Item Book Required

[Ezekiel Moon]

I'm gearing up to start a new D&D 3.5 campaign, and I need a lot of magic items for it. I don't want to use anything that's in the core books, though, because the players would recognize them. Can someone suggest a third-party sourcebook for magic items?

[Bibliomancer]

There's the Magic Item Compendium, but that is WOTC official material and the players might recognize it.

[Assassin89]

There is always the Magic Item Compendium. It isn't a core book, but it is not third party.

edit: someone else had a similar response submitted before me.

[Ezekiel Moon]

They all read the Magic Item Compendium, so that's out.

[Drakevarg]

Arms and Equipment Guide.

[Serpentine]

Dragon Magazine, and Crystal Keep.

[Kylarra]

Why do you need unrecognizable items?

[Scoot]

I'm going to second Crystal Keep, and suggest this.

I believe it's all core, but it's a large listing.

[Ezekiel Moon]

Thanks, that might do it, but of course if anyone else has suggestions then the more the better...

As for the reason I need the items... it's a bit of plot, so see my next post:

[Ezekiel Moon]

The game will involve the players hunting for a number magic items created by a certain wizard, which draw on the wizard's soul for energy, and are causing him to age rapidly when they are used. If the items are not destroyed, when the wizard dies he is doomed to have his soul divided among the items and forever power them, which would be extremely painful.

Because of the method of their creation, these items are unusual and powerful, and I need things the players won't be familiar with to enforce that.

[sofawall]

In the bottom right-hand corner of you post, right beside 'quote', there is an edit button. You can use it to make a double post into one post. Also, forum rules.

[Splendor]

You know they do have rules in the DMG for just making your own items.
If you just started making stuff up your PCs really wouldn't know anything about them.

[PallElendro]

How about Dragon Magazine, or if it's not too late, make it 4.0, and use Adventurer's Vault?

[Ezekiel Moon]

In the bottom right-hand corner of you post, right beside 'quote', there is an edit button. You can use it to make a double post into one post. Also, forum rules.

Hm, let me see, doubleposting, doubleposting, "is generally frowned upon". It's not really a violation per se. Also, just an interesting bit of trivia here, on several of the forums I frequent, that post would be known as "minimodding" and be a more severe violation than doubleposting. There's a reason I doubleposted, not a very good one but a reason nonetheless, so just leave it be.

(You were also kinda rude.)

[sofawall]

Hm, let me see, doubleposting, doubleposting, "is generally frowned upon". It's not really a violation per se. Also, just an interesting bit of trivia here, on several of the forums I frequent, that post would be known as "minimodding" and be a more severe violation than doubleposting. There's a reason I doubleposted, not a very good one but a reason nonetheless, so just leave it be.

(You were also kinda rude.)

Actually, Vigilante Modding is against the rules. That's why I just linked the rules, instead of saying that you did something wrong.
I too can use technicalities.

[JoshuaZ]

What other books do you have access to? A lot of books have specific items in them that are more or less relevant. If they haven't seen Tome of Battle some of the items in there will look very strange. Tome of Magic also has items related to both binding and shadow magic that could be used or reflavored and would look very strange. Look for example at the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar in the Pact Magic section.

[Temotei]

Actually, Vigilante Modding is against the rules. That's why I just linked the rules, instead of saying that you did something wrong.
I too can use technicalities.

So is being rude.

Crystal Keep is your friend. The homebrew part of the board could always help too...I think there's a site called 3e World or something that has a bunch of homebrew stuff. I'll try to find it.

Here's one with some items: Treasures, on dndworld.com.

Here's a way to get descriptions for items with the properties you decide.

[Ezekiel Moon]

Thanks, this looks like it'll help me.

I started putting together a few homebrew items for the campaign... I think I'll post the ones I created in the appropriate forum later.

[Temotei]

Thanks, this looks like it'll help me.

I started putting together a few homebrew items for the campaign... I think I'll post the ones I created in the appropriate forum later.

That would be swell.

[bosssmiley]

I'm gearing up to start a new D&D 3.5 campaign, and I need a lot of magic items for it. I don't want to use anything that's in the core books, though, because the players would recognize them. Can someone suggest a third-party sourcebook for magic items?

Reskin and tweak existing items. Anything else is just wasted effort better expended on the game itself.

Oh, and never refer to the items by property, or as instances of a generic type ("sword +n", "[foo] of [bar]", etc.). Give all of them a name, a description and/or a bit of backstory.

[Temotei]

Reskin and tweak existing items. Anything else is just wasted effort better expended on the game itself.

Oh, and never refer to the items by property, or as instances of a generic type ("sword +n", "[foo] of [bar]", etc.). Give all of them a name, a description and/or a bit of backstory.

Agreed. Hearing "You get a +4 shocking longsword!" isn't nearly as encouraging as "You find a blade crackling with sheer magical energy. As you touch it, it's as if your very being has been touched. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you hear a buzzing for a moment. A second later, the effect dies down."

Successfully identifying such a blade would yield:

Spoiler

Show

You surmise, based on the effects it had on your body and the crackling, that this sword has some sort of lightning-based enchantment. It is clearly very powerful magically. A true treasure indeed.

Well...that was fun.

[SethFahad]

Mongoose Publishing has some books:
Ultimate Equipment Guide - Volume 1
Ultimate Equipment Guide - Volume 2
Ultimate Equipment, More
Ultimate Magic Items

There is a d20 book from Osseum named Arms & Armor

And there is also Weapons Of Legacy from WoC.

Plus The Complete Exotic Arms Guide for Oriental adv. (no magic weapons)

[Temotei]

And there is also Weapons Of Legacy from WoC.

Don't use that book. You can...I'm just saying. Most people hate it, from what I can tell.

[Optimystik]

Don't use that book. You can...I'm just saying. Most people hate it, from what I can tell.

Using the rules, you can make your own scaling Weapons that aren't half bad. The actual legacy weapons provided by WotC, however, blow severe chunks - often causing you to lose spells, critical class features, and generally be inferior to regular magic items.

[AslanCross]

I think Magic Item Compendium has a whole bunch of rules for customizing magic items as well as approximating their cost and level. Combine those with the DMG's item creation rules and you can make some pretty interesting unique stuff that they won't find ANYWHERE.

[Tyndmyr]

Using the rules, you can make your own scaling Weapons that aren't half bad. The actual legacy weapons provided by WotC, however, blow severe chunks - often causing you to lose spells, critical class features, and generally be inferior to regular magic items.

Right. Never use the existing weapons...they have some cool fluff, but whoever decided that weapons of legacy should cripple your character had issues.

Remember the lesser-known rules of magic items. For example, what...half of them or more glow with light? So, a sword that when pulled from it's sheath emits a dazzling(descriptive, not status effect) bright white light may be nothing more than a +1 sword. It's a fun, wierd attribute that likely wont be recognized as completely normal.

[Calmar]

I'm going to second Crystal Keep, and suggest this.

I believe it's all core, but it's a large listing.

Thanks for that valuable link!

[Temotei]

For example, what...half of them or more glow with light?

I believe it's 30%.

Light Generation

Fully 30% of magic weapons shed light equivalent to a light spell (bright light in a 20-foot radius, shadowy light in a 40-foot radius). These glowing weapons are quite obviously magical. Such a weapon can’t be concealed when drawn, nor can its light be shut off. Some of the specific weapons detailed below always or never glow, as defined in their descriptions.

And...there it is.

[Draxar]

Successfully identifying such a blade would yield: You surmise, based on the effects it had on your body and the crackling, that this sword has some sort of lightning-based enchantment. It is clearly very powerful magically. A true treasure indeed.

Well...that was fun.

A digression: I would find that rather frustrating. Tell them it's a plus four. Possibly find an in game way to do it (20% more likely to hit, all else held equal, for instance), but don't obfuscate from players.

[Foryn Gilnith]

You surmise, based on the effects it had on your body and the crackling, that this sword has some sort of lightning-based enchantment. It is clearly very powerful magically.

The first sentence seems like something that would be obvious to anybody touching the thing, and the second sentence seems like something that would be self-evident after a combat using it. If that's all I get from an Identify I'm going to be annoyed (or use an Artificer's Monocle)