Legendary Items

[Axerules]

I'm more in favor with the "one-use only" for magic items. I don't let let my PC's keep those kind of things. If they need a magic sword to kill a specific creature, they'll have a way to find it (which can be an adventure in itself) but I play often episodically, so if they had a magic sword: "Three months later, all you have left is a loincloth and a dagger".

 

[Jeffreywns]

If your players fear corruption effects a corruption check per use of an item might help for a Conan genre item. I have jumped ship from GURPS Conan with a group of players and have had better luck with this approach. My core players are average 8th lvl by now (Hyrkanian Nomad, Shemite Nomad, Stygian Scholar, Vanir Barbarian ) and have started buying the core & character class books. The Stygian has used a fate point to keep Corruption at bay (the Shadizar Succubus ) and the Vanir doesnt mind his 1 point (same Succubus) but he hasn't dealt with Nordheim culture since gaining it AND losing his Barbarian Code of Conduct. Im going to use the great Pre-Cataclysm master crafted Acheronian/Atlantian theme and/or Corruption check items only for my inventions and trust to the excellent (!) published items now that I finaly have my players weaned from " kick down the door- loot the monster- 3 pages of stuff on my character syndrome." The other spotty players are the ones who are used to more magic and spells. Hope this is a take you can use in your decision.

 

[sidkfjjteidlkkf]

Good idea, but I like going with Ruins of Hyborea. Travel the world looking for the ruins.

I normally "Borrow" some items from 3.5 (modified) if the need really calls for it, or they REALLY deserve it...

 

[bjorntfh]

Just a note: by high levels (12+) you WILL have the party making items for themselves. Mind you, some items are merely useful (an amulet which can glow like a torch) to others that are much more difficult to make, but that much more powerful. (One PC is making alloyed weapons that cannot me normally made, diamond, titanium and steel, using magic builder which costs a lot of EXP, but doesn't go away after all.)

 

[Majestic7]

I like items that are too valuable to just throw away, cause more trouble than they are worth, but are still practically impossible to sell anywhere near their actual value. So far it seems that the player characters always fall prey to their greed when beset with such chances. One is now actually losing his soul to a such item. Great fun.

So far I've given the players alchemical stuff, a jade ring usable once to gain animal empathy towards snakes (for one empathy check only), slightly modified Ankh of Selkehet from Ruins of Hyboria and modified version of a scrying pan from the Pirate Isles, can't remember the name. This list might seem pretty big in the genre of Conan, but trust me, in the end it is certainly not worth the trouble for the characters. If they were smart, they'd just throw the stuff in Styx.

Oh and then there are books of Vathelos the Blind, which have caused obsession for both sorcerers and driven both a little bit mad.