Effectiveness of Gear

[ncguthwulf]

I remember in one of my earliest games of D&D my paladin found a spear +5. The DM was using random loot tables and got a lucky roll after we killed some drow. My level 4 character went from rolling d20 + 5 to hit, 1d8+2 damage to d20 + 10 to hit, 1d6 +7 damage.

That means my average to hit roll went from 15.5 to 20.5 and my average damage went from 6.5 to 10.5. That single piece of loot increased my chances to hit by 30% and my damage by 50%.

Once the novelty wore off I realized that in combat I was essentially a +5 spear being carried by a Paladin. And if the two parted ways, I wanted to keep playing the +5 spear regardless of who was wielding it.

So, I put forth the question, how much of an impact do you want to see gear have on your character?

I am a huge Conan fan. And in Conan he is a godlike fighter whether he is in a loincloth with a broken sword or wearing chain mail and wielding a magical blade. That is the type of game I like to play. Where gear matters more in the sense that you might need to find the silver sword to smite the werewolf because of its immunity to regular steel versus the ever growing progression of +1 to +10. Especially if the highest class bonus to hit being +20 and you can augment that by a full 50% from an item. I do want to get better loot as I go along but I also want to have a chapter in the story see me stripped of all my gear and still feel like a badazz because it is my class, skill, specialization and choices that I have made as I leveled up that made me badazz, not my Ebony + 10 Spear of Demonfire.

[Sacred_Path]

This ain't no Diablo.

[rjshae]

If a low-level character gains the equivalent of a +5 spear, then, realistically, there should be some repercussions. Once word gets out, then powerful figures should come looking to see if the character can be 'persuaded' to give it up.

[morrow1nd]

It shouldnt effect more than %30 combat effectiveness in my opinion. However PE should encourage you to build different party setups and builds which has bigger impact on replaying the game instead of ''grindin'' stuff

[rjshae]

It shouldnt effect more than %30 combat effectiveness in my opinion. However PE should encourage you to build different party setups and builds which has bigger impact on replaying the game instead of ''grindin'' stuff

In DnD at least, the effect of the attack bonuses is not that major; a +5 weapon is just improving odds of a strike by +25%. But that +5 to damage is a whopper. For a 1d8 weapon, that just doubles the damage right there. It'd be good if there were a better balance between attack and damage effectiveness.

Edited November 8, 2012 by rjshae

[Heresiarch]

Personally, I prefer Witcher-style loot. Better gear should be rare, not overpowered, have some trade-offs or specific uses. But most importantly, the badassery part should stem from the character's experience and abilities, not from him holding a Fork of Truth +6 and wearing Golden Trousers of Impenetrable Defense +4. If you remember how combo chain progressed in Witcher 1, you know what I'm talking about. One moment you're outclassed by mobs, then you gain a level gulp a few potions and they drop like flies.

[Shadenuat]

Morale of the story - never use random loot table, place loot by hand.

[The Guilty Party]

I prefer a low-magic, slightly less gear-dependent world. BUT I also like to spend some effort and time and unearth some kick-ass items once in a while, you know? It's a fantasy world, not a 15th century simulator.

 

So, no +5 spears on the random results table, but yes to wielding the Broken Spear of Ygranabrkoth as a short-sword that is infused with the blood of those it has slain and burns like acid and you found it in some holy shrine where you had to slay a bunch of innocent-but-deadly monks to get it.