you can't/don't wear.
As I have already said -- single-purpose/effect items, which don't look, feel, smell, or otherwise SEEM like over-powered items, aren't likely to get smacked with the Epic Item markup, regardless of market price.
To be honest, items which DO seem overpowered -- like the Torc and Ring above -- might get hit with it <b>regardless</g> ... if they aren't simply denied, outright.
Explain where the balance issue is, or you're just being contrary for the sake of being contrary.
Actually, I think you're possibly being argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.
Do you not think that there's a REASON the DMG itself has an entry "additional power, not similar" which inidcates that power's price is doubled?
Because squeezing lots of effects into a single item is an advantage in and of itself ... if in no ohter way, than to let you do so multiple times, and have a HORDE of powers, in worn items, all at once.
