Suggestions for Rare magic items?

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

I am trying to use the magic item rarity system in my mostly-Essentials campaign. I'm actually OK with the fairly limited Common items (at least so far), and I actually like the way it makes the more powerful and esoteric magic items more unique and exciting. But there's a real problem with Rare items - there's only one heroic tier item (Gauntlets of Ogre Power).

Looking at the paragon and epic Rare items, it seems that they are mostly just the more "iconic" and flavorful items like the Flying Carpet or the Staff of the Magi. Many of the Rare items have not changed from their original writeup in previous books, although some have had their power boosted a bit. And apparently all (or most?) rings are meant to be Rare as well.

So I need to pick at least three other Rare items for my heroic tier PCs. I was thinking the figurines of wondrous power are weird and iconic enough to be Rare. Any other suggestions for particularly wondrous, iconic, and impressive magic items that would make sense as a Rare item and feel more significant than the average Uncommon magic item?

I really wish the Mordenkainen book hadn't been canceled!

 

[the Jester]

I've custom built all my rare items. Here are a couple examples:

UNCEASING VIOLENCE --- Level 15 Rare
This armor is made from the hides of owlbears, with claws and beak inset to increase its menacing appearance. It is well-stained and shows the signs of having been repaired after many battles.

Lvl 15 --- +3 --- 25,000 gp

Armor: Hide armor.
Enhancement: AC.
Property: Whenever you spend a healing surge, you may make a basic attack as a free action.
Property: Whenever you bloody or drop an enemy, you regain hit points equal to your Strength bonus.
Power (Daily * Healing): Minor action. You spend a healing surge.

METEOR --- Level 15 Rare
This morning star, forged of starmetal, is worked to resemble a flaming meteor. When you swing it through the air, a momentary trail of red light follows it in the air.

Lvl 15 --- +3 --- 25,000 gp

Weapon: Morning star
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls.
Critical: +3d8 fire damage and the target falls prone.
Property: If you hit a prone enemy with a melee attack with Meteor, you deal an extra 1d8 damage.
Property: When you charge you can move your speed +3 squares.
Power (Encounter): Free action. Trigger: You hit an enemy with a melee attack. Effect: After all other effects of the hit are resolved, the target falls prone.
Power (Daily): Minor action. An adjacent prone enemy cannot stand up (save ends).

 

[Aspeon]

Cairn of the Winter King (the Monster Vault adventure) has two custom heroic tier Rare items. They both relate to the cold theme of the adventure, but since they both have a property, encounter power, and a daily power, most parties should be able to get some use out of them. I'd use that as a baseline for customization- take an existing Uncommon item and add a related property and/or encounter power.

(As an aside, some people talking about old-school D&D talk about how you could look at a character sheet and tell which modules they'd played through by the items and boons they'd accumulated. That'd be an interesting direction to take item rarity in the post-Essentials world, if each adventure introduces one or two unique Rare items. Granted, they do still need to release enough Rares to make custom campaigns work, or official guidelines about how to custom-build them.)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Good thing: just make something up. Call it rare. Don´t worry that players can reproducce that item. You can actually decide if the item is uncommon or rare after you give it out.

 

[Havrik Stoneskimmer]

I'd use that as a baseline for customization- take an existing Uncommon item and add a related property and/or encounter power.

This makes a lot of sense, and I was probably planning to do something in this direction, but I feel uncertain about how to make sure a magic item is appropriate for its level. I don't remember anything in either DMG about designing new magic items. Has there been any advice published in Dungeon or elsewhere for creating custom magic items, especially regarding how to determine what level to set them at?

 

[Destil]

Likewise I've been building rares. None of the PCs got any in heroic, but as they just hit paragon one of them got one so far as part of that advancement.

Symbol of the Undying Court
An exquisitely crafted holy symbol of platinum, gold and bone in the shape of a skull mask.
Rare Holy Symbol - Paragon Tier
Item Level: Wielder’s level +3
Enhancement Bonus:
Item level 13-16: +3
Item level 17-23: +4
Item level 23-26: +5
Item level 27+: +6
Critical: 1d6 radiant damage per plus and you or one ally within 5 squares of you or the target gains temporary hit points equal to your your wisdom bonus.
Religious revelation (property): Gain an item bonus to religion checks equal to this item’s enhancement bonus.
Undeath’s adversary (property): Your divine healing prayers deal damage to undead adjacent to their targets equal to your wisdom bonus. Your undying, conjured or summoned allies adjacent to targets gain temporary HP equal to your wisdom bonus.
Undying Spirit (at will): You gain the undying spirit power.
Right of Counsel (daily, standard action): The you are removed from play until the beginning of your next turn, at which point you appear within 5 squares of your original position.
You appear in the court of the undying in Shae Mordai. You can take a single standard action before returning. And a lesser counsel member there can grant you any one of the following blessings:

• Blessing of skill: The advisor makes a skill check for you at a +25 bonus.
• Blessing of strength: You gain temporary hit points equal to the symbol’s level and a +2 power bonus to your next attack and damage rolls before the end of the encounter.
• Blessing of sight: You gain truesight from the start of the turn you return until the end of your next turn. Until the end of the encounter you gain a power bonus to perception equal to the symbol’s enhancement bonus.
• Blessing of succor: You gain the Refuge of Death channel divinity power until your next extended rest.
• Or, instead, you could make a special request. The resources of the court are vast. You can potentially gain nearly any sort of aid: from a squad of spectral champions to return with you to the services of the court’s ritual casters to magical items to access to forbidden, forgotten or unknowable lore. However, the deathless ancestors in the City of the Dead grow impatient with frequent interruption. Special requests made more often than once per year may be refused, delayed or require compensation. You still return on the following round, no matter how long you spend making the request.

Undying Spirit
A radiant elven spirit from beyond death and assaults your foe, harrying them if they linger.
At-Will Radiant, Divine, Implement, Zone
Standard Action Range 5
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d4 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. The attack creates a zone in a burst 1 centered on the target. The zone lasts until the start of your next turn. Any enemy that ends its turn within the zone takes radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier. Any ally within the zone gains a power bonus to their healing surge value equal to your Charisma modifier.
Level 21: 2d4 + Wisdom modifier damage.

Refuge of Death
Encounter Divine
Free Action Melee Touch
Channel Divinity: You can use only one channel divinity power per encounter
Target: One Living Ally
Effect: The target drops to 0 hit points and dies. While dead they are immune to damage, conditions and effects (but conditions they had while living are not removed). They remain dead until you revive them as an immediate reaction (trigger: their turn starts) or for five minutes (after which point they revive automatically).

At the start of the target’s turn upon reviving they heal hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier, gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the number of hit points they had when you used this power, stand as a free action and make a saving throw against one condition a save can end with a power bonus equal to your charisma modifier.

When the target next takes a short rest they are healed a number of hit points equal to the number of temporary hit points they currently have.

 

[the Jester]

So the story behind the two items I posted above is that the party imc joined a secret society dedicated to destroying or locking away ancient radioactive artifacts (the Crystal Breakers). Each of them got their first rare item once they completed their initiation. Here are a couple more of the items. Each one was specifically designed for a specific pc.


GNOMEBLADE --- Level 15 Rare
This little dagger looks as though it is purely ornamental, with a blade that looks like some kind of weak, decorative metal rather than functional steel. The hilt is fashioned to look like a rabbit, with rhinestones in its eyes.

Lvl 15 --- +3 --- 25,000 gp

Weapon: Dagger
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls.
Critical: +3d6 damage and you are invisible to the target until the start of its next turn.
Property: You can use the gnomeblade as an implement with arcane or shadow powers. You do not apply the dagger's proficiency bonus when you use it as an implement, but you do apply its enhancement bonus.
Property: While you are wielding the gnomeblade, you gain a +1 item bonus to Reflex.
Power (Encounter): Minor action. Make a saving throw.
Power (Daily): Move action. You teleport 5 squares and your fade away racial power recharges.


LEADEN SYMBOL --- Level 15 Rare
This symbol is heavy and is composed of unpainted and unadorned lead.

Lvl 15 --- +3 --- 25,000 gp

Implement (Holy Symbol)
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls.
Critical: +3d6 damage.
Property: You and adjacent creatures gain resist 1 radiation.
Property: You and adjacent creatures gain resist 5 radiant.
Property: You and allies within 10 squares get a +3 bonus on death saves.
Power (Encounter): Immediate reaction. Trigger: You or an ally that you can see within 10 squares is slowed, immobilized or restrained. Effect: The condition ends.
Power (Daily): Free action. Trigger: You hit with an implement power using this symbol. Effect: One target that you hit with the power is also immobilized (save ends).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

True gauntlets of ogre power - Level 8 Rare.
Hand slot
Property: For all strength based checks (including strength based attacks) your strength is treated as 18.

Power (Daily): Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 power bonus to melee damage rolls.
Power (Encounter): Free action. Trigger: You hit with a melee attack using a weapon or an implement. Effect: Make a Str vs. Fort attack using that weapon or implement. On a hit you knock the target prone.


True belt of giant strength - Level 13+ Rare.
Waist slot
Property: For strength based checks (including strength based attacks) and carrying limit, your strength is treated as 20.
Power (Daily): Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +4 power bonus to melee damage rolls.
Power (Encounter): Free action. Trigger: You hit with a melee attack using a weapon or an implement. Effect: Make a Str vs. Fort attack using that weapon or implement. On a hit you knock the target prone.

item level 18: strength 22
item level 23: strength 24, power bonus: +6
item level 28: strength 26, power bonus: +6

 

[Tony Vargas]

So I need to pick at least three other Rare items for my heroic tier PCs.

You might want to customize them to your PCs and campaign, at least thematically. What are the PCs, what makes each of them distinctive or might make them more distinctive? What sort of feel/theme/genre are you going for with you setting? What do you want to emphasize about the setting and story arc you're trying to establish in your campaign?

 

[Obryn]

Square Fireballs had a few good ones, just today.

Square Fireballs: The Magic Item Reset (III): Weapons

Not overpowered, but definitely awesome.

-O