Compensating for ability boosting items.

[Nonlethal Force]

Maybe this has come up before ... but I had an idea. How would this work for a low magic D&D world?

I've found that typically a character has an magic weapon that adds to BAB and then 2 to 4 magic items that increase ability scores.

So:
1. Every character receives an additional point to their BAB every 4 levels. [These additional pluses do not increase the rate that itterative attacks occur]

2. Every four levels the character receives a +1 to damage as well. [This is to compensate for the lost plusses on magic items.]

3. Additionally, at levels 2-5 a player picks a different ability score to improve by +1. Every five levels after the chosen ability goes up by +1. Thus a character could improve one ability score at levels 2, 7, 12, 17 ... a second ability score at 3, 8, 13, 18 ... a third ability score at 4, 9, 14, 19 ... and a fourth ability score at levels 5, 10, 15, 20. This House Rule replaces the current ability improvement gained at multiples of 4. Furthermore, the chosen ability scores must alternate between physical (STR, DEX, CON) and mental (INT, WIS, CHA). Thus, if a player chose to improve physical at level 2 then they would have to choose to improve mental at 3, a different physical at 4, and a different mental at 5.



I would assume that this might alter power levels, but then again the players are limited to improving only four ability scores and only up to +4 where currently you can get magic items to take you as high as +6. However, these plusses also don't go away in an anti-magic area so while weaker they are more often useful.

Would this work? The above numbers were off the top of my head ... so there is nothing really special about them. I figure any house rule gets tweaked. What is important is to have a baseline that can be altered - not having it absolutely correct in the beginning.

The only thing I can't figure out what to do with is an equivalent of things like Tomes/Manuals.

 

[Palladion]

Of the prominent Wizards of the Coast staff I can remember off the top of my head, Andy Collins does away completely with stat boosting items (i.e. gauntlets of ogre power, headband of intellect, etc.). One of the proposed way to "compensate" for this is to give PCs an ability score boost every even level (starting at 2nd level), but a PC cannot raise the same ability score twice in a row.

However, in a low magic world, I would not change the rules around just because the setting's premise changes. Because it is low magic, PCs expect to be underpowered and just need to make more of their characters rather than depend on magic.

 

[Ciaran]

I've found that typically a character has an magic weapon that adds to BAB

Magic weapons also increase damage dealt, so any increase in BAB should also include a corresponding increase to damage.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Magic weapons also increase damage dealt, so any increase in BAB should also include a corresponding increase to damage.

Great point. That will be edited above.

However, in a low magic world, I would not change the rules around just because the setting's premise changes. Because it is low magic, PCs expect to be underpowered and just need to make more of their characters rather than depend on magic.

This premise I don't agree with. One might be able to argue that classed characters would be balanced against each other ... and I can at least hear that argument. But there are enough high level creatures that assume magic item boosting that it wouldn't be right. In another thread in a different forum I stated for example: I'd hate to be a 20th level party facing a Balor if I was underequipped.

 

[Machiavelli]

So?


A good DM tailors encounters to present a challenge to his/her players without overwhelming them in a non-fun manner. Overwhelming them in a stressful, ultimately rewarding manner is another matter, of course, which is why a Balor against under-equipped characters can actually be FUN. If all you do is toss a few dice, then SPLAT goes the party, but the DM (remember, he/she is in direct control of the NPCs) can have the Balor make a mistake or two, allowing cunning players to take it down or eliminate the need to harm it at all.

Voila! Not everything needs to work out exactly the way a statistical analysis says it should. Not every encounter needs to include dice. And not every monstrous NPC needs to be optimized for party destruction.

 

[ValhallaGH]

A good DM tailors encounters to present a challenge to his/her players without overwhelming them in a non-fun manner.

And good houserules maintain most of the balance found in the core rules, though they may do it in a different way.

Voila! Not everything needs to work out exactly the way a statistical analysis says it should. Not every encounter needs to include dice. And not every monstrous NPC needs to be optimized for party destruction.

I completely agree with this.

Nonlethal Force, you may find that spoiler tag in my signature of interest.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Yeah, I've heard a bunch about Iron Heroes. Unfortunately I've never been able to get to a place where I could look at it. It is something I've been interested in for some time now, though.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

but the DM (remember, he/she is in direct control of the NPCs) can have the Balor make a mistake or two, allowing cunning players to take it down or eliminate the need to harm it at all.

True, but as a player I know what certain creatures are capable of doing. If in every encounter the DM starts having the creatures mess up or even pull punches I would get ticked off. As a DM I do that sometimes just to make it real but I try to play the combat opponents to the best of their ability because that's what I want my DM to do to me.

Voila! Not everything needs to work out exactly the way a statistical analysis says it should. Not every encounter needs to include dice. And not every monstrous NPC needs to be optimized for party destruction.

I agree with this. Most of my games are 95% RP and 5% combat. I like it that way. ButI'd also like it even more if the 5% combat didn't depend on magic items to make it balanced, too.