3.5 Item for a Swordsage <= 40k

[Dresler]

In the campaign I'm playing we recently gave up an artifact for a 40k item for each person in the party.

I'm playing a swordsage11/monk2 tripper:

Stats w/ Equipment:
Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha: 22/18/18/10/22/6
Saves w/ Equipment and Stance:
Fort/Ref/Will: 14/18/20
AC's w/Equipment and 2x Wis2AC(DM ruling that SS and Monk AC stacks):
Norm/Flat/Touch: 32/28/28

Current Equipment:
Main Hand: Living Spiked Chain of Setting Sun + 1 (w/True Death Crystal)
Head: Diadem of Wis + 4
Eyes: Winged Mask
Neck: Amulet of Nat Armor + 1
Shoulders: Cloak of Resistance + 2
Ring1: Ring of Protection + 2
Ring2: Ring of Diamond Mind
Hands: Ogre Gauntlets + 4
Arms/Wrist: Mighty Bracers of Armor + 3 (w/ DR3 30/day Crystal)
Body: Robe of Health +2 Con
Torso: Empty
Waist: Healing Belt
Feet: Boots of Dex + 4

------------------------------------------------

Not sure what I want to go for, been thinking about upgrading my weapon more or maybe a 3.5 version of the Phylactery of Change. Although we are about to head into a big undead/evil area which is making me think to upgrade to something that will help against saves and such. This is my first full D&D campaign so was curious if you guys had any pointers.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

MIC page 234, you can add those flat +X stat enhancement bonuses, +X armor/deflection/natural AC bonuses, etc. onto more interesting items for no more than it would cost for a standalone item of that flat bonus. You should seriously consider hiring someone who has Craft Wondrous Item to consolidate several of your items' bonuses into one item slot, which will increase their value by 0 gp and thus take zero time to accomplish.

You can combine the natural armor bonus, resistance bonus to saves, and Con bonus onto a single torso-slot item.
You can combine your Str bonus and Dex bonus onto your Bracers of Armor.
You can get a more interesting/useful head slot item (Hat of Disguise, Hat of Anonymity in MIC, Crown of the White Raven) and combine that Wis bonus onto it.
You could put that Deflection bonus onto your other ring to free up your second ring slot, though it would require someone with Forge Ring to do it.
Keep in mind, the end result of all of the above costs no more than the individual items/bonuses, it costs you nothing extra to do this, and takes zero time in-game to accomplish.

Here are some useful links for item shopping in general:
Necessary Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851)
Shax's Indispensable Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101) (Type III is in your budget)
Bunko's Bargain Basement (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=350.0)

[chaos_redefined]

Looking through your equipment, and checking the list of necessary magic items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851), I notice you are missing stun negation, daze negation, fear immunity, true seeing, miss chances, death effect immunity, freedom of movement, extradimensional storage space, dispel magic shenanigans and extra senses.

You can get miss chances and extra senses from your stances, so you can skimp on those a bit, but you should probably pick up a handy haversack, a banner of the storm's eye, and add the aporter effect to your armor. Handy Haversack is in DMG, the other two are MIC. There are some other effects you may prefer, but this should allow you to cover some major problems.

[Dresler]

One thing to add is we aren't allowed "custom items". Apparently this doesn't include weapons/armor.

[Dresler]

MIC page 234, you can add those flat +X stat enhancement bonuses, +X armor/deflection/natural AC bonuses, etc. onto more interesting items for no more than it would cost for a standalone item of that flat bonus. You should seriously consider hiring someone who has Craft Wondrous Item to consolidate several of your items' bonuses into one item slot, which will increase their value by 0 gp and thus take zero time to accomplish.

You can combine the natural armor bonus, resistance bonus to saves, and Con bonus onto a single torso-slot item.
You can combine your Str bonus and Dex bonus onto your Bracers of Armor.
You can get a more interesting/useful head slot item (Hat of Disguise, Hat of Anonymity in MIC, Crown of the White Raven) and combine that Wis bonus onto it.
You could put that Deflection bonus onto your other ring to free up your second ring slot, though it would require someone with Forge Ring to do it.
Keep in mind, the end result of all of the above costs no more than the individual items/bonuses, it costs you nothing extra to do this, and takes zero time in-game to accomplish.

Here are some useful links for item shopping in general:
Necessary Items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851)
Shax's Indispensable Haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148101) (Type III is in your budget)
Bunko's Bargain Basement (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=350.0)

The problem with a lot of these options is the custom items. We have to have time between chapters to do this, which is pretty difficult with more difficult items. Basically costs 1k per day to create the custom items.

[Spuddles]

Get a +1 mithril buckler with soulfire and some level of fortification. Soulfire is from BoVD I believe and protects against negative energy effects like level drain.

[Dresler]

Looking through your equipment, and checking the list of necessary magic items (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187851), I notice you are missing stun negation, daze negation, fear immunity, true seeing, miss chances, death effect immunity, freedom of movement, extradimensional storage space, dispel magic shenanigans and extra senses.

You can get miss chances and extra senses from your stances, so you can skimp on those a bit, but you should probably pick up a handy haversack, a banner of the storm's eye, and add the aporter effect to your armor. Handy Haversack is in DMG, the other two are MIC. There are some other effects you may prefer, but this should allow you to cover some major problems.

Should say I think we all have a haversack. Will look into the aporter affect. Those things are problems you mentioned but so far I've used saves to help against them, which probably won't be able enough to continue.

[Dresler]

Get a +1 mithril buckler with soulfire and some level of fortification. Soulfire is from BoVD I believe and protects against negative energy effects like level drain.

Currently using a 2-handed spike chain which wouldn't allow this I think.

[Tar Palantir]

Currently using a 2-handed spike chain which wouldn't allow this I think.

You don't get the AC from a buckler when wielding a weapon in that hand, but you can wear it without penalty while doing so and its other effects will still apply.

[GenericMook]

You don't get the AC from a buckler when wielding a weapon in that hand, but you can wear it without penalty while doing so and its other effects will still apply.

To add on to this, it actually doesn't matter. The armor bonuses don't stack with the bracers. If you don't mind the -1 ACP (how scary), you don't even have to make it mithral.

And yeah, Soulfire is probably one of the best enchantments in the game, hands-down.

[Spuddles]

Currently using a 2-handed spike chain which wouldn't allow this I think.

Actually, you don't want to do it because you're using a monk's belt. Any chest armor or shield will turn off your monk's belt bonuses, I believe


To add on to this, it actually doesn't matter. The armor bonuses don't stack with the bracers. If you don't mind the -1 ACP (how scary), you don't even have to make it mithral.

And yeah, Soulfire is probably one of the best enchantments in the game, hands-down.

Actually, bracers of armor and a shield both stack. One provides and armor bonus, the other provides a shield bonus. Note that bracers of armor arent an enhancement bonus either, so a magic vestment stacks with them. A shield & its enhancements to increasing its ac also stack with those of a body slot armor piece and its enhancements. A rogue UMDing a robe of the mage with magic vestment on it and wearing a +3 buckler gets the ac from all three sources- the robe, the shield, and the magic vestment.

[Darrin]

You don't get the AC from a buckler when wielding a weapon in that hand, but you can wear it without penalty while doing so and its other effects will still apply.

Actually, there is a -1 penalty for attacking with an arm that's currently holding a buckler, and it applies even if you're wielding a two-handed weapon or an offhand weapon. Unfortunately, you can't eliminate this penalty by making it out of a special material or eliminating the ACP, because the -1 penalty isn't related to the ACP.

You could, however, probably add the Soulfire property to a masterwork shirt or some other torso item.

For 40K, though... Gemstone of Heavy Fortification (35000 GP, Draconomicon) + limited wish (2410 GP) to mount it in your chest (slotless) might be nice. Ring of Freedom of Movement comes in very handy, but your ring slots are full.

[Deaxsa]

To add on to this, it actually doesn't matter. The armor bonuses don't stack with the bracers. If you don't mind the -1 ACP (how scary), you don't even have to make it mithral.

And yeah, Soulfire is probably one of the best enchantments in the game, hands-down.

wait, can't you get a Masterwork Buckler with no ACP? And Since magical items must be masterwork, won't a magical buckler only ever give a -1 attack, unless you are using a bow or crossbow or one-handed weapon?

also, what book is soulfire in?

[mattie_p]

wait, can't you get a Masterwork Buckler with no ACP? And Since magical items must be masterwork, won't a magical buckler only ever give a -1 attack, unless you are using a bow or crossbow or one-handed weapon?

also, what book is soulfire in?

Masterwork/mithril/darkwood won't help. This is not the ACP, this is above and beyond, and in the specific item description (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#buckler).


You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you don’t get the buckler’s AC bonus for the rest of the round.

[Dresler]

Thanks for some more ideas guys!

[Deaxsa]

Masterwork/mithril/darkwood won't help. This is not the ACP, this is above and beyond, and in the specific item description (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/armor.htm#buckler).

i don't understand. i know he gets a -1 to attack rolls. however, he can still enchant it with anything but enhancement bonuses and get the full benefits of those enchantments. ONLY the ac bonus is lost, as stated in the SRD:


In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you don’t get the buckler’s AC bonus for the rest of the round.

it doesn't say anything about any other types of bonuses you get from the buckler, be they regeneration or darkvision or resistances. additionally, i think that while losing 1 attack is bad, the benefits could far outweigh the costs. (i mean, he could get any fortification on the thing, energy resistances, etc. heck, he could even animate the thing and then use the ac bonus too!)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The problem with a lot of these options is the custom items. We have to have time between chapters to do this, which is pretty difficult with more difficult items. Basically costs 1k per day to create the custom items.

I think you missed the entire point of my post.

Your Amulet of Natural Armor +1 is worth 2,000 gp; the Cloak of Resistance +2 is worth 4,000 gp; and your Robe of Con +2 is worth 4,000 gp. The sum of the value of those items is 10,000 gp.

Per MIC p234, a single torso-slot item can have a +1 Natural Armor added for 2,000 gp, it can have a +2 Resistance bonus to saves added for 4,000 gp, and it can have a +2 Enhancement to Con addedfor 4,000 gp. The total price of that item would be 10,000 gp.

When upgrading items, you pay the cost difference, and that amount is what the crafting time is based on. Hiring an NPC with Craft Wondrous Item to combine those three existing items into that one torso-slot item costs 0 gp, and it takes 0 days to craft.

[Dresler]

I think you missed the entire point of my post.

Your Amulet of Natural Armor +1 is worth 2,000 gp; the Cloak of Resistance +2 is worth 4,000 gp; and your Robe of Con +2 is worth 4,000 gp. The sum of the value of those items is 10,000 gp.

Per MIC p234, a single torso-slot item can have a +1 Natural Armor added for 2,000 gp, it can have a +2 Resistance bonus to saves added for 4,000 gp, and it can have a +2 Enhancement to Con addedfor 4,000 gp. The total price of that item would be 10,000 gp.

When upgrading items, you pay the cost difference, and that amount is what the crafting time is based on. Hiring an NPC with Craft Wondrous Item to combine those three existing items into that one torso-slot item costs 0 gp, and it takes 0 days to craft.

I might still be misunderstanding you but I can't find anything that lists combining magic items as 0 days and 0 cost. I understand upgrading my magic items i.e. adding +4 str onto my healing belt. But I don't see anything where if I have Ogre gloves of +4 str and a healing belt that I can combine them with ~0 cost and ~0 time.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I might still be misunderstanding you but I can't find anything that lists combining magic items as 0 days and 0 cost. I understand upgrading my magic items i.e. adding +4 str onto my healing belt. But I don't see anything where if I have Ogre gloves of +4 str and a healing belt that I can combine them with ~0 cost and ~0 time.

You already have the items that give those bonuses. You can 'upgrade' those gloves of Str into a belt of Str. You can 'upgrade' a Str bonus onto a Healing Belt. You can 'upgrade' the Gloves of Str onto your Healing Belt.

Upgrading a +1 sword into a +2 sword costs the difference between the two prices, or 6,000 gp, and takes a number of days based on the actual cost. The difference between the prices of the above items is 0 gp, so the crafting time would be 0 days.