magic item that grows the character.

[Jgosse]

So I am thinking of starting a game with "Training wheels" for the people I live with. most are fans of anime so I am trying to give it a bit of a feel of an anime so in part I am loosely basing it off of Fairytale and Naruto . Now none of that really matters except I plan on giving them a guild signet ring that as they level they gain very minor abilities as they level up nothing game breaking or that people may go out of the way to get but would not hurt. I want it to give them something every level.
so 20 levels that's a lot of effects so I was thinking some of the effects can grow.
what i am looking at is 11 abilities some stand alone some repeating
abilities 1)A 2)B 3)C 4)D 5)e 6)f 7)g 8)h 9)i 10)j 11)k

Progression
1:A 6:C 11:H 16:D
2:B 7:F 12:C D 17:J
3:C 8:D 13:I 18:C
4:D 9:C 14:F 19:K
5:E 10:E 15:E 20:DE

I so far have considered
Light as the spell or minor dark vision bonus maybe +5 or +10 feat.
pass with out trace
a base speed bonus of +5.
possibly small bonus on some skills .

What magical abilities can I give them that won't be that useful at the level they get them but still would not hurt to have?

[defiantdan]

Consider maybe letting all your players just have a ring of legacy? Then just build them as the game progresses using the rules from Weapon of Legacy. This has the advantage that now all your players can customise the bonuses and abilities they get, preventing it from all feeling the same.

[Jgosse]

Consider maybe letting all your players just have a ring of legacy? Then just build them as the game progresses using the rules from Weapon of Legacy. This has the advantage that now all your players can customise the bonuses and abilities they get, preventing it from all feeling the same.
I will have to check it out when not on my phone tried reading over a dummies guide I found but did not make much sense, but I may use that as inspiration for some of the abilities regardless.

[Kol Korran]

The idea sounds cool, but I have a few questions/ comments:
1) What is the purpose of this ring? What in terms of a gaming experience, are you trying to achieve by adding this? Cause the level up bonuses represent leveling up quite nicely anyway, and they will get better and more powerful abilities, skills, class features and the like. So what does the ring add to the game, that isn't already there? I am not much familiar with anime, so there is a good possibility I am missing something.

2) setting the ring's power so far in advance for 20 levels seem like an overshoot plan. Why not have the ring "improve" based on something the party achieved in play? One player killed a powerful elemental? It gains resistance 2 against said elemental. Someone escaped an octopus? +2/3 to grapple checks to break off. You managed out deal a devil? +2 to bluff or diplomacy. This saves you the headache of planning it all now, gives the players an incentive to try cool stuff, and the ring becomes a sort of a handy memoir for achievements.

As to abilities, if we're going by your idea:
- Shadow call: a limited time per day you can create a shadow concealment (20%) it can be upgraded by time, or at high level- provide total concealment.
- prestidigitation a few times per day. (Perhaps very specified "guild approved" uses)
- a +2 to a skill limited times per day, but only to skills NOT relying on the main attribute of the character.
- low level detect spells: Detect magic, detect undead, detect poison and the like.
- The knowledge of an extra language, or perhaps just understanding them? Perhaps with animals, trees and the like? For limited minutes per day.
- Resistance 2 for some energy
- A limited reservoir of healing points (Up to you, but fairly low) per day. If you become unconscious, it automatically triggers on you.

I hope this helps.

[Jgosse]

The idea sounds cool, but I have a few questions/ comments:
1) What is the purpose of this ring? What in terms of a gaming experience, are you trying to achieve by adding this? Cause the level up bonuses represent leveling up quite nicely anyway, and they will get better and more powerful abilities, skills, class features and the like. So what does the ring add to the game, that isn't already there? I am not much familiar with anime, so there is a good possibility I am missing something.

2) setting the ring's power so far in advance for 20 levels seem like an overshoot plan. Why not have the ring "improve" based on something the party achieved in play? One player killed a powerful elemental? It gains resistance 2 against said elemental. Someone escaped an octopus? +2/3 to grapple checks to break off. You managed out deal a devil? +2 to bluff or diplomacy. This saves you the headache of planning it all now, gives the players an incentive to try cool stuff, and the ring becomes a sort of a handy memoir for achievements.

As to abilities, if we're going by your idea:
- Shadow call: a limited time per day you can create a shadow concealment (20%) it can be upgraded by time, or at high level- provide total concealment.
- prestidigitation a few times per day. (Perhaps very specified "guild approved" uses)
- a +2 to a skill limited times per day, but only to skills NOT relying on the main attribute of the character.
- low level detect spells: Detect magic, detect undead, detect poison and the like.
- The knowledge of an extra language, or perhaps just understanding them? Perhaps with animals, trees and the like? For limited minutes per day.
- Resistance 2 for some energy
- A limited reservoir of healing points (Up to you, but fairly low) per day. If you become unconscious, it automatically triggers on you.

I hope this helps.

1 The idea was that the ring would represent there progress in the guild and be separate from the benefit of class levels.

2 I want the ring fully fleashed out so that when they meet other guild members the rings powers will be a show of rank.

I really like some of those abilities will probably add some when I get to my pc.

[Segev]

Items of Legacy or Item Familiars sound like the mechanics you should reference, to me.

[Red Fel]

2 I want the ring fully fleashed out so that when they meet other guild members the rings powers will be a show of rank.

I agree with Kol Korran on this one. There was a recent thread where a DM carefully crafted a Legacy Item for a particular PC... And it was poorly planned out. The player realized she could do better with ordinary magic armor than with the Legacy Item. That can be frustrating.

My advice, then, is to use a "menu" option. You know, a bit from column A, a bit from column B.

As others have mentioned, Weapons of Legacy offers you this precisely. With some minor modifications to the WoL rules (get rid of the stat sacrifices and rituals, and just turn it into a sort of guild promotion ceremony) you could run it that way. Each time the PCs gain a "guild level," give them a choice of three or four abilities. Let them custom-tailor the rings as they progress, so that they're suitable to a given character's build. And you can still have certain powers limited to higher guild ranks ("What?! But that's an S-Rank ability!") so that you can pull off the "show of rank" angle.

[Kol Korran]

1 The idea was that the ring would represent there progress in the guild and be separate from the benefit of class levels.

Then I suggest a different approach. You want to use ranks, and you don't want it to be tied to leveling. I suggest you use ranks, titles, And guild benefits.

Set up a different scale, which measures the pc / party influence in the guild. As they achieve things important to the guild, their rank climbs, and they get access to special benefits:
- remove curse/ restoration/ raise dead for a reduced price or free.
- reduced price for crafting custom items.
- access to guild library or other info gathering resources (contacts, spells)
- move support, such ad back up healers, bards and so on for a limited time.
- perhaps even land somewhere? And the support to build a basic outpost?
-Perhaps guild specific magic items?
- other spell support: teleportation, scrying, shadow travel and permanence spells?

and so on and so forth... some of the solar books give sample organizations, but most are crappy. Make your own.

The big benefit here is the "side objectives" you can put for the PC's to gain extra influence. "We need to get rid of the Medusa, but if you can somehow persuaded her to work for US, we'd really appreciate it." Or "please leave no witnesses! It is essential!" And then you put there someone they shouldn't kill...

[Jgosse]

I agree with Kol Korran on this one. There was a recent thread where a DM carefully crafted a Legacy Item for a particular PC... And it was poorly planned out. The player realized she could do better with ordinary magic armor than with the Legacy Item. That can be frustrating.

My advice, then, is to use a "menu" option. You know, a bit from column A, a bit from column B.

As others have mentioned, Weapons of Legacy offers you this precisely. With some minor modifications to the WoL rules (get rid of the stat sacrifices and rituals, and just turn it into a sort of guild promotion ceremony) you could run it that way. Each time the PCs gain a "guild level," give them a choice of three or four abilities. Let them custom-tailor the rings as they progress, so that they're suitable to a given character's build. And you can still have certain powers limited to higher guild ranks ("What?! But that's an S-Rank ability!") so that you can pull off the "show of rank" angle.
This seems interesting I have even set up some of those ranks already. And the mission system I am using could be used for this as well. 3 types of rewards for a mission gold/treasure, exp, and guild ranks. You need x amount of guild ranks to apply to move up in the guild.