Magic items in Keep on the Borderlands

[ThirdWizard]

where this many come from?

Okay, okay, in my experience. Actually, not in my personal experience. I didn't play until 1990. What I'm going off of is my players' outright astonishment that I would make them cast identify (or get it cast) to know what a magical item did. I was wondering why they were just passing up magical items... apparently they didn't realize they had to cast detect magic!

 

[Quasqueton]

Magic weapons glowed.

Magic armor weighed noticably less than normal.

Any mention of "cloak and boots" = elven cloak and boots.

Any mention of a mundane item (rope, hat, etc.) = "miscellanious" magic item.

Wands and staffs didn't look like sticks and branches; and often had the command word on them or with them. And just saying the command word (that you heard the BBEG speak) while holding the item set it off.

You could taste potions to discover the effects.

Rings -- you always cast detect magic on rings.

Etc.

Identifying magic items (not in the spell sense) was easy.

Many DMs told the Player what the bonus on the item was (+1, +2, etc.) after using it a while. Cursed items were rare (1 in 100?).

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

Any mention of a mundane item (rope, hat, etc.) = "miscellanious" magic item.

what did the hard cheese do?

 

[Quasqueton]

what did the hard cheese do?

Attracted rats. Similar to the pipes of the sewer. ;-)

Quasqueton

 

[diaglo]

Attracted rats. Similar to the pipes of the sewer. ;-)

Quasqueton

sweet. i'll have to use that. iirc, the party in the current campaign still has some of it.