I mean... Your build still functions. You still are playing Tiger Barbarian or Open Hand Monk even without these items.
Sure but in a different way. You can focus on a specific aspect that synergieses with the class and make meaningful decisions in regards to the gear that work with your build. If items just enhance damage with no conditions or restrictions or having any interesting effect, then there is no decision making for gear anymore/ since everything would feel more or less the same.
It's not making you be able to play Tiger Barbarian.
Of course not, they don't get rid of your classes and shouldn't do so. No item in BG3 replaces a class for instance. With build enabling i don't mean "it allows you to play a new class" but rather you can have a specific aspect you can focus on. Sometimes it might change your overall equipment, other times it focuses on attributes or a specific skill combination and so on to get the output you wanted.
I'm an old school MMO player. Much of my formative years was literally chasing statblock gear. It was never "Underwhelming" as it was always an enhancement to my character, making them perform better.
Well i guess we just have opposite tastes. I much rather prefer the item system in bg3 over dos2 where aside from three armor sets everything just boosts stats.
And, as I've pointed out several times, it doesn't necessarily have to mean "Gear is just statblocks" just that gear shouldn't have massively game changing abilities.
But as a consequence of making items that you wouldn't rush towards they have to be dull. As soon as an item has an interesting effect, where you think "hey maybe i can make a build around that mechanic", it would be axed out by your standards since then the item becomes "rushable", which then in return means no interesting loot or quest reward, no real decision making for gear other than taking the obvious bigger statblock.
Being able to freely dump a stat is massive.
Again there is no build that suddenly becomes broken because you wear one of them. 16 int is bad. The gloves are nice like I said before but its not huge. Lets say you have a wizard with the following:
STR 8
INT 20(Ethel+Ability Improvement)
CON 14
DEX 16
WIS 10
CHA 8
Now you use your gloves. So instead of 16 you have 18 dex, where would you put your points into that would make your character broken? Ids say propably 16 wis or or cha? So that way in case you get hit by a skill or spell that requires that specific saving throw you have better chances sure. But its not MASSIVE as you make it out to be. Its a nice to have side stats but ultimately doesn't matter as much as your primary.
Part of that is because top tier builds are often abusing Elixirs of Strength and so already get to dump a stat.
Even if they are not using a strength based character they will rather use one of the mentioned gloves over them.
Honestly, I'd rather have Gloves of Dexterity over any of those (Well, Helldusk are neat for casters due to the +1 spell attack rolls and spell save DC). Even without the actual Dexterity modifying aspect. Damage is more available than attack. Especially when you factor in the meta feats like Great Weapon Mastery and Tavern Brawler.
Then you are propably not a min-maxer. No Helldusk are neat for martials since they scale with normal attacks. If you have a fighter with 3 attacks you can deal an extra 3d6 every single turn without any condition. If you have action surge its even 6d6 extra damage in one turn just from the gloves. Same with tiger barb or hunter who can hit multiple targets or the typical gloomstalker with a point in war cleric. Thats just so much damage you would miss out on every single turn. if you accumulate that over the course of a fight its quite significant.
Setting a stat to a fixed amount is a very potent effect. It always has been and always will be. Especially if the value it is set to is at all relevant (I.e. Club of Hill Giant Strength is less notable because 13 STR is not particularly relevant. While 18 DEX is above what a non-DEX based build will have)
Its not inherently potent, it depends on the cirucmstances.I already told you the differences between elixiers and gears. Even then you have the option of potion of vigor which already brings your stat up to 18 and then one asi and you are also at 20 and have free slot for blood lust. That is such a simplified black/white view. You even say it yourself Club of HIll Giant Strength is not so relevant even though it gives a fixed stat. And again there is no build that becomes broken with those Dex gloves they are GOOD but not MASSIVE.
Being able to duplicate items like this, can cause severe balance issues by enabling your entire party to get much higher stats by facilitating stat dumping. Hence them being problematic (In a way that's shown by Strength Elixirs and their ease of applying them to multiple characters in a party and thus allowing stuff like Tavern Brawler and Great Weapon Mastery go to town, while such characters can then shove all their stat points into DEX and CON making them not sacrifice any defences while getting everything out of their damage stat)
Would you concider a fixed 15 dex still good? it depends on the amount you get and how got the stat is in general. Side stats dont bring a huge benefit anymore. And then of cousrse it also depends on how easy you can exceed that fixed amount. In BG3 its extremely easy to get at the very least 18 on your primary stat and 16 in your secondary. Especially with strength since you also have potion of vigor.
