What are y'all doin' for magical items in your games?

[TranquiloUno]

Just what the title sez: For those of you running or playing in Fantasy Hero games...how are you doing magic items?

 

Got any cool examples of items from your games?

 

Here's one I handed out a few sessions back: https://sites.google.com/view/aetherya/home/aetheyrian-hero/iiiiitems-so-that-i-may-roleplay/the-doomblade

 

How about the rest of you?

 

Classic D&D item clones? Weird stuff? Normal stuff? Genre stuff? Hero-ey stuff?

[Lucius]

Quill of Penmanship:  (Total: 4 Active Cost, 2 Real Cost) +2/+2d6 Striking Appearance (vs. Anyone reading what the character writes) (4 Active Points); IAF Fragile (-3/4), Conditional Power Only effects literate people reading the message (-1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Happened to be in the palindromedary's saddlebags

[Lucius]

An enchanted shield that can heal up to three times a day.

 

The Serpent Shield:  (Total: 35 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost) +3 DCV (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Conditional Power Only for front and left (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5) <b>plus</b> Healing Simplified 2d6 (20 Active Points); 4 clips of 1 Charge (Increased Reloading Time: 1 Hour; -2 3/4), One Use At A Time (-1), OIF (-1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3)

 

Runes painted onto these barbaric garments from the hide of a a pawari (a moose like creature) grant a +1 bonus to Survival Skill rolls in addition to being 1 pt of Resistant Protection from attacks.

 

Pawari Hide Armor:  (Total: 5 Active Cost, 3 Real Cost) Resistant Protection (1 PD/1 ED) (3 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Real Armor (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) <b>plus</b> +1 with Survival (2 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) (Real Cost: 1)

 

Ulro Zandar, the Phantom Sword or the Sword of Ghosts

 

Ulro Zandar, the Sword of Ghosts:  (Total: 115 Active Cost, 31 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6-1, Autofire (2 shots; +1/4), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Transdimensional (Related Group of Dimensions; +3/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (87 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9 with 2 hands, 12 with 1 hand (-1/2), -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 22) <b>plus</b> Reach 2m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (3 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), Limited Body Parts (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) <b>plus</b> +1 With OCV (2 Active Points); Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) <b>plus</b> Weapon Master:  +1d6 ([limited group]) (20 Active Points); Requires A Roll (Attack roll, -1 per 5 Active Points modifier; Must be made each Phase/use; -1 1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6) <b>plus</b> +1 with OCV or DCV (3 Active Points); Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

 

The Amulet of Comprehension: supremely useful for a wide ranging Turakian Age hero

 

Amulet of Comprehension:  (Total: 21 Active Cost, 10 Real Cost) Universal Translator 14- (21 Active Points); Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (1/2 DCV; -1/2), IIF (-1/4), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) (Real Cost: 10)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I sent a palindromedary to fetch these

 

 

[archer]

2 hours ago, TranquiloUno said:

Just what the title sez: For those of you running or playing in Fantasy Hero games...how are you doing magic items?

 

Got any cool examples of items from your games?

 

Here's one I handed out a few sessions back: https://sites.google.com/view/aetherya/home/aetheyrian-hero/iiiiitems-so-that-i-may-roleplay/the-doomblade

 

How about the rest of you?

 

Classic D&D item clones? Weird stuff? Normal stuff? Genre stuff? Hero-ey stuff?

 

 

For games, I end up doing a lot of D&D clone items and blindly obvious magic items (magic swords, genie lamps, and magic carpets) because players expect to see those kinds of things in the world unless I disallow having magic items altogether.

 

I've thought about writing a small book on weird fringe magic items and have come up with a few ideas for it. It's challenging trying to come up with things I haven't seen before.

 

I haven't really written anything specifically for a gaming publication (as opposed to a gaming forum where I've given someone permission to use something I wrote). Churning out huge amounts of news and political commentary for various now-defunct websites surprisingly hasn't been good preparation for knowing anything about formatting, getting access to artwork, etc. that you have to know in order to do writing for games. And playing HERO hasn't been particularly good prep for that aspect either especially since most of my play experience is 4th edition and earlier and HERO isn't interested in people writing that kind of content.

[TranquiloUno]

41 minutes ago, Lucius said:

Quill of Penmanship:  (Total: 4 Active Cost, 2 Real Cost) +2/+2d6 Striking Appearance (vs. Anyone reading what the character writes) (4 Active Points); IAF Fragile (-3/4), Conditional Power Only effects literate people reading the message (-1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Happened to be in the palindromedary's saddlebags

 

That's cute! I like it!

[TranquiloUno]

16 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

Ulro Zandar, the Phantom Sword or the Sword of Ghosts

 

Ulro Zandar, the Sword of Ghosts:  (Total: 115 Active Cost, 31 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6-1, Autofire (2 shots; +1/4), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Transdimensional (Related Group of Dimensions; +3/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (87 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9 with 2 hands, 12 with 1 hand (-1/2), -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 22) <b>plus</b> Reach 2m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (3 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), Limited Body Parts (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) <b>plus</b> +1 With OCV (2 Active Points); Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) <b>plus</b> Weapon Master:  +1d6 ([limited group]) (20 Active Points); Requires A Roll (Attack roll, -1 per 5 Active Points modifier; Must be made each Phase/use; -1 1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6) <b>plus</b> +1 with OCV or DCV (3 Active Points); Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

 

 

Uh.

 

I think I got most of that.

Can you go over it a bit? I'm curious...

Particularly the Incantations throughout part and maybe the Transdimensional bit?

 

The Effects Desolid sword\item is one I've wanted to use in Hero for years just because I think that mechanic is cool. 
 

[Lucius]

3 minutes ago, TranquiloUno said:

 

Uh.

 

I think I got most of that.

Can you go over it a bit? I'm curious...

Particularly the Incantations throughout part and maybe the Transdimensional bit?

 

The Effects Desolid sword\item is one I've wanted to use in Hero for years just because I think that mechanic is cool. 
 

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

Ulro Zandar, the Phantom Sword or the Sword of Ghosts

 

Ulro Zandar, the Sword of Ghosts:  (Total: 115 Active Cost, 31 Real Cost) Killing Attack

 

It's a sword. It's meant for killing.

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

- Hand-To-Hand 2d6-1, Autofire (2 shots; +1/4),

 

Autofire means if it rolls and hits by more than 2, it hits twice.

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2),

 

 

Being insubstantial is no defense

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

Transdimensional (Related Group of Dimensions; +3/4),

 

Neither is being astral or ethereal.

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (87 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9 with 2 hands, 12 with 1 hand (-1/2), -2 Decreased STUN Multiplier (-1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 22)

 

It's a bastard sword, requiring STR 9 if used two handed, STR 12 if used one handed. Designed to be lethal, it has a reduced STUN multiplier. To employ its arcane properties, certain words and phrases must be spoken in the Ulronai tongue. If not so addressed, the blade's spirit will not cooperate with the wielder.

 

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

<b>plus</b> Reach 2m, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (3 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), Limited Body Parts (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

 

Between the sword's own length and a competent swordsman's ability to lunge, the weapon has 2 meters of Reach.

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

<b>plus</b> +1 With OCV (2 Active Points); Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

 

The sword has a +1 OCV

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

<b>plus</b> Weapon Master:  +1d6 ([limited group]) (20 Active Points); Requires A Roll (Attack roll, -1 per 5 Active Points modifier; Must be made each Phase/use; -1 1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6)

 

If the attack roll is made by 4, not only do you roll damage twice (autofire), the first damage is rolled with another 1d6 of Killing damage added in.

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

<b>plus</b> +1 with OCV or DCV (3 Active Points); Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

 

If using two hands, gain a +1 for either OCV or DCV due to better control.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

23 minutes ago, Lucius said:

What were you expecting, a palindromedary tagline?

 

 

[TranquiloUno]

7 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

 

It's a sword. It's meant for killing.

 

With you so far...

 

7 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

 

Autofire means if it rolls and hits by more than 2, it hits twice.

 

 

Being insubstantial is no defense

 

 

Neither is being astral or ethereal.

 

Astral or Ethereal. 

 

7 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

 

It's a bastard sword, requiring STR 9 if used two handed, STR 12 if used one handed. Designed to be lethal, it has a reduced STUN multiplier. To employ its arcane properties, certain words and phrases must be spoken in the Ulronai tongue. If not so addressed, the blade's spirit will not cooperate with the wielder.

 

Does this effect their ability to communicate in combat? Or starting and stopping is no bigs; they just have to chanting and whispering to their weapon while they're actually attacking with it? 

 

7 minutes ago, Lucius said:

 

 

 

Between the sword's own length and a competent swordsman's ability to lunge, the weapon has 2 meters of Reach.

 

 

The sword has a +1 OCV

 

 

If the attack roll is made by 4, not only do you roll damage twice (autofire), the first damage is rolled with another 1d6 of Killing damage added in.

 

 

If using two hands, gain a +1 for either OCV or DCV due to better control.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

 

 

 

Thx!

[Lucius]

28 minutes ago, TranquiloUno said:

Does this effect their ability to communicate in combat? Or starting and stopping is no bigs; they just have to chanting and whispering to their weapon while they're actually attacking with it? 

 

 

Thx!

 

I probably should have made that Incantations only to Activate.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Palindromedary only to activate Tagline

[Christopher R Taylor]

I tend to swipe from everything I see, so some D&D type stuff, some from my ideas, some from games like Might & Magic, Diablo, Runequest, etc.  Some from books.  Most "magic items" people find are one-shot trinkets, herbs, or weapons and armor made from alternate, enchanted materials within inherently better properties such as armor that is slightly lighter and better defense. Real, powerful magical items like staves that shoot lightning or an orb that allows telekinesis are more rare and in very specific areas.

Because of how Hero works, some small effects can be very potent, like a sword with armor piercing.  Doesn't seem like much but it really shreds opponents.

[Toxxus]

I've been using pathfinder content for my Fantasy Hero table so when I run into a pathfinder item that I don't know (pretty  much memorized the 5th ed D&D ones) I make something up on the spot.

 

One of the more popular items so far:  Hounds Foil Boots  (Invisible to smell, always on, persistent) + Flight (always on, persistent, only in contact with a surface, only to avoid leaving a trail).

 

 

[bluesguy]

In my world there are not a lot of magic items.  Mages are pretty common and very few creatures require a magic weapon to kill.

 

Also my world is really wet.  This causes all kinds of problems with metal - especially steel and iron weapons (one of the reasons why there are many people w/ bronze weapons).  There is a magic spell which will clean and make ready any metal weapon or armor (basically healing and/or transform).  The party recently got a large treasure that included two exquisite steel swords (not magically but both were +1 DC above a normal steel blade and also had a +1 OCV bonus due to quality of the weapon).  The previous owners had those spells which is why the weapons had not just rusted away.  The players paid to have someone make scabbards for the swords with the cleaning spell in the scabbard.  The spell can be used up to 3 times a day and only with the weapon that the scabbard was made for.

 

The party also has a player who carries a big shield and so they had a mage put a s powerful 'light spell' (cone) that has a 6 hour per day 'fuel charge'.

 

I am a big fan of practical vs. bigger bang sticks 😉

[TranquiloUno]

 

5 hours ago, Toxxus said:

 

 

One of the more popular items so far:  Hounds Foil Boots  (Invisible to smell, always on, persistent) + Flight (always on, persistent, only in contact with a surface, only to avoid leaving a trail).

 

Like the Affects Desolid sword this is another of those things that Hero can do, mechanically, which I think is super cool.

 

In another system you'd just get: Pass without Trace and it would work like it says it does in the spell block. In Hero it works like Invisibility, and the sense interactions are all right there for you.

 

You might be a serious nerd if: harmonious rules interactions are deeply statisfying. ;D

[DShomshak]

Many years back, I ran a few campaigns in my Fantasy Europa alternate-history setting. Preparing for it, I transcribed a bunch of D&D magic items into Hero because, well, apart from the FH Magic Items book that was what I had to work with.

 

I never used any of them.

 

One of the core ideas of Fantasy Europa was that Europe was still recovering from the apocalyptic destruction of the Monster Wars. I wrote up a few tremendously powerful and destructive artifacts -- banes -- left over from the wars, such as the Bane of Grimwood that was still spontaneously causing monsters to be born from ordinary animals. I never got a chance to use any of them, either. The campaigns that turned out to interest me just didn't go in those directions.

 

So what mostly turned up? Many adversaries had low-power amulets of protection (just a bit of Armor on an Independent Focus -- this was 4th ed.) so the PCs couldn't one-shot stun them with a lucky killing attack. A few adversaries, such as a Satanic sorcerer or a mad priest of a malign entity from Beyond, had magical staves or similar implemnents that could do Drains, Flashes, Entangles, and other non-STUN/BODY damage. These had Side Effects or other unpleasant conditions on their use, such as requiring human sacrifice to recharge or making the wielder another mad servant of Sutekh, so the PCs wouldn't snabble them up. I wanted the campaigns to focus on the PCs' own capabilities, not the loot they acquired.

 

All in all, these were low-magic item campaigns. It helped that they had definite endings planned from the beginning, so there was never any intention of Zero to Hero power growth. The PCs started as remarkably competent individuals; they ended as somewhat more competent individuals.

 

Oh -- one player built his PC around a collection of minor magic items, such as magic boots that increased his mobility. (Probably based on the D&D Boots of Striding and Springing.) But he was still highly skilled without them.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Duke Bushido]

The last fantasy I ran was the occuktish western I've mentioned before (it didn't start out that way; we sort of drifted into it).   The biggest sources of magic were ancestor magic and shamanic magic, so there weren't a lot of traditional magic items: most of them had serious limitations like a four-hour ceremony to recharge, single or double use only, certain rituals or rules that had to be adhered to or the item would disappear /lose enchanment--  the magic was real, but rarely extremely powerful; those things that were powerful were rare and difficult to maintain. 

 

Wierdly, the most popular things were the hides of enchanted animals (certain random animals would bear enchantment by either having served as a spirit guide or hosting a particularly powerful soul (or ancestor or minor God) and, if properly treated, would provide clothing that granted immunity to certain environmental conditions, etc.  Jackelope boots were popular: extra movement, silence, bonus OCV, etc, depending on breed and season. 

 

Arrows tipped with jackelope antler gained a +1 Stun multiplier or created an aggravated wound (REC Drain versus this one wound: heals very, very slowly) and no jackelope antler wound could be healed magically (fortunately, these arrows and spears were rare). 

 

Painted symbols and lengthy ceremonies could provide extra Def to certain garments, etc. 

 

Lots of things that could turn the battle, but nothing that could turn the war, if you follow me. 

 

Petty items: paint mortars that never emptied, waterskins that never quite emptied (but could be ruined by holing them, or desecration) torches that burned for hours-- little stuff. 

[Toxxus]

One of my player's is a big League of Legends fan so I've been letting him find/buy a couple of items from the game for his Udyr character:

1-  Hunter's Machete:  Adds 1pt HKA - NND Fire damage to all of your attacks - Str Doesn't add to damage - Defense is not being a monster or having a shield effect.

2-  Iceborn Guantlet:  8 rPD/rED for area 6/7 on right arm only, Adds 1pt NND Cold damage to melee attacks only - Triggers only 1x per turn - Creates single hex change environment that causes Dex roll at -3 or prone (ice slick).

 

His primary adversary from his backstory is Lissandra the Ice Queen (ice witch - cold based powers).  He's already been warned in prophetic manner that he will be betrayed in the most unsuspected manner.  He knows that the creation of the Iceborn Guantlet required his only piece of True Ice, but he seems to have forgotten that Lissandra has the power to control True Ice.  Their encounter is going to start roughly as he finds himself being affected by his own, un-removable gauntlet.

 

Our party witcher has been able to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get a matched sword set (1 silver / 1 steel) that add +2 OCV (instead of +1 like most greatswords) and do an additional 1d6 hka on critical hits.

 

The party fire witch has a Staff of Storms that allows her to change the special effect of her spells (all currently fire based) into lightning.

[TranquiloUno]

Ha! Love the on-coming ice gauntlet surprise!

 

I have an ex-vampire in my game who can still produce the vampire glamour (Mind Control) effect.

I'm very much looking forward to my players dealing with the fact that this vampire heavy section of the game is going to feature a bunch of vampires....all of whom are going to have that same ability.

 

You want Mind Control? Boy, are you ever gonna get it. ;D

[theinfn8]

The current game I'm running magic is incredibly commonplace and works under a specific set of rules. In the empire, magic has reached the level of science. Most common people can use basic magical items made for every day convenience. Lights, stoves, water purifier, money verifier, etc. All of these things are simple, handful of uses, and needs a recharge type of effects. There are no "permanent" magic effects. If they wanted to "buy a torch" while in the empire, then they are simply going to buy an alchemical item that generates X amount of light for Y time. I wouldn't even bother to stat it up. If they are outside it (which they mostly are, since they asked for a travel and see the world game) then they buy an actual torch. Because of this, most of the generic stuff is kind of hand-waved since it isn't important to the story we're trying to tell. 

 

The PCs are all magic users, each with their own specific set of rules their magic operates under. Because they are reliant on their own abilities so much, not a single one of them has asked about buying or acquiring ”magic items”.  Could also be because they don't have an Invester/Alchemist in the group.

 

Granted, the whole point of the setup is to see what happens when a group of people with a solid preconceived idea of how magic operates meets things that break those rules. Eventually they are going to come across something that appears to be permanently enchanted. Magic that doesn't operate correctly. Those specific things, as magic items, serve the story first and might also not need to be statted up.

 

[eepjr24]

On 4/24/2019 at 8:55 PM, Lucius said:

Quill of Penmanship:  (Total: 4 Active Cost, 2 Real Cost) +2/+2d6 Striking Appearance (vs. Anyone reading what the character writes) (4 Active Points); IAF Fragile (-3/4), Conditional Power Only effects literate people reading the message (-1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Happened to be in the palindromedary's saddlebags

Curious why you gave "Only affects literate people reading the message" when you had already chosen a level of striking appearance that limited to that group? Plus it didn't actually affect the points. Does that mean people who were not literate but read the message through a spell (Universal Translator - built as a detect, not a language)? 

 

- E

[Lucius]

5 hours ago, eepjr24 said:

Curious why you gave "Only affects literate people reading the message" when you had already chosen a level of striking appearance that limited to that group? Plus it didn't actually affect the points. Does that mean people who were not literate but read the message through a spell (Universal Translator - built as a detect, not a language)? 

 

- E

 

I think that what I was thinking was that the level of Striking Appearance applied to those VIEWING the message, and that's why I put on another Limitation to restrict it to the literate.

 

It would probably be cleaner and more appropriate to eliminate that conditional. And after all, even the illiterate may appreciate the aesthetic appeal of handwriting enhanced by the Quill.

 

So yeah, I think I made a mistake.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

But I'm sure a palindromedary tagline is seldom a mistake