Adventurer's Vault.pdf

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Personality
and Character
Even the most common magic items can have personality.
Magic is a strange and wondrous force, and the
arcane energy at loose in the world can change the
people and objects it touches. As such, magic items—
especially those created in ancient times or found in
magic-rich environments—can develop quirks.
For instance, the surface of a magic shield might
darken as if bruised or glow an angry red when it is
struck in battle. A weapon might shout out curses
against its wielder’s enemies in the first round of
combat. Gloves made for a healer might become
noticeably warm whenever the wearer enters combat.
Such quirks serve the same function as the
quirks and mannerisms given to NPCs by the DM.
They add minor narrative color to an item and to the
campaign as a whole. Be careful how you apply and
use them, however. A quirk can involve a minor negative
drawback, but it should never hinder or affect an
item’s usefulness, especially in combat.
PC Influence
The PCs are the game’s focus. Any magic items they
carry—whatever their history and character—should
reflect this fact. The actions of a PC can have an
impact on the items he or she carries, causing those
items to take on specific characteristics as a result of
being wielded by a character of power and destiny.
Giving out item levels as treasure (discussed later
in this chapter) is one way to give the PCs a degree
of influence over the magic they carry. Another way
is to create quirks not as a reflection of an item’s history
but as an example of a PC’s influence. This is
particularly appropriate when a player chooses to use
CHAPTER 2 | Magic Items
an item as a roleplaying hook, rewarding player and
character alike for interacting with the game world in
a meaningful way. For example, a fighter’s prized axe
might start to echo its wielder’s battle cry whenever
it scores a critical hit. A paladin’s shield might glow
brightly as a symbol of her virtue when she fights
sworn enemies.
Such character-inspired items can even be
reused in a new campaign after epic characters pass
into myth and immortality. When new PCs discover
these legendary relics, the players whose characters
were the item’s original owners can have the satisfaction
of seeing their roleplaying efforts live on.
Alignment
Magic items can be strongly attuned to good or evil.
An item with an alignment might impose a minor
penalty or drawback on a wielder of different alignment.
A magic weapon or implement might withhold
some of its full enhancement bonus, or a magic item’s
powers could fail at a critical moment. (In the most
extreme cases, an item simply might not function in
the hands of a differently aligned character. However,
such limitations are typically useful only as plot
hooks.)
Alignment incompatibilities should never be
allowed to become a permanent hindrance to a
character’s ability to use a magic item. (See Level
Scaling, below, for suggestions on withholding a
magic item’s powers in a more balanced way.) Characters
should always be given the chance to earn an
item’s full power. For example, a PC might be able
to redeem a partially functioning evil item by using
it for good. Such an undertaking makes an excellent
minor quest, or it could become a hook for an entire
campaign.
DAVID GRIFFITH