Specific Items for my Characters

[Dog Moon]

To help keep the player's from switching, I was trying to create a specific, special magical item for each of them. The first is a set of eyes. The player basically lost his eyes and wished for new ones, so I'm giving him a special pair:
The eyes appear like that of a dragon cause Dragon eyes look cool.
Level Power
1 Read Magic (at will)
2 +1 Spot and Search checks.
3 Darkvision 20ft.
4
5 Eyes in the Back of Your Head (as the feat)
6 +2 Spot and Search checks.
7 Darkvision 40ft.
8 Blindsight as per the spell 1/day
9 Detect Magic (automatic)
10 See through illusions. +3 Spot and Search checks.
11 Darkvision 60ft.
12 Cannot be flanked (As the Improved Uncanny Dodge Rogue ability)
13 Blindsight as per the spell 2/day
14 +4 Spot and Search checks. Arcane Eye as spell 1/day.
15 See through even Deeper Darkness
16 Darkvision 80ft.
17 Analyze Dweomer as spell 1/day.
18 +5 Spot and Search checks.
19 Blindsight as per the spell 3/day
20 Darkvision 100ft.

The second character is a healer from the Miniature's Handbook:

This is a +4 holy defending weapon.

Has the soul of a Paladin in the weapon. The Paladin is one of those Super-I-Hate-Evil Kind of people. Fortunately, he always has detect evil active and telepathically alerts the wielder, assuming the wielder is good, though doesn't have to be Lawful. The Paladin can tell which creatures are evil within 60 feet, though he doesn not have the other Detect Evil abilities. His strength (not Strength as in the ability) is based upon the strength of the wielder. He can cast spells as if he was a Paladin of an equal level to the wielder, using the wielder's modifier. This, however, requires the wielder to give up one spell slot of each level.

The weapon itself has several powers. It can hold spells into it, two of each level. One of these must be a spell with the healing descriptor on it and the other can be of any other type of spell. However, the wielder can only use spells of levels he can normally cast. For example, a 5th level wielder can cast one cure serious into the third level spell slot. Someone else can cast fireball into it. Cure critical wounds or any other 4th level or higher cannot be cast into it. Both of these spells are based on the wielder of the staff, not the person casting the spell into the blade.

Weapon:
Alignment: LG
Sight: Blindsense, but only versus evil creatures. A creature with any alignment without E in it is not seen by the sword.
Abilities: As above.
Purpose: To kill evil.
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 22
Ego: 29

Personality: He is a VERY serious Paladin.

The third is a rogue who is duel-wielding a long sword and short sword (who is saving up for swords of subtlety:

This is actually a pair of items.
Long Sword: Of subtlety +2
Short Sword: Of subtlety throwing and returning.


Not sure what to do about the swords though...Was thinking a couple of powers for each, then bonuses for having both. Although since he'll be finding one and then the other, suddenly having all those bonuses (of which yet I have no idea) could be buff and I might make him look for a gem which belongs in the hilt which one blade has but the other doesn't. I'm not sure about the order of the eyes, if some things should be switched around (in order of power). The healer's weapon, not sure what weapon exactly and I'm not sure if I want it to be a weapon. Maybe a rod or something.

Well, I thought I'd post these to see what response I get. Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated. And don't just say 'OMG, those are too powerful.' I like making special items for characters and I don't care if they're powerful. That just means I get to throw tougher creatures at them.

 

[Bryin]

Like the idea on the eyes and paladin weapon but the rogue, c'mon. give the rogue "Gloves of the Shadow", he can litteraly disappear in shadows as if improved invisibility at will with the option to turn it off or not

 

[Roman]

Dog_Moon 2003, I like your DMing philosophy - it seems to be similar to mine. Oh, and great ideas for items!

 

[Dog Moon]

Rogue's Items

Originally posted by Bryin
Like the idea on the eyes and paladin weapon but the rogue, c'mon. give the rogue "Gloves of the Shadow", he can litteraly disappear in shadows as if improved invisibility at will with the option to turn it off or not

I've thought about stuff like that, but something that simple just seems boring to me. As you can see with the first two items, I was trying to give something a little more unique.

Anyway, for the rogue, I was thinking that instead of doing two weapons, I would do a sword and a ring (which also gives him the opportunity to create his own sword for the other option). The weapon looks like a dull gray short sword (as the sword of subtlety). On the hilt below the handle is a round groove indented into the sword. It is exactly the size of a finger. The ring is a separate item and is also dull gray with a carving of a sword circling it.
Sword: +1 throwing and returning short sword of subtlety
Ring: Invisibility
When ring and sword are combined: Immediately turns into a glove which has an effective glove of storing in each finger (thumb included). Allows the wearer to use the ring even on the weapon. Also, the wielder allows the person to cast spells as if he were an assassin of an equal level to his own, assuming he does not already have the ability to use spellcasting.
The glove appears to be a gauntlet, but in all other ways resembles a glove.

With a command word as a free action (usable once per round), the wearer can change the glove into either a sword or a ring. In sword form, the item also gives the short sword corrosive, flaming, frost, lightning, and sonic. In ring form it, it gives the wearer a luck bonus of +5 on Disable Device Hide, Move Silently, Search, and Spot. If the character has a Skill focus feat in any of these skills, the bonus is increased to +10.

Well, that's what I've got at the moment. Not sure I like the 5 element ability, but I was thinking it would be useful against suck creatures the sword can't a). bypass damage reduction and b). creatures which cannot be snuck attacked.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some years ago, there was a Dragon magazine article decrying the lack of a particular kind of magic item- those that become magic because of the way they were used.

Very common in mythology- absent in the game.

Example 1- a regular heavy spear that is used by a fighter to kill a dragon- usually against all odds and because of a single or series of critical hits. It becomes a Spear of Dragonslaying.

Example 2 - a heavy shield that helps its owner survive an unbelievable barrage of arrows. It becomes a Shield of Arrow turning.

And, such an item could increase in power as it continues to be used. The more dragons slain by wielding the Spear, the more plusses or powers it accrues.

I have used items like that- players LOVE them.

 

[Dog Moon]

Originally posted by Dannyalcatraz
And, such an item could increase in power as it continues to be used. The more dragons slain by wielding the Spear, the more plusses or powers it accrues.

I have used items like that- players LOVE them.

Hm, that actually sounds like it could be a good idea. I haven't really thought of that before. The best thing I've come up with (and I got this partly by talking about it with a friend) was to have items level with the players, though I mean items which gives +'s to something. Like you purchase a cloak of resistance +1 and at some point, it either levels with you, or more likely, you put a certain amount of money into it and it levels to +2. This idea is more in our minds than anything and has not actually been put into game terms.

Anyway, I like the idea of them gaining powers as they do something. I do have a question, however, or perhaps two.
One: How many items would each person get and does mean their share of treasure should decrease? (I guess I also wonder about balance, though that is a minor issue because if they are buffer, that means I can use stronger enemies )
Two: How do you determine what powers to give? (After all, the Spear of Dragonslaying could kill one Dragon and 100 Goblins...does it gain Goblinbane or something similar as well...then what happens when you kill a conclave of Drow Clerics...you get my drift).

This sounds like an interesting idea which I might use, but if you have details about it and it works for you, I would like to have those details instead of trying to fiddle with my own.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One: How many items would each person get and does mean their share of treasure should decrease? (I guess I also wonder about balance, though that is a minor issue because if they are buffer, that means I can use stronger enemies )
Two: How do you determine what powers to give? (After all, the Spear of Dragonslaying could kill one Dragon and 100 Goblins...does it gain Goblinbane or something similar as well...then what happens when you kill a conclave of Drow Clerics...you get my drift).

First, to gain power in the first place, the player must do something extraordinary, usually by using it. Delivering the killing stroke on a dragon (or any other unique or powerful creature) with a crit might just qualify..."it has become tempered in the corrosive blood of the great, green drake..." Of course, a god's devotee who performs a great service to the god may also have this occur. Usually, PCs only have 1-2 such items. In fact, in a low-magic world, this might be how ALL major magic items/relics/artifacts are created.

Second, once it has become enchanted, its base nature is set. Once a Dragonslayer spear, always a dragonslayer spear. Any power it gains will be related to that initial "awakening." However, as the DM, YOU decide the nature of the enchantment. Just because the spear delivered a crit on a dragon to slay it doesn't mean it is automatically a Dragonslayer. Instead, it could ignore regular and natural armor bonuses- only magical bonuses add to AC against it- it is "Foe-Piercer" Or perhaps it both increases the chances of a crit and its multiplyer- it is "DeepDrinker." Or perhaps it simply never misses.

Third, while I usually let players continue to upgrade their magic items by adding additional enchantments (DMG p288))- I don't allow that to happen with this kind of magic item. Think of the item as an NPC that has a progression chart- it will improve on its own.

 

[Dog Moon]

Thanks for the response. I think I will definitely use this, though probably not until my next campaign because I think this idea would work better when the characters start off at a lower level.

 

[Jesus_marley]

You could also create powerful magic items that in order to work properly, require something of the wielder in exchange.

As an example, a spear of dragonbane, Heartseeker by name. +2/+4 vs. Dragons. As a full attack, the wielder can deal a "Killing Blow" against a dragon. The attack does not miss. The wielder's constitution drops to 3 (it returns at a rate of 1 point every 5 minutes). The Dragon must make a Fort save at DC 35 + 1 per con point lost or die. A successful save still deals 1d4+1 damage for each con point lost to the KB. If the wielder's hitpoints drop below zero they fall unconcious until such time as their hit points return to at least 1.

 

[Dog Moon]

Originally posted by Dannyalcatraz
Some years ago, there was a Dragon magazine article decrying the lack of a particular kind of magic item- those that become magic because of the way they were used.

Do you happen to know where that article is? I told a friend about the idea and he thought it was cool, but he had that feeling that he's read something like that before.

Originally posted by Jesus_marley
You could also create powerful magic items that in order to work properly, require something of the wielder in exchange.

That is a good idea, but I'm not sure I want to do that for their major items, especially not something as much as your example. It would be something more minor, like an eyepatch that blinds the character for a round, and then lets him see invisibility as the spell or something. Or perhaps a sword which extracts blood from the wielder, dealing 1d6 damage, to change it and poison a creature hit by it.

Originally posted by Dog_Moon2003
the wielder allows the person to cast spells as if he were an assassin of an equal level to his own, assuming he does not already have the ability to use spellcasting.

I think it should be casts as if her were an assassin equal to half his level so by level 20 rogue, he casts as a 10th level assassin.

I'm still stuck on if I want the elemental attacks on the sword. I appreciate all help I have received and hopefully will receive.