Amulet of Tears

[JaimeeK]

I've recently joined a D&D 3.5 game and been creating my character at 4th level. I roll really bad for my hp so I go looking for some item to shore this up a little, open up the good old MiC and find this item, the Amulet of Tears.

An amulet of tears has 3 charges, which are renewed each day at dawn. Spending 1 or more charges when you activate the amulet grants you temporary hit points, as described below. These hit points last for up to 10 minutes; they don't stack with any other temporary hit points.

1 charge: 12 temporary hit points.
2 charges: 18 temporary hit points.
3 charges: 24 temporary hit points.

Activating this effect is a swift action so from what I can tell this amulet is basically "increase your max hp by 36" the majority of the time, and for only 2300 gold! So my question is, am I missing something? or is this item as hilariously good as it looks?

[Dancingdeath]

If you use all 3 charges it's not bad. Only lasts through one encounter unless you're literally sprinting through a dungeon while shouting to draw the monsters to you. Not the best plan. So yes it's good, but of limited use depending on how many charges you pop at once.

[SnugUndies]

The amulet is indeed good, but it's hard to determine whether it's the most cost-efficient method. A healing belt can equal 6d8 hit points per day (in the form of healing) for only 750 gold. Buy three of them, and that's 18d8 (or an average of 81 hit points) for less than the cost of one amulet. A wand of lesser vigor heals 550 hp total for 750 gp, or 1650 if you buy three (again, cheaper than an amulet.)

Really it's up to you. The preventative nature of the amulet could be seen as a boon, but then one wonders how boosting AC or saves would stack up in terms of protecting your hit points.

[Morcleon]

Yes, it is as good as you think it is (at least if you're regularly facing HP damage opponents).


The amulet is indeed good, but it's hard to determine whether it's the most cost-efficient method. A healing belt can equal 6d8 hit points per day (in the form of healing) for only 750 gold. Buy three of them, and that's 18d8 (or an average of 81 hit points) for less than the cost of one amulet. A wand of lesser vigor heals 550 hp total for 750 gp, or 1650 if you buy three (again, cheaper than an amulet.)

Really it's up to you. The preventative nature of the amulet could be seen as a boon, but then one wonders how boosting AC or saves would stack up in terms of protecting your hit points.

Getting it doesn't prevent you from getting other defensive boosts.

[Khedrac]

It's a nicely judged item - a great item at low levels that quickly becomes redundant at higher levels - thus it can have a cheap price so that low levels can afford it as high-level characters won't want it.

[Fouredged Sword]

I dont know, it can be a really nice buff for low con character at high levels for boss fights. 24 hp over your base is really good on a 1d4 hd with +1 or 2 con mod, even at mid levels.

[Keld Denar]

Biggest drawback is that it's a neck slot. Neck is one of the best item slots for nearly every archtype. There are so many good neck items.

If you are low HP, this isn't a bad item. Later, when you have a few more HD, you can upgrade to a +2/4 Con neck for a stronger effect.

[Fouredged Sword]

Biggest drawback is that it's a neck slot. Neck is one of the best item slots for nearly every archtype. There are so many good neck items.

If you are low HP, this isn't a bad item. Later, when you have a few more HD, you can upgrade to a +2/4 Con neck for a stronger effect.

+con can be added at no multiplier and the effects thematically linked.

[Zanos]

Getting it doesn't prevent you from getting other defensive boosts.
Buying an amulet of tears will prevent you from spending that gold on more healing belts. Gold falls out of monsters, not trees.

The amulet of tears is good because it's a swift action. The THP last long enough that even if you don't get hit in the encounter they'll probably carry over to the next one as well. It's a solid item.

[Fizban]

Even after the max charge effect starts looking a little low it will take the edge off a few turns, and nothing stops you from using both it and the healing belt if you need more recovery. Retreat, burn the whole belt and amulet (or potion and amulet) for ~50hp, then move back in next turn with your swift action open for boosts. And just like the belt, you can always buy more amulets. Shifting your con bonus to a different slot and buying 4 amulets (9,200gp) basically lets you double up on max hp increase if that's what you need.

Also useful is the fact that temporary hp work just fine for constructs, who otherwise have essentially no item support (unless you notice that a strict reading of the game's definition of "healing" combined with the short description in the Healing Belt means constructs can use that one too).

[Zsaber0]

One of my favorite silly things to do is to use the MiC rules for adding new effect onto already magic items to add a healing belt to a healing belt, which we houserule as adding more charges. It only costs 1125g, or 563g if you craft it yourself, so with a ring of sustenance you can tack on another 3 charges every night.