Enchant Item Ritual (over powered?)

[Syntallah]

The Enchant Item ritual says "touch a normal item and turn it into a magic item".

So, the party wizard can essentially just look through the books, find an item he likes (that is his level or below), drop a few gold, and tah dah, he has all the magic items he wants. The only limitation is his gold supply. Not only this, but he can it for all his party members too.

Doesn't this seem a little over powered? Or am I over reacting?

 

[Ferghis]

You're over-reacting.

First, what the ritual can do is limited by the amount of components the party has. Given the way prices escalate, this is a real issue.

Second, uncommon and rare items need DM permission to be made. For either category, the DM can simply say, "you need a special thing to make that, and you don't have it."

Third, 4e limits the amount of items you can use with item slots (weapon, head, armor, etc.), with the exception of wondrous items. So you can make as many neck items as you want, but you'll only have one equipped at any given time. So there's less utility in having many items that fill the same slot.

 

[Trit One-Ear]

Since the cost of the ritual is the same as buying the item, it doesn't really change a player's capability of earning magic items. The only real difference it makes is it gives the player more choice than the DM about what items the team wants. Plus it takes an hour per item enchanted, so if time is an issue that could be a draw back.

Ultimately, I don't see this ritual as that powerful. Unless you're handing out gold to your heroes like their breath mints, they should have a realistic limit to the number of items they can enchant. If they want an arsenal of magic items but no money for renting rooms at inns, bribing information, etc, so be it. Also, if their choices start to be a bit overpowered (they min-max their items and powers in a way you find troublesome) I would feel justified as a DM to say "Sorry, that enchantment is too complex for you to understand without X Y or Z."

 

[S'mon]

The Enchant Item ritual says "touch a normal item and turn it into a magic item".

So, the party wizard can essentially just look through the books, find an item he likes (that is his level or below), drop a few gold, and tah dah, he has all the magic items he wants. The only limitation is his gold supply. Not only this, but he can it for all his party members too.

Doesn't this seem a little over powered?

No - you still need a normal, non-magical, version of the item to begin with. Then you also need the reagants or residuum costing the full market gpv of the item (I would deduct the cost of the normal version of the item from that, though. In some cases like the non-magical masterwork armour needed to make +3 masterwork armour that may equal the entire cost of the item).

Per Essentials, you may only be able to make Common items. In any case, the GM should determine what items the PC is aware of and can create - a high INT PC with History training may know a lot, perhaps every item in the PHB of his level or below, but not every item every WotC designer has ever thought of.

 

[the Jester]

You're over-reacting.

First, what the ritual can do is limited by the amount of components the party has. Given the way prices escalate, this is a real issue.

Second, uncommon and rare items need DM permission to be made. For either category, the DM can simply say, "you need a special thing to make that, and you don't have it."

Third, 4e limits the amount of items you can use with item slots (weapon, head, armor, etc.), with the exception of wondrous items. So you can make as many neck items as you want, but you'll only have one (or maybe two, if you're dual-wielding) equipped at any given time. So there's less utility in having many items that fill the same slot.

All this just about covers it. It's a fine ritual; in practical terms, having it available means that a pc party can make items several levels lower than the party (assuming average treasure values). No biggee.

 

[Syntallah]

snip

Per Essentials, you may only be able to make Common items. In any case, the GM should determine what items the PC is aware of and can create - a high INT PC with History training may know a lot, perhaps every item in the PHB of his level or below, but not every item every WotC designer has ever thought of.

I am unfamiliar with the bolded text above. There is no mention of this in the Compendium. What is the source?

P.S. Thanks for all the insight gang.

 

[the Jester]

I am unfamiliar with the bolded text above. There is no mention of this in the Compendium. What is the source?

P.S. Thanks for all the insight gang.

Rules Compendium and, I believe, the DM's Kit.

The problem with the item rarity system is that it hasn't been fully implemented- most old items are still "default uncommon" except for a pretty limited list, though I believe there is a project going on the WotC boards to update them all.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I've run a campaign up to level 14 (its still going) and even with allowing the PCs to craft uncommon items, (IMHO, its only rare items that are powerful or flavourful enough to limit) it hasn't been a problem - given the rate of gold aquisition set out in the DMG, its rare to see them buy items that are within 3-4 levels of their own.

Plus, basically its pretty much useless for items with an enchantment bonus (weapon, implement, neck, armour) as its impossible for the party/PC to get a better enchancement than they ought to be getting as treasure anyway (as they can only make up to their level, but are recieving items up to their level +4). Or the DM hasn't been providing enough such items, in which case this helps the PCs from suffering TOO much from that lack...

Personally, I'm glad they can craft their own stuff - I'm not using inherent bonuses, so 75% of the items I give are enhancement bonus items, drastically limiting the number of items the party had. Now that we've hit paragon and they are able to comfortably make/buy heroic tier items, they've been able to flesh out their slots and feel a lot more like heroes (in a 3e kind of way) which both I and the players like. Plus, they've bought some interesting things that I never would have thought to buy them, like gloves of storing to put their plot item swords into (one player is paranoid of having them stolen).

And, if any of them buy/make an item that I think is broken, or try to use an item in such a way, I can always ask them to reconsider or even outright say "no".

 

[Riastlin]

As others have said, the Enchant Item ritual really isn't all that OP'd. In practical terms, it's normally going to be a bit difficult for a PC to actually enchant something of his or her level because of the way the treasure parcels work. More likely, they'll be using it to make lower level items which, in theory, could be found in stores in your world anyway (assuming you are not running a low magic campaign). As a DM, the thing I actually like about the ritual is that it allows me to send the party on long excursions/adventures that take them away from sizable towns for a few levels because they can simply craft the items that they would normally be trying to buy. As such, it gives me a lot more freedom.