| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've always struggled with the impulse to buy the correct items as opposed to the fun and flavorful ones. Now that I've joined an Automatic Bonus Progression game I find myself overwhelmed by choice.
What do you prioritize when the Big 6 are no longer an issue? Or is that the wrong way to look at it? When you're playing with the kind of optional rules that make "essential items" less essential, is there an especially fun cloak/headband/belt that never sees play? How do you approach the suddenly-interesting-again question of equipment when you're in an Automatic Bonus Progression game?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The main point of ABP is to be able to enjoy the weird items rather than feeling a need to optimise. Do that; use the oddball items you find rather than immediately selling them then shopping around for the next cheapest +1 bonus.
Minor Cloak of Displacement
Ring of Sustenance
Wayfinder + Clear Spindle
Bead of Newt Prevention
Blood Reservoir of Physical Prowess
Swarmbane Clasp
I also really like the Gloves of Arcane Striking, especially for Helpful Halflings.
Traveler's Anytool, Campfire Bead, Immovable Rod, all the stuff you would be pretty happy to find in a campaign but wouldn't go out of your way to buy.
I think there are a lot of great neck-slot items that never see play.
Talismans are my favourite at the moment. They come in cheap LESSER versions and expensive GREATER versions . While they occupy your neck slot, you can wear up to 3 of them at once.
i got the 1/day feather fall item and so far it was very useful. cost less then feather fall ring (only 500 gp). and how many times in one day do you expect to fall from a great height?
(we passed it around when climbing up or down very high places as extra insurance. it saved more then one party member eventually)as for interesting items you can get. how about doing the pinball gang shtick?
every party member get this and before using it make sure there is around 5 feet separating between yourselves. then bump into the target( reposition,bull rush or grapple they just need to be touching you) and send him flying into your next party member. bonus if last party member send the target up 10 feet in the air.
-as the 10 feet pushed can be in ANY direction. and falling from 10 ft do 1d6 more damage (and the use of acrobatics to negate it is only when you jump down intentionally not when you suddenly fall) also taking falling damage of any kind mean you end up prone (unless you got the right magic item\ability)
5d4 unavoidable force damage per party member +1d6 can realty hurt. also it's fun playing pinball...
if you can't get your party on board it is still a nice item (especially to avoid grapplers\other maneuver experts), just throw the target in the air for the extra 1d6 damage and prone effect. ('dum dum dum -can't touch this!')
What do you prioritize when the Big 6 are no longer an issue? Or is that the wrong way to look at it?
Depends on the game, and the class.
ABP is enough for a functional character, so for a campaign with low optimization level (or a character that's already strong compared to the other party members), investing mainly in flavorful items is advisable.
If you want to mechanical improve your character, there are a bunch of items that make characters stronger. Ioun Stones, Braces of Archery, Gloves of Dueling, Monk's Robe, metamagic rods, hexing rods, Pages of Spell Knowledge, Pearls of Power... the list goes on.
When you're playing with the kind of optional rules that make "essential items" less essential, is there an especially fun cloak/headband/belt that never sees play?
Muleback Chords (makes Str 7 chars much better) and Blinkback Belt (godsend for throwing builds) are some of the biggest ones, and can change builds.
Beneficial Bandolier, Phylactery of Positive Channeling and the negative version, Cloak of Displacement (Minor) should see more use. Swarmbane Clasp becomes a prime solution to swarms.
for higher levels, instant fortress, cube of force, any of the summoning stuff is pretty fun (horn of valhalla, gems of elemental summoning, figurines of wondrous power), ring of stars, the various cauldrons and crystal balls.
I'm never not using ABP in my games from now on. I've always loved giving my players the more niche magical items instead of the standard +1 ring. I find it also fun to design encounters like puzzles in which these pieces can fit. For instance, I had a modern Pathfinder game in which they got a Cube of Force at like 2nd level and then later on ran into a city wide riot in which tear gas was seriously messing them up, along with the swat teams in gas masks shooting the ever living out of them. Then they remembered they had the cube and started to form some tactics to keep the gas out, block some bullets, lower it, shoot back, raise it again, etc. Turned a pretty deadly (if not impossible) encounter into something far more manageable.
|
There's a lot of static +s beyond just the "big 7." ABP certainly doesn't remove the ability to just buy static bonuses if that's what you want.
Dusty rose prism ioun stone, +1 insight to ac
All sorts of +5 comp to skill items.
Various +#s to combat maneuvers items.
Things like golem bane scarab or swarmbane clasp.
And of course Weapons- adamantine, or other special materials. Holy enchantment or other DR breakers.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What do you prioritize when the Big 6 are no longer an issue? Or is that the wrong way to look at it?Depends on the game, and the class.
I'm one of the experienced players coming into a new game. Running a vanilla mesmerist debuffer / controller with a goal of helping the newer players feel like badasses.
Hmm, a Mesmerist helping new players feel like badasses... are you a Helpful Halfing? And are you VMC Bard?
Hmm, a Mesmerist helping new players feel like badasses... are you a Helpful Halfing? And are you VMC Bard?
The party already has a bard. I'm just going for gnome with a focus on enchantment DCs. The shtick is to do save-or-suck rather than save-or-die so that the other players can get the flashy killing blows (e.g. choices like Command rather than Murderous Command).
Cloaks of the hedge wizard are nice little items that normally get overshadowed by the cloak of resistance.
You know, I think the Cloak of Resistance is probably the single most powerful item in the game, and is incredibly cheap compared to the rest of The Big 6 (or 7?), and I just realised I'm not using one with either of my characters at the moment =P
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
On my big tanky Bloodrager I have a Cloak of Displacement (Minor), a Swarmbane Clasp, a Ring of Fire Resistance (Minor), a Ring of the Ram and a set of Boots of the Earth. He also has the Light Fortification enchantent on his armour.
On my front-line/utility Occultist I have a Cloak of Human Guise, some Talismans and a Ring of Sustinance. She has the Deathless enchantment on her armour. She also carries a Rope of Climbing and an Origami Swarm, but she's crafted a few things for her party as well (don't have their character sheets and that game's on hiatus so I can't remember what =P )
I love looking through the SLOTLESS WONDROUS ITEMS, there are so many things you can just pull out and use to change the situation.
I think Half-Orc/Sacred Tattooes/Fate's Favored/Jingasa of Fortunate Soldier/minor Cloak of Displacement is the combination to beat, honestly. Sure, it requires being a Half-Orc... oh no. Free Endurance, proficiency with Orc HornBows, and Darkvision... with a floating +2, and access to Human FCB.
|
I think Half-Orc/Sacred Tattooes/Fate's Favored/Jingasa of Fortunate Soldier/minor Cloak of Displacement is the combination to beat, honestly. Sure, it requires being a Half-Orc... oh no. Free Endurance, proficiency with Orc HornBows, and Darkvision... with a floating +2, and access to Human FCB.
I assume you mean pre-errata jingasa. It got nerf'd to crap years ago
I think Half-Orc/Sacred Tattooes/Fate's Favored/Jingasa of Fortunate Soldier/minor Cloak of Displacement is the combination to beat, honestly. Sure, it requires being a Half-Orc... oh no. Free Endurance, proficiency with Orc HornBows, and Darkvision... with a floating +2, and access to Human FCB.I assume you mean pre-errata jingasa. It got nerf'd to crap years ago
Oh yeah, I absolutely ignore any FAQ/Errata that reduce something's effectiveness in any way.
Cloaks of the hedge wizard are nice little items that normally get overshadowed by the cloak of resistance.
Ooh... I like the transmutation version. It stays relevant for a bit longer than the others since it's not relying on DCs.