selecting magic items for PCs

[Gilladian]

I want to give each of my four players in my current campaign a magic item that will "grow" with them over time. I let them each tell me what sort of item they would like (at least 3 of the four did).

But I'm a little stumped as to what abilities/powers to give the items. We're playing E6 3.5edition. The first item is a longsword (for a fighter), and here's what I've come up with for it:

Level 2: +1 longsword
Level 3: Adds +2 to Move Silently checks
Level 4: Anyone hit by the weapon with a critical hit is affected by a silence spell effect, as if cast by a L5 caster.
Level 5: +2 longsword
Level 6: Move Silently check bonus increases to +5

For the paladin:
Greatsword +1 at L2, but what else?

For the wizard:
Quarterstaff +1 at L2, but what else?

For the rogue:
unchosen item (not a weapon, not magic boots), what powers?

This is a very dungeon-oriented game.

 

[kitcik]

Forget quarterstaff. Give the wizard some Bracers, They could improve AC and Dex and stuff like that.

Give the rogue some boots: striding, springing, speed, elvenkind type effects.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Are you familiar with the book "Weapons of Legacy"? This entire supplement is about weapons and items that grow with characters.

 

[Gilladian]

The wizard already has the quarterstaff, so it is a given. The rogue's player had magic boots in the last campaign and specifically DOES NOT want boots again.

These are items that are meant to grow and change over time. I guess bracers could be good for the rogue, actually. Maybe bracers that increase initiative bonus, maybe add to tumbling and acrobatics skills, could work...

 

[Gilladian]

Are you familiar with the book "Weapons of Legacy"? This entire supplement is about weapons and items that grow with characters.

I've heard of it, but do not own it and have not read it. So it won't help me in this given situation. I'm not in the market for a whole book! Any specific suggestions?

 

[Axel]

The best bet is to tie the bonuses to the skills and abilities that the player wants the character to use, or their signature abilities. For example, there is little benefit to giving, let's say, a Cleric +1 on spot checks as other characters (Rogue, Ranger etc) almost always have better spot checks than the Cleric.

The fact that they are all weapons is sad, as you've missed a good opportunity... Magical enhancements are almost always welcome. Other benefits could be:

- Bonuses to initiative.
- Bonuses to AC.
- Fast healing effects.
- Spell recall effects (similar to Pearls of Power).
- Bonuses to caster level (overall or for specific schools).
- Freedom of movement or other utility spell (e.g. invisibility) effects.

 

[kitcik]

It must be very campaign specific as I would not normally expect a fighter's signature item to have a bonus to move silently and a small chance of casting a silence spell.

 

[Empirate]

That's OK, gets a unique flavor this way. "Blade of Eternal Silence" or some such. Like it.


Paladin's Greatsword:
L3: Doubles Detect Evil range, confers all information normally granted by concentration on the spell immediately.
L4: Always acts as if under the effect of Bless Weapon.
L5: Evil creatures struck are Shaken (Will DC 10 + 1/2 Paladin level + Cha bonus negates) for (Paladin's Cha bonus) rounds on a successful critical hit.
L6: Can channel Lay on Hands ability into Undead target struck.

Wizard's Quarterstaff:
L3: Acts as a Pearl of Power I.
L4: Extends range at which Touch spells can be delivered as if Wizard were one size category larger.
L5: Acts as a Pearl of Power II (on top of L3 ability).
L6: Acts as a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend, Silent, Still, and Enlarge Spell each 1/day.

Rogue gets a Cape:
L2: Can use Invisibility as a full-round action 1/day by wrapping self into cape (CL=character level).
L3: +4 to Hide checks.
L4: use Improved Evasion in place of Evasion 1/day, can be declared after failed save.
L5: the Rogue can wrap the cape about a foe's head (standard action, touch attack), cape then grapples foe on its own (use the Rogue's BAB and Rogue's Dex mod instead of Str mod; cape has the Improved Grapple feat). The cape deals 1d6 + Rogue's Dex mod damage on each successful grapple check, and obscures the target's vision (treat as blinded). When the target escapes the grapple, the cloak falls to the ground inanimate.
L6: the cape spreads into cloth wings which can be used to fly 1/day (as the spell, CL = character level).

 

[Gilladian]

It must be very campaign specific as I would not normally expect a fighter's signature item to have a bonus to move silently and a small chance of casting a silence spell.

Yeah, there are two things going on with that particular weapon - first, it was an item that was already "in the dungeon" and has backstory there - but it's perfect for this character, as she has a fear of certain types of sound, and is always trying to keep up with the rogue to get him out of "scouting trouble" incidents.

The PCs picked their "item" - so the fact that 3 of the 4 are weapons is their own fault!

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I like Empirate's ideas. Some other possibilities for various items could be:

Short range teleport (in line of sight, max range maybe 50 feet or something like that, maybe grants the character an advantage against whomever (s)he teleports next to).

Some kind of 'blast' effect, like thunder or something like that, or an electrical attack perhaps, maybe something that dazes the target and pushes it back 5-10 feet. Probably nice for a wizard trying to get an enemy off his case.

Some kind of minor summoning. The weapon calls the spirit of a past hero to fight for the party. This might only work once in a while (once a month or something). The summoned hero would be equal in level to the PC and could have any of a variety of minor capabilities (ghostly and hard to hit, can cause fear once, whatever else makes sense). Maybe different spirits could be available at different levels or a more minor spirit could be summoned often and a better one once in a great while.

How about some non-combat options? An item that allows the PCs to commune with the spirit of an ancient dragon. The spirit might be wiley and even deceptive, but being a dragon it is knowledgeable and has a big ego too, so the PCs can get some interesting information out of it now and then.

An item that figures in the myths of some enemy race. When they recognize "Orc Cleaver" being used against them that enemy loses morale and might flee, surrender, or bargain with the wielder.

You could build an item set too. Maybe there are several items that do very minor things, but if you have several of them you can get better effects (in lieu of level based effects, you can obviously give out the different items as the PC levels up so the effect is the same).

An item with a strong affinity to some other plane of existence so that its owner finds that when he wanders the paths of the Deadly Forest strange paths lead him and his companions into the woods of Arvendor or something like that.

Well, that's what I can think of right off the top of my head.