"But-but-but... I NEED it!" (Magic Items)

[MistahFixIt]

The plaintive cry of the player, begging for his favorite magic item whilst selecting his gear. This problem invariably comes up, either after heading back to town with sackfuls of 'phat lewtz', or as part of rolling a > Lv.1 character. The DM has to deal with 'that guy', who simply refuses to continue a single step further until he has that one particular item, whether due to sentimental value, its combat power, or just plain insane usefulness.

Anyways, I just wanted to get an idea of what the good people here at OOTS have to say:

When playing your favorite RPG, is there one (or more?) particular epic weapon or wondrous item you simply CANNOT live without?

Or, if you DM more than play, have you encountered people like this, and how do you deal with them, especially if you decided earlier if the item (or its source) is expressedly forbidden?

I'm sorry to say that, when it comes to 3.5e DnD, I'm one of 'those guys'. And my particular vice happens to have come from one of the last supplements before 4e came out: Complete Scoundrel.

While I love everything in the Complete Scoundrel, there are two items in it that I absolutely love, and will whine incessantly about unless I get them. (Or I'm told to shut up ;P)

The first is the Panic Button, which is more or less a scroll you can use as a minor action. (I prefer Panic Button: Escape, but there are plenty of varieties, and you could probably homebrew even more)

The second, over which I make even more fuss, is the Rod of Ropes. It can provide either coils of loose rope, function as a self-propeled grappling hook, or as a dual grappling hook 'Flying Fox'.

*cough* Okay, I'm done salespitching now :smallredface:

[Zaq]

If my Truenamer ever lost his Ring of Truespeak and Amulet of the Silver Tongue, unless the GM promised me they'd be back before the end of the session, I would bring in another character. Because you simply can't FUNCTION without them.

(Of course, to make sure this never happens, I've made them out of Riverine, and I sleep with them absorbed into my body. I had a light shield made with a hidden compartment using the potion bladder rules from Dungeonscape, and since you can make a shield bash, it's considered a weapon, and thus a valid target for Absorb Weapon. Of which I have an eternal wand. So if my key items ever go bye-bye, I know it's because my GM is specifically screwing with me.)

That's more a weakness of the Truenamer than a personal preference, really. I haven't played any other characters who rely specifically on any one item. Sure, they all benefit from items, and sometimes it's easy to tell what item gives you the greatest benefit, but there's very little that can't be compensated for.

[Radiun]

I like playing classes that don't really NEED magic items, like a Warlock or DFA.
But if I had to pick a favorite magical item, it would definitely be the Healing Belt from MIC

[drengnikrafe]

It's a new magic item, introduced in my Tomb of Horrors run... We call it... The Stubby.
It's a riding dog with a few minor changes.
-- It costs 10 gp.
-- It comes with a pouch that can hold up to 1000 of them, and said pouch only weighs 1 pound.
-- It will follow any orders (especially those given by it's current master), and makes noise when it gets hit by traps, allowing you to locate the trap without having to work for it.
-- It is always absolutely loyal, and requires no ride checks to ride.
-- One can be pulled out per round in combat (which doesn't count as your swift action), or, out of combat, you can pull out as many as you want all at once.

It's useful for all sorts of stuff.
-- Trapfinding.
-- Building bridges.
-- Looking cute.
-- Jokes.

You get the point.

[Shnezz]

Robe of Useful items.

Especially the one where my DM gave me the 1/week ability to turn something into a patch that must be: Nonliving, I have to be able to touch it, and it takes a really long ass time to do. And if I abuse it, he'll have it 'stolen and burned'.

[World Eater]

My DM handed out a bunch of magic items even though we were only level 1-3. I got a lot of them, the monk and cleric simply didn't care for them and they were useful for my barbarian. So I ended up with about 3 more than the other guys and I was dealing out a lot of damage, on average, per turn. The DM decided to take away my ring that added cold damage and Amulet of Deflection. I begged for them back, I NEEDED them. He just shrugged it off. Died later that session because I got hit more and dealt less. Funny, that.

[Krrth]

To me, it really depends. Is the character based around a specific theme? An archer is well within their rights to insist on a quiver of Elhonna.

As a player I usually insist on one (or both) of two items. Since they're not game breaking, incredibly useful, and most likely common I can usually get them.

They are: a HHH and a Travelers cloak(FR).

[Starbuck_II]

My cloak of Resistance I need it for saves. And my Belt of Healing for emergency healing.

[Totally Guy]

There was once a mid to high level Monk who had trained long and hard for the big fight for the title. But he lost and bemoaned "I cannot win against my rival, Plutus".

An old man appeared with a piece of rope and he said "Take this Monk's Belt and you will strike harder and dodge better through its magic."

The Monk doubted at first but tried it anyway and found that the old man was right.

Then Plutus decided that he'd shut down the orphanage to build a sleazy D&D themed casino but our hero challenged him to fight for it. He trained as hard as ever.

But the night before the contest Plutus sent a hot girl to destroy his magic belt.

When the monk woke up he found the belt destroyed. So he went back to the old man who provided him with a new belt.

He found he was still able to punch just as hard and dodge just as well. And he won. And saved the orphange. And somehow also won the title.

Then the old man showed up and told him. "That was not a magical Monk's Belt at all, it was just rope. All you needed was confidence."


And that's why a level 20 monk needs no belt.:smalltongue:

[Grumman]

No two characters of mine have required the same items. That said, I'm a definite fan of Glassteel for any kind of martial character, and my latest character is saving up for the big daddy of them all, glassteel Mechanus gear.

[Grushvak]

Handy Haversack, Bags of Holding, etc.

I can't remember the last time I made a character with more than 12 strength, and carrying capacity is a bit of a pain with those stats.

[Captain Six]

I don't think I could play a warlock without a Chasuble of Fell Power, the one good warlock magic item. I also love when monks get the Cloak of Arachnida but that's just for style. But overall just about every character I play I'm going to want a Mythril Chainshirt. I can make it magic on my own time but I want that shirt! Mytrhil buckler is a close second, especially for mages. Mythril buckler = no acrane spell failure, no armor check penalty. Mages lose nothing even if they aren't proficient.

[oxybe]

depends, really

cloak of resists and "item of my good stat +2/4/6" are usually top of my list. the rest will vary.

unlimited use/always "on" items are VERY nice to have:
-ring of freedom of movement
-ring of invis
-helm of telepathy
-ring of teleknesis (and it's weaker form, amulet of mage hand)
-hat of disguise
-ect...

because it's an on-demand ability that doesn't require recharging or an unreliable UMD, as it's generally a cross class and most of my characters' cha is between 8-12.

a wand of cure light wounds/vigor, if only to pass to my local healer as a "personal" medkit.

reuseable and useful items: the rod/orb of body/mental restore in the MIC for stat recovery

class feature-particular boosting items, like the eldrich admixture gloves/chausible of fell power/warlock's scepter for warlocks, Weapon of "hey this enchantment works with my build", nightsticks for clerics looking for more daily turning, are usually looked into at the very least

if i'm a caster or have a high UMD, various wands/scrolls. practical but not general use enough stuff like Knock, ect... on wands and situational spells like remove curse, stone to flesh, ect... on scolls

it's a big "it depends"

[Jack_Banzai]

in 4e, if I am playing any sort of ranged character at all, I cannot live without my Cloak of Distortion.

[Kyeudo]

There was once a mid to high level Monk who had trained long and hard for the big fight for the title. But he lost and bemoaned "I cannot win against my rival, Plutus".

An old man appeared with a piece of rope and he said "Take this Monk's Belt and you will strike harder and dodge better through its magic."

The Monk doubted at first but tried it anyway and found that the old man was right.

Then Plutus decided that he'd shut down the orphanage to build a sleazy D&D themed casino but our hero challenged him to fight for it. He trained as hard as ever.

But the night before the contest Plutus sent a hot girl to destroy his magic belt.

When the monk woke up he found the belt destroyed. So he went back to the old man who provided him with a new belt.

He found he was still able to punch just as hard and dodge just as well. And he won. And saved the orphange. And somehow also won the title.

Then the old man showed up and told him. "That was not a magical Monk's Belt at all, it was just rope. All you needed was confidence."


And that's why a level 20 monk needs no belt.:smalltongue:

No, lvl 20 Monks need a lobotomy for putting up with sucking so hard.

[Radiun]

No, lvl 20 Monks need a lobotomy for putting up with sucking so hard.

It's ok, he retrained into a lvl 20 swordsage during the epilogue.

[Totally Guy]

No, lvl 20 Monks need a lobotomy for putting up with sucking so hard.

It wouldn't be a movie formula if he wasn't the underdog. :smalltongue:

[MistahFixIt]

People insist to me the Handy Haversack is naught but a poor man's BoH...

I disagree. That 'draw any item as a minor action' thing is dead useful sometimes. Life-saving in others.

[AngelOmnipotent]

People insist to me the Handy Haversack is naught but a poor man's BoH...

I disagree. That 'draw any item as a minor action' thing is dead useful sometimes. Life-saving in others.

Especially when you put your Deck of Many Things in it.

Yeah, just think about that for a second :smallbiggrin:

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

When playing your favorite RPG, is there one (or more?) particular epic weapon or wondrous item you simply CANNOT live without?

The MacGuffin.

[Chrono22]

I have a list...
potion of gaseous form
hat of disguise
glyph seal
goggles of detect magic
glove of mage hand
artificer's monocle

some other items might nudge their way onto the list, depending on the character concept or build.

[Claudius Maximus]

Belt of Battle is just great.

Ring of Spell-Battle is extremely useful, and it's only 12k.

One of my players demands to find a Wand of Wonder at some point. He's also a fan of the Robe of Useful Items, but did not make a similar request for one.

[Vizzerdrix]

Meh. I've never needed anything. If I find something that is absolutely important gear wise, I prefer to make sure I can get access to it
(cwi, or one of those magic weapon prcs)

[Slayn82]

Necklace of adaptation (good among other things for fighting farming green dragons, or allowing you to escape from dying from a powdered glass trap)

Lyre of building (When you need to open an entrance to a dungeon, or strip it from valuable treasure, equip an army, or protect a place by filling it with an ungodly amount of traps, well, here it is. All bards or factotums should learn to play a Lyre just for this. Heck, its a DEUS EX MACHINA ready for use, often better to solve an incoming situation than wish, given you have a few hours to spare)

[RebelRogue]

in 4e, if I am playing any sort of ranged character at all, I cannot live without my Cloak of Distortion.
Even after the errata?

[aje8]

Well, all my characters leave home with two items: A Belt of Healing and a Heward's Handy Haversack.

However, I wouldn't be that upset if I couldn't use one of them for some reason.

[Superglucose]

My +2 headband of intellect.

I had a GM who insists that magic items aren't a part of the game and at level 8 the +2 headband was the best I could get thanks to his rules. The reason he does this is because he's incapable of building anything closely resembling a challenge and has it in his mind that what makes a Fighter almost as good as a Wizard is the fact that the fighter wears super-nice armor and wields a super-nice weapon.

[cupkeyk]

Even after the errata?

I always thought that a cloak of distortion was a melee must have(and yes even after the errata). Since it discourages ranged combatants, forcing them within 5 feet of my fighter, where they are subject to my great spear.

Technically the errata makes the cloak scale. At level 24, its like the errata never happened and at 29, the cloak is actually better. Even at level 9 a +2 to ranged>5 defences is nothing to laugh at.

[Olo Demonsbane]

For EVERY high level character, I buy a blindfold of true darkness. Its getting to be an inside joke for me and some of the other ToSers.

[flabort]

I'm shocked anyone hasn't mentioned it yet:
A SPELL BOOK!!

[/obvious]

but in all seriousness, i like having the Burning Bracelet. AFB, so i can't tell you the exact rules, but i'm pretty certain it gives +2 fire damage to unarmed strikes, and -1 to your opponents DR on any attack check you make. It even uses an equipment spot not often thought of, so you don't have to worry about replacing a ring!

[gallagher]

i love playing characters that love random chance and the suchlike (chaos gnomes are, pardon my english, the shizzle)

therefor, i love questing for a deck of many things.

an item i "must have" is a HHH and a phylactery of faithfulness. i play guys who like having everything they will ever need, and they always tend to be religious

[elonin]

There was once a mid to high level Monk who had trained long and hard for the big fight for the title. But he lost and bemoaned "I cannot win against my rival, Plutus".

An old man appeared with a piece of rope and he said "Take this Monk's Belt and you will strike harder and dodge better through its magic."

The Monk doubted at first but tried it anyway and found that the old man was right.

Then Plutus decided that he'd shut down the orphanage to build a sleazy D&D themed casino but our hero challenged him to fight for it. He trained as hard as ever.

But the night before the contest Plutus sent a hot girl to destroy his magic belt.

When the monk woke up he found the belt destroyed. So he went back to the old man who provided him with a new belt.

He found he was still able to punch just as hard and dodge just as well. And he won. And saved the orphange. And somehow also won the title.

Then the old man showed up and told him. "That was not a magical Monk's Belt at all, it was just rope. All you needed was confidence."


And that's why a level 20 monk needs no belt.:smalltongue:

No a 20th' level monk needs to be gestalt to be of any use. Just about every character of mine has a HHH. I've also played a githzari scout who had a high enough dex that wearing armor would be less protective than not. Also had a high enough wisdom to benefit from a monk's belt.

[Callos_DeTerran]

A gray bag of tricks and sovereign glue. Both items are indispensable in my book.

[Ravens_cry]

An armour crystal from MIC that removes the armour check penalty while swimming, so my Fighter McFighter-Type doesn't become Glubblub McDrowned-Dead. Only 250 gp.

[waterpenguin43]

The plaintive cry of the player, begging for his favorite magic item whilst selecting his gear. This problem invariably comes up, either after heading back to town with sackfuls of 'phat lewtz', or as part of rolling a > Lv.1 character. The DM has to deal with 'that guy', who simply refuses to continue a single step further until he has that one particular item, whether due to sentimental value, its combat power, or just plain insane usefulness.

Anyways, I just wanted to get an idea of what the good people here at OOTS have to say:

When playing your favorite RPG, is there one (or more?) particular epic weapon or wondrous item you simply CANNOT live without?

Or, if you DM more than play, have you encountered people like this, and how do you deal with them, especially if you decided earlier if the item (or its source) is expressedly forbidden?

I'm sorry to say that, when it comes to 3.5e DnD, I'm one of 'those guys'. And my particular vice happens to have come from one of the last supplements before 4e came out: Complete Scoundrel.

While I love everything in the Complete Scoundrel, there are two items in it that I absolutely love, and will whine incessantly about unless I get them. (Or I'm told to shut up ;P)

The first is the Panic Button, which is more or less a scroll you can use as a minor action. (I prefer Panic Button: Escape, but there are plenty of varieties, and you could probably homebrew even more)

The second, over which I make even more fuss, is the Rod of Ropes. It can provide either coils of loose rope, function as a self-propeled grappling hook, or as a dual grappling hook 'Flying Fox'.

*cough* Okay, I'm done salespitching now :smallredface:

If I'm a druid, I NEED the armor in Stormwrack, mainly chitin armor.

[Saintjebus]

Every melee character I've ever made has had both a Ring of Sustenance and and a Hand of the Mage. Only 3400gp for both, and they give the ability to never be sleeping when we get attacked in the middle of the night( I always slept in the wagon during the day for 2 hours) and free mage hand. yes, please.

[herrhauptmann]

My melee characters:
Everbright weapon and blueshine armor.
Low-mid level characters: Belt of healing
Any character who I expect to get hit a lot: Retribution amulet (BoED version) and/or retaliation armor
Most chars: Haversack

Restful armor crystal
Armor Crystal of screening
the anti-undead crystal when I can afford it

[Callista]

Hand of the mage. At-will minor telekinesis? Yes, please!

Many of my characters pay extra not to have it made out of a mummified hand, though. You have to admit it doesn't really fit the character of your basic prissy bard or holier-than-thou paladin. Though it's perfect for the freaky necromancer types, I guess. I've never played a necromancer...

As a DM? I've actually never encountered people who insisted on a must-have magical item. I've encountered people who insisted on having everybody else's share of the magical items they did find, but that's a different story.

[tyckspoon]

Lyre of building (When you need to open an entrance to a dungeon, or strip it from valuable treasure, equip an army, or protect a place by filling it with an ungodly amount of traps, well, here it is. All bards or factotums should learn to play a Lyre just for this. Heck, its a DEUS EX MACHINA ready for use, often better to solve an incoming situation than wish, given you have a few hours to spare)

Even better, don't learn to play it. It's only a DC 15 check, Perform can be used untrained, and you get a +2 circumstance bonus for using a masterwork tool anyway.. any Bard or Factotum worthy of his class should be able to patch together a mere +3 bonus to a skill. The Bard probably has it in raw Cha modifier.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Even better, don't learn to play it. It's only a DC 15 check, Perform can be used untrained, and you get a +2 circumstance bonus for using a masterwork tool anyway.. any Bard or Factotum worthy of his class should be able to patch together a mere +3 bonus to a skill. The Bard probably has it in raw Cha modifier.Heck, a Cleric with a Cha penalty could pull it off with a day's warning.

[oxybe]

actually a spellbook, a quill and some good ink is high on my list of "mundane" items.

spellbooks are usually well bound sources of good quality paper that probably won't run much, if at all. i can also probably expect some weatherproofing done with the cover... i mean, it's supposed to be the go-to of the historically most powerful.class in the game... i'm not expecting a paperback with the pages bound using cheap glue.

even if you don't use it to carry around spells, it's a great repository of notes, diagrams, maps, emblems, ect...

[potatocubed]

There aren't any I can't do without, but HHH, a ring of sustenance, and a quiver of Ehlonna (if I'm an archer-type) are always high on my list of things to have. Just for convenience, if nothing else.

[bosssmiley]

There was once a mid to high level Monk who had trained long and hard for the big fight for the title. But he lost and bemoaned "I cannot win against my rival, Plutus".

An old man appeared with a piece of rope and he said "Take this Monk's Belt and you will strike harder and dodge better through its magic."

<trim>

Then the old man showed up and told him. "That was not a magical Monk's Belt at all, it was just rope. All you needed was confidence."

And that's why a level 20 monk needs no belt.:smalltongue:

Farnsworth: "Just ordinary rope. Impregnated with a skin-permeable solution of PCP and rage-ahol." :smallamused:

[dsmiles]

To me, it really depends. Is the character based around a specific theme? An archer is well within their rights to insist on a quiver of Elhonna.

As a player I usually insist on one (or both) of two items. Since they're not game breaking, incredibly useful, and most likely common I can usually get them.

They are: a HHH and a Travelers cloak(FR).

Must...have...HHH...can't...go...on...without...it ...

[Slayn82]

Hand of the mage. At-will minor telekinesis? Yes, please!

Many of my characters pay extra not to have it made out of a mummified hand, though. You have to admit it doesn't really fit the character of your basic prissy bard or holier-than-thou paladin. Though it's perfect for the freaky necromancer types, I guess. I've never played a necromancer...


Yes, good one, the best universal remote you can find in a D&D campaign. Im using one in a current PbP here based in the idea of finding a portal from our world to the D&D world. Figured it would make a good way to turn on an diesel engine that would power a death machine to crush zombies, while dificulting things for my enemies.

here is a link to the said campaign IC thread
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132628

and OOC thread
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7369812

[Nai_Calus]

3.5, Hewards's Handy Haversack and Quaal's Feather Token: Tree.

4e, nothing really, though Eternal Chalk and Cask of Liquid Gold are fun.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I'm always a fan of the Handy Haversack, but I'd like to give a special mention to the Artificer's Monocle.

This item is great. If you use an Artificer's lore check, or cast Detect Magic through it, it automatically Identifies the properties of a magic item, as per the spell Identify. In the long run, this saves a boatload of time and money, given the expensive component cost of the Identify spell and its long casting time. During the Red Hand of Doom campaign, my Artificer's Monocle saved our party a great deal of time and effort when we came across new magic items.

I wouldn't leave home without one, and any Artificer worth his salt will craft one at level 3 as soon as possible (followed by some Healing Belts for his friends).

Also, although I've never used one or even seen one in a game, my friends and I have always thought it would be cool to stumble across an Apparatus of Kwalish. What a loony item.

[MistahFixIt]

The Apparatus of Kwalish? Is that the thing that looks like a brass barrel, but is actually some kind of arcane mecha-golem?

[The Random NPC]

Its a magical lobster submarine thingie.