Armory of Awesome (Good Vibes Thread)

[Monica Marlowe]

There have been some fun things this year that weren't joke items, but truly fun things. I've enjoyed reading several items and get a little giddy when I'm able to vote for them.

[Curaigh]

Just got to star voter and have 10 items in my keep folder. I am delightfully surprised at the number of weapons I have kept.

Nice!

[Moik]

Whoa... There it is. This must be the item everyone is surprised isn't already in Pathfinder. It's so obvious in hindsight. I can't believe I never thought of it...

[vgmaster831]

Jacob Kellogg wrote:

I have seen a pretty solid staff.

Perhaps the vibes in here are too good?

[Ambrosia Slaad]

Moik wrote:

Whoa... There it is. This must be the item everyone is surprised isn't already in Pathfinder. It's so obvious in hindsight. I can't believe I never thought of it...

Huh, I can't recall seeing something that meets that description... must. keep. voting...

[JJ Jordan]

I have seen one super cool staff that I can guarantee is in the top 32. So congrats to that person.

Many items that, while maybe not top 32, are cool enough to tweak and drop into a game.

[xidoraven]

I am hearing a lot of armor and weapons, a few staves and rings, but what about the other item types? I am seeing some really good ones - it is definitely great to see the high level of creativity and execution. There are quite a few that can still use some work, but it makes it really easy when the entries are able to stand out like they have been.

Word count, low or high, has not been a major issue for me. High quality has made them all work well. I loved seeing setting-specific themes from Golarion (huzzah for Iomedae! - and I am not usually a fan of that deity), but had to vote down some that were too specific to other settings.

What about non-core rules (I haven't seen the item that should have been in the CRB yet) being used properly in items? Is it possible that the Ranged Tactics Player Companion made the ranged weapons uniquely more useful, or just a coincidence of excellence and strategy?

[Rose Stack]

I just saw the cutest ring. I want eleven.

[quibblemuch]

There have been a number of rods and staves that have made me do a double-take with very clever rethinkings of what those items can be and do. Extremely impressive expansion of the design space, to all responsible!

[Luthia]

I think I'm enjoying armors, shields and rods the most, but really every item category has at least a few items, that it would probably hurt me not to vote for.

[BLUKnight]

mechaPoet wrote:

I just saw the cutest ring. I want eleven.

I too have found some really cute rings : D

[Taylor Hubler]

I think I may have up voted every wind related item so far. Some pretty solid work went into many of those.

[Jacob W. Michaels]

To the person who took an idea from my head, I salute you. I've upvoted your item at least a couple times...

[KatsuraTsuruya]

I've seen so many good armours this year.

[Eric Hindley]

Seen lots of good sfuff-rings, weapons, shields. Even a staff or two.

[Kalervo Oikarinen]

I just saw a very cool armor with a Golarion tie-in, kudos to the designer.

[Feros]

Hello subtle magical ring. Welcome to my keep list. :)

[Luthia]

Yikes, comment that feels like it was related to my item has occurred in this thread. Oh well, it could be about other items I've seen. Breathe.

Regardless, I'm feeling really fond of a few items that has out of four or so possible votes received all four. Sometimes against fairly fierce competition.

And I REALLY like the few staves, that has a spell list, but subtly alters the spells on that list to something slightly different. Still the same spell, but something changing it enough that I cannot just cast the same spell (possibly with a metamagic feat or two) and get the same result. That makes me happy. And I've even seen some of these darlings enough to vote for them more than once.

And, I'm almost at 500 unique items on my own list, which is also pleasant.

[Jarrett Sigler]

Seriously, I'm seeing some pretty well built items. I feel alot of the competitors this year should feel very proud of the turnout.

[Monica Marlowe]

Shared this on the other list, but there are thousands of posts of there and you might have missed it. Since there are a bunch of them, I have no shame in saying I had no real working knowledge of the chakram beyond "Xena is cool" prior to this contest. However, I wanted to see how they worked in practice and omg, these things are freaking scary in practice.

[Haladir]

So far on the "I'm Stealing This For My Campaign" list...

I've seen at least two very cool rods, whose creators really understood the design space for the item type.

I've seen some really great ideas with weapons that do something cool and straightforward that hasn't been part of the game before.

I've seen at least three staves that were very well-constructed, thematic, and had a nice little twist that made them truly stand out (and in a good way).

[bdk86]

I've seen a few really fun staves; I'm kind of excited that these great ideas are shining through for staves that go behind "spell-in-can-pocket-knife".

There have been some great poison oriented concepts coming across my votes as well.

[Kiel Howell]

You...you're a good staff. Keeper.

[Feros]

OK, you win—you make me think of voodoo in just the right way. Keeper!

[TwoDee]

I've been noticing that there's a small but enduring trend of items that utilize oft-forgotten or ignored mechanics. Hats off!

[Garrett Guillotte]

I hope your subtlety doesn't get lost during the voting, because you're not just a cool item—you're also a great template for expanding that entire class of item.

[Garrett Guillotte]

Wow, that's one hell of a swing-for-the-fences camping item.

[Vrecknidj]

I do have to admit I've seen some pretty good staff ideas. Better ideas than I thought I might see. Kudos to those who came up with the excellent ones.

[Nickolas Russell]

Great thread! I was going to make one called 'Everything is Awesome!' hahaha. Seriously though, I'm learning alot looking through all the entries, I've never made an item before this challenge!

[Aaron Miller 335]

WOW that was a nice concise ring, keeper #4

and I get to upvote you twice in a row!

[lair-master]

I've seen some eye-rolling over "x becomes y in the hands of z" items, but I just saw one that was so well done I couldn't resist voting for it. The mechanics weren't anything special, but it just goes to show what some high-quality writing can do for an item.

[Kiel Howell]

You...you play with encumbrance in an interesting way and I like you.

[PathlessBeth]

Shields were always the item category I wanted to like, but too many shields are poorly written or not functional...
but that right there is exactly what a magic shield should be. It's good enough to shield me from all the other items in the contest:)

[Curaigh]

Maybe I am just feeling generous but three items in a row just entered my keep pile :)

One made the novelist in me smile--close to a plot device, but the rule of cool pulls it back from that edge. Another that pulled two things together in a neat and creative way. And the third made my inner herper squee!

[Lightminder]

I think I saw that shield too, I really liked a ranged item that comes slithering back, great!

[James Raine]

..."Herper"?

[Jerry Keyes]

Overall the quality is up this year, although there are clearly some entries from people that did not read all of the rules first.

Here's my "redacted" favorites so far, with scores...

• Net (Near perfect, wish I had written it.) 10/10
  
• Shield (Could use one more pass, great visuals.) 8/10
  
• Rod (Fun destruction, if a little one dimensional.) 8/10
  
• Chainmail (Not terribly original, but well executed.) 6.5/10
  
• Full Plate (Weird, but in a good way.) 7/10
  
• Greatsword (Not overly special, but tight writing.) 7/10
  
• Rod (Should have been a staff, excellent name.) 8/10
  
• Chain Shirt (Probably not Superstar, but I like it.) 7/10
  
• Ammunition (Too much backstory, surprise abilities.) 6/10
  
• Staff (Too powerful? Nicely written.) 7.5/10
  
• Rapier (Evocative writing, gruesomely good.) 7.5/10
  

This list is bound to grow! Kudos to all who entered this year.

[Tripp Elliott]

CalebTGordan wrote:

I think I may have up voted every wind related item so far. Some pretty solid work went into many of those.

Even the breaking wind one?

[Tripp Elliott]

Ambrosia Slaad wrote:

Moik wrote:

Whoa... There it is. This must be the item everyone is surprised isn't already in Pathfinder. It's so obvious in hindsight. I can't believe I never thought of it...

Huh, I can't recall seeing something that meets that description... must. keep. voting...

Me either, I'm intrigued.

Can't help but wonder if this was that other Jacob's item.

[Curaigh]

James Raine wrote:

..."Herper"?

Herpetologist or herpetology enthusiast.

ps My threatened species breeding pair just had their second baby too! :)
pps it wasn't a shield.
ppps 'the item wasn't a shield,' not 'the baby wasn't a shield' :P

[James Raine]

Oh, duh. I should've made that connection. Not the much more gutter-oriented one I did.

[Curaigh]

Try telling the folks at an office staff meeting you are taking vacation time to go herping.
"Cant they treat that here?" is almost what they say but they never seem to get past the you got what?" squeamish face. :)

[Lightminder]

Ever go herping and LARPing on the same weekend? Which one required more stuff?

[Moik]

I don't know where this feeling came from, I partly blame the Christmas season, but...

I'm sitting here tired and kinda grumpy, voting for a lack of better things to do, staring at middling items that don't actually get me excited, and...

I felt grateful. I felt glad these people had taken the time to write and try, and left the item there for others to look at. My internal reaction was like as if someone had showed up with gingerbread cookies for everyone, or if a pet had sidled up against me. Like, a comforting emotional warming.

So, to everyone, even the ones who wrote in essay form without any template; thank you. I appreciate that you shared.

[Jarrett Sigler]

Moik wrote:

I don't know where this feeling came from, I partly blame the Christmas season, but...

I'm sitting here tired and kinda grumpy, voting for a lack of better things to do, staring at middling items that don't actually get me excited, and...

I felt grateful. I felt glad these people had taken the time to write and try, and left the item there for others to look at. My internal reaction was like as if someone had showed up with gingerbread cookies for everyone, or if a pet had sidled up against me. Like, a comforting emotional warming.

So, to everyone, even the ones who wrote in essay form without any template; thank you. I appreciate that you shared.

I nominate this guy for best post.

You sir are mister nice guy. :)

[Curaigh]

Well said Moik, well said. :)

[Jacob W. Michaels]

Oh, yes.

I think I have a definite weakness for items that involve haunts.

[R D Ramsey]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

Oh, yes.

I think I have a definite weakness for items that involve haunts.

There's a haunt-involving item that I liked quite a lot. It made sense, not just some tacked on thing.

[Thomas LeBlanc]

Saw most of my keep pile this afternoon! I am sad I didn't see ___ come across my screen. :(

Once again, a much better start to voting than the previous years. Last year I didn't vote much pre-cull.

[Moik]

Well, item. I didn't realize it through the first five upvotes. But, since I keep backing you, that must mean you're solid. That tenacity will get you into my Keep folder.