D&D 4E Legacy Weapons Match 4e

[JoeGKushner]

1. They take a lot of gold to use.

2. They are more than just one type of item. This reduces the amount of items and gives players something 'cool'.

3. They increase in power as the character levels and allows the character and the item to grow as one.

Opinions? Been discussed to death already?

 

[Beckett]

Be interesting to see something like this. As is, D&D makes it hard to hold on to your father's ancestral blade, because it just can't compare with the +3 Flaming Sword you found in the dragon's lair.

As I recall, you could put all sorts of bonuses into a legacy weapon- sure, there were the typical enhancement bonuses and weapon abilities, but you could also build in Resistance bonuses to saving throw or ability modifiers.

And with wizards apparently having a similar reliance on staffs and wands that fighters do with weapons, it would be fitting for each character to have a personal legacy weapon- one unique cool magic item for each character.

 

[ZappoHisbane]

Be interesting to see something like this. As is, D&D makes it hard to hold on to your father's ancestral blade, because it just can't compare with the +3 Flaming Sword you found in the dragon's lair.

As I recall, you could put all sorts of bonuses into a legacy weapon- sure, there were the typical enhancement bonuses and weapon abilities, but you could also build in Resistance bonuses to saving throw or ability modifiers.

And with wizards apparently having a similar reliance on staffs and wands that fighters do with weapons, it would be fitting for each character to have a personal legacy weapon- one unique cool magic item for each character.

Totally agree here, especially how we've heard that fighters will gain specific abilities based on their weapon selection. Doing this would let the DM get away from feeling obligated to include a shiny new Dwarven Urgosh in every third treasure haul to keep the Dwarf Fighter from feeling left out. Of course dealing away with that trope just leaves us with a new one, with every adventurer having a weapon that was handed down to them from their great-grandpappy or something.

Note however that as it stands right now you cannot choose what enhancements go into your legacy weapon. You're stuck with the progression spelled out in the weapon's description, save for DM's discretion of course.

 

[pawsplay]

You left out the part where they stink like stinky cheese, require extensive bookkeeping, rewrite the Knowledge check rules, and make players cry.

 

[Zamkaizer]

You left out the part where they stink like stinky cheese, require extensive bookkeeping, rewrite the Knowledge check rules, and make players cry.

In before "Just like 4E!!1!"

 

[pawsplay]

Ha!

 

[ForumFerret]

You left out the part where they stink like stinky cheese, require extensive bookkeeping, rewrite the Knowledge check rules, and make players cry.

That's true, but I love the IDEA of legacy weapons. I love the idea of characters and weapons being intrinsically related. I want players to be attached to their gear, not just gaff it over the second they see another blade with a better enhancement bonus.

I also like Legacy weapons because they can allow for magic items to be a bit less common - and cinematically, the descriptions almost write themselves!

"And lo, here trod Cairn the Demonslayer, whos axe Hornsmiter was quenched in the blood of the Demon Lord Anrethsh and from it burned with the very flames of perdition."

To me, as both a player and a DM, that kind of organic enhancement would be awesome. I've always hated that any significant attachment to the gear I started out with is useless, because in 3 levels I'm way behind the curve if I haven't traded up for the next more powerful weapon in the arsenal.

I'm all for Leagcy-esque weapons, and hope that they are core. I -do- hope they revamp the requirements for Legacy weapons, though. As noted, they're a mechanical and bookkeeping headache. I'd rather see them simplified a bit, and at the very least not be mechanically inferior to the randomly generated treasure one might find in a horde. Give me a reason to keep the sword of my grandfather, and I will. I could see some kind of system similar to Eberron's Artificer recycling - bringing your current weapon and some 'better' magical item to a wizard to have the power in the new weapon given over to your personal sword, or even a feat tree or something for wizards or combat classes that would, given enough expenditure on materials, allow the player to migrate the bonuses themselves.

Heck, I'm likely to house rule such a beast into existence if it doesn't show up pretty quickly in the core rules.

 

[Stalker0]

Legacy weapons were a great concept, but they had some mechanical problems. Mainly the fact that you had to gain permanent penalties to wield the weapon, and these were often worse than the bonuses you gained!!

I'm cool with spending gold in an elaborate ceremony to increase your legacy weapon. Its 3e item crafting with no xp cost and the serial numbers filed off. But from a flavor standpoint, lots of people prefer it.

 

[pawsplay]

That's true, but I love the IDEA of legacy weapons.

Don't worry, you weren't the only one taken in.

 

[JohnSnow]

That's true, but I love the IDEA of legacy weapons.

Don't worry, you weren't the only one taken in.

I love the idea. However, I liked the implementation much better in the form of Covenant Items from Fantasy Flight's Midnight campaign setting. So much so in fact that I never bought Weapons of Legacy.

Covenant Items didn't require you to "put a level" into unlocking the item's abilities, that just naturally happened as you levelled up. I don't know how mechanically "balanced" it really was, but it seemed to work out fine.