Have you ever broken apart a normal magic item?

[Creamsteak]

Bracers of Archery, Gloves of Dexterity, Gauntlets of Ogre Power and such are all magic items that don't function when seperated. I'm thinking that next session I'm going to drop off a single Gauntlet of Ogre Power as treasure, but the other gauntlet is nowhere near. I'm thinking of not even having the other gauntlet pop up as treasure for the simple purpose of it being an interesting item and not one of necessary value.

Have you ever done this? Would you do this?

Some important things that I'm forced to consider are aspects like "Does the gauntlet work with any other single Gauntlet of Ogre Power?" and "Does the gauntlet still retain 1/2 of the market price of a pair, or is it reduced significantly to 1/4 or worse?" Obviously the answer to the first could effect the second since a Gauntlet that is only useful with it's sister-gauntlet would be nearly worthless.

The way my players are, I'd suspect that upon finding the single gauntlet they would spend hours searching the area where it was found for the other half upon finding out that it is magical. After that point, I imagine they would keep it with them indefinitely, always wondering where the other one is. The way I'm including the gauntlet as treasure is that it will be worn by an NPC who found it on the dead body of another adventurer who lost his other gauntlet when his arm was bit off by a monsterous creature of some kind (to be brought in later if desired).

I'm liking this idea the more I work with it since I could make it useful at any point later in the campaign, either as a key item of some kind or possibly having it's matched gauntlet included, or even one of those "you must insert a magic item here to be destroyed in order to pass" sorts of situations where, although any item could be used, the gauntlet would be the best candidate for some reason.

 

[Elephant]

I think it sounds interesting. The idea that popped immediately into my head was, of course, "Can the gauntlet be paired with any other similarly-enchanted gauntlet, or does it have to be *the* specific sister-gauntlet?" If a new one could be made to match it, I imagine the impact on the party's path will be rather minimal.

Of course, making just ONE Gauntlet of Ogre Power would be a rather odd request, and they ARE typically made in pairs, so the party would probably be better off just commissioning a new set and tossing the old one.

 

[Piratecat]

There was a 1e monster that bit off hands and feet; half of paired magic items were often found in its lair.

I think it might be fun to turn one gauntlet into a plot hook. Maybe the owner of the other comes tracing it, or it has half a treasure map stitched into the lining.

 

[thatdarncat]

I think it might be fun to turn one gauntlet into a plot hook. Maybe the owner of the other comes tracing it, or it has half a treasure map stitched into the lining.

Or the other half is still in the monster - a monstrous, magical gizzard. If the PCs follow up and track down the monster, they cut open it's gizzard and get the other gauntlet.... and one bracer of armour, one boot of speed etc.

Some important things that I'm forced to consider are aspects like "Does the gauntlet work with any other single Gauntlet of Ogre Power?" and "Does the gauntlet still retain 1/2 of the market price of a pair, or is it reduced significantly to 1/4 or worse?" Obviously the answer to the first could effect the second since a Gauntlet that is only useful with it's sister-gauntlet would be nearly worthless.

Depends on how magic works in your campaign. I'd have it work with any Gauntlet of Ogre Power created by the same magic user or possibly anyone who studied under him, or went to the same school etc. Same style/methods of enchanting the item make them compatable.

 

[MarauderX]

I took the idea of two Elven boots from an OD&D module, as you couldn't get good results unless you had both. One boot was in the mayor's house in his daughter's room (a present to her from her father) and the other was in a werewolf lair. It was one of the pieces of evidence that the PCs could have used to show the village who the werewolves were.

 

[drnuncheon]

If you really want to upse the PCs, have them find another gauntlet of ogre power...for the same hand.

That brings up a related issue:

Could a one-armed man wear that single gauntlet and get the strength bonus?

I'd be inclined to say 'yes', as his 'glove' slot is completely filled with the item. In the rare case that he's got a friend missing the other arm, the fact that they can effectively get magical gauntlets at half price just doesn't seem like that big a deal compared to the obvious hinderances.

So, basically, I'd say a one-armed man would be willing to pay full price. Anyone else would probably find it not worthwhile.

J

 

[Umbran]

Have you ever done this? Would you do this?

If it were for plot or scenario reasons - like the werewolf or gizzard monster examples below, sure. But if it's for no other purpose, I probably wouldn't. If I'm going to annoy the players, I want there to be some point or payoff for doing so.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I'm thinking that next session I'm going to drop off a single Gauntlet of Ogre Power as treasure, but the other gauntlet is nowhere near. I'm thinking of not even having the other gauntlet pop up as treasure for the simple purpose of it being an interesting item and not one of necessary value.

Have you ever done this? Would you do this?

Yes, I've done things like this. Sometimes it's a plot warning ("Hey, I found a steel guantlet of ogre strength here on this ledge! Hmmm, wonder what all this reddish dust everywhere is?") othertimes it's a result of character actions (amazing how much stuff gets destroyed when you use Bigby's Hand to hold him in a vat of acid), and on rare occassions just to irritate them.

I think of them as useful in-character side arcs. How much effort do they put into it, where do they do research, can I use it as a hook to something else, etc. The character doesn't *have* to deal with the items since they can always sell it as a curiosity for a fraction of its value (which is still greater than zero).

 

[shilsen]

Make sure the single gauntlet also has a single finger still inside it.

 

[Rel]

The idea I like along these lines is to introduce the first half of the pair "before the adventure". Have a lowly street vendor or maybe even a beggar approach the party. He has a single gauntlet (or glove or boot) that he swears up and down is magical and he wants to sell it to a group of obviously powerful individuals like the party. It detects as magical but (if they can get it Identified) it turns out to the the "useless" half of a set.

Perhaps the group buys the item anyway for a relatively low price (200 GP? Still a fortune for the beggar). Or perhaps they kindly decline the offer. Maybe they roughly shove the beggar out of the way and admonish him for wasting their time. Whatever their reaction, it becomes significant when...

...they later find the other half on their further adventures.

If they treated the beggar badly, he might decided to up his price when they come back to town obviously interested in purchasing the matching gauntlet.