Magic Item Compendium

[The Grackle]

I think body-slots are not a great way to control magic item use and abuse. It's a relic of the old editions. Now we have bonus types that don't stack and THAT's the real way magic items are managed.

Personally, I like the idea of a character with one or two reallly powerful items than one with a hundred different items all over (and orbiting) his body.

 

[Jhaelen]

My main concern is that some of the new items are so cheap, many players will have no problem crafting slotless versions of them or add them to other items (assuming the DM allows it). I think some of the balance of these items is the slots they take up, when you remove that they may become too powerful for their cost.

Imho, with the advent of the MIC the DMG guidelines for pricing magic items have become obsolete.

Basically the 'behind the curtain' sidebar on page 233 explains that any attempt to create reliable formulas to determine an appropriate price of magic items is doomed. It stresses that the DMG is just there to provide estimates; no more no less.
So, no DM should feel obliged to allow slotless versions of items for double the normal price (or allow slotless versions at all).

 

[James McMurray]

What? I can no longer accost my DM with cries of "but the table says I can be permanently large for 2,000gp!"? What is this game coming to.

 

[Stalker0]

Is that how it works? I thought it only worked on the genero-bix-6-items. Combining boots of speed and boots of elvenkind and boots of S&S might not work, but making your boots add a +2 enh to saves might.

I don't know though, I haven't looked at the book yet.

For these, you do have to pay more. But the initial benefit is so cheap paying 50% more is no big deal. What I'm suggesting is the cost of the slot is implicit in the cheap cost of the item (aka, the fact that you wear these boots prevents you from wearing other boots). When you can start combining items, some of the abilities they grant are too cheap imo.

 

[Doug McCrae]

By the MIC, adding +2 dexterity to a pair of Gloves of Manual Prowess now costs just 4000gp instead of 4000*1.5 = 6000. But what if I already have gloves of dex and want to add the manual prowess feature (base cost 3000)? Would that cost 3000 or 4500gp?

 

[Felon]

Can you remind me what the Exit Wound property did?

Basically, you could thread your enemies with a projectile. The weapon did 1d6 extra damage and allowed at a shot at any targets in line behind the initial (albeit with the -4 penalty for soft cover).

That's the sort of thing that's lame as a feat or class feature, as it's more dependent on the weapon's function than any skill an archer might have (yes, I'm aware of the feat in PHBII that does something like that--like I said, kinda lame).

 

[Moon-Lancer]

By the MIC, adding +2 dexterity to a pair of Gloves of Manual Prowess now costs just 4000gp instead of 4000*1.5 = 6000. But what if I already have gloves of dex and want to add the manual prowess feature (base cost 3000)? Would that cost 3000 or 4500gp?

I cant think of a reason why it shouldn't work both ways, can anyone else?

I just got this yesterday. Man it makes me exited about magic items. this book is A+ at the moment. I give it a few weeks for it to settle to a B+ or A

 

[blargney the second]

I just got a confirmation from Amazon that my Complete Loot is on the way. *happy dance*
-blarg

 

[Kerrick]

Kerrick's point is that your magical power was partly limited by the fact you had only so many slots to take up. If you wanted to free up slots, it either cost you 50% more (add it to another slot) or 100% more (slotless).

That's exactly what I meant, thank you.

I think body-slots are not a great way to control magic item use and abuse. It's a relic of the old editions. Now we have bonus types that don't stack and THAT's the real way magic items are managed.

"Body slots" weren't formally introduced until the advent of d20. Before that, there were just guidelines as to what you could wear and where, and how many (one ring/hand, e.g.). I agree, though, that using ability affinities with the slots makes a bit more sense.

Imho, with the advent of the MIC the DMG guidelines for pricing magic items have become obsolete.

The MIC made them obsolete because the designers pretty much ignored them and made their own. Case in point: adding multiple abilities to an item is now 1.5 times the lower ability cost, instead of 2 times the higher one. This rule in particular is the largest part of my problem with the stacking abilities system - a smart player who wants an ability-boosting item will get himself something cheap, like boots of levitation, and add in a Dex bonus at cost, instead of the price of the entire item x1.5 (or the lower price x1.5, depending on which system you use).

Personally, I like the idea of a character with one or two reallly powerful items than one with a hundred different items all over (and orbiting) his body.

But... this book is encouraging the latter, by making everything cheaper, and making combining abilities cheaper also. Which is my second major gripe with the book - players were limited in the number of items they could have by the number of slots they had and, to a lesser degree, by their wealth, if they're made from scratch). You're still limited by slots now, but with the cheaper costs for combining things, you free up slots for other things - more magic items.

By the MIC, adding +2 dexterity to a pair of Gloves of Manual Prowess now costs just 4000gp instead of 4000*1.5 = 6000. But what if I already have gloves of dex and want to add the manual prowess feature (base cost 3000)? Would that cost 3000 or 4500gp?

4,500 gp. Ability bonuses added to an item don't incur the x1.5 cost, but everything else does.

 

[Cheiromancer]

By the MIC, adding +2 dexterity to a pair of Gloves of Manual Prowess now costs just 4000gp instead of 4000*1.5 = 6000. But what if I already have gloves of dex and want to add the manual prowess feature (base cost 3000)? Would that cost 3000 or 4500gp?

4,500 gp. Ability bonuses added to an item don't incur the x1.5 cost, but everything else does.

Ugh. I hate it when the order you add things makes a difference. Those items *should* have the same price. Not that I'm contradicting your interpretation of the rules; I'm just expressing a desire for the rules to be otherwise.