Otterscrubber
First Post
One of the problems that has bothered me about magic items is the bonus to hit and damage they grant. Especially on weapons that dont have any other kind of "magical" power or effect to them. Along with armor and necklaces that add to your non-AC defenses. This makes characters very dependent on their gear. In prior editions of D&D any class other than a spellcaster (especially a divine one or spontaneous caster) was totally gimped without their equipment. I mean they just sucked.
4e addresses this with the bonuses every other level to attack rolls and defenses, but to still be a threat to monster or in combat with at level creatures a PC MUST have magical gear to compensate. This has not sat well with me, but it was my DM in our last session that decided to propose some changes as he just didn't like the fact that having to have all this amazing gear (a dragon hoards worth of gear on each character as he said) kept a party looking for gold or loot just to improve their own gear. Not to buy a castle or raise an army, but when you are high enough level you are most likely spending your $$ on hard to get gear, either buying it or making it. Heaven forbid if you were a two weapon wielding melee character, you made it a full time job trying to get matching sets of weapons (or your DM was just nice to you).
In any event, our DM has proposed completely removing the "plusses" from magic items and replacing it with an intrinsic +1 to attack, damage and AC on every level that ends in 3 or 7, which stacks with the bonuses received at even levels. Magic items still retain their other magical properties, but now they are just magical for whatever that benefit is, rather than helping a PC to hit and damage. This has the added benefit of still making a high level character very deadly without their normal gear. But they will want their magic items for added effects, but it's still possible for them to lose their gear without being reduced to peasant status (yes that is a bit of an exaggeration).
I'm wondering if anyone else has used rules like this in their campaign and what they though of it?
4e addresses this with the bonuses every other level to attack rolls and defenses, but to still be a threat to monster or in combat with at level creatures a PC MUST have magical gear to compensate. This has not sat well with me, but it was my DM in our last session that decided to propose some changes as he just didn't like the fact that having to have all this amazing gear (a dragon hoards worth of gear on each character as he said) kept a party looking for gold or loot just to improve their own gear. Not to buy a castle or raise an army, but when you are high enough level you are most likely spending your $$ on hard to get gear, either buying it or making it. Heaven forbid if you were a two weapon wielding melee character, you made it a full time job trying to get matching sets of weapons (or your DM was just nice to you).
In any event, our DM has proposed completely removing the "plusses" from magic items and replacing it with an intrinsic +1 to attack, damage and AC on every level that ends in 3 or 7, which stacks with the bonuses received at even levels. Magic items still retain their other magical properties, but now they are just magical for whatever that benefit is, rather than helping a PC to hit and damage. This has the added benefit of still making a high level character very deadly without their normal gear. But they will want their magic items for added effects, but it's still possible for them to lose their gear without being reduced to peasant status (yes that is a bit of an exaggeration).
I'm wondering if anyone else has used rules like this in their campaign and what they though of it?
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