There are gloves that only the barbarian can use.

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These items don't bother me. I was hoping for more items, though. A drum that does Thunderwave or a Violin that can put someone to sleep. Things like that.

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I don't like the items that feel gamey, but that's hard to describe if you don't understand what's meant by gamey. The idea is that if the item is more about the mechanics than the in game flavor, then it's gamey.

These bard items don't feel gamey to me. They make reasonable sense. It's basically a buff to the inspiration, adding an additional benefit.

It also makes sense that someone would create the items in question. They're reasonably useful.

As opposed to, say, an axe that does increased damage if you're at half hit points. That's a limiter that feels more like it was put there by the DM than by the wizard who created the item.

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I'm not a fan of items that are underwhelming when compared to their presentation. For instance, Phalar Alluve. Additionally, all the adamantine weapons and armor.

I would be fine with those items if the story presented them in a different manner. If the game didn't tell me the adamantine items were the greatest items ever, then I wouldn't be disappointed to see them. If the game didn't present Phalar Alluve as being buried in stone and then levitating out after a blood ritual, I wouldn't be disappointed.

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Regarding items that hurt the wielder, I'm torn.

On one hand, I like the flavor. The Staff of Crones, as an example. The flavor makes sense. A hag's staff that both helps and hurts the user. Much like the hag herself.

Sorrow is another example. The harm it does to the user reflects the history of the item. It makes sense. It's good flavor.

Light of Creation. It's a great weapon with a major down side that makes sense considering it comes from the construct that was seemingly powered by some sort of electrical energy.

So. I like them. But I also hate them.

I hate them because there's not enough reason to enjoy their flavor in the game. The drawbacks are too much. I'm just not going to heavily use an item that hurts my character. Which means I end up missing out on the flavor.

In my opinion, the drawbacks should still be there, but it would help if there were some way to mitigate the hurt. For instance, maybe the Light of Creation doesn't hurt the user if the user is wearing the ring that protects against being shocked.

Maybe the hag's staff doesn't hurt the user if the user has the Hag's Eye condition.

That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. It would enhance the flavor and allow the player to better experience these really great items.

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Anyway. I could talk forever about these items and what I think of them, but I've already written a wall of text, so I'll stop here.

Last edited by JandK; 24/07/22 01:44 PM.