Magic Item Compendium

[Nyeshet]

I am hoping to see a notable absence of the new magic item format.

ditto

but I expect that is exactly what we will see. It should be interesting to see where the cut off point is. Will all the environment books be included in it? What about the Complete series (likely minus Complete Mage, of course)? Which book will we be able to look to and say "it did not include items from this book or any book published after this book?

I have not yet decided if I will get this book. I'll wait to hear more about it first (format, number and types of items, non-item extras (such as charts, etc), reviews, excerts, and so forth).

 

[Eytan Bernstein]

There are definitely a significant number of new items in this book (and no they are not mostly scrolls, wands, and other expendables).

 

[delericho]

I'll be getting this. Then, I'll do as I did with the Spell Compendium, and tell my players, "the magic items in this and the DMG are all the magic items you can select. If you want something else, you have to research it in-game."

Truth be told, the Spell Compendium has seen surprisingly little use at my table, something that actually disappoints me somewhat, and I expect the same to be true here. The major thing my players seem to want the supplements for is the Prestige Classes, and I expect to not see a PrC compendium and time soon.

 

[Thanee]

Maybe there is still hope and the book will contain a workable version of the metamagic rods (after the FAQ has ruined them completely ). Like the Spell Compendium with all its 'hidden' errata.

Maybe there are even some cool items in there, not just +1 to this +1 to that.

Bye
Thanee

 

[delericho]

Maybe there is still hope and the book will contain a workable version of the metamagic rods

I would be surprised if the book contained any magic items from the DMG.

 

[Thanee]

Yeah, you are probably right there.

Bye
Thanee

 

[MerricB]

The new magic item format is a lot like a spell description; it takes up slightly more space than DMG descriptions, but a lot less space than the really expanded listings in some recent books. (DMG2?) It includes a listing for what slot an item uses.

Cheers!

 

[JVisgaitis]

Not really looking forward to it. A few months after its released, 4e will probably be out.

 

[Jedi_Solo]

I will be getting this as soon as it comes out.

I don't care if it it is all new items or if it is all reprinted items (I know what the blurb says - who knows what will actually happen). One book to collect most of the oddball gear my PC will end up having (and thus likely lower the amount of time I need to track down who something is specifically worded)? Sign me up!

 

[DethStryke]

As a DM, I don't really use anything aside from the Core Rulebooks.

As a player, more than one game I'm in tend to open up the available options. Everything is under DM approval, but if I don't even know about it then I can't very well get approval.

Since I do not really purchase any of the extra books (don't use them for my games), the Spell compendium was exactly what I needed to play spell casters in the other games. Rather than buying every book for a handful of new spells, I have one book that doesn't duplicate the Core books (which I already paid for - five times for the PHB alone if you count the three 3.0 versions and the 3.5 ones for my wife and I) and give me just the few things I wanted out of the rest.

It is hands-down one of the most useful books I've seen released IMO. As a DM, I think the magic-item compendium will be almost as useful. I would not approve PCs using/referencing it in my games though - magic items should be mysterious and I tend to change small things about them all the time for flavor and to give a new twist to my 20+ year players.

Every now and again I think a Compendium for Feats would be nice.

As to magic items for lesser used slots (vest/shirt for example), I simply make my own... Shirt of Intellect +2! The enhancement bonuses don't stack, so no throwing on a headband of intellect with it. I've done that so long, I can't even remember if that's a real rule or my house rule.