| Butros |
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Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree...
I’ve never really posted on RPG boards but the Pathfinder Alpha has gotten me excited about where the d20 rules can go. I’m planning on giving the rules a test drive with my players when I start my new campaign in a few weeks.
As you could guess from the title, I am not a fan of the way magic items work in 3.5. The opportunity for change has had my head spinning about new ways to deal with the six magic items on every character sheet. Plus N weapons, armor, rings of protection, amulets of natural armor, stat boosting items, cloaks of resistance.
The problem I have with them is that they are boring and make the game more boring. I’m tired as a player and as a GM of the party discovering some weird or cool magical item, holding onto it for a bit, and then selling it so they can upgrade cloaks of resistance at Wonder*Mart: “Major items at minor prices(tm)”. I’m tired of keeping track of all the magic items and stacking bonus and feeling like I’m playing Excel: the RPG.
But how do you get rid of them and keep the backwards compatibility?
New Mechanic - Character Bonus
Hey if you think that name bad, I called it Krunk Rating in my original notes!
Your characters bonus is equal to her level divided by three (round down) up to a maximum value of +5. This value is added to the following:
Attack and damage roles with masterwork weapons
Armor values of masterwork armor and shields
Saving Throws
Your characters armor class as an inherent bonus
Your characters armor class as a dodge bonus
The rational with only applying values to masterwork arms and armor is that while characters become more experienced, they are able to more effectively use finely crafted weapons and armor. The masterwork quality no longer provides a +1 to hit but allows a character to add their CB Value, essentially replacing enhancement values.
Inherent armor is applied to flat footed AC. Dodge is applied to touch attacks. Both are applied to your characters total armor class
This bonus replaces the values gained from +N weapons, armor, resistance cloaks, natural armor necklaces, and protection rings. But what about the stat boosters that we love to hate and hate to love?
One Ability Point Per Level
I know this sounds kind of crazy but bear with me.
Characters gain an ability point every level. Bonus ability points added to a single statistic can not provide a bonus to a characters statistic larger than their Character Bonus.
Example: Bob is making a human fighter with the following statistics.
Str : 20
Dex : 11
Con : 14
Int : 8
Wis : 8
Cha : 9
Bob decides to add his bonus point to strength for a total of 21. Bob also likes to play characters that solve all their problems like Rambo; lots of violence and occasionally screaming unintelligibly.
Bob’s fighter makes it to second level. Yay Bob! Bob wants to add another point to strength. However because the total modifier from bonus points would exceed his current Character Bonus, he can’t add another point to strength until level three when his CB increases to +1.
Bob decides to add his bonus point to dexterity. While his ability modifier increases, this value is not purely from bonus points. Bob also, for example, could add his bonus point to charisma and make Bob’s character better at talking about his problems, but hey, who am I to judge?
Burning down the Christmas Tree
Essentially, between the Character Bonus and ability points, characters gain the equivalent of about 9 magical items. 3.5 have 15 specific items slots. This leaves 6 open slots for active persistent magical items.
Under this revision, I see no reason not to make these 6 slots free floating, within sane limits. A character could wear a helm and a headband, but not two pairs of boots at once.
But what about backwards compatibility?
This is probably the problem I’ve spent the most time thinking about. Here’s what I’ve got kicking around.
Magical Weapons - Action Points
When making an attack roll with a magical weapon, the wielder may spend an action point as a free action to increase the value of the attack roll. This may be done after the attack has been rolled. This may be done a number of times per day equal to the weapon’s enhancement value. Points used in this way are not subtracted from the characters action points and may be used even if the character does not currently have any action points.
Magic Armor - Action Points
In a response made to an attack made against him, a character may spend an action point to increase his armor class. This may be done after the attack has been rolled. This may be done a number of times per day equal to the armor’s enhancement value. Points used in this way are not subtracted from the characters action points and may be used even if the character does not currently have any action points.
Magic Shields - Action Points
In response to a combat maneuver performed against him, a character may spend an action point to increase the DC of the check. This may be done after the attack has been rolled. This may be done a number of times per day equal to the shield’s enhancement value. Points used in this way are not subtracted from the characters action points and may be used even if the character does not currently have any action points.
Cloak of Resistance - Action Points
When making a saving throw, a character may spend an action point as an immediate action. This may be done after the check has been rolled. This may be done a number of times per day equal to the cloak’s enhancement value. Points used in this way are not subtracted from the characters action points and may be used even if the character does not currently have any action points.
Amulet of Natural Armor - Damage Reduction
Characters wearing an amulet of natural armor gain a damage reduction/cold iron equal to the amulets enhancement value.
Attribute Enhancing items - Related Checks
Magical items that done an attribute enhancing item (such as gloves of dexterity, or belt of strength), gain a bonus on attribute checks and skill checks related to that attribute.
Ring of Protection - Reroll That!
As an immediate action, a character wearing a ring of protection may force an opponent to reroll and attack made against them. The opponent must take the second value of the attack roll even if it is worse. A ring of protection may be used a number of times per day equal to its enhancement value.
I wanted still make these items useful but did not want to make them mandatory. I also wanted to have them still fit thematically. Arguably, they are still the most applicable in the majority of combat situations and are still desirable magic items to posses. However a character's effectiveness is not hindered if she doesn’t posses them.
Self Criticism
Power Creep.
I had contemplated making the Character Bonus level/4, but its not wholly unrealistic for a character to have access to +5 items at 15. To be fair I am a bit biased against having characters wait until 20 to max out on everything.
Its Chunky.
Characters gain a large number of bonuses every three levels. It would be possible to break out the bonuses so that a character gains a bonus every level. But it adds an additional layer of complexity which I'm trying to avoid.
Suspension of Disbelief.
This ones more a matter of my own opinion than self criticism. It could be argued that having these bonuses be inherent to the character breaks suspension of disbelief. However by the time these bonuses become large , the characters are already larger than life. If the fighter can carry off the cart full of peasants without breaking a sweat after standing toe to toe with giant, who am to argue? If the abjurer, seeing the fighter faltering against a Balor, unsheathes his bound longsword and shouts some obviously copyrighted material, well that gets a pass from me.