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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 6372421" data-attributes="member: 92511">I'd like to see magical foci (special holy symbols/relics for clerics, maybe a particular natural crystal or rare herb for druids, and rods/wands/staffs for arcane users) that offer some bonus to their spellcasting...maybe adding to saves against particular magics as well.I would also like to see, and given how they have rolled out classes (gaining new class features with the first few levels) I guess it is a possibility, for magic items that &quot;scale&quot; (for lack of a better term). That is, with powers that increase/get better/&quot;unlock&quot; more powers/secrets from the device as the PC increases in level/the longer they have [&quot;attuned to&quot;] the item. This goes for everything from the fabled Staff of Wizardry: the low level spell abilities might be right off...but you need to have and use it for a level or 2 before you get the 2nd level spell effects...3 levels for the 3rd level spell effects...to the +1 Sword...which, after using it for 1 level, turns out to be a flame blade...which, after 3 levels more, turns out to be a long-unused/&quot;sleeping&quot; white dragon or frost giant-slayer of legend...etc.&quot;Intelligent&quot; swords would be great for this as they always have weird-seeming extra powers...and gives some story/fluff basis for the traditional idea of their &quot;ego.&quot; A +1 short sword that turns out to have been some ancient faye-/elflord's blade that is, ya know, basic +1 weapon and gives you +1 to CHA/interactions with elves &amp; sylvan creatures...a couple of levels later, it's +2, can transform into a longsword on command and the bonus now applies to saves against enchantment magics, and it can Charm Person 1/day...a couple of levels later it's +3 (to attacks, charm saves, and all interactions) and adds Sleep/Charm Monster/allow telepathic contact with faye creatures/what have you.Ye olde Cloak of Elvinkind could start out with the LotR style &quot;blending/camouflage against natural surroundings&quot; [any attack/movement/sound negates] to the &quot;semi-invisibility&quot; (noticed 1 on d6, I think it began as) of the original item, and eventually to full-on &quot;Sheila the Thief&quot; invisibility cloak! Would also lead, I suspect, to a lot less &quot;magic item trade-in&quot;, as the longer you keep/use the item, the better it becomes.It wouldn't surprise me to hear of other systems that might already do this. I think it would make/help the 5e assertion of magic items being more &quot;special&quot; and &quot;different&quot; than previous editions and plays nicely with the &quot;attune&quot; mechanic already in place. Just instead of &quot;unlocking&quot; the item all at once, it comes in steps. I think it could be largely applied to any magic items (I mean, not &quot;one shots&quot; like potions or scrolls, obviously).I think this would be a great way to design magic items in any world.Afterthought: Maybe one of the things that make artifacts truly &quot;OMG IMMENSE COSMIC POWER ARTIFACT!!!&quot; is that all of their powers are available all at once/immediately. hmmm...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 6372421, member: 92511"] I'd like to see magical foci (special holy symbols/relics for clerics, maybe a particular natural crystal or rare herb for druids, and rods/wands/staffs for arcane users) that offer some bonus to their spellcasting...maybe adding to saves against particular magics as well. I would also like to see, and given how they have rolled out classes (gaining new class features with the first few levels) I guess it is a possibility, for magic items that "scale" (for lack of a better term). That is, with powers that increase/get better/"unlock" more powers/secrets from the device as the PC increases in level/the longer they have ["attuned to"] the item. This goes for everything from the fabled Staff of Wizardry: the low level spell abilities might be right off...but you need to have and use it for a level or 2 before you get the 2nd level spell effects...3 levels for the 3rd level spell effects...to the +1 Sword...which, after using it for 1 level, turns out to be a flame blade...which, after 3 levels more, turns out to be a long-unused/"sleeping" white dragon or frost giant-slayer of legend...etc. "Intelligent" swords would be great for this as they always have weird-seeming extra powers...and gives some story/fluff basis for the traditional idea of their "ego." A +1 short sword that turns out to have been some ancient faye-/elflord's blade that is, ya know, basic +1 weapon and gives you +1 to CHA/interactions with elves & sylvan creatures...a couple of levels later, it's +2, can transform into a longsword on command and the bonus now applies to saves against enchantment magics, and it can Charm Person 1/day...a couple of levels later it's +3 (to attacks, charm saves, and all interactions) and adds Sleep/Charm Monster/allow telepathic contact with faye creatures/what have you. Ye olde Cloak of Elvinkind could start out with the LotR style "blending/camouflage against natural surroundings" [any attack/movement/sound negates] to the "semi-invisibility" (noticed 1 on d6, I think it began as) of the original item, and eventually to full-on "Sheila the Thief" invisibility cloak! Would also lead, I suspect, to a lot less "magic item trade-in", as the longer you keep/use the item, the better it becomes. It wouldn't surprise me to hear of other systems that might already do this. I think it would make/help the 5e assertion of magic items being more "special" and "different" than previous editions and plays nicely with the "attune" mechanic already in place. Just instead of "unlocking" the item all at once, it comes in steps. I think it could be largely applied to any magic items (I mean, not "one shots" like potions or scrolls, obviously). I think this would be a great way to design magic items in any world. Afterthought: Maybe one of the things that make artifacts truly "OMG IMMENSE COSMIC POWER ARTIFACT!!!" is that all of their powers are available all at once/immediately. hmmm... [/QUOTE]

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