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Post by lowkeyoh on Jun 15, 2015 18:18:33 GMT -8
I thought this would be a good place to have a repository of major and minor magical item effects as well as conditions for effects.
There's the standard +1, +2, +3.
I'm a huge fan of magical effects that harm or hinder the user in some way. I used a modified version of "Vicious" weapons. Greatax that could control the amount of extra damage. +0, 1, 2 or 3. The higher the bonus, the higher the extra damage the ax did, the higher the amount of damage the wielder took as well. Except I rolled the damage the Fighter was taking from the Ax and didn't inform him of how much damage he was taking. So he could go balls to the wall and do a crazy killing blow, but he always knew that he might die because of it.
Glowing when things are close.
Swords that let you use cantrips or low level spells.
Maybe we can brainstorm non combat bonuses a sword might give. Swords that make you seem like a stand up guy a guard would want to go have a beer with.
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Post by uselesstriviaman on Jun 16, 2015 8:20:05 GMT -8
- A sword that magically floats in water.
- A sword that, when released, is unaffected by gravity. You can let go of it in mid-air, and it will simply hover there until someone moves it. It can't be thrown; it'll quickly come to a halt a few inches after being released.
- A sword that does not make sound. It is incapable of making noise, so whether dropping the sword on the ground or even in the midst of battle, the weapon is utterly silent.
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Post by rickno7 on Jun 19, 2015 17:51:48 GMT -8
I have a sword in my campaign that is +1 but +3 versus aberrations. Further it grants a +1 vs mind affecting spells since a lot of aberrations like to do that sort of thing.
I also like to do "charges" as physical manifistations. I once had a dogwood hilt that would "bloom" flowers that were essentially healing potions. To prevent the hoarding of them, the flowers had to be "fresh" from the sword. Also once a player got hit by a fire based spell, which burned all the flowers that had grown for that time.
One that I've used in several guises is what I call the "answered prayers" template(inspired by Seven Spanish Angels). In Deadlands it was a gun, in D&D it was a quiver. If you were out of ammunition, it had a chance to magically make one more "shot" "arrow" whatever.
Also, looking at things that agitate players past the point of amusement to ruining fun. Had a guy one time just get sick of drawing his weapon and it just messed up role play to have him with a sword out ALL the time, so I gave him a sword that was "magical" but no bonus damage/attack. It could be drawn without penalty. He had to chose between "better stats" or "not be pissed off", but he at least had the option.
In the same way, do the opposite. If something a player does always brings enjoyment and laughter to the group, give him/her things that allow him/her to do it more often. Our current Wild Magic Sorcerer has brought so much fun to the table with it, I make all her potions she makes run the risk of wild magic.
The "grows with the character" items are fun too. The stats get better as they level and gain new abilities. This is good for the non-loot-centric players that dont want to fuss with picking and choosing loot. They can keep what they have, and help cultivate an item over many many sessions
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Post by Bill Roper on Jul 1, 2015 14:01:51 GMT -8
I am always a fan of magic items being rare and powerful things with a history to them. Writing the story of an item can lead you down interesting paths in terms of what it can do that may or may not have game mechanic effects. I will attempt to illustrate ex tempore.
The Torc of Vindictum Effect: Bladeturn vs called shots / neck
The Duke and Duchess of Vindictum were renowned for their cruelty, treating the denizens of their kingdom as flesh to be used to promote the wealth of the Kingdom as opposed to loyal subjects to be defended and nourished. When The Glorious Revolution of The People erupted, it was no surprise that they would be amongst the first to lose their heads. For all his faults, the Duke loved his wife dearly and vowed she would not be disgraced by public beheading.
He spent his final hours of freedom in seclusion with his court Magus, having a beautiful necklace of the finest silver enchanted with a powerful spell. As an angry mob beat against the inner doors of their castle, the Duke begged his wife to wear the garment - saying it was a token of his love and perhaps the final gift he would ever bestow upon her.
When the Duke and Duchess were taken to the blocks to face the sharp axe of the executioner, the Duke's final proclamation, "If the gods so judge us to be innocent in their eyes and above the reproach of man, let them show their mercy by turning aside the blade." A swift blow left the Kingdom without a rightful ruling head, and it was evident that his wife's was soon to follow. But when the executioners blade fell upon the neck of the Duchess, it was turned aside, instead biting deeply into the wooden planks of the public blocks.
The people were stunned, and recalling the final words of the Duke, they believed that the gods had judged him guilty while holding his wife innocent. Knowing that they could not protest against the will of their gods, they set the Duchess free.
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D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
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Post by D.T. Pints on Jul 1, 2015 18:26:49 GMT -8
In our current Pathfinder game I'm treating all moderate and above powered magic items +3 and up as being powered by imprisoning some other worldly entity within. So, demons and elementals serve as fuel for items of power and constantly seek ways to subvert the will of the user. If its moderately powered this isn't a problem for most player characters unless they become severely wounded or compromised in some way. But the big items which there are a few house entities of tremendous power that have been slumbering for thousands of years and are slowly waking up. As the players uncover new powers and abilities the ante is upped in increasing risk of having their will subverted to these quasi immortals. The main theme (or at least an underlying one) is absolute power corrupts absolutely. But there is no power without taking it from something else. I'm an ecologist by education and the flow of energy through a system is a big part of understanding how those systems work. So magic items become focal points of power but at the detriment of other sentient beings. Now I have a paladin with a "Mjolnir" style hammer that gains its power by drawing in its attackers. So that the powers gained by the hammer reflect the powers of the being it has imprisoned. Fire elemental ? Flamestrikes, fireballs, firebrand...etc. But as Bill Roper brought up all of these items have a long history that is a big part of the investigation aspect of the game.
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Post by archmagezemoc on Jul 14, 2015 11:58:21 GMT -8
In my current game I have normal +1 through +4 (or super rare +5) being Masterwork non-magic equipment. Made with special materials and gemstones and shit, but still just REALLY well made and whatnot. These my PCs can buy from stores and shit if they NEED an upgrade to survive for whatever reason ( I neglect my PCS? No, that can't be it).
So far for magical weapons I've had some fairly . . . effective weapons.
Assassins +2 = You double your bonus when making a sneak attack, +2 turns to +4 for one attack per round. Medusas Ire (+2 longbow) = Adds 2d4 poison damage to one shot per round. Critical hits cause the target to make a DC-15 CON save or be "poisoneD" and my favorite. . . URER, The Demons Nemesis = (currently) a +2 Cold Iron & Silver Dwarven Forged longsword with the spirit of an old dwarf paladin within it (lawful good). The weapon gains an extra 2d10 bonus radiant damage VS demons, and actually slays demons rather then banishing their material forms. (PCs don't know, but it actually banishes their souls to a separate "demon jail" kind of thing in The Outer Realm. Which may or may not be attacked at some point letting the PCs know they didn't actually kill the demons. Haven't decided.)
But my games tend to. . . stress. . . the dnd system.
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Post by Probie Tim on Jul 14, 2015 12:39:55 GMT -8
What a rad thread.
I once came up with a magic weapon for a 2E AD&D game which is still talked about by the players of that game to this day. It was originally owned by Count Krugerov, an evil necromancer and one of the game's early antagonists. Krugerov’s dagger was a magical jambiya which began each day with a +0 enchantment. With each killing blow the weapon landed, it gained a +1 bonus to a maximum of +3. With the coming of the next dawn, the weapon’s bonus reset to +0.
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