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Should the +1 Sword Exist in 5E?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 5847236" data-attributes="member: 59082"><p>I hear your overall point but this isn't an entirely fair assessment. Said creatures aren't harmed by +3 items because they're "+ three of something" but because they're magically imbued enough to bypass their defenses, which translates into game terms as "+3." Think of a creature that isn't entirely physical; it can only be hit by "+ something" weapons because only weapons of that degree of power can "touch" the subtle plane the creature exists on.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I agree that a "+something" item on its own is rather boring, but that's before it is "fluffed up." WotC did a poor job of this, especially with 4E, but I think some responsibility lays on the DM. "You find a +3 longsword" is boring; "You find a rune-carved blade that shimmers with a bluish light as you heft it" is more interesting.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Again, I agree with you and feel that the most important thing is that magic items feel, well, magical - and this has as much or more to do with the story behind them as it does with the magical effects in terms of game mechanics. I just think that getting rid of bonuses altogether is barking up the wrong tree. That said...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I agree. In my campaigns for some time now I've generally interpreted a +1 weapon to be no more or less than a very well crafted masterwork weapon. This could theoretically be pushed to +2 being a "grandmasterwork" item - something forged by a true master of the craft. </p><p></p><p>Now this would work well if one wanted to get rid of higher bonuses. Perhaps magical items are, by definition, also masterwork or grandmasterwork items because only really well-made items can "hold" the magic, otherwise they break. So all magic items are either +1 or +2 - it just depends upon the quality of the physical weapon bonus (maybe to give it a bit more range one can add a third bonus, a +3 "legendarywork" item for the truly finest crafted items). </p><p></p><p>Any other magical effect would be something other than a bonus; in other words, the bonus only has to do with how well it is crafted as a mundane item, not whether it is magical or not.</p><p></p><p>So, in other words, all magic weapons would have a +1 to +3 bonus, but that only has to do with the quality of the physical item itself. The magic is some kind of effect or power.</p><p></p><p>I'm not saying this is the way to go, but that it is one approach that might work.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercurius, post: 5847236, member: 59082"] I hear your overall point but this isn't an entirely fair assessment. Said creatures aren't harmed by +3 items because they're "+ three of something" but because they're magically imbued enough to bypass their defenses, which translates into game terms as "+3." Think of a creature that isn't entirely physical; it can only be hit by "+ something" weapons because only weapons of that degree of power can "touch" the subtle plane the creature exists on. I agree that a "+something" item on its own is rather boring, but that's before it is "fluffed up." WotC did a poor job of this, especially with 4E, but I think some responsibility lays on the DM. "You find a +3 longsword" is boring; "You find a rune-carved blade that shimmers with a bluish light as you heft it" is more interesting. Again, I agree with you and feel that the most important thing is that magic items feel, well, magical - and this has as much or more to do with the story behind them as it does with the magical effects in terms of game mechanics. I just think that getting rid of bonuses altogether is barking up the wrong tree. That said... I agree. In my campaigns for some time now I've generally interpreted a +1 weapon to be no more or less than a very well crafted masterwork weapon. This could theoretically be pushed to +2 being a "grandmasterwork" item - something forged by a true master of the craft. Now this would work well if one wanted to get rid of higher bonuses. Perhaps magical items are, by definition, also masterwork or grandmasterwork items because only really well-made items can "hold" the magic, otherwise they break. So all magic items are either +1 or +2 - it just depends upon the quality of the physical weapon bonus (maybe to give it a bit more range one can add a third bonus, a +3 "legendarywork" item for the truly finest crafted items). Any other magical effect would be something other than a bonus; in other words, the bonus only has to do with how well it is crafted as a mundane item, not whether it is magical or not. So, in other words, all magic weapons would have a +1 to +3 bonus, but that only has to do with the quality of the physical item itself. The magic is some kind of effect or power. I'm not saying this is the way to go, but that it is one approach that might work. [/QUOTE]
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