Alternatives to stat-boosting items?

[GreatLemur]

It wouldn't entirely compensate, but you could give feats at every odd level, and an ability score increase at every even level. That would raise the power level a bit, and you'd end up with the equivalent of a +5 stat boost item by level 20, plus a few more feats for your trouble. And, it's neat.

I like that. From a player's perspective, that sounds like more fun than getting magic items.

 

[houser2112]

It wouldn't entirely compensate, but you could give feats at every odd level, and an ability score increase at every even level.

This pushes the Fighter class even more in the direction of a dip class, I would think.

 

[Aus_Snow]

This pushes the Fighter class even more in the direction of a dip class, I would think.

In my experience, it doesn't. The only thing that does that, and keeps it there, is the fact that - outside of certain key supplements from WotC and elsewhere, Fighters get nothing in the way of high level abilities. At all. Just the same old low level stuff round and round. Oh sure, GWF and GWS. Woohoo. That is literally it, in the core rules and for much of beyond.


One more thing re: those very minimal changes I tentatively put forward - perhaps starting ability scores should be higher as well. Anyway, it would only be a partial solution. There are other factors to consider, but those might require reworking the core rules a bit more.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Second World Sourcebook has a variety of non-magical special training options that can replace gear including stat boosters. They seemed a bit overpriced though.

What are these special training options? Is it something where a character spends X ammount of XP and spends X ammount of time to get an enhancment bonus? Or is there more involved?

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

For stat-boosting items assuming you're using the standard wealth system and levels have them pay the same amount as they would for the item to get an 'imbued effect' that's basically the same. You can explain it as pretty much anything, mystical tattoos of power, embedding magic gems in their body, imbibing hermetic alchemy concoctions, whatever fits the flavor of your setting. They're essentially permanent magical effects that can be suppressed but not dispelled or disjoined.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

For stat-boosting items assuming you're using the standard wealth system and levels have them pay the same amount as they would for the item to get an 'imbued effect' that's basically the same. You can explain it as pretty much anything, mystical tattoos of power, embedding magic gems in their body, imbibing hermetic alchemy concoctions, whatever fits the flavor of your setting. They're essentially permanent magical effects that can be suppressed but not dispelled or disjoined.

That's one of the alternatives I'm thinking of, but I never thought of concoctions or tattoos before.

I'd go with allowing many options to essentially get the same things, where many characters would gain enhancement bonuses to their stats in different ways. One character could have got their strength enhanced through a sacred oath/pact, another character got their intelligence enhanced through an incantation, and a third may have gone through special training to increase constitution. I guess in some cases the enhancement would have to be tied through a special quest.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think you can consider many ways during the adventures to give either inherent or permanent enhancement bonuses. If it was up to me however I would try to make them rewards related to the story, and probably I wouldn't let the player choose all the time.

-For one thing would it better to have to change the inherent bonuses given out by such things into enhancement bonuses?

Definitely ok in my opinion. You can also make tomes more interesting IMHO if you consider the following changes:

- allow SOME books to give enhancement bonuses (so that they don't stack with boost spells): you don't need to make ALL of them enh bonuses, those with inherent bonuses can still be around on their own

- consider the option of making those enh-type books bonuses STACK; you're going to control the availability of these books in the world, so it doesn't matter to you exactly what rule they follow, as long as the result is what you want; making them stack allows you to let character finds more books later without having to say that the further books are necessarily more powerful (they could simply contain different knowledge)

- consider the option of having these special tomes affect more characters, without "vanishing" after the first read: this will result in everybody trying to read the tome but it will also make characters increase secondary stats (Str for Wiz, Cha for Ftr...) which is more interesting than always bumping the primary stat. Still keep the limit that each character can only use the item once.

BUT

- make is so that a roll is required to gain the enhancement bonus, so that even if everyone will try the item, not everyone will get the benefit (you could make it so that the DC is increased by your current enh bonus in the stat, so that further increases are more difficult)

- finally, CHANGE THE IMAGE OF THE ITEM it doesn't have to be a book to be read, it could be a fountain to drink from, it could be a test to pass, a prayer to recite in a special place, or even something to eat.

-Let the stat boosting spells be affected by permanancy (still not decided on what the costs should be).

It's an option, but to decrease the need for stat-boosting items you could also use the 3.0 versions of the spells, or at least their duration.

Permanency could be better because it frees up the spell slots completely, until a Dispel Magic breaks it.

-Rituals/Invocations (from Unearthed Arcana) with some sort of conditional terms for having the stats boosted. More spontaneous ones would be blessings I guess.

This could work as the tomes above. But also it's nice the idea of having conditions and/or expirations for the effect. For instance the party paladin might get a special bless as long as he's fully devoted to the current mission.

-Magical locations, going on a quest to a certain place boosts a stat, and does so relatively permanant instead of a year like many magical locations

 

[DeBracy]

Some ideas:

• Stat boost as boon in a pact with a demon (...but at what price, hmm?).
• Stat boost as a blessing granted by deity who you've served well (in an "active" pantheon like the Greek it doesn't necessarily have to be the one you actually worship).
• Stat boost as a result of bathing in a "Pool of Life", so to speak.

 

[Herobizkit]

If you can find an old copy of 3.0 Oriental Handbook, there is a PrC called Tattooed Monk which pretty well accomplishes a similar vein as giving free stat bonuses etc. every level. It has a list of certain permanent bonuses you can gain as tattoos every so many levels... might be worth a shot.

 

[The_Gneech]

I think Conan d20 has all stats increase by 1 every 6 levels in addition to the normal increases.

That's the way I remember it too, and I think it's a good idea. Just giving more "+1 to one Stat" boosts would lead to characters having 25 Str and 8 Wis (for instance); whereas the "+1 to all Stats" increases skills, saves, and combat ability in roughly equal measure.

It also leads the way to having the rare booster amulet/ring/whatever actually being extraordinary.

-The Gneech