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Message: <blockquote data-quote="paradox42" data-source="post: 3449448" data-attributes="member: 29746">Well, the existing table and system are clearly and obviously based on the notion that a feat is worth a +1 bonus on an "item" whatever you mean by that (the armor/weapon divide does sort of screw that up). If you're sticking to that estimate, then I'd say leave it as it is, but then again I'm generally a man who likes complexity and weaves as many interlocking details into a game creation as possible. The fact that my own game doesn't use the core rules except as a base to build upon (I make changes to every single race and class among other things) is a fairly obvious manifestation of that personality quirk.It is, however, a Good Idea to make the table explicitly show what the equivalent weapon bonus is, and what the equivalent armor bonus is- particularly since there will logically be abilities that fall in between the "base points" of Immortal ability-equivalents, like Universal Energy Blast. If the primary standard is the gold/XP cost of putting the ability into the item, then a separation of weapon from armor is definitely needed for clarity if nothing else.The Codex I might slightly agree with, but I disagree with the Throne. It's immobile, its original powers were just giving you one wish or a magic item, and it hasn't appeared in any published adventures that I'm aware of.I'd say the most iconic D&D artifacts are probably the Hand and Eye of Vecna, minor though they may be compared to the mighty Codex (or Throne if you're so inclined). They've been in several published adventures, they've led to more "urban legend" type stories than any other D&D artifact (how many variations on the "Head of Vecna" story have you heard?), and their creator has steadily risen in the ranks of the "D&D Mythos" to becoming an actual god in 3.X.As for why the Machine of Lum or Heward's Mystical Organ had more power slots than the Throne, I'd say it's because they were supposed to be huge, complex devices with tens or even hundreds of possible combinations of levers to press, knobs to pull, etc. It makes sense that they'd do all sorts of wacky things- if I remember correctly, they both had as many curses associated with them as beneficial powers- and what you got from activating the device was random unless you had a sequence for the power you wanted. It doesn't mean that all their powers were actually all that "powerful" as such, though certainly they were supposed to have a few that were.Of course, now we'll have to castigate you for your merciless teasing hints of this unreleased book's rules...But in the meantime, how about Archetypes? Presumably these beyond-artifact items would be representatives of the forms from which all actual artifacts are derived?Of course, if you mean specifically, objects beyond those that mere gods can create, objects created by the Sidereals, then I'm already calling those Cosmic Artifacts in my own game. Have been for a while, since my Epic party found themselves the Codex of the Infinite Planes (which is just such an artifact in my game- assumed to be a lot more powerful than it usually reveals and in particular, more than is revealed in the official rules). They even have more than one Cosmic Artifact now, though they know their stewardship of at least one of the items is temporary at best.</blockquote>

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