Being +2 Int instead of a fixed 17 would make the Headband of Intellect actually useful for a Wizard who is an Intelligence class
It would make it TOO useful, which is precisely the problem: it’s supposed to be an “entry level” magic item that looks absolutely amazing at first but turns so-so in the long run. Making it a flat + would make it amazing no matter what.
It’s an item meant to boost int on a character that uses it as a secondary stat… Or before the recent nerf a good placeholder for a low level mage before he would raise his NATIVE Int value.
And yeah, attunement would need to be brought in as a mechanic, anyway.
Also, I absolutely don’t believe in the bullshit about “Pen & paper mechanics that don’t work in videogames”.
There’s no such a thing, just poor or partial implementations.
Recreating the vibe of a pen and paper session is precisely what GOOD CRPGs should strive for.
Every time designers come up with some variation of “Well, it’s a videogame so we’ll use some mechanic that will feel adequately game-y” it turns out to be an abortion.
The randomized loot/lucky charm and the armor system of DOS 2 come to mind.
Even the best videogame-specific systems I can think of in this genre (which is something rare to begin with) were the ones that tries the hardest to capture the p&p feeling. Microprose’s Darklands or Fallout 1and 2 ( which were parroting GURPS after losing the official license) come to mind.
