Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 williamtanner Mar 27, 2008 12:03:16	I am running a game for 6 players. Among them, there are 5 characters of 2nd level, and 3 of 1st. There are two NPCs (not DMPCs) and when players are absent their PCs and the NPCs are rolled for at the beginning of a combat to determine who controls their actions for the duration. Moving on .. There are several warring factions, and the group is close to taking one out. So far I have been disappointed with random treasure generation, and would like to know, from a players perspective, what I can provide as treasure that the players will enjoy their PCs having. I already know they could use a +1 this and +1 that. That's obvious. What kinds of things are fun to have, and fairly level appropriate? (i.e. 1st-4th level range) I'd like to cater to each player (without appearing to), and the classes are thus: Halfling Rogue/Wizard (going for Arcane Trickster), Fighter, Barbarian, Druid (so far fairly ineffective except for identifying monsters), Cleric of Pelor (not afraid to melee), and Gnome Illusionist. Thanks.
#2 sunic_flames Mar 27, 2008 13:21:39	Do you have the MIC? If yes, you can find fun and cheap items. If no... just about everything is either your plain +x to y stat (useful, and expected, but not fun), one shot consumables (meh) or utter crap. ...How in the Nine Hells is a Druid useless?
#3 shaggy_shaggs Mar 27, 2008 13:43:46	This should be a bit too high-level or high-value but it might give you some ideas. The most fun items I can remember having was when I played a thief ages ago and got glamered elven chain, and a ring that effectively gave me Disguise Self (but body only, not clothing or equipment) plus Tongues at will. Identity change on demand was unbelievably cool for a thief (and later assassin). Maybe you could rig up some sort of custom item for your rogue/wizard that makes his own spells related to misdirection/illusion easier or more potent.
#4 williamtanner Mar 27, 2008 14:39:07	How in the Nine Hells is a Druid useless? I'm not saying he is useless .. just that so far across two session he has had little influence on the course of events. He tends to spend combats walking up behind the tanks and .. providing light. He's done a little healing as well. After his pet hawk took a hit in the first combat he got scared. Maybe level 2 will see more confidence...
#5 Demetri_Knighthawk Mar 27, 2008 14:43:01	for the arcane trickster, rather than give them a ring of invisability, give them a ring of mirror image, it is still a 2nd level spell but it is a very tricky thing. for the weapons in the group a set of greensteel mastercraft blades. (green steel is from the arms and equipment guide, it is a non magical metal that grants a +1 damage bonus to piercing/slashing weapons, it costs 2000GP so a +1 sword and a Mastercraft greensteel sword cost exactly the same except the greensteel still works when under dispell magic.) The swords are a matching set from an armory they are: 1 scimitar, 1 longsword, 1 bastard sword, 1 great sword, 1 short sword, 2 daggers. Enough to give everyone at least 1 weapon and even accounts for the dual wielder in the group. also it gives some sense of unity when they all have the same set of swords together, then you can further customize their weapons later based on their tastes.
#6 sunic_flames Mar 27, 2008 14:45:27	I'm not saying he is useless .. just that so far across two session he has had little influence on the course of events. He tends to spend combats walking up behind the tanks and .. providing light. He's done a little healing as well. After his pet hawk took a hit in the first combat he got scared. Maybe level 2 will see more confidence... And the on topic question?
#7 williamtanner Mar 27, 2008 14:55:03	And the on topic question? If you mean your question about my having the MIC, you seemed to have already moved on. No, I do not have it, though I went to two bookstores to find it yesterday. greensteel Thanks. That sounds like a good route. Seems Crouching Tiger -ish, but I can work with it.
#8 sunic_flames Mar 27, 2008 15:04:16	Ah. Well once you have it, a flip to the back with the section where items are listed sorted by type and from least to most valuable will let you quickly pick out the low level items. Off the top of my head, Healing Belt (possibly more than 1), Brute Gauntlets (for the martial guys) and maybe Arcanist's Gloves if the arcane type(s) do a lot where CL matters.
#9 killy Mar 27, 2008 15:47:36	There's nothing better than creating your own stuff for your players, if you think that this is a bad idea because the power of the items might be unbalanced... well the items in the DMG are also unbalanced, so there's no way to be right on this one. Halfling Rogue/Wizard: Gloves of Storing, very fun. Fighter: Steady Gauntlets: +2 bonus on all bullrush, grapple, overrun and trip opposed checks, a character wearing this gauntlets does not automatically lose any bullrush, grapple, overrun and trip opposed checks against an opponent two size categories larger. This might lead your player to become a more tactical combatant. The gauntlets are obviously also a masterwork weapon, so can be enchanted as one. Barbarian: Boots of Striding and Sprinting, cause it seems that this guy is the striker of the party, some mobility would help a lot, he may become a JMPR, that would be fun. Druid: Bag of Tricks, recommend the rust one. Cleric: Cure Ring: When the wearer casts a Cure spell (a spell with the word Cure in the name) of the Conjuration (Healing) sub-school all references of d8 change to d12. Gnome illusionist: Deck of Illusions, use less cards than suggested in the manual, like 10 or so... but this item rocks.
#10 abyssal_eye Mar 27, 2008 18:47:57	Gnome illusionist: Deck of Illusions, use less cards than suggested in the manual, like 10 or so... but this item rocks. We had a recharging variant of this thing once. It was just a little bit of flavour when we got it, but later on we used it when invading a desert city to really confuse the defenders (and of course the guy handling it managed to draw a fire giant on his first try :D ) With a little bit of creativity this thing can be really usefull in some situations, like fake-summoning a red dragon or something... ^^
#11 kuros81 Mar 27, 2008 19:20:16	Druid: Bag of Tricks, recommend the rust one. I like bags of tricks, but mainly for rogues. If the rogue is hiding and he's heard, he can throw out a summoned creature and the BBEG says, 'Oh, just a bat!'. If the rogue needs a flanker, he can throw out the summoned creature. If the rogue needs to flee, he can toss out the summoned creature in between him and his opponent (and then hide again). ------------- Also good for rogues is Marvellous pigments, particularly outside of combat, you needn't give them 1,000-cubic feet worth 4k gp, just remember that 1-cubic foot = 4gp. Feather Tokens are under-appreciated. Elemental gems are great for low level parties when they need that boost. Also, don't forget cursed items. Cursed items that work intermittently or have requirements allow more powerful items to come into the hands of lesser level PCs. My favorite intermittant functions are weapons/armors that only work underground or in direct sunlight. Or rings that must have strange spells cast on them each day, (i.e., Faerie Fire).
#12 Nathreet Mar 27, 2008 19:33:16	At 4th level you're looking at 500-1000 gold per item, so there's not much. Maybe 2000-4000gp for something the whole party can use. Many of the above suggestions are over 10k, way too much. Though odd things like decanters of endless water probably won't be too game breaking. Remember that there are 935 gallons in every 5 foot cube, so the old flood-the-dungeon trick works about as well as a broken toilet. I like marvelous pigments, but it's 4000gp. With a DC 15 craft(painting) check, you can create any mundane item. Even food and weapons. Only magic items and precious materials are forbidden (but you can make fake copies out of colored glass, etc.). You can paint up to 2000gp in gear with it. Elixers and scrolls are fun and affordable. Elixers give a +10 to a lot of interesting skill checks for 1 hour. Need the whole party to be sneaky just this once? Done. You can put a lot of odd-ball utility spells on scrolls. I like carrying scrolls of summon instrument. Even though you can only summon handhold instruments, there are still many uses for an instrument besides playing it. When playing a rogue I like the skill enchantments on armor. But it's 1k for the +1 armor and 2500gp for +5 to a skill. So still to early for that. There's always the handy haversack. Those are handy. 2000gp though. Other than that and the +X items, I can't think of much.
#13 dunsel Mar 28, 2008 7:15:22	There's always the handy haversack. Those are handy. 2000gp though. . Oh man! I was gonna suggest the heward's handy haversack! An excellent item for the money. Extra storage is always helpful. Rings of sustenance (2500 in the srd) are great to have as well. Saves you having to buy food and water and then lugging it around.
#14 mercurius Mar 28, 2008 9:00:39	I've been experimenting with the idea of just giving PCs "gold" and letting them spend it when they level, getting phat lewts while maintaining a level-appropriate gold total overall... But I like slipping cool magic items into a treasure hoarde, as well. *shrug*
#15 williamtanner Mar 28, 2008 11:26:02	Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be rereading them and taking notes. As far as giving them gold and letting them go shopping.. that doesn't really work with my style. There aren't Magic Item Wal-Marts. Besides, I was looking for stuff that would be fun to have but people would be unlikely to buy for themselves (since given the option they are more likely to boost their immediate combat survival numbers instead).
#16 sunic_flames Mar 28, 2008 11:36:41	Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be rereading them and taking notes. As far as giving them gold and letting them go shopping.. that doesn't really work with my style. There aren't Magic Item Wal-Marts. Besides, I was looking for stuff that would be fun to have but people would be unlikely to buy for themselves (since given the option they are more likely to boost their immediate combat survival numbers instead). +1 for MIC, as it allows the useful and cool stuff without being shafted on the necessary stuff.
#17 mycroftb Mar 29, 2008 1:36:22	Something fun to have? Don't underestimate things without a mechanical benefit. Elaborate backstories can help, too. Examples: Fighter: It's always good to have equipment well-maintained. A weapon or suit of armor has a "non-stick" coating such that any spilled blood, muck, or other substance simply slides right off, no cleaning necessary. For really tough stains, a simple rinse in water and shake-dry leaves it shining just like brand-new. Barbarian: When you're mad, nothing is more satisfying than a visible sign that you've really hurt your opponent. A weapon has exceptionally dangerous-looking spikes or blades, and somewhere has a decorative ugly, angry-looking face. When its wielder is enraged, all hits spray blood everywhere (or chunks, splinters, etc. as appropriate) as the wielder shouts a feral battle-cry in some long-forgotten ancient tongue. Cleric: In times of darkness, unwavering faith is a beacon of hope. A weapon or shield is made of beautiful but simple silver and gold design, with a radiant sun-disk. It is always comfortably warm to the touch. During daily prayer for spell preparation, it glows faintly as a candle, and glows again when casting Bless, Prayer, or other spells, or when successfully striking or deflecting the attacks of undead. A verse from a holy scripture is inscribed on the back of the shield so it's always in view, or the weapon has a faint golden light-trail as it is swung. As a player, I'd get much more excited about something like this than a Generic Item +1. I realize these are possibly too tailor-made for your tastes, as the players would almost instantly catch on. Just my two cents.