Netheril : Age of Magic

Player Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tinker on September 19, 2019, 12:51:16 am

Title: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Tinker on September 19, 2019, 12:51:16 am
Increase magic item levels. We understand some find it frustrating with the current loot level on the server and the time period we are in so we are proposing an increase in the overall loot level, including craftable items. Quests items, DM given items and Faction gear.
Example of this would be
+4 for items for things you can find on quests or in the exploration areas.
+5 and above for DM given

Edit: for clarification we will have a system that is colour coded with level restrictions for the top tiered items so we don’t have level 5 PCs running around in +5 armour and so on.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Gorga on September 19, 2019, 12:55:18 am
I like it as is. It'd be too easy to get out of hand.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Ritu on September 19, 2019, 01:18:06 am
+4/5 as max-max seems good.

What I'd maybe play with more is the variety and amount of enchantments you can put into an item - as a person who RP-s enchanting complete with spells, rune seals and dice rolls, perhaps a wider variety of ingredients harvestable from monsters and environment and such would be lovely. (which can always be purely RP-d, so that's not a necessity)


And adding more faction/place-specific buyable items to the public stores could suit as well, like

(Temple)
Sacred Incense
Small miscellaneous
Owl's Wisdom 5 charges

(Valstiir bardic shop)
Classy Perfume
Small miscellaneous
Eagle's Splendor 4 charges

(Warehouse-arena vendor)
Bloodbite
Small misc
Bull's Strength 3 charges


Just as Lloyds up in Valstiir could have better items than the arcanist store down at Hadrian, since he's a specialised enchanter
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Kalcibone on September 19, 2019, 01:20:51 am
I personally like the items so far being made by DM's, but some items feel underpowered for what they are. crafting weapons  are pretty damn good, specially with some changes ive heard of. But at the same time I notice a heavy emphisis wizards and paladins and a few druid. Perhaps you can make 'rare' items for each class and even more rare but very powerful prestige class items that are DM given. If you work hard, obviously it should be good. A good example is a player making their WM's  weapon while having 100 in weapon smithing and spending the time with a DM making as the DM demands( finding the parts needed, people needed, and etc), obviously such an item would be a powerful peice of equipment but also would be one of a kind.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Vydaera on September 19, 2019, 05:38:21 am
The gear so far that I have found and/or seen, HEAVILY favors casters over every other type of class. Having low-magic equipment in a high magic setting means that casters/gish-type characters will always be more prepared and useful than spell-less peeps.

With some clever design, you can cater to both types of characters. Weapon could have +2 magic and 1d6 fire, or +1 and Keen, so that casters could choose which one they want and use a spell for the other. You could have a +0 weapon with Keen even, for those with Greater Magic Weapon. Have some weapons with a 1/day Keen Edge, or Flame Weapon spell, or GMW, and don't be afraid to boost the caster level to have it be relevant for more than a couple levels. The Monk vendor sells a FANTASTIC selection of stuff, and it all has real utility and value, like fighting undead or constructs. Why can't all gear be designed this well?

Why does every piece of gear have to have a huge drawback? Frog Boots are a great example of this. A case could be made for an item with a bigger-than-average bonus for it's level to have a drawback like that, but you don't need to punish every character just for wearing the only pair of boots that is available to them.

Part of that problem is the lack of variety. If you need content, whip up some guidelines and let players submit their own. I.E., level 3-6 gear can have +1 or equivalent enhancement or +2 to a skill, levels 6-9 gear can have +2 or +4 for skills, etc. You could even incentivize players with gold rewards or something to encourage contributions.

Whether or not you increase the max item level or not, there is a lot of improvements that could be made going forward.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: FireballWilson on September 19, 2019, 06:19:35 am
I agree with mostly what Vydaera said. Power level doesn't NECESSARILY increase, but more love should be thrown towards the classes nobody plays. hell, I'd just slap on "can only be used by X class" and call it good. Want a +5 weapon? Be a warrior. Want a bow with increased threat range? Be a ranger. It might promote some people dipping into a class for a level but even that can be a thematic part of their story.

Mostly, I'd say give some x/day castings that are class locked so the classes that can't cast don't feel so bad to play. 1-3/day stoneskin on a chest plate that can only be used by warriors would really spark some new life into the class. Or 5/day barkskin on a chestplate only usable by druids. Worse than the stoneskin suggestion, but also thematic to the class and allows them to take a few of the more exciting spells for that level. Maybe Ranger gets a few summon creature/day, Monk gets spell mantle/day, etc.. Spells/day that don't shore up the class's weaknesses, but improve their core strengths.

The most dangerous things to start dishing out like hotcakes is +x to fort/reflex/will. Get too high on those, and you'll start making some absolute gods among men.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Midnight Oil on September 19, 2019, 06:55:35 am
I voted yes but just in regards to a few classes such as Fighter, ranger and Barbarian these classes as they are currently which is nwn standard are pretty weak in contrast to the Cleric or wizard. You are better of running a battle cleric then a fighter because of the sheer damage and attack bonus a cleric can obtain plus you have other spells to cast as well. Fighters need better armour and weapons same with Barbarians since they have pretty bad ab usually. Rangers just need more arrow types and bows to allow them to duel efficiently and deal out some decent damage. The reason weapons need to be upted slightly is to deal with mages because the spells wizards can obtain at these high lvl's almost make them invicible. Im not talking +5 tho just +3 for high lvl quests and +4 dm loot sounds balanced to me since our server can go up to lvl 20.
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Gmork on September 19, 2019, 08:17:41 am
Just to clarify. +5 gear does not mean only flat +5 things but it means gear with the value of, or near, something that is +5.

EG: a +5 sword is about 48100 gold in value.
a +3 sword with +5 v (whatever) is about the same value
and a sword that is +3 with Divine 1d4 Damage, Fire 1d4 Damage, Massive Crit 3 and Bless 1 Use/Day is about the same value
Title: Re: Increase magic item levels -- Please read and respond.
Post by: Tinker on September 21, 2019, 12:02:59 am
Thanks for the feedback on this guys.