I like the new approach on magic items

[Razz]

How the hell are magic items created then?

The XP and GP factor was perfect. It helped adjucate how much power a character has worth in magic items and it balanced the power level out. Thanks to XP cost, feats, and GP costs you didn't have PCs stocking up on a million different magic items, scrolls, etc.

How the hell is 4E handling this exactly with all that taken away? Sounds like power abuse to me. Again, the more I hear on 4E, the less I am liking it.

 

[Stalker0]

My guess is it will use some kind of crafting points system like the artificer.

However, I have my fears.

As much as I dislike xp for crafting it balances things nicely. Character trade personal power (XP) to gain power through a magic item.

Without this cost, why would a character not create magic items? And what's to stop them from being too much (other than the dm saying no, which of course, could be the path they are planning to go).

 

[blargney the second]

Magic Item Compendium was a step in the right direction. I'm keen to see how they handle magic items in 4th.

 

[Simplicity]

How the hell are magic items created then?

The XP and GP factor was perfect. It helped adjucate how much power a character has worth in magic items and it balanced the power level out. Thanks to XP cost, feats, and GP costs you didn't have PCs stocking up on a million different magic items, scrolls, etc.

How the hell is 4E handling this exactly with all that taken away? Sounds like power abuse to me. Again, the more I hear on 4E, the less I am liking it.

XP was terrible. It focused all of the cost on the one poor schmoe who tried to act in the party interest. GP is fine and probably is still included. I count see a once per day crafting skill that costs X gold to use and gives you a crafting "token" if successful. Each item costs some number of crafting tokens to make. You can't abuse it too much because you only have so much gold and there's opportunity cost in spending it. There's a risk of failure on each check, and you need a full day to craft.

 

[Khairn]

How the hell are magic items created then?

The XP and GP factor was perfect. It helped adjucate how much power a character has worth in magic items and it balanced the power level out. Thanks to XP cost, feats, and GP costs you didn't have PCs stocking up on a million different magic items, scrolls, etc.

How the hell is 4E handling this exactly with all that taken away? Sounds like power abuse to me. Again, the more I hear on 4E, the less I am liking it.

Apparently a lot of the control will be up to the individual GM's with only a general guideline in the books. I forsee a lot of munchkins arguing for incredibly powerful 1st lv characters with +5 Defenders, Vorpal Garrotes, and Rods of Resurrection by saying "There's nothing in the rules that says I can't!"

I wonder how this will play in the RPGA?

XP was a little painful, I never saw a problem with feats, and I really liked our house rules that used "time to create" as the controlling element. A Rod of Ressurection would take a year worth of effort to create, requiring 8 hrs a day on all but Holy Days for that patricular faith.

 

[Agamon]

I don't like it. I thought this was one of the great innovations of 3E. Yeah, they could do something to eliminate the XP hit, but handwaving item creation is a step backwards.

 

[Klaus]

I must disagree. While any rule can be considered a guideline, as presented on paper, 3e magic creation was cut, dried and smoked. Compared to previous editions there was no risk, no adventure involved, it's all academic.

And I must disagree with your disagreement. The rules, and the Rules of the Game articles in WotC's site, said that the final cost determined by the formulae should be compared to existing items, to the Wealth By Level guidelines and whatnot, to prevent an item from becoming too costly to make a difference, etc. I should know, I wrote an article on the subject for a Brazilian RPG magazine.

 

[Simplicity]

XP was a little painful, I never saw a problem with feats, and I really liked our house rules that used "time to create" as the controlling element. A Rod of Ressurection would take a year worth of effort to create, requiring 8 hrs a day on all but Holy Days for that patricular faith.

What is wrong with using gold plus time to create? If your realm has a superwalmart of magic, your players can go down and pick up some good potions and wands already using their gold. Surely there IS some gold price where magic item creation becomes underpowered (1 BILLION gold for a cure light wounds potion). And there is a gold price where magic item creation is overpowered (1 BILLION cure light wounds potions for 1 gold). The trick is just finding the inflection point.

 

[Treebore]

There is still gold piece cost to control when and how much magic will be made. Thats been far more of a control in the games I DMed and played in than XP's ever were.

Plus, if its like I suggested, A DM will have an oppening to require "special components" that the DM will be able to control however much they wish, there by controlling magic item creation even better than gold and XP's ever did.

Of course now we will hear cries of "uber jerk DM's who control everything". As if the 3E rules ever stopped such a thing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I wonder how this will play in the RPGA?

They'll just ban magic item creation and be done with it, I suspect.