Magic items in Keep on the Borderlands

[Numion]

low magic has many different meanings... it is low magic too when PCs don't know they have magic items and sell them as nonmagical or give them away.

But that still doesn't explain how those items got made, if not by a legion CON-burning wizards. And that's not low magic.

Unless you're also saying that whoever made those items didn't know they were magic either ..

 

[Jupp]

Alternately, many DMs would simply say "You find a +1 sword" or "You find a wand of fireballs" even if they weren't supposed to.

See, this is the kind of DM that later did wonder how the PCs got that much magic gear
I've also seen DMs that never asked the PCs to pay for their Identify spells in later editions...And the price for Identify wasnt really a low one.

 

[diaglo]

But that still doesn't explain how those items got made, if not by a legion CON-burning wizards. And that's not low magic.

Unless you're also saying that whoever made those items didn't know they were magic either ..

think of Heston's reaction upon seeing the statue of Liberty....

 

[Henry]

where this many come from?

none of the DMs i knew did.

Anecdotal: ALL of the DMs I knew (myself and about 3 others) did.

Reason? We didn't want to have to put up with keeping track of bonuses for every player who had something magical - back in out 10 to 15 year-old days of DM'ing, paperwork was NOT a virtue, and hacking things up real good was.

 

[Numion]

think of Heston's reaction upon seeing the statue of Liberty....

I'm thinking of diaglo dodging the question :\

 

[WayneLigon]

This wouldn't happen to be another case of selective memory for the sake of nostalgy? People seem to quote 1E rules whichever way fits the current argument. I mean, you're probably correct on the rules, but people tend to change what rules were and were not commonly used in 1E. ("Nobody uses the level limits!" "1E had balance, in level limits!", for example.)

I never had to make no saves for my items after 10' falls in 1E, YMMV.

I made the assumption on Basic; Merric points out that was wrong. I never played Basic at all, but rather played in the module adapted for 1E.

Item saving throws were always used by any DM I ever played under (leading to lots of silliness like steel potion vials) but there were plenty of other rules we cherry picked according to GM; I don't remember ever using level limits, for example.

 

[diaglo]

I'm thinking of diaglo dodging the question :\

no, i'm using Mobility and Dodge with you as my selected ....to avoid the AoO.

wait for the spring attack mang.



edit: besides, as i have always stated. i suck at the rules.

 

[diaglo]

I'm thinking of diaglo dodging the question :\

i really can't (and you know this) produce any hard statistical data to support nor refute most of the claims.

so the best i and most people here can do is present anecdotal things.

the rules as guidelines. which ones are used per campaign. and how they are implemented varies then and now.

 

[Gentlegamer]

the rules as guidelines. which ones are used per campaign. and how they are implemented varies then and now.

Don't forget rule 0: THE DUNGEON MASTER IS THE FINAL ARBITRATOR OF HIS CAMPAIGN.

 

[Numion]

i really can't (and you know this) produce any hard statistical data to support nor refute most of the claims.

so the best i and most people here can do is present anecdotal things.

the rules as guidelines. which ones are used per campaign. and how they are implemented varies then and now.

"Chewbacka, a wookie, living on Endor. It does not make sense! You must find that 1E is low-magic! It makes no sense!"