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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nightcloak" data-source="post: 2456310" data-attributes="member: 23862">GM Notebook Essentials #10: Prepared Treasure List - Part 2"Even gleaning a fraction of the power I harness on a daily basis would drive you MAD" - Vaarsuvius from OOTSNow that your notebook has treasure prepared and ready to roll, time to throw one extra caveat to the whole program. Making the magic of your world yours! You just did it with monsters, time to carry that thought over to treasure and really kick the doors open…D&D as a game has specific conventions in place regarding magic. These are universally expected and bind the participants in common knowledge. This is good as it binds the rules and gives a common ground for new players to learn the magic system and a guide for spell casters in the creation of magic items. These conventions are:1. Armor and weapons are either specific (Elven Chainmail) or conventional with its bonus build system (+2 Flaming Sword = +3 weapon). 2. Wondrous items are thematically tied to their powers by common sense (Wings of Flying) or legend (Carpet of Flying).3. Rings are unique and overall powerful with dramatic effects (Ring of Wishes) or continuous effects (Protection).4. Wands and Staffs have charges of existing spells5. Rods provide a specific and powerful effect.6. Potions are essentially spells that anyone can cast (by drinking the potion) but limited by level.7. Scrolls are spells another spellcaster can finish.This list is well known by experienced gamers, and accepted. You’ve experienced it a thousand times and know it intuitively probably without giving it much thought. Time to throw it out the window!!!Just because the rules say it is one way doesn’t mean that it has to work that way in your campaign.  Spellcasters are usually loners, with massive powers, who live in towers after all. Why would a loner like that follow standard and excepted ideas on what a magic item should do or look like? Because that is how the “laws of magic” work? Bah I say. Wizards are supposed to use magic to change reality and make wondrous things happen! How about a hat of protection +2? Or how about a broach (a very unused space on the character according to the magic placement rules) that has 10 charges of spell in it. Or maybe a 20,000 gp necklace that has 1 charge – a wish spell – but you have to break it (consume it like a potion) to use it. Now that is interesting, do your players take a chance on the wish or sell the necklace for the sure thing – the 20,000 gps. Or you can just have loads of fun and decide that ages ago a female noble paladin had a set of beautiful diamond tear drop earrings enchanted like a Belt of Giant’s Strength. She wanted to be prepared at court and formal settings. Now imagine the conversation between your players: Player 1: “Gee Orgak. Your barbarian looks just precious in those earrings!”*Snicker*Player 2: “Hey man, they are +6 to strength! I can’t pass on that!Player 1: “I understand. You just look dashing with the battle axe, the beast scale armor, and the diamonds!” *Choke* *Chortle*Player 2: “I feel a rage coming on!” Player 1: ROFLHere is the standard items re-listed, but this time by function and not item:1. Spell Completion: Scrolls have it now, but any item can realistically do it: Coins, statuettes, jewelry, or even a pair of gloves (a spell on each). Instead of a scroll with many spells on it, how about a necklace with lots of charms on it or maybe a shield with runes inscribed on the edges.2. Items with Charges: Anything can have charges. Some items that are not a wand or a staff already have charges (like the Ring of Wishes or the Necklace of Fireballs). How about a wizard’s hat, or a pair of boots enchanted with expeditious retreat , or even a potion (look, it’ll refill 10 times).3. Continuous Items: The combos within the continuous affect category are endless:I. No reason for a wand or staff to have a continuous enchantment on it. Just pick a staff and roll a random wondrous item, say a Staff of Defense +2.II. Weapon and armor are not safe either. How about a Shield of Flying. Does your player go into those sea caves the +3 Plate or the Plate of Water Breathing!III. Wondrous items can be mixed and match in endless combos. Boots of Protection, Gloves of Archery, Robe of Holding (Type II), or even the dreaded Horn of Wonder! The fun is endless; you can even roll them random if you want. Just roll on the charts twice. Once for the item and once for the power. I’d watch out for silly combos, however. A portable hole of flying will just cause a lot of blank stares at you from across the table.4. Rods: They provide continuous powerful effects normally. Sounds like a staff in classic sword and sorcery to me! How about a Staff of Absorption instead. Or a ring that gives the powers of metamagic feats.5. Combat - To Hit and Damage: Weapons are the standard to have these bonuses, after all – they do the actual hitting and damage. But why? How about a ring that gives your weapon +3 to hit and damage and makes it a ghost touch weapon as well. Or a belt that is +1 AC and gives weapons the keen ability. Of course, for pricing reasons (i.e. balance) these bonuses don’t stack with normal magical weapon bonuses. That’s OK, it makes the game interesting when the player has to decide if he would rather wear a Ring of Protection +3 or his ghost touch ring of +3 to hit/damage. Sure, the +3 is meaningless since he already has a +3 weapon, but there is also the fact that the current dungeon is below a graveyard… You don’t need to go crazy, just a few new items to shake things up. Another note on pricing and balance. If you do this, figure in an extra +1 to the cost modifier. Your creating powers that can be transported from weapon to weapon. That is a real nice ability and should cost extra. That way it won’t be abused at low levels. At higher levels, the difference at that level of play is more negligible – especially when compared to the higher bonuses a standard item would give vs. the versatility of the lower powered item. 6. Combat - Defensive: Same as weapons. Why let the armor and shields have all the defensive fun? How about a helmet that gives you a +2 to AC and the fortitude ability. Or bracers that give you +1 to AC and fire resistance. Don’t go crazy with combos but just think of a few new and interesting items to add flavor to the game. To price properly, they can’t stack with other bonuses from armor, but again that makes things interesting. The same pricing bump of a +1 modifier should be used.Why have a continuous stream of magic items that the players will just sell off. Magic should be, well… magical.  Not another commodity the players crunch numbers on to insure their character is set for the next level and tricked out to maximize his potential. Break open the doors and go to town on those conventions. It may take some consideration to insure balance and pricing, but it is well worth the effort. Players love to brag and show off what their characters can do and the stuff they have. Just as they will describe that one “killer combat” for years to come so will they remember the cool magic items their characters had.Make magic magical again and an adventure onto itself!</blockquote>

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