Why did they change the intelligent magic items so much?

[Olive]

Specifically, any ideas why the designers removed granting feats as a possibility for the special powers of such weapons? Would it be game breaking to allow this again?

The reason I ask can be found here

 

[fba827]

Probably because all feats are not equal. therefore it wouldn't be possible to come up with a cost that could be used for every feat. And, coming up with a cost for _each_ feat is not an option either

 

[hong]

It could also get messy if you lost the item, and also lost the feat and all prestige class abilities and other feats that had it as a prereq. Sort of like why items don't grant skill ranks, only bonuses: it makes it difficult to balance these things if you can circumvent the prereqs by acquiring selected items.

 

[Olive]

It could also get messy if you lost the item, and also lost the feat and all prestige class abilities and other feats that had it as a prereq. Sort of like why items don't grant skill ranks, only bonuses: it makes it difficult to balance these things if you can circumvent the prereqs by acquiring selected items.

Sure, but that would be easiest fixed with saying that a feat granted by an item does not count towardas prerequisites for other feats or PrCs.

 

[Darklone]

Houserule... here I come

 

[Nightfall]

Olive, while I side with you on intelligent magic items on granting feats, (they should), I think Tele has a point about using Force of Will. For two reasons: one, you can use spells more effectively in determining item costs and thus market prices. Two, it's a good spell.

 

[Selvarin]

Olive, while I side with you on intelligent magic items on granting feats, (they should), I think Tele has a point about using Force of Will. For two reasons: one, you can use spells more effectively in determining item costs and thus market prices. Two, it's a good spell.

If one has the Arms & Equipment Guide, there's pricing for some feats in the revamped (yet still 3.0) Intelligent Item table section. From what I've seen, A 1st-tier feat (those that don't require another feat as a prerequisite) for an intelligent item generally costs 10,000 gp. In addition, the low-level rogue class ability, evasion, is listed as costing 25,000 gp. The simplest thing to do is to do it this way:

1st-tier feat(lesser power, must not require another feat as a prereq):10,000 gp
2nd-tier feat(greater power) or 1st tier class ability(lesser): 25,000 gp
3rd-tier feat (greater/special purpose only) or 2nd tier class ability (special purpose power only): 50,000 gp.

(I may well end up expanding the idea in some other place if I get the chance. )

Of course, one should have a good rational for including them. Perhaps a soul is trapped in the item, or it was favored by a certain person, or some of their essence 'rubbed off' on the item in some fashion. The real problem for the 3.5 Intelligent Item table is that it just needs to be bigger, but of course the DMG was already packed to the rafters. Still, an expanded table would've made for a great web enhancement...

 

[Olive]

1st-tier feat(lesser power, must not require another feat as a prereq):10,000 gp
2nd-tier feat(greater power) or 1st tier class ability(lesser): 25,000 gp
3rd-tier feat (greater/special purpose only) or 2nd tier class ability (special purpose power only): 50,000 gp.

Sounds sensible to me. I do understand why WotC might have taken it out, but I think that a house rule could cover it comfortably.

 

[Selvarin]

Sounds sensible to me. I do understand why WotC might have taken it out, but I think that a house rule could cover it comfortably.

Yep. The only other thing I didn't quite like was how they altered ability score determination. The practical outcome is that eliminates the risk getting a sword that manages to get straight 18's (making Ego scores a tad high), then again the risk might've been lessened instead by counting a character's bonus (if any) from Int and Cha when engaged in a struggle of wills with it. But simplicity is ultimately better in most cases.