Would you, as a DM, give an NPC or allow a character to make an amulet of natural armor and wisdom? What about natural armor, health and wisdom? For a monk, an amulet of wisdom and mighty fists?
TS
Yes, but each extra ability costs 50% more than usual.
Would you, as a DM, give an NPC or allow a character to make an amulet of natural armor and wisdom? What about natural armor, health and wisdom? For a monk, an amulet of wisdom and mighty fists?
Sure. Just remember that the less expensive additional abilities are priced at 150% normal.
So an amulet of natural armor +2 (8,000 gp) that is also an amulet of wisdom +2 (4,000 gp) and is also a periapt of health (7,500 gp) would be:
8,000 gp
+ (7,500 x 1.5) = 11,250 gp
+ (4,000 x 1.5) = 6,000 gp
---------------------------
25,250 gp
And if you add an ability that is not associated with that item's body slot (a resistance bonus on saving throws in a pair of goggles of minute seeing, for example), that's another 50% surcharge.
Would you, as a DM, give an NPC or allow a character to make an amulet of natural armor and wisdom? What about natural armor, health and wisdom? For a monk, an amulet of wisdom and mighty fists?
TS
No - amulets seem to me to be single function, or the few that have multiple functions tend to have related multiple functions. An amulet of natural armor and displacement - maybe... the two are reasonably related. Natural armor and damage resistance.... maybe, again the two are reasonably related. But natural armor and wisdom seem to be too different for this to be reasonable.
Also, given that I would not give such a device to an NPC, it goes without saying that I wouldn't allow a PC to make one.
- Ashavan
Though to be fair Koldoon, A monk's fighting prowess is partially linked to his Wisdom bonus, so you could say their's an association (albeit a tenuous one). Of course, designers (particularly FR designers) seem to love linking abilities together in items for powerful NPCs like Storm Silverhand or Elminster.
I haven't had this happen yet, but has anyone had a PC visit a magic shoppe asking for an amulet of Con/Wis/AC/mighty fists (with cash to pay for all max bonuses) for their high level monk? Or some similar situation...just trying to plan for the future.
TS
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In general I treat the amulet of mighty fists as I would any other magic weapon (it just doesn't require a masterwork weapon as a base). For monk magic items, consider things like a series of bracelets, adding on to the monk's belt, a robe, gloves, a sash, a headband, a scripture that is worn on the shoulders (if anyone has seen the anime Saiyuki-that's where that particular idea comes from), or sandals.
As long as they're all things you normally get on amulets, yes. He's paying over the odds so he deserves his rare item. However, the odds of such a custom item existing already are slim, so he'd have to have one specifically commissioned by a powerful mage.
In general I treat the amulet of mighty fists as I would any other magic weapon (it just doesn't require a masterwork weapon as a base). For monk magic items, consider things like a series of bracelets, adding on to the monk's belt, a robe, gloves, a sash, a headband, a scripture that is worn on the shoulders (if anyone has seen the anime Saiyuki-that's where that particular idea comes from), or sandals.
Speaking of Am of MFs, what item should really grant bonuses to unarmed attacks? And why is such a basic item bonus listed in the DMG in as an amulet thereby making it more expensive?
Speaking of Am of MFs, what item should really grant bonuses to unarmed attacks? And why is such a basic item bonus listed in the DMG in as an amulet thereby making it more expensive?
Really, I think that sort of thing should be in gloves... or sandals, I suppose, depending on the fighting style. I've never understood why it was an amulet, which seems to me to be a more internal, focus thing (Wisdom boosting, insight bonuses, etc.).
I haven't had this happen yet, but has anyone had a PC visit a magic shoppe asking for an amulet of Con/Wis/AC/mighty fists (with cash to pay for all max bonuses) for their high level monk? Or some similar situation...just trying to plan for the future.
TS
If such a thing were to happen, I would remind the player that for one, he's paying extra to have it all on one item, and two, all his stuff is now going to be in one, neat, breakable package. Then I'd smile.
Unless I'm DMing an epic game... then all bets are off anyway.
Well, the primary trouble with the item requested above is (a) finding someone who can craft such an item [and by the same token, who would want to craft such an item since it is clearly a custom job] and (b), as mentioned above, it is in a "neat package." No need to either sunder it or disjunction it. A simple dispel magic is generally all that is necessary. For a couple of rounds, at least.
Besides being prone to sundering and/or disjunction/dispelling, the item can also be stolen. That is the domain of rogues, right?
IMO, for a tactical point of view in a magic-rich setting (like Forgotten Realms), it is far better to have useful class abilities and a few redundant magic items that either improve those abilities or cover the basic needs of adventurers. For example, I rather have a pc with a magic item that protects him from fire damage (which is probably the most common form of energy damage on the playing field) than a magic item that boosts his damage dealing capabilities. I prefer to have a pc that survives over a pc that does not.
And when someone comes along and removes that magical item from you, you still have class abilities (ones that you clearly have worked hard on from the start, right?) that will allow you to either pummel the insolent one or escape the battle field to survive to fight another day. Besides, magical items are much easier to replace if they are cheap, as opposed to being insanely expensive. And the epic level games just sends the costs into the stratosphere.
CB out.
Though to be fair Koldoon, A monk's fighting prowess is partially linked to his Wisdom bonus, so you could say their's an association (albeit a tenuous one). Of course, designers (particularly FR designers) seem to love linking abilities together in items for powerful NPCs like Storm Silverhand or Elminster.
I might accept that, if the item can only be used by monks (thus requiring a use magic device check for others). And I would require the crafter to have monk levels as well.
- Ashavan
Speaking of Am of MFs, what item should really grant bonuses to unarmed attacks? And why is such a basic item bonus listed in the DMG in as an amulet thereby making it more expensive?
It's probably that way for historical reasons. I would have used gloves, perhaps in the form of special hand-wrappings. Magical tattooes which take up the glove slot are also fun. The further the character enchants his "fists", the larger and more intricate the tattooes become, until his +5 disruption fists of impact requires tattooes covering most of his beefy arms and some of his shoulder, chest and back.
The "correct" item slot for the mighty fists ability is the bracers or gauntlet slot. The amulet of mighty fists, as printed, includes a +50% price modifier for being in the wrong item slot.
The "correct" item slot for the mighty fists ability is the bracers or gauntlet slot. The amulet of mighty fists, as printed, includes a +50% price modifier for being in the wrong item slot.
Assuming that's the case, I'd wonder why people didn't buy gloves of it to free up their amulet slot for an Amulet of Health, Periapt of Wisdom or Amulet of Natural Armor. Perhaps it's just because the Bracers of Armor and Gloves of Dexterity are even better?
The "correct" item slot for the mighty fists ability is the bracers or gauntlet slot. The amulet of mighty fists, as printed, includes a +50% price modifier for being in the wrong item slot.Assuming that's the case, I'd wonder why people didn't buy gloves of it to free up their amulet slot for an Amulet of Health, Periapt of Wisdom or Amulet of Natural Armor. Perhaps it's just because the Bracers of Armor and Gloves of Dexterity are even better?
You might be right Jonathon, but I think its got more to do with the fact that gauntlets of mighty fists aren't listed in the DMG. Most DMs just look up the item that does the trick and stick it in the adventure without much thought. The same goes with players buying magic items.
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And then you have the player playing an artificer who usually asks two questions when down time comes around. What kind of item would let me [insert what he thinks would be cool to be able to do this week] and how much does it cost to make it.
If you don't know what an artificer is, they were introduced in the Eberron Campaign setting and are pretty much just magic users that are solely focused on the making and manipulation of magic items
It is indeed the case. It's like the example of the boots of teleportation vs the helm of teleportation. They are identical even down to their uses per day, except that the helm costs +50% more, and is largely left in the DMG both as a point of nostalgia and also to illustrate the whole item slot thing.
I agree with the statement that most people just look up what's presented in the DMG as an example and don't think of it any further than that. For example, a surprisingly large number of people don't seem to realize that any given ioun stone is twice as expensive as it "should" be, because it doesn't take up an item slot at all and thus has a +100% price modifier.