Last post I started a new column idea up regarding magic items. I think that magic items should be iconic and rare in most games. You can't buy them at stores or shops, you find them at the bottom of tombs and on the fingers of your fallen enemies. Magic items are cool, but the typical 4e presentation of magic items with activated powers in the AEDU (at-will, encounter, daily, utility) format that was popularized by 4e just seem off. I want a magic item that does something perpetually, but at a cost. It's a real risk versus reward conundrum, right?
The first item that I created to really embrace this design philosophy was the Ring of Invisibility. Everyone is familiar with this as it was popularized in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. So, behold! The Ring of Invisibility!
The first thing I wanted to capture with this ring, while admittedly being very derivative of the sources mentioned above, was that power comes at a cost. As long as you wear this ring you are Invisible, but you slowly start to go mad, ala Gollum and at one point Bilbo. Maybe this design principle is a little over-powered for most games, but honestly, Legend4ry play isn't most games. It's going to be over the top and iconic, that's what we strive for, and I think that this magic item embraces it.
My new philosophy led me to rethink a magic item I had created for my Dyson's Delve conversion that is a work in progress. For the first level a magical dagger is found and I wanted to create something out of the norm. Instead I created a lower-level version of a typically 4e AEDU-designed weapon. Some comments just suggested using that weapon instead, but I wanted something more. So in a fit of inspiration I created a new version of it. This new version is also slightly derivative, imagine Sting from LOTR but instead of alerting to the presence of Orcs, it alerts to the presence of the Undead. I didn't actually make the connection between Sting and my created magic item until working on the Ring of Invisibility, but I definitely think it played an unconscious role in the creation of the new Glowing Dagger.
The idea behind this version of the Glowing Dagger is that I wanted to recreate Bane Weapons from prior editions. After some banter on Twitter about the very subject, I decided to give it a go. Bane weapons were cool, especially when wielded by someone of that particular race! Risk versus Reward, remember?
In the spirit of Bane Weapons, the dagger acts like that, a normal +1 dagger that acts as a very dim torch for the wielder. It's cool and useful. When the dagger really shows it's power however it's in the presence of the Undead! It becomes deadly, bright, and very Radiant! No activation here as a Minor or even Free Action, it just is what it is innately. I think that's how magic items should be!
Now, fair warning. I like to be tricksy about magic items. I really like the who discovery angle of it. Okay, you've got a cool magic ring and maybe an Arcana check tells you what it does, maybe. Discovering the properties and special powers and abilities of items through use is awesome and I really think adds to the immersion of the game instead of being handed a sheet and just knowing that the item does X. That's boring!
For next time I've designed some more items for the Legend4ry Items series including varying Belts of Strength that boost your Strength but diminish your Intelligence to varying degrees depending on the price you pay for them! In addition to that I've been urged to create a Luchador's mask, and it's just too cool not to pass up. I've also got some ideas regarding more Bane Weapons as well as some new monsters to convert/re-imagine. AND, how can I forget about my work in progress of my 4e Dyson's Delve conversion. I've got a lot of my plate and it feels great!
Until next time,
-blob
You can follow me on Twitter @Sorcerer_Blob or via the hash-tag #legend4ry. You can also find my blog and others at the Fourthcore Hub and at the RPG Blog Alliance.
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