Comments on: Magic Gems for Item Reward Flexability http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/ The blog for building the better dungeons and dragons 4th Edition Dungeon Master Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:46:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: TheOmnimpotentOne http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-676 TheOmnimpotentOne Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:48:33 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-676 I forgot to mention, in the card sets the values are: Flawless Gems: Level +2 Superior Gems: Level +1 No Adjective: = Level Flawed Gems: Level -1 I forgot to mention, in the card sets the values are:

Flawless Gems: Level +2
Superior Gems: Level +1
No Adjective: = Level
Flawed Gems: Level -1

]]> By: TheOmnimpotentOne http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-675 TheOmnimpotentOne Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:46:38 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-675 I think this is an excellent idea, greatly freed up my time to design some big legacy items for my players while still having some control over the overall balance of the treasure coming out. I pictured them as gems specially crafted by Moradin and Ioun as a bounty for true heroes. To anyone else who encounters the gem, it's just a regular gem and the true nature of the gem is only revealed when a hero (PC) comes to possess it. I think that tidily explains why you would ever find one (why the monsters you killed didn't just make themselves a tasty weapon to beat you with), why you can't sell them and allows me to use one set of loot cards that scale in value as they are found. I also included Onyx gems as very rare finds that allow you to disenchant existing items and turn them into something else. Basically a rare opportunity to sell old items at 100% value. If anyone is interested in the loot cards they can be found at: http://rapidshare.com/files/324445226/Loot_Cards.rar Thx for the great idea! I think this is an excellent idea, greatly freed up my time to design some big legacy items for my players while still having some control over the overall balance of the treasure coming out.

I pictured them as gems specially crafted by Moradin and Ioun as a bounty for true heroes. To anyone else who encounters the gem, it’s just a regular gem and the true nature of the gem is only revealed when a hero (PC) comes to possess it. I think that tidily explains why you would ever find one (why the monsters you killed didn’t just make themselves a tasty weapon to beat you with), why you can’t sell them and allows me to use one set of loot cards that scale in value as they are found.

I also included Onyx gems as very rare finds that allow you to disenchant existing items and turn them into something else. Basically a rare opportunity to sell old items at 100% value.

If anyone is interested in the loot cards they can be found at:
http://rapidshare.com/files/324445226/Loot_Cards.rar

Thx for the great idea!

]]> By: Andy http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-660 Andy Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:54:20 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-660 Cool! I could also see some really cool story applications for these gems. Like, how are they created? Allows for some nifty story usage such as maybe the invocation of the "aura" of a now-deceased warrior, which is able to craft these things by being focused into one spot. Or, in a darker twist, maybe it's human souls trapped in the stone that fuel the gem... @Dean: There's always the laws of supply and demand. How many merchants will be able to make use of or sell such a gem? In the cities, sure, maybe there's a market for it, but in the wild countryside? A peasant certainly won't have much use for an Astral Emerald...he doesn't really need a +2 Shovel of Victory... ;) Alternatively, such gems could maybe be bonded to the member of the party who receives them, unable to be broken by anyone but them. That instantly makes them nothing more than pretty, rare glass to anyone else. Not exactly very valuable any more, except to make a magic item. Cool! I could also see some really cool story applications for these gems. Like, how are they created? Allows for some nifty story usage such as maybe the invocation of the “aura” of a now-deceased warrior, which is able to craft these things by being focused into one spot. Or, in a darker twist, maybe it’s human souls trapped in the stone that fuel the gem…

@Dean: There’s always the laws of supply and demand. How many merchants will be able to make use of or sell such a gem? In the cities, sure, maybe there’s a market for it, but in the wild countryside? A peasant certainly won’t have much use for an Astral Emerald…he doesn’t really need a +2 Shovel of Victory… ;)

Alternatively, such gems could maybe be bonded to the member of the party who receives them, unable to be broken by anyone but them. That instantly makes them nothing more than pretty, rare glass to anyone else. Not exactly very valuable any more, except to make a magic item.

]]> By: Wampus Cat http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-653 Wampus Cat Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:20:27 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-653 Wonderful idea, and will be implemented in my campaign immediately. Wonderful idea, and will be implemented in my campaign immediately.

]]> By: Dean http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-617 Dean Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:31:42 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-617 I like this, but wonder how it'd be valued in the economy. I would think that an 18th level gem would be rather valuable...and how to give the PC an incentive not to just sell the gem in order to say, buy a higher level item. That said, for Eberron making these dragonshards seems to me to be a no brainer. I like this, but wonder how it’d be valued in the economy. I would think that an 18th level gem would be rather valuable…and how to give the PC an incentive not to just sell the gem in order to say, buy a higher level item.

That said, for Eberron making these dragonshards seems to me to be a no brainer.

]]> By: Neuroglyph http://slyflourish.com/magic-gems-for-item-reward-flexability/comment-page-1/#comment-616 Neuroglyph Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:51:04 +0000 http://slyflourish.com/?p=749#comment-616 Absolutely brilliant! Love this idea - it really will resolve some of the tendency of having to deal with a "wish list". Absolutely brilliant! Love this idea – it really will resolve some of the tendency of having to deal with a “wish list”.

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