DM_Blake
First Post
I'm not trolling here; I'm genuinely curious.
I've read a bunch of threads where a bunch of people have posted about items tht add +x to some D&D value, such as +2 to hit, or +4 to Strength.
Many people really dislike these kinds of items.
One argument against them is that "they are required". I take this to mean that in 3.5e, many encounters are set to a certain EL (Encounter Level) which expects that the player(s) have these types of items to successfully engage them. Wouldn't want to have to fight a monster that requires a magical weapon to hit it if you don't have magical weapons.
But, what is the alternative?
Assumption: we're sticking to traditional D&Dish fantasy here. Not going Arthurian, not going Eberron, not going to any other campaign setting where magic is unusually common or unusually absent - those campaigns are fine in their own right, but they are supplemental settings. They are not core concepts.
So, what would you want to see instead of a +2 sword?
Would we eliminate them altogether? Have no magic swords? Or only have Sword of Sharpness, Flaming Sword, etc., but without any bonus to hit or damage? Is that the solution?
If we did that, we would then need to rebalance the monsters to make them appropriate for player(s) without these +x modifiers. But then what if someone had one anyway? What if Boris the Fighter has a +2 sword in a game system where he doesn't need it? Wouldn't he be overpowered? In this scenario, would we have to just rule that such items don't exist so Boris cannot have his +2 sword? Give him a Cloak of Elvenkind instead?
Or would the solution be to take the +x bonuses away from all items and add these bonuses to character abilities instead? This way the player(s) have these bonuses, and can challenge the appropriate EL monsters, but aren't reliant upon a "Christmas Tree" of magic items?
So, what is a good alternative for a D&Dish setting?
I've read a bunch of threads where a bunch of people have posted about items tht add +x to some D&D value, such as +2 to hit, or +4 to Strength.
Many people really dislike these kinds of items.
One argument against them is that "they are required". I take this to mean that in 3.5e, many encounters are set to a certain EL (Encounter Level) which expects that the player(s) have these types of items to successfully engage them. Wouldn't want to have to fight a monster that requires a magical weapon to hit it if you don't have magical weapons.
But, what is the alternative?
Assumption: we're sticking to traditional D&Dish fantasy here. Not going Arthurian, not going Eberron, not going to any other campaign setting where magic is unusually common or unusually absent - those campaigns are fine in their own right, but they are supplemental settings. They are not core concepts.
So, what would you want to see instead of a +2 sword?
Would we eliminate them altogether? Have no magic swords? Or only have Sword of Sharpness, Flaming Sword, etc., but without any bonus to hit or damage? Is that the solution?
If we did that, we would then need to rebalance the monsters to make them appropriate for player(s) without these +x modifiers. But then what if someone had one anyway? What if Boris the Fighter has a +2 sword in a game system where he doesn't need it? Wouldn't he be overpowered? In this scenario, would we have to just rule that such items don't exist so Boris cannot have his +2 sword? Give him a Cloak of Elvenkind instead?
Or would the solution be to take the +x bonuses away from all items and add these bonuses to character abilities instead? This way the player(s) have these bonuses, and can challenge the appropriate EL monsters, but aren't reliant upon a "Christmas Tree" of magic items?
So, what is a good alternative for a D&Dish setting?