D&D 4E Magics Items in 4E

[Votan]

I was thinking about what would be my favorite improvement between 3rd edition and 4th edition D&D. The more that I think about it, the answer is magic items.

Now I do not object to magic items that are part of the ability set of a character. If a wizard's staff is part of his power than that is perfectly cool. But if a wizard can collect a set of magic items making them much more powerful than another wizard (as other than a type of advancement) then this can be a problem.

As long ago as 1st edition, the issue was noted that if you put two parties of adventurers into a battle, the winners would double their wealth (and be much more powerful as a result). The lower level of magic items in 1st edition and the focus on expendable items helped reduce this issue of magic item based power boost a lot.

But in 3rd edition they balanced the game around a lot of gear and made some types of previously very powerful gear very cheap (ability score boosters). This made it possible for two well built 11th level characters to be wildly different in power based on the wealth composition of encounters.

It was fine to say that it was the DMs job to make sure that wealth was "level appropriate" but this can be complex, player decisions complicate it enormously and the differences that things like crafting make are extreme. It also made generating higher level characters forced because the items purchased with start-up funds were too good and it made losing your gear a bigger penalty than death.

So if I have a wish for the next edition, it is that this flaw is fixed. Less magic items or making them part of the character itself.

That'd be my vote. Not that I have one, but it would be pleasant.

 

[Amphimir Míriel]

I would say that the ideal way to do it be;

1/ Get rid of ability score boosting items

2/ Get rid of "plain" numerical bonuses in magic weapons and items* Instead make all magic weapons and armor have at least one special quality.

3/ Make ability score increases more frequent and more effective (to compensate)


* I just gave a Greataxe+1 to a newbie player who just reached 5th level and she was all 'meh' about it
"you mean this the only thing this has is that it makes me hit slightly better"?
I made it glowing so that she could use it as a permanent torch, THAT made her happy

 

[gizmo33]

I can't imagine getting rid of ability-boosting items. Strength boosting items seem prevalent enough in folklore that I think their absence would seem strange and they would be back in some d20 book in short order.

Maybe consider costs - magic items seem really cheap to me. A ship should probably cost less than many magic items. Magic item costs are simple enough to change in order to reduce magic. It's hard for me to imagine a magic item that's not useful to someone in a way that makes them more powerful.

On top of that there is the issue of bonus stacking and similar things. If you can only use one ability-boosting item then that would change things. Perhaps combined with a more severe version of body-slots for magic items (ex. only one magic ring on either hand).

 

[Toryx]

I would say that the ideal way to do it be;

1/ Get rid of ability score boosting items

2/ Get rid of "plain" numerical bonuses in magic weapons and items* Instead make all magic weapons and armor have at least one special quality.

3/ Make ability score increases more frequent and more effective (to compensate)

I agree with all three suggestions. Magic items really have been out of control in 3.5. It seems to me that it takes the fun out of finding a magic item when a: magical enhancements of ability scores and saves are virtually necessary for survival; and b:the same types of magical items seem to be abundantly available wherever you go.

Give us stuff that do unique things in interesting ways. Forget the constant ability upgrades...those should occur from level increases anyway.

Alternatively, I do like the idea of putting limits on how many ability enhancement items you can have. Were it me, I'd allow one increase to one stat only. Or maybe, every ability score increasing item decreases another ability score as a consequence.

 

[Li Shenron]

One thing that would help is certainly abolishing different bonus types, and making bonuses from different sources never stack. IMXP the "Xmas tree effect" was often caused by the fact that 10 different +1 items (different bonus types to the same thing) costed much much less than 1 single +10 item. This was actually a wanted thing in 3e design, but I do not understand the reason behind it... maybe just some old-school idea that a +10 item should be outrageously expensive just because, but the +10 is worth the same no matter how many items provide the total.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I can't imagine getting rid of ability-boosting items. Strength boosting items seem prevalent enough in folklore that I think their absence would seem strange and they would be back in some d20 book in short order.

They could work like the old gauntlets of ogre power/belt of giant strength, setting your strength at a specific level. If the value is low enough, say 16-20 in the present system, they'll be useless at higher level.

 

[Li Shenron]

As long ago as 1st edition, the issue was noted that if you put two parties of adventurers into a battle, the winners would double their wealth (and be much more powerful as a result). The lower level of magic items in 1st edition and the focus on expendable items helped reduce this issue of magic item based power boost a lot.

I think this problem is nearly unsolvable.

A couple of years ago I planned a set of house rules to eliminate Xmas trees, and the only thing I could think about that would help against multiplying your power by grabbing the beaten enemies' loot (and the fallen comrades' loot too ), was to enforce a strict max limit of magic items carried into adventures by each character.
Any magic gear beyond the limit would not work, like the PC's "spirit" wasn't enough to activate more magic items.
If you want to change which items are usable (attuned) to you, it will take a few days at least. So carrying around a wagon of magic items beyond your limit is not very useful during an adventure; the loot in excess can be kept at home for future use however.
The limit would need to increase with the PC's level, but the good news is that the limit is actually already there: PC wealth by level table .

However I think would be too much a major change in concept, and probably most people wouldn't like the idea at all...

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I think this problem is nearly unsolvable.

A couple of years ago I planned a set of house rules to eliminate Xmas trees, and the only thing I could think about that would help against multiplying your power by grabbing the beaten enemies' loot (and the fallen comrades' loot too ), was to enforce a strict max limit of magic items carried into adventures by each character.
Any magic gear beyond the limit would not work, like the PC's "spirit" wasn't enough to activate more magic items.
If you want to change which items are usable (attuned) to you, it will take a few days at least. So carrying around a wagon of magic items beyond your limit is not very useful during an adventure; the loot in excess can be kept at home for future use however.
The limit would need to increase with the PC's level, but the good news is that the limit is actually already there: PC wealth by level table .

However I think would be too much a major change in concept, and probably most people wouldn't like the idea at all...

I did this exact thing for one short campaign that I ran, using the "Wealth by Level Guideline" as a hard and fast limit. It worked out just fine. I was originally worried that I would have a hard time getting the players to accept it... But I assured them that, using this system, I would never feel any pressure to make sure that I was not giving out too much treasure, so there would rarely be an adventure where I 'skimped' on the treasure gained.

The characters ended up with just a boat-load of treasure. And, although they were not that much more powerful in theory... If they had time to prepare for a specific event, they could bring to bear a highly effective array of magic items geared towards whatever problem I was presenting them with. The results were oftentimes quite spectacular.

Later
silver

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I can't imagine getting rid of ability-boosting items. Strength boosting items seem prevalent enough in folklore that I think their absence would seem strange and they would be back in some d20 book in short order.

How about having ability-boosting items which do not just give a plain +x all the time, but instead give you a temporary boost when you need (or think you need) it? Or items which for example give you some strength-related advantage when used or worn, but not just a +x.

 

[Hairfoot]

Maybe consider costs - magic items seem really cheap to me. A ship should probably cost less than many magic items. Magic item costs are simple enough to change in order to reduce magic.

I agree. I'm hoping that the amount of monetary treasure dispensed in 4E is drastically reduced, so that you don't have 5th level characters popping out to the 24/7 magic shoppe on a Saturday night for a sixpack of cure light wounds potions.