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The thread title says it all: What is your favorite wondrous item from the Core Rulebook? Why is it your favorite?
Just thought a little discussion of wondrous items might help people get motivated and exercise the "item creation" section of their brains!
Boots of levitation. Best low level item ever.
Pale Green Prism (Ioun Stone), cracked - +1 competence to attacks and saves, not many sources for competence bonus to hit/saves
Robe of stars. Only had one once in 2e, but it was awesome.
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I have way too many favorites to list, as the included Wondrous Items typically are quite good.
However, to turn the question around for a second, I would like to point out something that is missing from the Core Items.
It would be nice to have Wondrous Items that improve with character advancement. For (a weak) example:
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Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot wrists; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
These thick leather bracers cover most of the wearer's forearm and are often decorated with stylized animals burned into the material. When worn by a monk, these exceptional armbands provide the following cumulative benefits, dependent upon the wearer's level:
1st level: +1 to Combat Manuever Bonus (CMB)
3rd level: +1 to attack and damage rolls with all unarmed strikes
5th level: +2 to all Acrobatics skill checks
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cat's grace, magic weapon; Cost 7,500 gp
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This solves two big problems:
- 1. Characters are less likely to "rotate gear", which helps to build a lasting identity.
- 2. When characters take a magic item from a "Big Boss", the players don't yet have full access to all the powers the bad guy had.
(Forgive me if this is too far off of the original topic. No thread jacking was intended.)
It's a tie between cloak of the bat and cloak of the manta ray. They're similar enough that you'll get the point.
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Bracers of Wrestling...
Hi Jerry, that's an interesting idea, but I think they don't do items like that because it is difficult to price an item that has different powers for different character levels. However I do believe that there was a 3.5 book which had "weapons of legacy" or something like that which "leveled up" along with the wielder.
Jerry, there aren't any in Pathfinder (yet, that I know of), but in 3.5e those were called Legacy items. Once you hit a certain prerequisite (usually level-based) you perform a ritual (which was gold-based) to buff up the power of the item.
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Pearls of Power: I know it is a rather boring choice as far as wondrous items go, but they do their job very well in my opinion. Compared to other wondrous items like the belt of physical perfection you don´t just add some bonus and forget about it for the time being.
On the other hand, neither are the so complicated that the player has to reference the description every time before he uses it.
It´s quick and easy to use and there is still the element of choice when and which spells slots to refresh.
Jerry, there aren't any in Pathfinder (yet, that I know of), but in 3.5e those were called Legacy items. Once you hit a certain prerequisite (usually level-based) you perform a ritual (which was gold-based) to buff up the power of the item.
The closest thing in the CRB is the Monk's Robe. (And I admit, it's not quite what you're looking for. But there's your small bit of precedent.)
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I have way too many favorites to list, as the included Wondrous Items typically are quite good.
However, to turn the question around for a second, I would like to point out something that is missing from the Core Items.
It would be nice to have Wondrous Items that improve with character advancement. For (a weak) example:
============
Aura moderate transmutation; CL 8th
Slot wrists; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.Description
These thick leather bracers cover most of the wearer's forearm and are often decorated with stylized animals burned into the material. When worn by a monk, these exceptional armbands provide the following cumulative benefits, dependent upon the wearer's level:1st level: +1 to Combat Manuever Bonus (CMB)
3rd level: +1 to attack and damage rolls with all unarmed strikes
5th level: +2 to all Acrobatics skill checksConstruction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, cat's grace, magic weapon; Cost 7,500 gp
===============
This solves two big problems:
- 1. Characters are less likely to "rotate gear", which helps to build a lasting identity.
- 2. When characters take a magic item from a "Big Boss", the players don't yet have full access to all the powers the bad guy had.
(Forgive me if this is too far off of the original topic. No thread jacking was intended.)
Nice idea, some points (I like it, I am just a bit confused):
- what kind of bonus do the bracers give ? (Bracers of Archery give a competence bonus)
- regarding the scaling: (this could just come from me misinterpreting it) so you have to be a monk to get any use out of the item (why not any wrestler, like anyone with improved grapple of improved unarmed strike?) but does the powers scale by character level or monk level?
- regarding the price, of course such an item won´t be cheap, but with such a high price characters are very unlikely to own one till level 6 or 7, that pretty much defeats the scaling. As written the item is either useless to non-monks of any level, and either fully usable (unless it is based on monk level - and even then multiclass monks tend to have either 1-2 levels of monk or 1-2 levels of a secondary class)
That said, (in really shaky english ^^) I really like the evocative description.
Nice idea, some points (I like it, I am just a bit confused):- what kind of bonus do the bracers give ? (Bracers of Archery give a competence bonus)
- regarding the scaling: (this could just come from me misinterpreting it) so you have to be a monk to get any use out of the item (why not any wrestler, like anyone with improved grapple of improved unarmed strike?) but does the powers scale by character level or monk level?
- regarding the price, of course such an item won´t...
Thanks for the kind comments. To answer your questions, this item is just off the cuff (pun intended), not really intended to be complete or even particularly accurate. I was just posting something as an example.
Feel free to fix it though, if you'd like to. :)
Elixer of Fire Breath, because no one expects
Amulet of the Planes - because it's super useful till the first time you botch a shifting and then I get to have my fun...
That said, the Wand of Wonder is even more awesome, but technically it's not a wondrous item.
Efficient Quiver. I almost never play an archer, but appreciate the ability to easily store and retrieve a variety of items: staves, wands, javelins of lightning...
Hewards handy haversack forever - although they don't call em that nowadays any more.
I always loved figurines of wonderous power (even before that freaking Drow mucked it up).
Ioun stones also hold a place near and dear in my heart.
Handy Haversack.
It's a must-have.
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As a GM, I like to reward my players with things like elixirs and other one-use wondrous items, even if I am not sure they will be immediately applicable. I love the moment in a game when a player says, "Wait a minute... I have the perfect thing for the situation! I totally forgot until now! Time to put my feather token to good use..."
As a GM, I like to reward my players with things like elixirs and other one-use wondrous items, even if I am not sure they will be immediately applicable. I love the moment in a game when a player says, "Wait a minute... I have the perfect thing for the situation! I totally forgot until now! Time to put my feather token to good use..."
Our group used feather (tree) tokens twice in Red Hand of Doom. Once to destroy a certain bridge and delay the advance of the goblinoid horde, and once to take out a snoozing blue dragon after the city seige began. A 60' tall oak tree dropped from a great height does a lot of impact damage.
A character in the same campaign used a folding boat as an instant wall, hurling it and giving the command word to block an enemy's attempted exit.
I love the robe of useful items. Not very spectacular but, well, useful. I like a lot of low-power stuff that isn't necessarily a win-button/combat booster but something that can be practical and fun at the same time ("oh look, I've got a mule in my pocket..."). You can also be creative in it. ("We're trapped in this cell with no way out!" "But I just so happen to have this window here...") I wish it were a little cheaper though, so it would be more likely to show up in lower level treasure caches and the like (if a GM is calculating what a party would find according to suggested WBL, that is).
Sadly I think the wondrous item I end up using most is a boring ol' cloak of resistance. Boosting those saves is just too useful...
Hewards handy haversack forever - although they don't call em that nowadays any more.
+1 and in 3.5 they still call'em Hewards.
@Jerry Keyes: very nice for something quick one. Good luck this year.
Sadly I think the wondrous item I end up using most is a boring ol' cloak of resistance. Boosting those saves is just too useful...
I feel with you, it´s almost a required item - depending on who you ask.
D&D4 tried to fix this, I am not overly happy with their take on it.I would love it, if Pathfinder would take a crack at "fixing" this. It isn´t really a problem, I am just not all that happy with everyone wearing a cape - capes kill^^
It isn´t really a problem, I am just not all that happy with everyone wearing a cape - capes kill^^
Decanter Of Endless Water. and Marvelous Pigments. Lyre's of Building are amazing too.
@Banpai: Thank you x2!
@Damon Griffon: You just reminded me of a time when my players activated a Tree Token in a very tight hallway. The limbs pushed the whole party down the hall and through the enemies that were positioned there. Quite a battle going on while limbs and leaves thrashed about!!! Thanks for the memory.
@DeathQuaker: I'll agree with you on the Cloak of Resistance too. It's hard to argue with a bonus to all saves in one item.
Rope of Climbing. Never enter a dungeon without one.
Handy Haversack.
It's a must-have.
My last campaign I probably made every charOP board ever collectively cry, because I ended up blowing almost my entire starting gold by purchasing a Handy Haversack and a Hat of Disguise (the latter just so that my half-faerie dragon sorceress could change her clothing every day into something different, and have the hat show up as a pair of silver and ivory hair sticks).
I've always had a soft spot for the Apparatus of the Crab. So much so, that I've thrown it into every campaign I've ever DMd. Without fail, the players will always come up with some sort of hair-brained scheme to make use of it, that inevitably goes horribly wrong.
Decanter Of Endless Water. and Marvelous Pigments. Lyre's of Building are amazing too.
I have fond memories of trying to convince a GM that a Decanter of Endless Water could be used to rocket jump characters over a wall.
I always liked Hats of Disguise. I had a kender in 2e that made extensive use of it. I've always thought Horns of Valhalla were cool but never owned one.
Mirror of Mental Prowess. All the way!
The caveat being that I'm a GM 95% of the time, and it's a pretty powerful NPC item. :)
(Though I may get to play in a month or two.. I'm pretty excited!)
I love the hat of disguise: the best magical special effect in the book available for any character in any campaign. Every time I play a shady PC or an investigator, the hat it's my first choice.
Reading this thread gave me an idea: What if we judged the wondrous items of the CRB with the same standards as the contest? I mean, of all the entries in the book, which item would be, according to all that's been said about the dos and don'ts of the contest, a RPG Superstar entry? Which one would be an instant reject?
For example, The Hat of Disguise would be rejected because it's a spell in a can, despite its redeeming quality of being a hat (and hats are awesome).
The Helm of Brilliance is a Swiss Army Knife, but it's full of Win. It's presented in an interesting form, it's powers are related to the "light" theme, and can DETONATE! Sadly, its 370 words would instant reject it.
In games I've both GMed and PCed, my party members inevitably blow a bunch of money on getting Immovable Rods.
Definately the coolest and neatest Wondrous Item. And so simple too!
Reading this thread gave me an idea: What if we judged the wondrous items of the CRB with the same standards as the contest? I mean, of all the entries in the book, which item would be, according to all that's been said about the dos and don'ts of the contest, a RPG Superstar entry? Which one would be an instant reject?
For example, The Hat of Disguise would be rejected because it's a spell in a can, despite its redeeming quality of being a hat (and hats are awesome).
The Helm of Brilliance is a Swiss Army Knife, but it's full of Win. It's presented in an interesting form, it's powers are related to the "light" theme, and can DETONATE! Sadly, its 370 words would instant reject it.
you should start a new thread... :) not like I need any more threads to check!
In games I've both GMed and PCed, my party members inevitably blow a bunch of money on getting Immovable Rods.
Definately the coolest and neatest Wondrous Item. And so simple too!
But it's a rod, not a wondrous item.... :)
3.5, Belt of Dwarvenkind. Best value item ever. +2 Con, +2 on saves, and darkvision! All in one item slot!
I have to choose only one? Is that even possible? I don't know what to choose. I'll go with handy haversack, cause it's one thing that every character needs.
I love the moment in a game when a player says, "Wait a minute... I have the perfect thing for the situation! I totally forgot until now! Time to put my feather token to good use..."
I see the opposite far too often:
*player 1 does something heroic, and nearly dies*
*five minutes pass*
Player 2 "Oh hey, look, I have just the item that would have prevented the struggle we had earlier.."
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I see the opposite far too often:
*player 1 does something heroic, and nearly dies*
*five minutes pass*
Player 2 "Oh hey, look, I have just the item that would have prevented the struggle we had earlier.."
Well, hindsight is 20-20. (I bet true seeing is, too.)
The Wings of Flying... never had them before, but I want one so badly.