Magic items - resizing and mundane detection of

[Quasqueton]

How do you handle/describe magic items resizing to fit a character? When the ogre loots the dead body of the halfling he just smashed, can he "shake out" the magic cloak to his size, or must he actually put it on for it to resize? When the halfling loots the dead body of the ogre he just took down, does the magic ring shrink when he picks it up, or must he put it on for it to resize?

Is this feature a legitimate/effective way of detecting magic? "Here, try on this ring. How does it fit? How about the boots?"

Do PCs test magic items anymore to find out their powers? Or does everyone always rely on identify now adays?

Quasqueton

 

[The_Gneech]

Honestly, it varies by item. Potions are usually readily detectable and often labeled. (Really, would you carry around a bag of potions without having them clearly marked so you didn't grab the shrink when you wanted the cure serious wounds?)

Wands, again, usually obvious that they are wands ... but what they are wands of is usually a little more tricky to figure out. Some are plain wooden sticks; some are carved into the shape of a lightning bolt; some are a star-on-a-stick with an activation word scribed on the handle...

Cloaks / rings / armor / etc. is where it really can be anywhere on the spectrum. I try to vary items a lot, depending on their history and function. A cloak of elvenkind will probably just look like a very well-made cloak until it goes into action, but I did also have one that was essentially marine camo colors, just for variety. A paladin's magic plate is probably very very shiny or possibly even glowing; a ranger's magic leather on the other hand, may just be a serviceable and possibly worn-looking bunch of tatters. As to resizing, that hasn't come up much because I have an all human and half-elf group. Most captured wearable items, magic or otherwise, can be altered to fit without too much difficulty, although there was at least one ring of elemental resistance that visibly shifted its size to fit the person holding it.

The players were afraid of that one.

Which is weird, considering they weren't afraid of the demon-possessed humanbane club they picked up later -- and that one dominated the fighter for the next three sessions!

-The Gneech

 

[maddman75]

Honestly, it varies by item. Potions are usually readily detectable and often labeled. (Really, would you carry around a bag of potions without having them clearly marked so you didn't grab the shrink when you wanted the cure serious wounds?)

THere are reasons not to as well. One game had a PC go off by himself to scout. He ran into a ghoul, and got paralyzed in the first round. Sadly, it was lunchtime and he couldn't even call out for help. Not only did the ghoul gear himself up in the PC's equipment, but he found several potions labeled 'Cure Serious Wounds'. Now ask yourself, you're a demented, intelligent undead creature with a taste for human flesh. The potions are useless to you. What do you do with them?

While many creatures would simply leave them, this one had some fun. It dumped out one of the vials and crushed the glass that contained it. It then liberally sprinkled the broken glass into the other two vials and left them for the PCs to find. They were now potions of 'Cure Serious Wounds and take 2d6 CON damage'.

It was almost three sessions before anybody drank one down.

As for the question itself, I found wondering about magic items lost its charm about a decade ago. IMC all magic items require rare glowing gems to be constructed, so not only the presence of magic but its relative power is readily visible. A well crafted longsword with a single gem in the hilt is probably +1, but a battle axe with a cluster of five on the head is probably something much greater.