Magic Item Property: Add 1 Surge ??

[Aulirophile]

If you put on such an item, you gain a surge. If you take off such an item, you lose a surge. If you are at zero surges, you take damage equal to one-half your level for every surge you are "below 0." So no, it isn't exploitable.

 

[Istar]

Sounds fair to me.

Just one item for every slot then that you can get this, belts and rings might just be.

When chips are down.

Put these 2 items on for the last fight, and get some health back.

Thanks guys, excellent.

 

[Jack99]

I'm a little confused by the question here.

Are you referring to an item like the Iron Ring of the Dwarf Lords, which says, "Property: Gain one healing surge"?

If so, when you put on the item, you gain one surge. If you take off that item, you lose that surge - so you can't just trade in and out multiple ones to gain more surges.

If you are at 0 surges and use the item... I imagine the DM could well declare you to be at -1 surges. Which doesn't directly hurt you in any way, just keeps the math correct if you later gain more surges. I see nothing to indicate this wouldn't be the case.

Other DMs might declare that if you lose a surge when you have 0, you take damage equal to your surge value. Others might let this trick work, assuming that if you are out of surges anyway, you have a good chance of dying in any fight.

While it's true that it isn't RAW in this case, nearly every power or ritual that requires spending a surge or losing the surge does specify that if you have no healing surges remaining, you take damage equal to your healing surge value.

If you put on such an item, you gain a surge. If you take off such an item, you lose a surge. If you are at zero surges, you take damage equal to one-half your level for every surge you are "below 0." So no, it isn't exploitable.

Actually, losing a surge while not having any makes you take damage equal to your level (see for example rules on drowning, DMG1 page 159).

That said, I find that rule silly (at 1st level you lose 1 hit points, which is around 1/25 of your hit points, and at 30th level you lose 30 hit points, which is a lot bigger fraction of your hit points), and I rule that players lose hit points equal to a surge value.