Difference between revisions of "User:Ghostwheel/Sandbox"
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| − | + | == Alternative Equipment == | |
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| − | + | {{Author | |
| − | + | |author_name=Ghostwheel | |
| − | + | |date_created=November 1, 2009 | |
| − | + | |status=Complete | |
| − | + | }} | |
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| − | + | Equipment has often been a problematic aspect of D&D; a common problem, especially at high levels, is that a character is nothing without their equipment. One is unable to fight equal-level foes, one constantly needs to be given level-equivalent equipment, and more. But the problems don't stop at the mechanical point; they also extend to the story and flavor of the game. Characters of any decent level can't play the wandering entertainer who sings for his meals, there is no "Rambo" type character who lives only by his wits and skill without a plethora of magic items in the wilderness, the allure of wealth doesn't call to high-level adventurers who could buy a kingdom by selling off their magical equipment, and characters fear spending any of their hard-won gold on in-character luxuries for fear that they'll be unprepared for the next fight, and potentially die. Even worse is if the equipment is disjunctioned, sundered, or stolen, since then the characters are either left in a subpar state, or the DM must give them incredible amounts of equipment to make up for that which is gone. Magic-marts, while at times necessary, are also gone as more realism is achieved, since players can get the equipment they want without having to buy it or for it to appear "by chance" in some dragon's hoarde. | |
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| + | In order to solve these problems, one needs to make magical items part of a character, rather than extra additions that make them into a magical ornament. Player characters, by their very nature, are incredible and magical within their own rights. A high-level adventurer's sword is a might blade of legendary proportions, while a peasant wielding the same sword would have no more luck than with a sword they found by the wayside. (Obviously, the DM can make exceptions to this when it is required for storytelling purposes.) A character's very presence attunes items to his greatness, shapes their essence, incites them to lofty heights, brings forth their hidden potential, and molds their powers in the character's image. | ||
| + | |||
| + | With this variant in place, the need for gold is gone. A player can be Rambo, with nothing but mundane equipment on their back, or the wandering bard who entertains for his meal, and characters may spend their gold lavishly at various places for entertainment, or on priceless art pieces to decorate their den. And as they gain in power, the powers they can bring forth grow too. It may seem a little strange at first when a character who is usually nonmagical brings forth magical properties in an item, but effectively, this isn't any different from a character buying the item at a shop or from a temple. Though the origin of where the item came from is different, in effect very little has changed. It also gives the benefit of being able to strip the players of their magical items, a theme often used when escaping from a prison. While finding their equipment will help the characters greatly in escaping the prison, it's an optional objective rather than one they must complete. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ;Mechanical Aspects | ||
| + | |||
| + | Under this variant, characters gain a number of Wealth Points (WP) equal to the character wealth by level that they would have normally as per their level (page 135 of the DMG). They may use the WP to imbue magical abilities on any mundane item they carry, though the power needs to fit the item. For example, at the cost of 4,000 WP, a character may imbue a mundane cloak with the +2 Charisma property, but they wouldn't be able to do the same for a pair of boots since they aren't usually imbued with Charisma-enhancing properties. Scrolls and potions follow the same rules, and can be imbued with power. For example, a vial (or flask, or flagon, or cup) containing water (or some other liquid) may be imbued with 50 WP to become a potion of Cure Light Wounds, while a piece of parchment or a thin stone tablet may be imbued with the properties of a Scroll of Displacement at the cost of 375 WP. One-use items may be reattuned as normal, effectively making them "per day" rather than "single use items". | ||
| + | |||
| + | Under this variant, gold is used to buy mundane and masterwork items (effectively reducing the WP cost by 300 when one buys a masterwork weapon rather than investing WP to make it masterwork in order to enchant it), as well as for services, bribes, and other luxuries that the characters would want to purchase. | ||
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| + | This variant makes crafting feats obsolete, and they should be removed from the game. | ||
| + | <!-- | ||
| + | {{:User:Ghostwheel/NavBox}} | ||
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| + | ---- | ||
| + | {{3.5e Variant Rules Breadcrumb}} | ||
| + | [[Category:3.5e]] | ||
| + | [[Category:User]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Variant Rule]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Transformational Variant Rule]] | ||
| + | --> | ||
Revision as of 05:12, 9 November 2009
Alternative Equipment
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Equipment has often been a problematic aspect of D&D; a common problem, especially at high levels, is that a character is nothing without their equipment. One is unable to fight equal-level foes, one constantly needs to be given level-equivalent equipment, and more. But the problems don't stop at the mechanical point; they also extend to the story and flavor of the game. Characters of any decent level can't play the wandering entertainer who sings for his meals, there is no "Rambo" type character who lives only by his wits and skill without a plethora of magic items in the wilderness, the allure of wealth doesn't call to high-level adventurers who could buy a kingdom by selling off their magical equipment, and characters fear spending any of their hard-won gold on in-character luxuries for fear that they'll be unprepared for the next fight, and potentially die. Even worse is if the equipment is disjunctioned, sundered, or stolen, since then the characters are either left in a subpar state, or the DM must give them incredible amounts of equipment to make up for that which is gone. Magic-marts, while at times necessary, are also gone as more realism is achieved, since players can get the equipment they want without having to buy it or for it to appear "by chance" in some dragon's hoarde.
In order to solve these problems, one needs to make magical items part of a character, rather than extra additions that make them into a magical ornament. Player characters, by their very nature, are incredible and magical within their own rights. A high-level adventurer's sword is a might blade of legendary proportions, while a peasant wielding the same sword would have no more luck than with a sword they found by the wayside. (Obviously, the DM can make exceptions to this when it is required for storytelling purposes.) A character's very presence attunes items to his greatness, shapes their essence, incites them to lofty heights, brings forth their hidden potential, and molds their powers in the character's image.
With this variant in place, the need for gold is gone. A player can be Rambo, with nothing but mundane equipment on their back, or the wandering bard who entertains for his meal, and characters may spend their gold lavishly at various places for entertainment, or on priceless art pieces to decorate their den. And as they gain in power, the powers they can bring forth grow too. It may seem a little strange at first when a character who is usually nonmagical brings forth magical properties in an item, but effectively, this isn't any different from a character buying the item at a shop or from a temple. Though the origin of where the item came from is different, in effect very little has changed. It also gives the benefit of being able to strip the players of their magical items, a theme often used when escaping from a prison. While finding their equipment will help the characters greatly in escaping the prison, it's an optional objective rather than one they must complete.
- Mechanical Aspects
Under this variant, characters gain a number of Wealth Points (WP) equal to the character wealth by level that they would have normally as per their level (page 135 of the DMG). They may use the WP to imbue magical abilities on any mundane item they carry, though the power needs to fit the item. For example, at the cost of 4,000 WP, a character may imbue a mundane cloak with the +2 Charisma property, but they wouldn't be able to do the same for a pair of boots since they aren't usually imbued with Charisma-enhancing properties. Scrolls and potions follow the same rules, and can be imbued with power. For example, a vial (or flask, or flagon, or cup) containing water (or some other liquid) may be imbued with 50 WP to become a potion of Cure Light Wounds, while a piece of parchment or a thin stone tablet may be imbued with the properties of a Scroll of Displacement at the cost of 375 WP. One-use items may be reattuned as normal, effectively making them "per day" rather than "single use items".
Under this variant, gold is used to buy mundane and masterwork items (effectively reducing the WP cost by 300 when one buys a masterwork weapon rather than investing WP to make it masterwork in order to enchant it), as well as for services, bribes, and other luxuries that the characters would want to purchase.
This variant makes crafting feats obsolete, and they should be removed from the game.
