The new, shiny "Stuff I Have/Would Ban" thread!

[brassbaboon]

I do think the unwillingness to customize due to the desire to use the Character Builder for everything is a pretty serious flaw in the D&D 4e marketing strategy.

As I said, I've been a DM for nearly 30 years now, and I have ALWAYS created custom magic items that are specifically intended to help players achieve their character's conceptual goals. I believe I have done a very good job at maintaining game balance while doing so.

In 4e if you are discouraged from that sort of thing, I think it significantly detracts from the flexibility and enjoyment of the game. The arm slot problem is a perfect example of what I would address with custom items if I were a DM. I've provided a couple of examples off the top of my head, but given more time, and some specific characters to work with, I could certainly come up with better ideas for reasonable arm slot items that would be comparable in usefulness to the Iron Armbands of Power and would also be quite desirable for certain character builds.

One thing I would consider doing is taking a standard set of Iron Armbands of Power and giving them an encounter power that removed any immobilizing effect, but which reduced them to +1 damage for the rest of the encounter. Or something like that. Give the player choices and options that make them balance a gain in one area with a loss in another. That way you increase flexibility while maintaining game balance.

I really don't think it would be hard to come up with a dozen or so armbands that would appeal to strikers for different reasons, and I would flat get rid of the stupid items that are out there but only an idiot would choose.

 

[Psikus]

Regarding the omnipresent Iron Armbands of Power/Bracers of Archery, I had been toying with the idea of adding an equivalent effect to all magic bracers. To smooth things over, we could make it a +1 item bonus to all damage per 5 levels (i.e. +1 from 1 to 5, +2 from 6 to 10, and so on). This definitely results in an increase of character power, but it does return the missing freedom of choice in the arms item slot.

On the other hand, all shields would now need a similar boost, or they would become even more pointless. Something like 'resist 1' to all damage per 5 levels would probably make them weaker than bracers, and overlaps with masterwork armor, but I think it would still be interesting for shield users.

 

[Zinovia]

It is true that for a striker, or pretty much any melee character, there are no more generally useful arm items than the Iron Armbands of Power. It is for that reason that I am disallowing them. They are flat out better than any comparable, or even higher level, option for that slot. They are better than a feat.

Won't banning items diminish your characters' options?
No, because it opens up all those other arm items as valid choices, which currently they are not when compared to the IAoP. From an optimization standpoint, IAoP are currently so much better than anything else that you would be foolish to take any other arm item for a melee character. The choices are to raise every other arm item up to the same level, or to remove the one item that is better than everything else.

But doing lots of extra damage is fun!
Yes, but sitting there watching someone else laying down the hurt while you are doing substantially less damage with your striker is not so much fun. Four of the five characters in my group are melee. If they all picked up the iron armbands, it would leave the warlock without a comparable damage boost. Warlocks are as much controllers as strikers, but let's not exacerbate the damage discrepancy already present with superior weapons available to the melee characters. Giving them IAoP just makes it worse.

What about the grind?
I'm not concerned about it in this particular group. We kill things plenty fast with 2 strikers and an assault swordmage in the 5 person party. If grind were to become an issue, it can be fixed invisibly on my side of the screen by reducing monster HP, rather than increasing damage done by the characters through the use of items.

You're just trying to win!
Sure I am. I win if the players are having fun playing the game. I win by ensuring that no one is sitting there feeling jealous because their character is less effective than everyone else's. I win by giving them a variety of items that let them make their characters distinct from each other. I win by letting them feel clever when using items to thwart the special abilities or high damage hits of my bad guys. Situational items often take more thought as to when you will use them, which I feel better engages the players than adding another plus onto their damage formulae. Yes, I am out to win. In a good way.

 

[Garthanos]

But doing lots of extra damage is fun!
What about the grind?

Almost entirely in agreement though I have few enough players the issue isnt totally burgeoning ... so I find myself attracted to doing it the hard way...

I like several options when something seems a must have.

1) give it to all of them free and remove the must have item (for instance with a heroic pushing rule replacing bloodclaw effects).
2) make more options so that it once again becomes an option instead of a must have. (most bracers and shields having defense boosting ability has lots of heritage.).
3) Make sure to use different skins and seeming sources on it... see alternate rewards boons, self enchantments, masters training, tattoos and body piercings etc..

number 3 is not standalone just something to mix in with the others

 

[Garthanos]

Regarding the omnipresent Iron Armbands of Power/Bracers of Archery, I had been toying with the idea of adding an equivalent effect to all magic bracers. To smooth things over, we could make it a +1 item bonus to all damage per 5 levels (i.e. +1 from 1 to 5, +2 from 6 to 10, and so on). This definitely results in an increase of character power, but it does return the missing freedom of choice in the arms item slot.

On the other hand, all shields would now need a similar boost, or they would become even more pointless. Something like 'resist 1' to all damage per 5 levels would probably make them weaker than bracers, and overlaps with masterwork armor, but I think it would still be interesting for shield users.

Nice Ideas.... though I think we could have some bracers be defensive just like the shields, "wonder woman" springs to mind.

 

[Garthanos]

Armbands of accuracy. Free action: Once per encounter reroll a missed attack roll with a +2 bonus to the roll.
Armbands of punishment. Free action: Once per encounter add 1d8 to every attack roll made before the end of your turn.
Armbands of reach. Extend your weapon's reach by 1 square. You grant combat advantage to all enemies.
Armbands of energy. Your melee attack becomes one of the standard energy types.

sounds fun.

 

[keterys]

At one point I was considering giving out passive benefits with all the secondary item types.

Something like:
Head: +1 per tier bonus to Will
Feet: +1 per tier bonus to Reflex
Waist: +1 per tier bonus to Fortitude
Hands: +2 per tier bonus to damage rolls
Arms: +5 hp per tier
Rings: +1 per tier bonus to attack rolls

And, poof, you can get rid of some of the boring items while at the same time getting rid of boring static feats like focus, toughness, defense feats, etc.

But, there are side effects of doing that too. Like people upgrading to otherwise useless items of the next tier purely to get the shiny static bonus. And bonuses to damage rolls shift the power inexorably in the direction of those who make multiple attacks, instead of those who make a single big attack, which isn't particularly fair. As a DM there's a lot you can do to just change hp, defenses, damage, what have you instead.

But if you want cooler items, the above is certainly one way to do it.

 

[renau1g]

Yeah, those rangers are even more deadly now, Twin Strike *pew, pew*... which if anyone didn't need a boost it's them.

 

[Bayuer]

@brassbaboon
There are many items in arms slot. Why do I need to throw them all, becouse of few overpowered items? When I will ban Iron Armbads and similiar items (4 or so), then other arms slot items will be a fair choice. Better solution is to ban Armbands etc. and give players +2 to dmg at 6, +4 at 16 and +6 at 26 lvl or cut the bonus in half. I didn't decided what to do myself, but this are options I prefer.

 

[Garthanos]

So because a MAGIC item is more powerful then a feat it's too much? Even if you dropped it to +1/+2/+3 bonus it will still be chosen nearly as much because people like constant bonuses. I don't even look at magic items that don't have properties.

I would be tempted to just make it on one damage roll per round.... the magic item throbs with power... and yes something for Warlocks ... how about chains of might that you wrap around your forearms and help out the locks.