Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Need_A_Life 10-20-06, 02:44 PM	I have found myself at a loss as a concept of mine fell flat when a question struck me. "That tome of clear thought +4, where'd he get that?" Now, in mechanical terms, he's paid his entire amount of gold on it, so it'd better be worth it (though bonus spells and increasing my chance of getting of spells without mishap makes that likely), but in character it'd make more reason for him to have spent the gold on something that could help him recreate warforged (he's one of the last ones (only one?) and wants to recreate the ancient artifacts that allowed that to happen), and while an increase to intelligence might bring him closer to that, I would like some alternative ideas. If it helps, think of this as "1001 reflavored stat bonuses" and I'll start: 1. Attended a week-long seminar, where the character was given a thorough retelling of the history of a [some obscure subject] [Bonus to Int]
The Smartest Lemming 10-20-06, 10:24 PM	I don't know, I never really like setting a precedent of, "Improve x stat through x amount of activity." I've always seen the improve stat books as a kind of manual that your character has mastered, and after mastering either passed on or ditched since he/she/it no longer needs it. So for a +int book, it might be something like a book on mathematics that would get you from where you are, lets say geometry, and teach you calculus. But since it's an item, it can be lost/given away/sold/somewhere in your library back home, and so be out of reach to others within your game. If you were to say get a book of +Str, but say that your character worked as a lumberjack for 6 months, other characters could/would say that whenever there is down time, they're going to be a lumberjack and constantly ask the GM if they've gotten a stat bump because of it. This is of course based off of my experiences of gaming with kids, and so may not apply to you and your group. If you want another activity that could potentially improve your Int your character could have gone to a prestigious wizards college, and the money spent was his/her/it's tuition. You'd have to talk it over with the GM of course because being a member of the college might have some sort of benefit or detriment, for your character or nothing at all.
Need_A_Life 10-21-06, 08:25 AM	Just for the record, I'm not trying to cheat my way into a "stat bump", I'm just thinking that reading a single book making you so much smarter is less than believable. Same goes for gloves of dexterity etc.
Branto 10-21-06, 01:47 PM	What, are you forgetting that these items are magical? Perhaps, as you read the book, rays of magical energy are released from it and into the reader, to make him become more intelligent/strong/etc. ;) You know, kind of like the Sepia Snake Sigil; noone actually hides a real, live snake between pages of the book, it's just a magic one that pops out when you read it. And how can you not get the gloves of dexterity? You put them on and they magically make your fingers more nimble. Simple as that.
Need_A_Life 10-21-06, 02:47 PM	Actually, gloves usually make your hands less able to do fine manipulation... I can see gloves that doesn't restrict fine manipulation, but how can you make some that restrict your hands less than when they're not there? Also how does it make you faster (better initiative, better AC) and better able to keep balance? Magic items are the sort of things that forces you to forget logic, I simply wanted to start a thread that could explain it better than "a wizard did it"
Fatalis_902 10-21-06, 11:27 PM	Magic items are the sort of things that forces you to forget logic, I simply wanted to start a thread that could explain it better than "a wizard did it" but nothing actually explains this sort of thing better than that. I mean, it's a D&D standard, "If it can't be explained, but it's happenening anyway, a wizard did it." What more could you want, especially in a world where the aforementioned mages fling fire and ice, war hulks/ hulkintg hurlers throw boulders the size of Pluto, dervishes kill twenty or more people in six seconds, and halfling rangers can hide from you when they are standing 10 feet away in broad daylight, in the middle of a desert, with nothing between the two of you? Of course, wizards actually only have anything to do with the first thing, so "a wizard did it" doesn't really explain those, but it's sure as the ninth level of the Burning Hells goodenough to explain magic items.
Fithero 10-22-06, 10:24 AM	As far as accepting that "magic is the cause", i tend to go into a little creative detail to deal with the issue. If you dont think that a pair of gloves would increase your dex, perhpas its a set of 10 rings all linked together (still taking up the glove spot) that increase your fingers. If its a tome that adds to your int, perhaps the book is not actually listing knowledge, but new ways of thinking about things ie: different ways to tackle problems and viewing situations from another view point. I find that in my group, the only 'unbelievable' aspect of a magic item is usually the item itself, so we change it around a bit and let the characters make up their own variations of an item. As far as your warforged book is concerned, perhaps he gained access to one of the first theories on warforged A.I creation or something... he studdied the schematics of how warforged were supposed to be made and found that he was created with a few faults. He studied the book and improved himself up to the point at which he was spose to be (or closser too...) Anyway, hope this helps. Peace
Need_A_Life 10-23-06, 12:10 PM	As far as your warforged book is concerned, perhaps he gained access to one of the first theories on warforged A.I creation or something... he studdied the schematics of how warforged were supposed to be made and found that he was created with a few faults. Thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for. Fithero, you're the greatest! Regards, Need_A_Life
camirblu 10-23-06, 11:23 PM	If you take a theme from Ghost in the Shell: Standalone, you could say that the book lets you tap into, gradually and for a period of time, a greater conciousness. It's the challenge of understanding that greater conciousness that gains you your understanding. When you "draw away" from it, gradually closing the pages of the book, you'll carry some part of it with you. You'll carry a memory of that greater complexity. Just not the book or "network" itself. ;) That's one idea.
Tiefling_Warlock 10-24-06, 08:11 PM	What more could you want, especially in a world where the aforementioned mages fling fire and ice, war hulks/ hulkintg hurlers throw boulders the size of Pluto, dervishes kill twenty or more people in six seconds, and halfling rangers can hide from you when they are standing 10 feet away in broad daylight, in the middle of a desert, with nothing between the two of you? Ah...the infinite power of quotes.
Fatalis_902 10-25-06, 01:23 PM	Ah...the infinite power of quotes. Yes, I borrowed that, but only because it is the best thing I've ever seen on these boards.
Eldritch_Lord 11-26-06, 05:32 PM	In regards to what Branto said in post 4: In the book Battlefield Earth, the main character is given a machine to help him learn an alien language. It has several speeds at which it can teach; on the highest one a beam of light transmits information directly to the subconscious and he can speak the language as if he was born to it. Combined with Fithero's idea, maybe the character reads the book and suddenly knows everything there is to know about warforged and now it's part of his core "right out of the factory" programming (or whatever warforged have for brains). If that's not what Branto was referencing, this is an addition; if it was, just background for those who haven't read it.