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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ferratus" data-source="post: 4802953" data-attributes="member: 55966">I myself want the shtick.  I want Wonder Woman's bracers, or Bilbo's ring of invisibility.   I should clarify that I don't want a low-magic game.  I'd like the magical items the characters pick up to be important if they are taking up a body slot, an integral part of their powers suite.  So the minor daily abilities which give a slight tactical advantage and are forgotten aren't really items I want to spend body slots on.  Especially if they have names like "Gauntlets of Ogre power".Gauntlets of Ogre Power will always be to me the Gauntlets of Ogre Power used by the Tethyrian Thieves Guild leader, "Cruelty's Mask" a sadistic Lovitar worshipper who controlled her guild because she had the strength of an ogre.  This is getting easier the more magical items come out.   As a DM, I would hand out the cloak of invisibility and forget the ring ever existed for example.  I don't hand out any magical items that have just a flat +X bonus, but only ones that also out a new trick that matches the flavour text of the item.   I get the feeling that the combat tactic is decided first and the magical item is given a name second, which makes it feel like a device or tool rather than a magical item.I'm also frustrated at the difficulties that the +X puts on playing magical items of the type I like.   It is too late to switch over to houseruling the +X items out until the next campaign, and there are many instances when having a power locked away in an appropriate item would be very handy.  If I collected a series of wands as a wizard for example, it might make me excellently flexible war wizard.  However, as the current model stands, I have to get rid of the wands just because the +X doesn't keep pace with me.  If I'm supposed to toss away wands after a few levels, the wands might as well have charges in them like they used to.The one part of 4e magical items I've been exceptionally pleased with is the artifact rules.   This is probably why I have already handed out three.  I'm seriously considering for my next campaign doing exactly what has been mentioned upthread by PirateCat and Rechan, namely giving each item a variety of powers that you can unlock, essentially making every item lesser artifact (though unintelligent and doesn't move on when it is finished with you).edit: I should clarify that I'm not down on less powerful magical items either, since I like things like collapsible campsites and spoons that fill empty bowls with porridge.  Maybe if the Gauntlets of Ogre Power were called "Gauntlets of Feat of Strength" or the ring of invisibility was called "ring of daily disappearance"  I'd be happier with them.</blockquote>

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