[3.5] Completing the Christmas Tree Effect: Why is there no Magic Pants?

[Cieyrin]

You see a high level character, blinged out with every magic item slot filled. She has her +awesome sword of amazing, her helm of coolitude, her boots of ass kicking, +yes armor of sweet, etc. You cast detect magic and check out her auras and you're nearly blinded with all the twinkling lights from everywhere...except from her waist down to her ankles.

How can we stand not to complete the ensemble if we don't have shiny pants that give us bonii, I ask you? Some game developers have recognized this (Spiderweb Software usually has characters with pant slots) but we seem to lack one. What affinity should be associated with magic pants? Movement, physical improvement?

What's the Playgrounds thoughts on this or do Real Adventurers really go pantsless, since there is no mechanical benefit to wearing pants, despite the belt you're wearing?

Also, not to be confused with Magic Pants.

[Ishcumbeebeeda]

There is. I know I've seen them somewhere. The problem, though, is that there isn't a pants slot, so you'd have to take up your body slot.

[HMS Invincible]

If you want to be imaginative, armor covers from your torso can also cover your legs, like the medieval knights.

How many slots does your game need? Cuz I've had DMs who would say, you got 10 fingers, why not have 10 rings? He rolled that rule back in REAL fast. I suppose its ok to have more slots if their effects sucks, aka 4th edition. But if you have decent magical effects, you should limit how many items you can carry at once.

[Fax Celestis]

This is theoretically what the Waist slot is supposed to include, but damned if there's nothing but belt belt belt sash belt waistcord rosary belt

[Claudius Maximus]

This is theoretically what the Waist slot is supposed to include, but damned if there's nothing but belt belt belt sash belt waistcord rosary belt

And the occasional girdle.

[Swordgleam]

This is because everyone knows that thigh-high leather boots are the most awesome awesomosity out there. If your boots slot item isn't making your entire leg glow with magic, you are Doing It Wrong.

[Gnosko]

You could instead of a Belt of Giant Strenght have it be Pants of Giant Strength. As long as they take up your waist slot, no actual game mechanics change. It would be purely asthetic.

[Cieyrin]

This is theoretically what the Waist slot is supposed to include, but damned if there's nothing but belt belt belt sash belt waistcord rosary belt

I suppose that's one way of looking at it. I suppose that would imply that magic pants have an affinity for physical improvement.

This is because everyone knows that thigh-high leather boots are the most awesome awesomosity out there. If your boots slot item isn't making your entire leg glow with magic, you are Doing It Wrong.

Thigh high boots aren't for everybody, as some characters function better with sandals, though there are some pretty crazy sandals out there with straps all the way up the thigh. What I'm saying is why can't we also have some manly displacer beast leather pants?

You could instead of a Belt of Giant Strenght have it be Pants of Giant Strength. As long as they take up your waist slot, no actual game mechanics change. It would be purely asthetic.

But why couldn't we have both Magic Pants, with a Magic Belt holding them up? You could even have some kind of synergy effect for such a thing, kind of a variant to Augment Crystals, you could say.

[Draz74]

But why couldn't we have both Magic Pants, with a Magic Belt holding them up?

Same reason you can't use more than two magic rings. (To wit: No real in-character reason; it's just an arbitrary limitation to make the game a little more sane.)

[gbprime]

I've given out magic trousers in a game before. They just took up the boots slot.

Envalee's Dodgy Pants. Resistance bonus to saves (+2) and Evasion (as per the ring).

[Cieyrin]

Same reason you can't use more than two magic rings. (To wit: No real in-character reason; it's just an arbitrary limitation to make the game a little more sane.)

Having both Magic Pants and a Magic Belt would break things? I think it's more the designers either forgot or got lazy than having an additional magic item slot available would throw game balance.

[AstralFire]

Having both Magic Pants and a Magic Belt would break things? I think it's more the designers either forgot or got lazy than having an additional magic item slot available would throw game balance.

It's because most armors are both body and leg.

[Choco]

If they added a pants slot then people would complain the game is now too much like WoW.
Sadly I am only being half sarcastic..
In all seriousness though, adding a pants slot would not be a bad idea. You already have a torso slot in addition to a body slot (armor and a shirt!), so I can't see why a pants slot would be bad.

[Cieyrin]

If they added a pants slot then people would complain the game is now too much like WoW.
Sadly I am only being half sarcastic..

I wouldn't say that, considering 3rd Ed came out before WoW did. That's more of an issue for 4th but then I could care less about that edition.

In all seriousness though, adding a pants slot would not be a bad idea. You already have a torso slot in addition to a body slot (armor and a shirt!), so I can't see why a pants slot would be bad.

Exactly my point, why shouldn't we have greaves that were separately enchanted if they can have 3 different slots on your torso (armor/robe, shirt and vest) to boot.

[balistafreak]

It's actually quite clear why they fully excluded the pants slot: full body armor.

I mean, where are the pants on a set of full plate?

[Choco]

It's actually quite clear why they fully excluded the pants slot: full body armor.

I mean, where are the pants on a set of full plate?

By that logic the torso slot would not exist either. There is already a precedent for shirts, but not for pants. At least they thought this through half way.

[Foryn Gilnith]

I mean, where are the pants on a set of full plate?

A place quite similar to where the vest is.

[Flob]

So that when you "get it on" with the ladies, you don't have to take off your +6 pants of charisma.

[AstralFire]

So that when you "get it on" with the ladies, you don't have to take off your +6 pants of charisma.

...

I'll have to see how a cloak works in bed. Could be fun with a nice satin one.

[Rothen]

So that when you "get it on" with the ladies, you don't have to take off your +6 pants of charisma.

Which is a good thing, because unless you're a sorcerer, the Charisma loss would probably cost you the chance to finally ''get it on'' with that princess/tavern maid (depending on ECL and WBL) after 3 hours of flirting to your DM.

Edit: @Astralfire: It's awesome. And very soft. And if things go bad and her/his parents get home, you can always make a dramatic exit with it.

[Cieyrin]

So that when you "get it on" with the ladies, you don't have to take off your +6 pants of charisma.

I suppose better pants than a codpiece of charisma.

[AstralFire]

Which is a good thing, because unless you're a sorcerer, the Charisma loss would probably cost you the chance to finally ''get it on'' with that princess/tavern maid (depending on ECL and WBL) after 3 hours of flirting to your DM.

Edit: @Astralfire: It's awesome. And very soft. And if things go bad and her/his parents get home, you can always make a dramatic exit with it.

If they get home, I'd ask them where they got our keys from.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Why no magic pants?

Funny story that. You see, the developers initially intended to include pants as a slot for magic items. However playtesting showed that way too much time was spent giggling immaturely and cracking jokes, so the idea got scrapped.

[Tome]

Why no magic pants?

Funny story that. You see, the developers initially intended to include pants as a slot for magic items. However playtesting showed that way too much time was spent giggling immaturely and cracking jokes, so the idea got scrapped.

Said laughter was, of course, amplified tenfold as soon as they tested it with Brits.

Who promptly began demanding a 'magic trousers' slot, on the basis that it was getting a bit drafty.

[balistafreak]

Now that you mention it, I could totally dig a Kilt of Charisma.

No really, who doesn't listen to an authoritive man in a kilt?

[Jayabalard]

Same reason you can't use more than two magic rings. (To wit: No real in-character reason; it's just an arbitrary limitation to make the game a little more sane.)

I recall a 1e AD&D discussion of this, and I seem to remember that the reasoning is that you have to wear the magic ring on the ring finger, and you only have 2 of these. I don't really remember if this was backed up by the text in the books or not, but really whether this is a house rule or not is kind of immaterial, since it is an example of a valid in-character reason for that limitation.

[Kurald Galain]

Awww, what this needs is an eyeball item slot, polymorphic teeth, and equippable intestines...

[Tome]

Awww, what this needs is an eyeball item slot, polymorphic teeth, and equippable intestines...

There were at least two out of three of those present in Planescape: Torment, if I recall correctly.

[gallagher]

+1 hammer pants, they give you a bonus to perform (dance)

[Vizzerdrix]

Magical Radiation. Do you want your boys stewing in it all day? Not me.