Magic Item Compendium

[Lastgrasp]

I'm thinking of finding a copy of the magic item compendium. I was wondering what sources does it compile from? Does it take everything from the Arms & Equipment guide and include in the book?

[Cog]

It has a few things from just about everywhere, and I doubt there's any single source that's represented item-for-item.

[Hirax]

It has a lot of totally new stuff. It is far and away one of the best 3.5 books imo.

[Keld Denar]

They reprinted pretty much all of the magic items from Magic of Incarnum, as well as most of the relics from Complete Divine. The bulk of it, however, is origional to the book. Its great. It really makes magic accessable for low level characters without being ZOMGOVERPOWERED. Little things like 1-3 times per day, a small combat boost. A lot of the new items give you swift action options, something non-casters didn't really have prior to it. Spend a swift action to allow your SA to ignore SA immunity, or spend a swift action to make your first attack in a round a touch attack, or spend a swift action to get +5' of reach for the round, or spend a swift action to reroll an attack roll, etc.

Great book.

[Lastgrasp]

So not everything from the Arms & Equipment guide was updated in the Magic Item Compendium? If that the case I might look for a copy of the A&E guide on the cheap if there still fresh material in it.

[Glimbur]

So not everything from the Arms & Equipment guide was updated in the Magic Item Compendium? If that the case I might look for a copy of the A&E guide on the cheap if there still fresh material in it.

There is a lot of stuff from A&E that isn't in the MiC. For one thing, A&E has a pile of mundane items and mounts and such which MiC does not.

[Draz74]

I'm not actually sure that MIC has anything copied from A&E Guide.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

The MIC reprints most of the stuff from AEG and the Complete Series, but not all while throwing in some unique stuffs, too! Getting more precise than that would probably break forum rules, so, you're on your own with that, sadly.

[HunterOfJello]

I own both the A&EG and the MiC, but haven't recognized any items that were updated from the former to the latter. There may be a few ideas from the A&EG that were used for items that were created for the MiC, but that's about it. The MiC also has much more realistic prices for items than the A&EG does. There are some crazy item prices in the A&EG.


The items in the MiC are mostly new items. (It is not like the Spell Compendium in that respect whatosever.) There are item sets, new item types, a very long list of new enchantments, and all sorts of fun stuff. The relic items from Complete Divine were copied and updated to the MiC. I think there are a number of new relics in it as well, but I haven't looked through the info in Complete Divine since I already have the MiC.

The MiC lacks mundane items (as per the title) and also seems to lack many magical items that were printed in other books. It doesn't have 100% of the magic items from 3.5e in it, but it is definitely in the top 5 list of books to have to play 3.5e D&D.

[PollyOliver]

The MiC lacks mundane items (as per the title) and also seems to lack many magical items that were printed in other books. It doesn't have 100% of the magic items from 3.5e in it, but it is definitely in the top 5 list of books to have to play 3.5e D&D.

Yeah, I'd consider MiC part of my ideal "core" especially for low level games with a lot of melee-ers. There are so many useful little trinkets in there, like the anklets of translocation, sandals of the light step, bracers of opportunity, etc., that help out low or mid-level noncasters a lot.

[McSmack]

I have a copy of Arms and Equipment Guide sitting around my apartment somewhere. I think it might what I'm using to level out my couch. Honestly I don't recall there being a lot of great things in there, at least from my point of view.

MiC has a LOT of stuff in it. Many useful items, it does compile some enchantments from previous sources, and probably reprints a few magic items, but for the most part it's all new and shiny. I definitely recommend it.

[Kantolin]

The MiC cheapened the A&E's everfull mug.

This, interestingly enough, was the very first thing I looked up when I saw the MiC. ^_^

Most of the rest of the A&E is left untouched. Most of the A&E is way too expensive, though.