RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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My earlier thread got derailed into a discussion of new ways to categorize crafting feats and Jason shut it down. However, my original point wasn't about that at all, so I wanted to try again. Jason, I hope you're okay with that.
What I want to address is how to make rings and rods different somehow from wondrous to actually justify that they have their own category, similar to how staves aren't just big wands, but in 3.5 they allowed the user to gain the benefit from their ability score and feats for saving throw DCs, and in PRPG they are rechargable.
I don't have a lot of ideas of how to make this distinction, but hopefully some brainstorming on the boards can come up with some good ideas.
Rings and Rods could work more like staves, in that they allow the user to apply an ability score modifyer to the saving throw DCs. This raises the question on how to make them different from staves, and also how to address rings and rods that don't create affects that grant saves.
How about rings are designed to work off of personal force of will and therefore use a charisma modifier to apply to saves, and rods are more tools designed to tap into the users' physical fortitude and use the constitution modifier? This still doesn't address static effects like rings of water walking or immovable rods, so any other ideas?
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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My earlier thread got derailed into a discussion of new ways to categorize crafting feats and Jason shut it down. However, my original point wasn't about that at all, so I wanted to try again. Jason, I hope you're okay with that.
What I want to address is how to make rings and rods different somehow from wondrous to actually justify that they have their own category, similar to how staves aren't just big wands, but in 3.5 they allowed the user to gain the benefit from their ability score and feats for saving throw DCs, and in PRPG they are rechargable.
I don't have a lot of ideas of how to make this distinction, but hopefully some brainstorming on the boards can come up with some good ideas.
Rings and Rods could work more like staves, in that they allow the user to apply an ability score modifyer to the saving throw DCs. This raises the question on how to make them different from staves, and also how to address rings and rods that don't create affects that grant saves.
How about rings are designed to work off of personal force of will and therefore use a charisma modifier to apply to saves, and rods are more tools designed to tap into the users' physical fortitude and use the constitution modifier? This still doesn't address static effects like rings of water walking or immovable rods, so any other ideas?
One incredibly non-backwards-compatible idea that would be kind of cool would be to take our cue from the OG of magic rings in D&D parlance, LotR, and make all magical rings intelligent items...
Just a thought.
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Way back in the days of boxed set D&D, the distinction between wands, staves, and rods were a bit more clear:
Wands had one effect which cost a single charge. (Wand of Fireballs)
Staves had multiple effects, which cost different amounts of charges depending on effect. (Staff of Power)
Rods could have only one effect or multiple effects, but no charges. If the effect was reasonably powerful, it was limited to uses/day or a similar limit. (Like HD in the case of the Rod of Rulership) Otherwise, rods could be used as will. (Rod of Inertia)
Might be some value in these distinctions.
Rings were primarily for static, constant effects, and once again lacked charges. (Ring of Protection) I believe 1st edition introduced the concept of charged rings (Ring of the Ram).
Just some food for thought.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Way back in the days of boxed set D&D, the distinction between wands, staves, and rods were a bit more clear:
Wands had one effect which cost a single charge. (Wand of Fireballs)
Staves had multiple effects, which cost different amounts of charges depending on effect. (Staff of Power)
Rods could have only one effect or multiple effects, but no charges. If the effect was reasonably powerful, it was limited to uses/day or a similar limit. (Like HD in the case of the Rod of Rulership) Otherwise, rods could be used as will. (Rod of Inertia)
Might be some value in these distinctions.
Rings were primarily for static, constant effects, and once again lacked charges. (Ring of Protection) I believe 1st edition introduced the concept of charged rings (Ring of the Ram).
Just some food for thought.
The problem is that neither rods nor rings are in any way different from wondrous items other than needing a different feat to craft, and there's nothing stopping you from making a wondrous item version of a rod or ring as things currently stand.
Except the DM telling you "No that's a pre-existing item called a ring of invisibility, so you may not have a necklace of invisibility."
However I think this is a non-issue. Fantasy and folklore has lots of different items that have similar effects (Bilbo's Ring of Invisibility, Harry Potter's Cloak: Perseus's Sandals of flight, Icarus's honey and feather wings).
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Hmm, maybe set things up so that only rings can have a standing effect and a charge based or per day effects? Say like the Rings of Elemental Command?
Rod could be focused on metamagic/feat based effects?
Are rings the only item to grant standing skill bonuses as a primary effect? I can't recall if there is a wondrous item that does this off the top of my head.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Are rings the only item to grant standing skill bonuses as a primary effect? I can't recall if there is a wondrous item that does this off the top of my head.
No, cloaks and boots of elvenkind, lens of minute seeing, boots of striding and springing come to mind with skill bonuses.
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Except the DM telling you "No that's a pre-existing item called a ring of invisibility, so you may not have a necklace of invisibility."
If you go back to the source, and by that, I mean further back than Tolkien, to the myths that inspired him, you come to the Ring of the Nibelungen.
Alberich the Nibelung (ie dwarf) fashioned a ring from the Rhinegold, that granted invisibility. He later hid it as one of the rings in a chainmail hood (that also granted the same invisibility).
Which is the point of my second statement. This is a non-issue really, and there are plenty of examples of different magic items with the same functions.
It's pretty easy to just house rule this way:
Scribe Scroll > craft one-shot item only usable by those able to use that spell
Brew Potion > craft one-shot item usable by anyone
Craft Magic Arms and Armor > craft items with AC and to hit bonuses
Craft Wondrous Item > craft single-function item usable by anyone
Craft Wand > craft single-function item with 50 charges usable by those able to use that spell
Craft Rod > craft metamagic item
Craft Staff > craft item with variable spell functions
Craft Construct > craft item with construct logic
Forge Ring > craft item with actual intelligence
Craft anything else from various splat books > ignore as annoying feat bloat, and if necessary, shoehorn into one of the other categories.
If you want to make an item that grants invisibility and nothing else, use Craft Wondrous Item, regardless of whether it's a cloak, a ring or a magic chainmail shirt. If you want to make something like Stone Salve that's basically a potion with multiple functions, pop together Brew Potion and Craft Staff. Mix and match. Everything tends to fall under those categories.
That should make things stand out pretty well once wizards start making more intelligent rings and other items.