Andy Collins: "Most Magic Items in D&D Are Awful"

[Lhorgrim]

I can see the points about the "big six", but without a rules overhaul (like the level bonuses mentioned previously) certain classes do require some of those six items to stay balanced with the other classes.

I played a fighter (sword and board) in a low magic campaign and quickly found that BAB and feats alone weren't enough to keep the fighter viable for very long compared to the classes with scaling class abilities. It wasn't that my fighter couldn't participate, but he couldn't fill his niche well as an effective melee combatant.

To be fair, I didn't realize how dependent that fighter would be on magic items, and I could have built him to be more effective if I'd had more experience outlining character progressions.

 

[prosfilaes]

I've been in games where if the players could not get a pair of Gloves of Dex +2 or Headband of Wisdom +4 (the DM was being realistic and not letting people use the back of the DMG as a Sear's Catalog of Magic gear),

Realistically, the reason players want them is the same reason characters want them is the same reason they'd get made. Stat boosts are useful for anyone, and just about everyone here probably has a stat-boosting item they'd jump at if they were real. I don't care how dorky it would make me look; I'd constantly wear a Headband of Intellect. Any wizard who could make one would make one for himself if he couldn't get a better one elsewhere, and would be in demand among other wizards for Headbands.

But a lot of the other stuff is a lot less interesting. A ring of feather fall would only be in demand by those who suspect they might fall (rock climbers, acrobats). A ring of water breathing would only be in heavy demand by people who took scuba lessons (non-magical water breating.) Etc, etc. (Being forced to cut this short.)

 

[Celebrim]

These cost as much as +2 or +4 to an ability. Which is better occasionally falling and geting a little damage or +2 to hit +2 on damage every attack?

Not drowning.

In my experience, things which give you an absolute advantage are more important than things that give you a relative advantage. An item that gives you +2 to hit, +2 to damage only gives you a relative advantage, particularly compared to an ordinary +1 magic item. An item on the other hand which gives you a complete pass on common hazards - drowning, falling, heat, disease, etc. - gives you an absolute advantage. If you have to choose one or the other, choose the absolute advantage and sacrifice a bit of relative advantage.

As for a flying item, its not important that it lets you fly for a long time. If you can fly for just 5 minutes a day, that's just huge.

 

[IceFractal]

See I like niche items, but I often do tend toward getting the utilitarian ones, for a couple reasons.

First off - they're always on, not limited uses per day or charged. I don't really like single use or even limited use items, because they tend to either get hoarded against theoretical future emergencies, or wasted when they weren't really needed. That ring of three wishes - sounds great, but you just tied up a large chunk of wealth in an item that you'll always be wondering whether to use, and will probably regret using when you do.

Secondly, as mentioned in the article, they don't require time to activate. Quite important in the case of ambushes.

And third, most of the interesting niche items are highly overpriced. I'll see stuff like an item that gives you a fairly minor bonus for a few minutes a day, and costs as much as a +2 stat item. That is not a good buy, unless you only fight one battle a day and know about it ahead of time.

 

[The Human Target]

I run campaigns that are pretty varied and usually only have one main combat and maybe one or two minor ones per 5 hour session.

My players tend to carry a lot of the more odd "non-Big Six" magic items, because I usually leave a lot of them as treasure.

But at the end of the day, they keep the cloaks of resistance and Rings of Protection etc on as their default gear if they have them.

Because they have a lot bigger chance of being attacked by owlbears in the forest and needing a strong AC than they do falling into a giant water pit and needing to breath.

Its just logical.

And add onto the fact that characters really do need the big six items as the game is currently designed.

Stat out two exactly identical 12th level fighters. Give one the standard Bix Six items for his level. Give the other none of them, and equip him with more miscellaneous magic. See which one on average lives longer, hits more, and for all intents and purpose is the "better" fighter. The first one is going to win out unless the DM caters situational to his gear.

Compare a Cloak of the Manta Ray ( 7,200 gp) to a Cloak of Resistance +2 (4,000 gp.)

Unless in a game heavily inclined to salt water encounters, the Cloak of Resistance is going to see literally a thousand times more use. And its 3,200 gp cheaper.

I do think that random +something items get tedious. The same way I get bored with random +something feats, and class abilities etc.

But thats the way its currently designed.

 

[kenobi65]

In my experience, things which give you an absolute advantage are more important than things that give you a relative advantage.

But, all of the "absolute advantage" items that you name protect you against things that may or may not come up in a particular adventure.

Necklace of adaptation? A wonderful item on adventures where you encounter poison gas or similar hazards; no use at all in others. Depending on the campaign, it might be something that's useful on a regular basis, or only once in a blue moon.

Belt of giant strength? If you're a melee combatant, useful every time you're in a fight.

 

[Endur]

I like the part where the half-orc barbarian with an intelligence of 8, wisdom of 6, and charisma of 6 gets the same price for his magic items as the bard with int 14 and charasima 16. Not only that, but the half-orc knows exactly which magic items he wants to buy.

 

[cthulhu_duck]

I'm surprised that the big six is missing bags of holding or other such devices.

They seem to be amid the top three in my local gaming.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Partly this just shows to me just how narrow most DM's campaigns must be if the good stuff basically just means, "What helps me most often in a straight up pitched conflict" Where are the rings of featherfall? The water breathing items? The necklaces of adaptation? The items confering energy resistance? Where are the items that confer flight?

In general, the lack of available slots means you have to make a very hard choice about what to spend your gold and/or the party caster's XP on. The extra +1 to hit and damage on my sword is likely going to see far more use than a Ring of Feather Fall. Even then, that can be built into another item, it's cheap enough. I almost always get an unslotted Necklace of Adaptation, because it's dang useful, but if the DM cared about that sort of thing, I'd hold my breath and go with my Periapt of Wisdom instead.

Brad

 

[drothgery]

I like the part where the half-orc barbarian with an intelligence of 8, wisdom of 6, and charisma of 6 gets the same price for his magic items as the bard with int 14 and charasima 16. Not only that, but the half-orc knows exactly which magic items he wants to buy.

The low-mental-stat half-orc barbarian gets a flaming greatsword +2, belt of giant strength, and cloak of resistance because that's what all the mighty warriors in every saga he ever heard wore. Or because his fellow adventurers advised him, or even crafted the items for their meatshield devoted friend and ally.