Alternative methods of empowering players

[Atrelegis]

Recently I got into a chat with a friend and we saw how in games, like baldur's gate 2, characters sometimes get special powers (e.g spell-like abilities), instead of magic items, to power them up. Is that possible? Are there any books on resolving the balancing issues?

One idea was that players got spell-like abilities equivalent to the powers given by magic items according to their level.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Stick electrodes in them.

On a more serious note, there are some magical locations that convey spell like abilities on a person, and granting players minor spell like abilities is not unbalanced.

Granting spell like abilities in place of items is a bit overpowered, as you can disarm someone of items, but not SLAs.

[vampire2948]

This doesn't really fit, but there is an alternative to Magic Items in The Book of Exalted Deeds, called Vow of Poverty.

This scales as you level to match the bonuses that you might gain from having magical items.


On a more serious note, there are some magical locations that convey spell like abilities on a person, and granting players minor spell like abilities is not unbalanced.

I think there's a listed GP worth for such magical locations, somewhere, or for some of them.

[Sinfire Titan]

This doesn't really fit, but there is an alternative to Magic Items in The Book of Exalted Deeds, called Vow of Poverty.

This scales as you level to match the bonuses that you might gain from having magical items.



I think there's a listed GP worth for such magical locations, somewhere, or for some of them.

That's if you are using the WBL. Technically, a VoP character can indeed benefit from a magical location, provided he uses it IC during actual game play (as then it has no value and is an ability that cannot be donated). He could donate a map of the location and how to find it/activate it, and that item would effectively have the value of the magical location, but the ability he gains from using the location is effectively priceless.

[Kylarra]

Well, you could give them magic abilities that replicate items, just remember that either it should "cost more" in their equivalent WBL or just run it the same for everyone I guess.