Much lesser magic items for beginning characters

[phiwum]

I'm trying to avoid introducing overly powerful magic items for beginning PCs and I was wondering what custom items others have considered.

I've considered a dagger which gives a plus to hit or to damage, but only in HtH. I've also considered an enchanted bit of armor (a helm, say) that prevents a single hit. The closest thing I've noticed in the book is a stone flesh enchantment which is much more powerful than I'd like. (I might consider having the magic armor lose its effectiveness after a dozen or so hits).

Neither of these possibilities really fits within the rules, far as I can tell, but I guess I'm okay with that.

Anyone else come up with good magic items that are not merely lesser but least? I'm not keen on a prize making a character hugely better than he was before, but something that gives an edge against foes appropriate for his experience.

Thanks.

[Skarg]

What we did eventually, even for very high-level play, was add house-rules for magic item breakdown and wearing out with heavy use.

Another simple way is to have most or all magic items have a fatigue cost to use them.

Or, yes, I do like your ideas for a class of even lesser magic items, coupled with increasing the price and rarity of RAW magic items.

Other ideas:

* Magic items which only work for a certain number of turns per game hour. Maybe even only one. e.g. This +1 spear only gives +1 at most once per hour.

* Magic items which will expire after a certain amount of use. e.g. This magic hatchet will stop being enchanted after 57 more turns of use.

* Magic items which only have a chance of working when used. e.g. This Leathery Flesh ring adds 2 to your armor, but it only works when you roll a 9 or less.

* Magic items with disadvantages. e.g. This magic item gives +1 adjDX, but it also makes a really loud unnatural whistling sound that can be heard 50 megahexes away. This Blur ring blurs you but it also blurs everything you see/hear for -4 to your adjDX and IQ for noticing things. These Speed Movement boots are soft and can't be worn with armor, and offer no protection to your feet... and if you run faster than your natural MA with them, you need to roll 3/DX or trip at a random point along the movement you were attempting. This magic item is conspicuous and owned by a nobleman who wants it back, and isn't willing to pay for it. This magic item attracts a certain type of monster.

[Droll]

For a sort of subcategory in fine weapons and armor, I've introduced an item like this in a sample module that I'm posting at http://www.playhob.com/TFTs/glbG5.html .

Prior to the attack roll to hit for a user's weapon, or to be hit against a user's armor and/ or shield, roll a d6 and on a result of the bonus number (if both shield and armor are affected, the higher of either's) or less the attack's hit roll and damage dice will be rolled together. So then for a user's weapon the higher pertinent dice results in order get apportioned as the potential damage dice with the others treated as the hit result, while for defensive items the higher go for the hit result with the others as the damage dice.

Added Note: In the event of an operational confrontation between weapon and armor types, as Merlin asks Arthur: "Which do you suppose is of greater worth, the sword or the scabbard?", the defensive item would be ultimately operative; except, as there's no defensive counterpart to an automatic hit, in such a case after the attack roll's adjustment the defensive item would default (automatically fail).

[Shostak]

Single-use and/or unreliable items, such as the cloak of invisibility featured in Lieber's Bazaar of the Bizarre.

[phiwum]

Thanks much for all the advice.

I do like the Ring of Leathery Flesh, with or without the unreliability. I was thinking of a device that added armor, but didn't want to go all the way up to four hits on the first adventure. You sold me with the term "Leathery".

Skarg also gave me an idea about a disadvantaged item. Let them have a magic item which appears to work well, but unbeknownst to the user (and perhaps not easily detectable by going to a wizard), it causes foes to focus on the wearer. The effect should be reasonably subtle. The foes won't disengage just to attack the user, but whenever there is an opportunity to choose a target, they prefer the user over others.

The only issue is that such a disadvantage can be turned into an advantage pretty quickly, at which point I guess I'd be in a pickle.

[David Bofinger]

This seems in principle a good idea. It would also be a vehicle for increasing the cost of many magic items.

I generally dislike all +n magic items because they are dull. A sword that catches fire is cool, one that just does extra damage is boring. Also I dislike all magic items that are an alternative to knowing spells or talents: I think magic items should be enhancements that are qualitatively different so that the character's talents and spells always remain important. It doesn't leave a lot of the table.

[phiwum]

Just thinking about the suggestions above, and I came up with a somewhat devious limitation.

A Leathery Flesh ring that takes two hits, but in order to work, it relies on the life force of the wearer, not causing fatigue but, well, come up with your own story. The point is that when the wearer is badly injured, the ring stops working.

"Badly injured" could be down to ST 3 or it could be "has any injury" or anything in between. In any case, the result is losing one's armor right when he might bloody well need it.

[Scintillant]

Consider unpredictable effects, such as something that happens when a 1 comes up on any die for the DX roll to hit with a weapon. Maybe it's +1 damage per 1 rolled, or +1 that can only offset armor, or a one-point reduction in range penalty with a missile weapon. This mechanic could be paired with a bonus (or penalty) for any skill the requires a roll to use. An advantage of this approach is that the trigger doesn't require a separate die roll.

A variation on the "only works once a day thing" is something that needs to recharge between uses. Like a sword that produces an effect for a short time when first drawn, and is recharged by spending an hour (or 12) in it's scabbard.

I like the notion of quirky, specific, minor magical effects, but this could run up against the rule of 5. Maybe that's a good thing, forcing characters to cycle them out, sell them, or loan them to their friends.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Scintillant

Consider unpredictable effects, such as something that happens when a 1 comes up on any die for the DX roll to hit with a weapon. Maybe it's +1 damage per 1 rolled, or +1 that can only offset armor, or a one-point reduction in range penalty with a missile weapon. This mechanic could be paired with a bonus (or penalty) for any skill the requires a roll to use. An advantage of this approach is that the trigger doesn't require a separate die roll.

A variation on the "only works once a day thing" is something that needs to recharge between uses. Like a sword that produces an effect for a short time when first drawn, and is recharged by spending an hour (or 12) in it's scabbard.

I like the notion of quirky, specific, minor magical effects, but this could run up against the rule of 5. Maybe that's a good thing, forcing characters to cycle them out, sell them, or loan them to their friends.

One advantage of weapons as a magical prize to begin with is that they have a built-in expiry date. One expects a weapon to break in about 216 uses.

Another thought of a somewhat useful minor magic item is a magic stylus that writes in a beautiful script. The first advantage is that one's handwriting is not discernible as his (but this is rarely important). The second advantage is that it acts as Charisma talent for written communication, giving a better first impression and the ability to make friends (penpals?). The third advantage is that perhaps scrolls or spellbooks written with this stylus would be worth 5% more (but with no difference otherwise).

In the end, though, I think my players would never find a use for this item. They should, but they wouldn't.

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by phiwum

Another thought of a somewhat useful minor magic item is a magic stylus that writes in a beautiful script.

Good idea! I'd also fancy a magic pen that automatically writes in code. It looks plain as day to the writer, and the addressee named in the salutation, but to everyone else it looks like gibberish.