This idea has popped into my head several times and I finally have time to write it down.
This is by no means a completely worked out system. I just wanted to throw it out there and see what people think.
Instead of having slots on your body that you fill up with items, in this system each magic item has something called a "personality". That does not mean every magic item is intelligent. The personalities are just what adventurers call the various magic items, that behave in a certain way.
Personalities are basically rules you have to meet in order for the magic item to function. If an item's rule is not met, it will cease to function until the rules are met. It is still a magic item even if it does not provide any bonus and thus can effect other magic items. Weapons and Shields count for these rules as long as they are used or worn battle ready (sword in sheath, shield strapped to the back).
PRIMARY PERSONALITIES and their rules:
Each item must have at least one primary personality. It is possible for an item to have multiple personalities as long as their rules do not contradict or overlap.
Altruist No restrictions
Almost equal to slotless items. Almost...
Egoist No other magic items of similar kind or with similar effects may be used/worn
If you only wear Egoist magic items the end result would be on almost par with your standard slot system. For each body part and each function you get one item.
Hermit No other magic items are allowed at all
Highly restrictive. These items are usually very powerful (artifacts) to compensate for the fact you can only have 1 item (sort of).
Monarch No other items of higher or equal caster level are allowed
Almost as good as Altruist if it is a high level item... not as good for a low level item.
Seer No restrictions, but reveals all "hidden" items
Not good if you have Spy or Stowaway items.
Shadow Must wear a similar magic item that is not a shadow
A shadow can't exist without something that casts it, thus it cannot be worn or used alone. Kind of bothersome for melee weapons since you have to go dual wielding.
Spy No restrictions and does not effect any other items
The most sought after personality type as it can be worn with any other item. Unless you are also wearing a seer.
Stowaway No other magic items of the same kind, but does not effect any other items
Hiding places are limited.
Underling Must wear a magic item with a higher caster level than his own
The weak cover in fear when there is nobody to protect them. Good for weak items. Troublesome for powerful items.
SECONDARY PERSONALITIES:
An item can only have a secondary personality when it also has at least one other primary personality.
Siblings Siblings ignore the rules of any other personalities for a specific other item, or a set of items.
When a Ruler personality has one sibling item which is also a ruler, they are often nicknamed "King and Queen".
Changeling The rules of one other personality are inverted.
Altruist Changeling = Hermit
Egoist Changeling = Only similar magic items or items with similar magic effect may be used or worn
Hermit Changeling = Altruist
Monarch Changeling = Underling
Seer Changeling = Hides all other items from each other and itself (very, very rare and expensive)
Shadow Changeling = Stowaway
Spy Changeling = Hermit that does not effect other items
Stowaway Changeling = Shadow
Underling Changeling = Monarch
Only magic item experts can differentiate between cases where an inverted personality behaves exactly like another personality. The differences are subtle but sometimes important. For example when trying to change an item's personality.
Destroyer Instead of deactivating itself, this item tries to destroy each item that violates its rules.
Many adventurers dread this sub personality. Luckily it is rare.
Theoretically it can be also inverted, but then it would destroy itself as soon as it is put on and a rule is not met. Items like this do not last long enough to be found as loot (normally).
This could make for an interesting meta game when you drop random loot where the players figure out how to best combine the items they find (provided your players like these kind of puzzles).
I'll add some examples later when I have time.
I think it adds needless complication. Unless my GM could tell me why it added to the game I would try to talk him out of it.
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It seems like it could be a little fun puzzle once or twice if you had to scrape together gear, but I feel like ultimately the idea is that it doesn't add anything to the game outside of a few charts and extra bookkeeping because someone might be afraid of players getting specific magic items to 'optimize' their build.
I dunno. Seems like it could be a very flavorful system, but at the same time I think it would be much more suited to another game rather than PF.
I kind of like it but it does ad some complexity to a part of the game that dosent need it.
An interesting idea that's flavorful but needlessly complex. Instead of a chart listing body slots, you now have a chart listing PERSONALITIES/interactions. Could you simplify it?
I usually play in games where people have few magic items. I don't recall I have ever played a character that filled up even half his body slots.
As such I didn't expect this to be that complex. It is more complex of course than simply using body slots. But that was the intention.
Might not be for everyone, but I know some people that like a little puzzle game. As such I don't know how I could make it simpler and keep the intention.
Having a chart that lists possible interactions might make things easier, but I am not sure how that would look.
I think if restrictions on number of magic items is what you want, borrowing from Exalted and implementing an attunement system (which places an upper limit on the number of items you can be attuned to at one time) would be simpler.
Although I think the concrete effect of any "number of magic items worn" restriction will be to ensure that players use items that aren't just straight + items even less than they do now.
Interesting. I don't think I would use it, but interesting. I really like the Shadow one, I might just make that a magic item property. Monarch could also work for intelligent items. They have to be the best.