Pathfinder 1E Paizo's Ultimate Equipment book...

[Treebore]

I finally noticed it is out, so what has its reception been like?

 

[Wycen]

Well, it has new stuff in it, but also the old stuff. I suppose to be ultimate it has to include everything, though I don't know if it really is everything. What about all the stuff scattered in Guides and Pathfinder modules, etc? Is that in there?

Our sandbox DM has a copy and the wizard for that game picked up a copy since he's the character with the most magic crafting skills. The DM said he was going to use the random charts in it from now on because there are magic items he knows he wouldn't pick for us if left to his own devices.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I thumbed through it at my FLGS and it looks really good. I'll be putting it on my XMas list though - no gaming stuff for me for quite a while after the Reaper Miniatures Kickstarter!

 

[Treebore]

I thumbed through it at my FLGS and it looks really good. I'll be putting it on my XMas list though - no gaming stuff for me for quite a while after the Reaper Miniatures Kickstarter!

Tell me about it, I would of had this on pre order if not for that Kickstarter.

 

[MerricB]

It's an inconsistent book. It doesn't have every item in it (it lacks the Grave Candles from Council of Thieves for one), and displays, at times, some appalling editing. Its use of the format from the Beginner Box also makes some of the entries look dreadful. The colour choice for rings is unbelievably bad.

Also, it looks like Paizo skimped on the art. Having some entries have artwork next to them while not next to others isn't good. There's no rhyme or reason to it (I expect it's because they've done item cards for some items but not others).

They've revised the magic item generation tables significantly. (As such, the book doesn't work as a source for stocking cities; we have to wait for the Ultimate Campaigns book before that part of the revision is done). I'm not really a fan of having the random tables spread throughout the book, but at least there's a table for the TYPE of weapon or armour now.

What I really dread about the book is that Paizo will take it as another excuse to not include stats for items in adventures. More and more, Pathfinder modules can be played if you have a computer with access to the internet, but otherwise you need an insane number of books to play them... and I'm not a fan of this trend.

Otherwise, the book looks fine, but it's really hard to tell how useful it is until I've used it a lot more in play. At least it makes it easier for me to find the poisons.

 

[Stormonu]

As MerricB said, the reprinting of a lot of items from the Core book and the ugly beginner box formatting on the colored pages turned me off from purchasing this. If it'd had the beginner box formatting OR colored pages, I might have bought it (there's still the issue of repeating stuff from the Core book) - but having both is just repulsive.

 

[N'raac]

What I really dread about the book is that Paizo will take it as another excuse to not include stats for items in adventures. More and more, Pathfinder modules can be played if you have a computer with access to the internet, but otherwise you need an insane number of books to play them... and I'm not a fan of this trend.

That's a tough call. For some, having everything in the module is very desirable (especially for outliers like a single item, a single spell or a single creature, from a less "core" rulebook). For others, they bought the rulebook(s), so why are they paying for a reprint of that material, rather than new content (a criticism also easily levied at the Equipment Guide).

Running games, I normally prepared in advance, so I either had the books I needed, or extracts (one or two items I need the Equipment Guide for? I'll just write a summary and remove a book from the stack). Gaming in a location where the books are available for reference works too - everyone does not have to carry a copy of every book if we can reference the ones less commonly required as needed.

I'm also seeing the mobile device aops, but I prefer my dead tree, thanks.

 

[kalgani]

As MerricB said, the reprinting of a lot of items from the Core book and the ugly beginner box formatting on the colored pages turned me off from purchasing this.

I like the new formatting. you can argue over the coloring in some parts, but it is going in the right direction, because (for example) you can find your chapter without opening the book now.

for me this is a formidable book. that ultimate does not mean that there is anything in, we know since ultimate magic... sad but true.

when you compare it with the awful formatted Adv. race guide you will see that finding something in this book is much easier, even than in any other earlier published rule book.

 

[Kinak]

What about all the stuff scattered in Guides and Pathfinder modules, etc? Is that in there?

As a rule, no. Ultimate Equipment is setting-neutral, so anything Golarion-specific is out.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[ShinHakkaider]

It's usefulness for me lies in the fact that while I'm a subscriber to their RPG line and AP line there a bunch of their books that I dont have. Some of those books have magic items in them. This book has most of those magic items in one place / book.

Did I realistically expect this book to have EVERY magic item in it? No. There are people who were complaining that the book didn't have items in it from the most recent AP (which at the time was Skull & Shackles) in it. These people are woefully ignorant of production cycles and how publishing works but apparently that doesn't matter. Are there probably items that are older than Skull & Shackles that should be in the book? Probably. but I havent come across them yet and I'm not sure that they would be that big of deal breaker for me. I'm just happy to have the bulk of this stuff in this big ass book.

The Equipment generation tables are also a huge plus for me as a GM.

Paizo has always reused art as by far art is probably the most expensive part of a book to produce so might as well get their money's worth I guess.