gloves of legerdemain

Once snugly worn, these gloves seem to meld with the hands, becoming almost invisible. Twice per day, the wearer can perform one of the following skills at a range of 30 feet: Disable Device, Open Lock, or Sleight of Hand. Working at a distance increases the normal skill check DC by 5, and the wearer cannot take 10 on this check. Any object to be manipulated must weigh 5 pounds or less. The wearer must have at least one rank in any of the skills to be able to use the gloves.

You must wear gloves of legerdemain for 24 hours before you gain access to their abilities. If you take them off, they become inactive until worn for an additional 24 hours.

Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, teleknesis; Price 22,500 gp.

Oh man I really really really like these gloves. Now this is finally an item I can get behind. Simple. Good mechanic. Great item.

I vote Keep.

I think they are pretty entertaining, and it's a nice twist to call this telekinesis rather than trying to weasel it as based on mage hand or unseen servant or whatever.

Keep it around.

Kept.

Holy Cow, I love them.

I think that rogues are the best characters to tailor to when making magic items, i.e., they benefit the most from them (especially wondrous items and other non-combat gear).

I love the way these gloves interact with the skills, and the fact that you need to wear them for 24 hours before you can use them. That right there is a cool roleplaying opportunity. I'm glad to see this item as a replacement for the Drill (sniff).

Another one that's going to get used in one of my games for sure. Congratulations on the design, good luck on your country submission (dun dun DUNNN...)

M

I really like this item. But as DM, I probably won't add it to my campaign because I don't feel like doing the rogue that big a favor. But the next time I play a rogue, I'm sure I'll change my tune.

Congratulations on advancing very creative and interesting item. Found the mechanics behind this item pushing and testing the limits of the game mechanics. Looking forward to seeing your country.

I love the simplicity of this item. It is great for those classes that might be able to perform the skill check, but not have Evasion.
As a GM, I personally like to see my rogues up close to my traps in case of failure MUHAHAHAHA!!! But, if I have no rogues in the group, this item would may a good mid-level item to find.

The guy who dropped from the contest on purpose because he was too clever did mention that these are just a class skill put into a magic item. The class is the prestige class Arcane Trickster from Tome and Blood.

The text is EXACTLY the same except for the words Pick Pocket are exchanged for Sleight of Hand.

So it does end up making a cool magic item but it's not very creative.

Saying that any wondrous item is copying a skill effect/magic effect/feat is like saying water is a liquid.

All wondrous items mimic these effects, they give to a character what that character could never achieve based on his classe.

My conclusion for this item, it's not all that great but a simple yet effective and decently presented wondrous item. Not sure if it would have gotten my vote but we'll see how he does in the next round.

Saying that any wondrous item is copying a skill effect/magic effect/feat is like saying water is a liquid.

I think that's correct if you're talking about wands, but wondrous items usually at least combine 2 effects or come up with something more.

The guy who dropped from the contest on purpose because he was too clever did mention that these are just a class skill put into a magic item. The class is the prestige class Arcane Trickster from Tome and Blood.

The text is EXACTLY the same except for the words Pick Pocket are exchanged for Sleight of Hand.

So it does end up making a cool magic item but it's not very creative.

Rag,

I agree. We as judges didnt spot this at all and the item advanced before we realized it. This item should NEVER have made the cut. Luckily, things came out in the wash in the second round as the person who submitted a cut and paste item that snuck by the judges wound up submitting a poor second round entry and was cut. We judges even had a discussion thread about this item after the fact in our private message boards. The thread, as I recall, was titled "Boys, we done been had!"

Clark

Here were my comments in that thread:

"Gloves of legerdemain. Did you know that was just a class ability from the arcane trickster? I didnt. Given that, those gloves are lame. Totally lame. "here, have a P-class special ability." I am totally against that. In fact, we rejected other items that did that. Of course, I didnt know about that ability becuase I have never even on my worst day wanted to play an arcane trickster. Nor, luckily (or perhaps unfortunately), has one of my players. But the bottom line is we (ok, me, since I put it on the list) let a totally lame item in the top 32. AND--to rub salt in the wound--the guy who noticed that is Viktor, the guy who by bailing out moved that thing into the top 32."

And later in that same thread after it was uniformly declared that the gloves should never have made it in:

"You know, I am drawn to items that arent just spell effects. I mean: gloves of spectral hand, yawn. So these gloves appealed to me. These gloves DID something. And the mechanics were good. I loved them. Of course, as it turns out, the reason the mechanics are good is they just flat swiped a mechanic that already existed and were created and edited by professional game designers. So I guess we should be proud of oursleves that we can spot good mechanics and design. :) Oh well...

I take it that means neither of you two ever ran an arcane trickster either :)"

Well, let's hope that this doesn't happen this year.