I’ve spent a lot of time reading the various posts regarding magic items and Resonance and here is my take on how things might work better and solve some of the issues being discussed. If any of these ideas were posted previously, I give credit where it’s due.
Stay with the PF1e item slot list. This will prevent people from spamming the system with multiple hats, boots, etc. worn. Rings could be increased to two, or even three, per hand. Multiple brooches and necklaces could also be worn. Capes and necklaces could be worn together.
All slotted items, to include weapons, would need to be attuned to the user. This attunement period would be 15 minutes for each item during downtime. Once attuned, that item would stay attuned to that person indefinitely. There would only be three ways to de-attune a particular item.
#1 – If the PC or BBEG dies, the item would sense this and de-attune itself within a few minutes. This would allow PCs to loot and use items relatively quickly once found.
#2 – A PC could voluntarily de-attune themselves from an item, but this would take 30 minutes to accomplish. Magic items WANT to be attuned, and so they would resist this. After the 30 minute period, another PC could attune themselves as described above. This would limit spamming of wands, staves, etc.
#3 – PCs could remove attuned items as normal (removing armor at night, etc.) and the attunement would still be in place the following day. During downtime, as long as the owner maintained contact with the item at least every few days, the attunement would remain. If after a month of not being used or at least handled by its user, the attunement would fade away and need to be re-established, either by the original user or someone else. In this way, treasure looted from hoards would most likely not be attuned and could be picked up and used relatively quickly by PCs.
All items that have a static magical effect that is always on would not need Resonance to operate. If an item has a special effect that can be turned on and off, it would require 1 RP to activate. For example, a stealth cloak should grant a static +3 or +5 bonus to stealth checks all the time. For 1 RP, a PC could go invisible with it for five minutes. A +1 flaming sword would need 1 RP to activate the flaming property to gain additional fire damage.
Any single use consumable should not require any RP to use. This would include potions, rods, scrolls and trinkets. Their cost should be high, or availability low, so as to prevent spamming, but their effect shouldn’t be so negligible relative to cost/availability that they aren’t worth it. Crafting these items would require the expenditure of 1 RP per level of spell, effect, etc., along with an associated monetary cost. In this way, these items could be crafted, but the higher level ones would require a greater expenditure of resources which would reduce the amount that could be crafted.
Staves and wands would NOT have charges. Each use would require 1 RP to activate.
Each wand would have a particular spell, of a certain level, stored within it. It would cost 1 RP to activate. Another person could attempt to activate the wand without re-attuning it, but would need to make a check (not sure what that would be) in order to use it. On a fail, the wand stops working for 24 hours and must be re-attuned. On a critical fail, the wand is destroyed (wands are a fragile thing).
Staves would work in a similar way as wands in that they have a particular spell and level stored, however, they would also function as a +1 or higher melee weapon with reach. In addition, the staff could act as the material focus of any spell the caster has memorized. This would reduce the number of actions the caster needs to cast a more powerful spell. The staff could also be used to cast a spell through it and use it in a touch attack. Does the wizard want to cast shocking grasp on the Ogre, but not want to be adjacent? Cast it through the staff and make a touch attack with reach. There would be no melee damage rolled, but instead the spell would go off if he/she hit. Does your Bard have a staff of healing but can’t quite get to the heavily wounded fighter to help him? No problem. A single move action and a melee touch with reach casts that heal spell and gets your fighter those much needed HP. Attempting to spam the staff with additional PCs using it would be similar to a wand, but on a critical fail, the staff gains the broken condition and must be repaired.
I know some of this may need to be thought out more for viability, but hopefully, there’s enough in here that with some rework, Resonance may actually work as intended.
