Mannahnin
Scion of Murgen (He/Him)
And neither Will-o-Wisps or Shadows are undead either (the latter explicitly saying so, in Greyhawk), despite them also being used to help round out that expanded table to 20 entries.
AD&D- Overpowered Magic Items
- Thread starter Snarf Zagyg
- Start date
Beat your chest, yodel, and swing from branch to branch of course.
I think I've seen the variant that, when wielded by a dwarf, throws that dwarf at the opponent.
One of my least favorite things about 3e was how magic items got hyperfocused on just providing static bonuses ("Big Six"), with wands of cure light wounds and the occasional utiliy scroll thrown in for good measure. That's because the pricing system used made spellcasting items super expensive and thereby relegated to higher levels. Something as simple as a minor circlet of blasting (a 1/day searing light dealing 3d8 damage) cost over 6,000 gp, which would be almost the whole amount of the treasure found in an 11th level encounter. And spending one action at 11th level to deal 3d8 damage is... let's say suboptimal.
And when I say they got hyperfocused, I mean in actual play. The books were full of cool items, but the player would go "1/day searing light or improve my amulet of natural armor from +1 to +2... I think I'll take the +1 AC, thanks."
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
I'd assume I'd be getting into more than one fight where I'd want to use the Cube, plus, those charges can go fast if you're hit by the right attacks. But that's just my style, I tend to be really conservative with resources, and play as if no matter how rough things get, there's probably 2 more battles yet to come, lol.
This brings up an interesting rules question!
Note that the specific rule states that "while the force screen is up{.}" Technically, this should mean that these spells are always an issue, regardless of the setting.
I think that the intent is that these specific spells affect the integrity of the shield. So even if you have it on setting ONE, you still cannot cast these spells into or out of the cube.
Moreover, if you do, or if someone is trying to knock it out, the charges drain automatically.
Which brings up the interesting question- obviously, if you have the cube of force, it's awesome. But if you have someone who knows the weakness, they can just sit back, and every round they can shoot flaming arrows (very hot normal fires) at it, and knock it out of commission.
Have I spent too long looking into the abyss of this specific rule? Yes, yes I have.
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
This is a real item, it was in an issue of Dragon Magazine.
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
That seems to be the intent, which is kind of odd, but by the same token, lots of old school magic items have strange caveats and drawbacks to them, just to make sure those pesky player characters don't get away with nothin'!
Gotta make sure the Horn of Blasting can blow up in your face or drinking two potions within a turn of each other can cause you to die of no save poison! Put a bag of holding inside a portable hole? You fool!
But then you get the odd item that has a completely unintended function- I would have never thought of dropping an instant fortress on someone's head if Gary hadn't made sure to tell me how much damage it would do!
Yep.
As I alluded to in the OP, the Helm of Brilliance is so insanely good and OP.
But there is that one .... small ... issue that might pop up. And if it does, you are so screwed. So very very screwed.
Not that it happened to me. It, uh, happened to a friend.
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Had a situation like that crop up in a 3.5 game, of all things, with the necklace of
My roommate forgot about this fact. The DM did not.
Yeah! The Helm of Brillaince thing?
That was totally my roommate. 100%. The other guy.
Not. Me.
John R Davis
Hero
We used to call the book the Vacuous Grimsby, as that's the town we came from!!
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