Alternatives to stat-boosting items?

[Vanye]

Instead of an item, how about substituting rituals, instead? Maybe they require a feat to take, but when you do a ritual, you may expend XP equivalent to the XP cost for making the buff item in question, to obtain the bonus. Call it a Ritual bonus, so that it can continue to stack with Inherent bonuses.

Thus, people can get the bonuses, but instead of a friendly wizard making an item, they have to invest the XP themselves....

 

[jmucchiello]

I also know that the power curve doesn't account for things that give inherent bonuses to stats, like the various tomes or wishes.

This is news to me. Source?

IME, characters around 14+ level start dipping into the tomes for the odd boost. I had a 17th level character save up for a +4 tome. I was behind the power curve for a few sessions while saving the 110,000 gp for it. That's 1/3 the wealth guideline for 17th level. But it is a "magic" item that can't be dispelled or disjoined. Well worth the money IMO.

 

[Mark CMG]

Joe - Congrats on the new addition to the family!

 

[Kapture]

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.

I'm not even sure why you want to cost them extra for being inherant bonuses. It's rare enough for a PC to lose a magic item (In my humble game. I project based on discussions about disjunction), that you can almost make a default assumption that magic item bonuses are permanent.