Aligned Magic Items

[Larcen]

Althought I don't own the new books yet, I read in the 3.5 SRD about a spell that aligns magic items. This reminded me of a topic I have been wanting to post here for the longest time.

A recurring problem when I DM is that I can't very well give the NPC opponents good magical stuff that match the PC’s gear knowing full well that anything I give them will eventually all wind up as part of the party’s spoils.

Gygax came up with a good solution to this when he created the Drow's light-vulnerable magic items. I would even go so far as to say that is a big part of their popularity with DMs.

I always found it a bit morbid, and strange, that good-aligned PCs went around looting the dead bodies of their falling enemies. You practically never see that in heroic fantasy.

Anyway, my thinking is this. Why not make ALL magic aligned? In 3E there is a perfect precedent for this since item creators put their very life force, via XPs expended, into their creations. Doesn't it follow that a wand of magic missiles created by an evil wizard could then have a permanent evil taint of some kind? And that this taint will make it difficult, if not impossible, for opposite aligned characters to use the item? I leave it to all the clever readers of this forum to come up with a suitable restriction when using non-aligned items, assuming they simply don’t just fail to work at all.

As a sideline, since the good players are not getting to use Evil Dude’s stuff anymore, maybe an XP bonus can assigned for destroying opposite aligned items. “The noble paladin of Tyr was stung by the dark sword’s evil as he picked it up. In sudden disgust he heaved the vile thing into the pool of lava. A wave of rancid cold passed through him as the negative energy was released and the sword destroyed forever. No longer would it drink the blood of innocents. “

So, bottom line, does anyone know of a set of rules, either online or in a d20 printed product, that covers any of this?

 

[Blacksad]

Gygax came up with a good solution to this when he created the Drow's light-vulnerable magic items. I would even go so far as to say that is a big part of their popularity with DMs.

I think that it's a bad solution, because t doesn't make sense from an in-character perspective: why produce light sensitive weapon when you regulary raid light dweller, or when your opponent could use daylight to destroy all your equipment.

I always found it a bit morbid, and strange, that good-aligned PCs went around looting the dead bodies of their falling enemies. You practically never see that in heroic fantasy.

I know two system which get rid of that IME: the wealth system and personal weapon which follow the character advancement.

I used the wealth system in Dragonlance 5th age, it is almost the same which appear in d20 Modern so you can use this one (though, it has many other defect, the rogue cstyle campaign is complelty destroyed with this system).

For weapon or magic items which follow a character and only one character, or magic items build for a specific goal, you might want to take a look at Magic of Rokugan.

So, bottom line, does anyone know of a set of rules, either online or in a d20 printed product, that covers any of this?

Nope, but we can come up with some

First the use magic device skill is probably going to become very important, so perhaps making it a class skill to everyone, or bumping its DC depending on wether or not you want PC to be able to use such items.

For a taint mechanic you could look at Fortunes and Winds, using it on the four alignement component, a character could get good/lawful/chaotic/evil points which provide a modifier or bonus spell, which if used provide further point, then you could use the various Rokugan spell and items which affect taint or honor, with requirment on alignement as to who can use them, and make them affect law/chaos/good/evil.

 

[der_kluge]

Mystic Eye Games' Artificer's Handbook has rules for magic items that are "aligned".

Two things - firstly, the cost of making a magic item only work for a specific alignment is nil. It's the same as making it "dwarf only" or "rogue only". So, while it's a benefit to the guy using it (assuming he meets the conditions), it's a drawback to any party members that might need to use it, or to find it on an NPC. So, it balances out. Net effect - zero cost modifier.

The second thing is that alignments with an alignment of their own are intelligent. And those rules are covered under artifacts, and instability rules.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I always found it a bit morbid, and strange, that good-aligned PCs went around looting the dead bodies of their falling enemies. You practically never see that in heroic fantasy.

I remember calculating the treasure to xp ratios from standard encounters, and discovered that for PCs to have the "standard" amount of gear they would have to retain 80% of the loot they got. More if their encounters were of a higher ECL than normal.

If a lot of the treasure is in the form of scrolls, potions, wands and other disposable items, the players will fall behind. Same if they buy (and use) expensive spell components or such items as holy water and alchemist's fire. Or if they lose mounts. Or if items are stolen or destroyed. Or if they need to pay for spellcasting.

Making your own magic items is a way of increasing your wealth and decreasing your experience, but other than that there is really no way, following the guidelines for xp and treasure, for a party *not* to fall behind in treasure. Unless they can loot their dead comrades.

Or unless their enemies have above average amounts of gear that can be looted.

I agree that it is not something you see in heroic fantasy, but the game kinda forces PCs to loot the fallen- friend and foe alike.