Magic Item Thoughts

[warlock1971]

Hi Guys!

For my upcoming campaign, I have tried to convert a Magic Item possessed by an NPC (from D&D/Pathfinder). Please can you guys give me your thoughts on whether this is too powerful or not?

Thanks in advance!

[The Ring of the Ram/b] is an ornate ring forged of hard metal, usually iron or an iron alloy. It has the head of a ram as its device. The wearer can command the ring to give forth a ram-like force, manifested by a vaguely discernible shape that resembles the head of a ram or a goat.

The magical force is the same as per the Awesome Smash Heroic Ability on page 219 of the Legend Rulebook, and functions as follows:

Awesome Smash
Duration: One melee attack
Invoked whilst wielding the ring of the ram, you cause an automatic knockback of one metre per two points of rolled damage before it is reduced by parrying, armour or magic. If the victim strikes any obstacle they smash into it, fall prone and automatically receive the attacker’s Damage Bonus to a random location, ignoring any protection.

This force strikes a single target, dealing 1d3 points of damage per charge expended, up to a maximum of 3 charges. Treat this as a ranged attack with a 50-foot maximum range and no penalties for distance. The ram is Large and uses a Basic Attack of 75%.

In addition to its attack mode, the ring of the ram also has the power to open doors as if it were a character with Strength 25. This expends 1 charge. If 2 charges are expended, the effect is equivalent to a character with Strength 27. If 3 charges are expended, the effect
is that of a character with Strength 29.

When created, the ring has a maximum of 50 charges. When found, however, randomly roll 1D20.

 

[Old timer]

As strength is not used in legend to open doors, i would change that to bonuses to brawn instead, assuming the intent is to break open doors. Combined with awesome smash, the ring is quite potent, i would restrict the max charges to say 10, and find it with 1d10 uses left. Once empty of charges it can be recharged, though how that is done is best decided by you and the needs of your campaign.

 

[warlock1971]

As strength is not used in legend to open doors, i would change that to bonuses to brawn instead, assuming the intent is to break open doors. Combined with awesome smash, the ring is quite potent, i would restrict the max charges to say 10, and find it with 1d10 uses left. Once empty of charges it can be recharged, though how that is done is best decided by you and the needs of your campaign.

Just what I was looking for. My lack of in-game experience is a pain in the ***. Thanks for the tips Old timer, much appreciated.

 

[warlock1971]

Edited Ring of the Ram:

The ring of the ram is an ornate ring forged of hard metal, usually iron or an iron alloy. It has the head of a ram as its device. The wearer can command the ring to give forth a ram-like force, manifested by a vaguely discernible shape that resembles the head of a ram or a goat.
The magical force is the same as per the Heroic Ability on page 219 of the Legend Rulebook, and functions as follows:
Awesome Smash
Duration: One melee attack
Invoked whilst wielding the ring of the ram, you cause an automatic knockback of one metre per two points of rolled damage before it is reduced by parrying, armour or magic. If the victim strikes any obstacle they smash into it, fall prone and automatically receive the attacker’s Damage Bonus to a random location, ignoring any protection.
This force strikes a single target, dealing 1d3 points of damage per charge expended, up to a maximum of 3 charges. Treat this as a ranged attack with a 15 metre maximum range and no penalties for distance. The ram is Large and uses a Basic Attack of 75%.
In addition to its attack mode, the ring of the ram also has the power to open doors as if it were a character with Brawn Skill of 50%. This expends 1 charge. If 2 charges are expended, the effect is equivalent to a character with Brawn 60%. If 3 charges are expended, the effect is that of a character with Brawn Skill of 70%.
When created, the ring has a maximum of 10 charges. When found, however, randomly roll 1D6.

 

[Captain Brann]

Seems a useful thing to find. and used carefully could be very handy.

A modifier could be that is runs off a PC's magic points instead and automatically drains you of 10 when you put it on. It recharges from your MP at 1 an hour till you have no more.

 

[alex_greene]

Arms of Legend presents Enchantments rules; there is a Common Magic Enchantment which embeds a spell into an item, such that it does not require a Common Magic roll to activate because it activates automatically when the user declares that he is activating it, and it does not cost Magic Points; however, it does take time to recharge, typically 1d6 minutes (Games Master should roll this value and write it down for the player character when the PC first obtains the device).

Perhaps the ram affects only inanimate objects, uses the character's own Unarmed damage (including damage bonus), uses the highest of the character's Brawn, Unarmed or weapon combat style rolls, and ignores normal armour since it is a spell (if an object has been treated with Armouring Enchantment, its magical armour component is deducted from the ram's damage as usual).

 

[warlock1971]

Arms of Legend presents Enchantments rules; there is a Common Magic Enchantment which embeds a spell into an item, such that it does not require a Common Magic roll to activate because it activates automatically when the user declares that he is activating it, and it does not cost Magic Points; however, it does take time to recharge, typically 1d6 minutes (Games Master should roll this value and write it down for the player character when the PC first obtains the device).

Perhaps the ram affects only inanimate objects, uses the character's own Unarmed damage (including damage bonus), uses the highest of the character's Brawn, Unarmed or weapon combat style rolls, and ignores normal armour since it is a spell (if an object has been treated with Armouring Enchantment, its magical armour component is deducted from the ram's damage as usual).

Alex, thanks for your input. So it takes time to recharge but there needn't be a maximum number of uses per day? Am I understanding you correctly?

In an average adventure I should think that would be fine and not overpowered.

 

[alex_greene]

Alex, thanks for your input. So it takes time to recharge but there needn't be a maximum number of uses per day? Am I understanding you correctly?

In an average adventure I should think that would be fine and not overpowered.

That's it exactly.

As a Common Magic enchantment, it would not require the user to know Common Magic, nor to have a high POW or INT to operate. Per Arms of Legend, p. 141:-

The spell works as per the Common Magic spell description and with the same limitations, but the person using it does not need to make a Common Magic skill use to activate the spell and neither does he expend Magic Points doing so; he merely needs to state that he is using it – or the magic works automatically.

When a Common Magic Spell from a ... enchanted item is used, it cannot automatically be used again; a certain period of time must elapse whilst the matrix holding the magic in the item have a chance to rejuvenate. This ‘refresh’ time depends on the nature of the user, as follows:

Enchanter ......................................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration
A Named User of the Enchantment ................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration x2
Everyone Else ..................................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration x4

Let's assume three things:-

(1) The ring was not enchanted for use by a specific person, so anyone other than the enchanter who picks it up and uses it is counted as "Everyone Else;"

(2) The spell is Common Magic, but it's not listed or known to any of the characters, and it works along the lines of the rules I described above (say, with a maximum range of, what, 30 metres? Thirty metres is good - it's just shy of a hundred feet);

and (3), since the Duration of the spell is Instant, you might as well arbitrarily declare the recharge time as, say, 1d4 minutes, the number to be arbitrarily rolled and set by the Games Master before the game, so if you decide that the thing takes 3 minutes to recharge, it will always take three minutes to recharge.

Part of GM'ing this game comprises being able to work in places where there are no apparent rules, and maybe never will be. The above are just guidelines, for inspiration even if you decide to go down a completely different road.

 

[warlock1971]

Alex, thanks for your input. So it takes time to recharge but there needn't be a maximum number of uses per day? Am I understanding you correctly?

In an average adventure I should think that would be fine and not overpowered.

That's it exactly.

As a Common Magic enchantment, it would not require the user to know Common Magic, nor to have a high POW or INT to operate. Per Arms of Legend, p. 141:-

The spell works as per the Common Magic spell description and with the same limitations, but the person using it does not need to make a Common Magic skill use to activate the spell and neither does he expend Magic Points doing so; he merely needs to state that he is using it – or the magic works automatically.

When a Common Magic Spell from a ... enchanted item is used, it cannot automatically be used again; a certain period of time must elapse whilst the matrix holding the magic in the item have a chance to rejuvenate. This ‘refresh’ time depends on the nature of the user, as follows:

Enchanter ......................................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration
A Named User of the Enchantment ................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration x2
Everyone Else ..................................... Minutes equal to the spell’s duration x4

Let's assume three things:-

(1) The ring was not enchanted for use by a specific person, so anyone other than the enchanter who picks it up and uses it is counted as "Everyone Else;"

(2) The spell is Common Magic, but it's not listed or known to any of the characters, and it works along the lines of the rules I described above (say, with a maximum range of, what, 30 metres? Thirty metres is good - it's just shy of a hundred feet);

and (3), since the Duration of the spell is Instant, you might as well arbitrarily declare the recharge time as, say, 1d4 minutes, the number to be arbitrarily rolled and set by the Games Master before the game, so if you decide that the thing takes 3 minutes to recharge, it will always take three minutes to recharge.

Part of GM'ing this game comprises being able to work in places where there are no apparent rules, and maybe never will be. The above are just guidelines, for inspiration even if you decide to go down a completely different road.

No, I value the insight, thank you! The rules make sense, it would have taken me many hours of experience to come up with something like this. So far I have only run one session.

 

[Bifford]

I may just steal some of these ideas....lol