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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 21, 2010 9:27:23 GMT -6
If I understand it right, if you find a "level 6 sword" you can't use it until you reach level 6; items and such are also rated by level. Actually, you can use items of any level as soon as you find them. In fact, the DM is encouraged to give PCs items that are higher level than themselves so they seem more special (some PCs can eventually make their own items of their own level or lower). Okay, so I took the plunge and started a real 4E game. The secret to my success is the Character Generator, so I can let the computer handle most of the details in character building. I'm trying to figure out how magic items work and haven't found it in the rules yet. Can Blackbarn (or other) help me out on this? If a 1st level character gets a "level 6 sword" what does that mean? |
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Post by Morandir on Aug 21, 2010 10:24:55 GMT -6
A magic item's level, if I remember correctly, refers to the character level at which that item is "appropriate," i.e. first level characters should not have level 6 weapons.
Mor
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Post by vito on Aug 21, 2010 13:55:08 GMT -6
Magic item level is mostly used for the enchant magic item ritual. PCs with this ritual can only create magic items of their level or lower. The item's level also provides the price guidelines for materials.
It is possible for PCs to find and use magic items of a higher level though. The game can support a difference of about four or five levels before breaking down. The character's level merely provides the assumed baseline.
The coolest thing about magic item levels, in my opinion, is the implication that magic items can level up as PCs do. The Adventurers Vault provides suggested rules for this.
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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 21, 2010 15:40:16 GMT -6
The coolest thing about magic item levels, in my opinion, is the implication that magic items can level up as PCs do. The Adventurers Vault provides suggested rules for this. I have that rulebook, so thanks for the tip! Gives me a place to start! (I have so many darned 4E rulebooks that I can't figure out what is found where....) |
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Post by wheelsonmeals on Aug 22, 2010 14:28:55 GMT -6
I have that rulebook, so thanks for the tip! Gives me a place to start! (I have so many darned 4E rulebooks that I can't figure out what is found where....) Out of curiosity, what books are you planning on using in your game? I ask because there are sooooooooo many options these days, that limiting it to a handful of core options can really simplify your game (relatively speaking) without hampering it to any degree. It can certainly be overwhelming as a player or DM to sit down in front of the character builder and have to sift through everything it has to offer. Strictly speaking, if you're using the treasure parcels from DMG p.126-129 a 1st-level char shouldn't have a 6th-level magic item (unless they've bought it), but it won't break anything. It also may be worth noting that the "Essentials" books that will start showing up next month are supposed to alter the magic item/treasure system to introduce rarity, random generation, etc. moving the ball more formally back into the DM's court. Not that a good DM would really let their players get absolutely everything they want in the first place. |
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Post by Finarvyn on Aug 22, 2010 19:16:12 GMT -6
Well, for players I'm letting the Character Generation software do all of the grunt work, so I allowed a bunch of options for races and classes. I told my players that each person is responsible for reading his or her own sheet, printing off Power Cards, and being able to run a character. I'm hoping this will make things easier for me. I think most of the options are from the PH, with a couple from PH2 or PH3 and one from the Forgotten Realms Player book. My group ended up picking races of Elf, Dragonborn (x2), Tiefling, Gnome, and Minotaur. Not a human in the bunch! As far as classes go we've got a Bard, Sorcerer, Fighter, Paladin, Druid, and Warlord. Hopefully there won't be too many surprises lurking for me to discover as play unfolds. As for monsters and secret GM stuff, I thought I'd start with one of the introductory adventures and keep monsters, etc. pretty basic for a game or so. I made a general handout of info for my players (and to organize my thoughts) about options for actions each turn, how Action Points work, how hit points (with bloodied and healing surge rules) work, and so on. I figure there will be a few tricky things that sneak up on me and am trying to anticipate them as much as possible.  |
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