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<blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 68276" data-attributes="member: 913">To get back to the original question:I wouldn't worry too much about the increase in power that allowing PC's to buy magic items will bring.&nbsp; The designers have gone to great lengths to balance magic, and as long as the PC's remain within the guidelines, everything should work out well.&nbsp; It also helps if you avoid allowing one character to have a single item worth more than 1/2 of the total recommended wealth for that character's level.&nbsp; The real challenges to balance will come from exceedingly powerful effects, rather than an amalgamation of lesser effects.&nbsp; Consider that at high levels, their opponents should have very powerful abilities that the lesser defenses will only partially negate or may be wholly useless against.&nbsp; As an example, it's great to have a ring of resistance +5 and Great Fortitude when you're targetted by Finger of Death, but Power Word:Kill doesn't care about that namby-pamby fortitude save.&nbsp; As another example, your ring of displacement will work wonderfully against the 12th level fighters who haven't chosen to learn the Blind-Fight feat (it's a great feat, btw), but the 16th level fighter with the Goggles of True Seeing isn't going to care one whit.At any rate, you should also remember that the designers factored in item destruction when they balanced the treasure tables.&nbsp; I think I remember reading that they expected the party to lose roughly one major, non-expendable item each level.&nbsp; As far as flavor/feel of the campaign goes, I think it decreases the enjoyment of the players if you don't allow them to create or purchase magical doohickies with their hard-earned wealth, especially once they have access to magics such as wind walk, plane shift, etc.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Schmoe, post: 68276, member: 913"] To get back to the original question: I wouldn't worry too much about the increase in power that allowing PC's to buy magic items will bring. The designers have gone to great lengths to balance magic, and as long as the PC's remain within the guidelines, everything should work out well. It also helps if you avoid allowing one character to have a single item worth more than 1/2 of the total recommended wealth for that character's level. The real challenges to balance will come from exceedingly powerful effects, rather than an amalgamation of lesser effects. Consider that at high levels, their opponents should have very powerful abilities that the lesser defenses will only partially negate or may be wholly useless against. As an example, it's great to have a ring of resistance +5 and Great Fortitude when you're targetted by Finger of Death, but Power Word:Kill doesn't care about that namby-pamby fortitude save. As another example, your ring of displacement will work wonderfully against the 12th level fighters who haven't chosen to learn the Blind-Fight feat (it's a [u]great[/u] feat, btw), but the 16th level fighter with the Goggles of True Seeing isn't going to care one whit. At any rate, you should also remember that the designers factored in item destruction when they balanced the treasure tables. I think I remember reading that they expected the party to lose roughly one major, non-expendable item each level. As far as flavor/feel of the campaign goes, I think it decreases the enjoyment of the players if you don't allow them to create or purchase magical doohickies with their hard-earned wealth, especially once they have access to magics such as wind walk, plane shift, etc. [/QUOTE]

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