Been away so i’m a bit behind the times.

Noticed you were thinking about using a ‘level your items’ system for the near future. Since i started DMing i have used a lvl your items system to mixed results.

One problem i’ve noticed is that PC’s who poor time and effort into items aren’t keen on replacing them even when something better comes along. Secondly, the numbers involved with ‘lvl your items’ can start to break the game if left unchecked for to long. i.e. A rogue who only leveled his Stealth infused Dagger for 6 lvls ended up 1-hitting a boss. Just a heads up from my experience with it.

Currently building my 3rd system which is a ground up reimagining and i have had some interesting ideas on items… They don’t really fit with 4e though as i Homebrew.

But yeah, 4e items feel like the discarded drafts of 4e powers.

A crafty DM could recreate the older edition feel by swapping Items and Powers.

Then again, I liked the setting where magical items were truly special and there were no such things as a “magic shop”.

I remember cherishing a bag of holding (and finding very creative uses for it) for quite some time.

Most of 4th ed magical items feel like unwieldly blocks of stats to me. I still browse the 2nd edition’s “magical compedium” books for ideas to create new items and try my best to refluff them.
.-= Eric Maziade´s last blog ..On the road to Spellgu- postmortem =-.

Cora from Frankfurt in Germany

I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who has grown to loathe treasure parcels. I think I’ve come to enjoy, house rule, or at least accept everything in 4th Edition…except those. Not really worth house ruling but such a ridiculous pain to deal with. I *do* continue to use them as a rough guideline but that’s it.

C.DM, next time you have 30-60 minutes to read some RPG goodness…try DMG2 p. 80-89. Like I said above, completely turned my distaste for skill challenges around. The RAW skill challenge system is finally solid, the “preparing for failure” stuff, progressive challenge advice, branching challenge advice…great, great stuff.
.-= echoshifting´s last blog ..In the event that this blog has any readers… =-.

Yes… there is however an aspect of table communication I didn’t touch on because I don’t have one at my table is the droning player. Not so much spotlight hoggers as those who talk ALL the time and take forever to make a point. In such cases, the DM needs to learn to brush off or politely but firmly to ask the player to stop talking to let others play and let the game move forward.

I’m pretty sure droners don’t last long in a campaign.

Re Mouseguard, I’m at a point in my gaming life where I’m telling myself “Dude, if you want to import so many indie concept to D&D, why don’t you play the indie games instead.” I’d love to replace money with a Ressource skill and have a skill between Diplomacy and Streetwise based on ‘circles’

These 2 skills would do wonders to beef up D&D’s non-combat aspects where you could obtain stuff and help without tracking wealth… I think D&D would survive such a transition.

Oh and agree 100% with your take on treasures and Magic Items.

Love the Mouseguard twist. Mouseguard has so many brilliant ideas, I also recommend their standard hook-setting for characters (mentor, enemy etc) and use of “circles” to represent your ability to get hold of something through contacts.

For treasure I generally talk to the player about what would be a cool item, I have given my Barbarian a “favor from the primal powers” that will be fun but probably disruptive (he he he) and I let the fighter level up his sword by soaking it in the blood of the Dragon he just killed. I hate parcels. My son the Tiefling Rogue will get a cool power for his daggers when he tells me a good backstory hook to account for it…

Treasure should either be a development of something you already have or a surprise that takes you in a new direction. The vanilla halfling fighter just picked up Aeris (paladin sword from KotS) and I had her get the full attention of Bahamut, who gave her a temporary Lay on Hands because the sword needed to redeem itself for the murders it had committed…

Treasure lets me add twists. If it doesn’t it is just money.
.-= Tim Noyce´s last blog ..Ave atque vale =-.

@Wrath: Yeah, that’s the one part about 4e I’m growing tired about, Looking forward to posting our piece on simply treasures.

@echo: I haven’t had the time to properly read DMG2 yet… which is insane given that I live and breathe DMing.

@Rechan: It means that whenever a player makes a skill roll, the DM gets to decide what happens… including giving the player what he wants, but with an added twist. In Stef’s case I was generous and I gave him the choice of failing or getting his item with a curse on it.

As for the leveling up of items… Well Phil intend to post about it suffice to say that it is more to simplify thing for DM then it is about the how you could level up item in the game. Like you said this his already described in the rules.

So what does “To Mouseguard something” mean?

Also, there all ready exists rules for levelling up items and such, even under the current ruleset.

Honestly that whole chapter is great; completely turned skill challenges around for me.

So I look forward to seeing yours and Yan’s system change.

Good save on the game!
.-= wrathofzombie´s last blog ..Pathfinder Bestiary and MMI Breakdown =-.