Hey folks!
My designer buddies and I are kicking around ways to improve our attunement rules. These are to increase the importance of magic items to a PC, keeping groups from excessively trading around their equipment and working to negate the Christmas Tree effect.
Attuned Values
All creatures receive an “attunement value” which represents the total value of magic items that they can benefit from at any given time. While one might own other enchanted equipment, they cannot utilize their abilities until the items are attuned to that creature.Attuning Items
Typically, it requires a number of days equal to twice the caster level of an item to attune it to a character. During this attunement period, the PC must stay within 5 feet of the item at all times. A creature may only be actively attuning one item at a time.
Once per week, a creature can immediately attune a single item with a value equal to no more than half their attunement value.To determine the attunement value of a PC, refer to the “Character Wealth by Level” table (in the Gamemastering chapter of Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook) and multiply the value to match the play style of your campaign.
For example, a 10th level PC in a Standard campaign has an attunement value of 77,500 gp (normally 62,000 gp, now multiplied by 1.25).To determine the new value of an NPC’s equipment, refer to the “NPC Gear” table (in the Creating NPCs chapter of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook) and multiple the value to match the play style of your campaign. Increase the CR of the NPC by +1.
For example, a 6th level NPC in a Standard campaign has an attunement value of 10,350 gp (normally 3,450 gp, now multiplied by 3).Attunement and Magic Immunity
Creatures who are immune to magic, like golems or forsaken (same way a golem works) are likewise immune to attunement, and have no attunement value. They cannot attune to or activate any magic item, though they can still benefit from items whose magic affects only the item itself, such as the enhancement bonus to a magic weapon or enchanted armor.
Mirrored Magic Arms and Armor(these are ablative and gradually lose potency), Potions, Wands, Devices (gadgets that emulate spells), Scrolls, Artifacts, Cursed Items, Magical Ammunition
Magic Arms and Armor, Rings, Rods, Staves, Wondrous Items, Intelligent Items, Spellbooks (1/2 value)Play Style -- PC values -- NPC values
Standard ---- x 1.25 ----- x3Items Incapable of Attunement
Typically, items with limited charges, such as potions and wands do not require attunement, or count towards a creature’s attunement value.
While we like these rules, some astute feedback pointed out that this leaves fighters and other basic martials out in the cold.
Some of the ideas we've come up with to address that:
- Mini-Multipliers by feats (0.05-0.10?) and maybe favored class bonuses (.01).
- Grant a special bonus multiplier for classes that increase BAB with each level. (Probably .05 per level).
- Something along the lines of: "Every +4 BAB gained from class levels grants a .15 multiplier increase to the PC attunement value. Levels that grant caster levels are not counted in this calculation."
What do you, folk of the Paizo boards, think we ought to go with? One of the bullets above? Something else?