Optimization: Magic Items

[Tyndmyr]

So, what are your favorite slotless magic items, or other ways of gaining magical power inexpensively, without expending anything other than gold(and/or xp)?

I'm looking for the "insert coin, gain power" sorta items, like my personal favorite, a pearl of power. Compare to a wand or eternal wand in price...a first level pearl of power is not that far off from a first level wand....at CL1. The lovely advantage of the pearl is that whatever you cast with it goes off at your CL, which can be worth a fair bit at times.

In addition, you're not being locked into a specific spell, just whatever spells of that level you've used...and it's not infrequent to need multiples of something all at once.

The capstone is...normal wands get burned up. Pearls, like eternal wands, do not. If you ever change your mind, sell it, and you haven't really lost all that much. Also, I see no limit on how many of these you can have at once, given that all they take to activate is a command word.


They're less cost-effective at high levels, but it's a way to get a relatively ridiculous amount of level 1 spells per day cheaply if you so desire.

Anything else that's similar?

[Kelpstrand]

Well, 1) Slotless items are not worth it if you can get it slotted for half price, because then you can combine slots.

2) Pearl of Power Wizardry: Prepare 5 different spells 1 each. Buy 4 Pearls of Power. Now you are a spontaneous Wizard for half your slots. Need 5 EBTs? No problem, you have them. Need only one EBT, but 5 Orbs of Force? You have that too. 3 Contact Other Planes and 2 EBTs and 2 Orbs of Force? That as well.

3) CL 13 Eternal Wand of Extended Create Magic Tattoo: 29,570gp, Orange Ioun Stone: 30,000gp.

And the wand also gives 3 other benefits, +3 resistance to saves, +2 to a stat, or competence bonuses to attack rolls. Pick what you want.

Also, later you can buy the Stone, because they stack.

[Arbitrarity]

Well, it's not so much like that, but a +1 warning defending/+1 parrying spellstrike Runestaff of power with Greater Magic Weapon gives +8 AC, +3 to all saves, +5 to saves against spells, +5 initiative, lets you sorta spontaneously cast all spells from a staff of power by burning equivalent level spells, and burn first level spells for double damage on melee attacks.
Total cost? About 70000 gold.

[Tyndmyr]

Slotless or not, that is a quite badass weapon. Incidentally, that would combo insanely well with pearls of power, allowing you to essentially cast completely spontaneously, with endurance. You've basically gained all the good parts of being a sorcerer.

Some of the Ioun Stones are quite good, too. I want to like the pearly white one, but 20k for 1hp/hr regen just isn't cost effective. The reason I want to like it is because it appears that with enough of them, it's essentially heal you to full life every hour. If they were cheaper, such an effect would be worthwhile...oh well. Clear and Dusty Rose are both worthwhile, though(+1 insight to AC and never need food/water). After all, no limit on how many Ioun Stones used at once, right?

Brooch of Shielding is slotless and quite cheap as well. Has a damage limit, which is a bit annoying, but since it *only* stops magic missiles, it tends not to waste the damage absorption on stuff you can mitigate in easier ways.

Handy Haversack...less weight than any bag of holding. Cheap extra dimensional storage. Prevents the DM from mucking with your ability to retrieve your items for a ridiculously large storage space quickly. I also see no reason why they cannot be nested, either with bags of holding, or more amusingly, with each other.

[Arbitrarity]

I like portable holes. No weight limit, you can just stick pretty much anything in them. Also can be used to hide people, trap locations, cover from effects, and a variety of other uses.
Blindfold of True Darkness, while taking a head slot, is a brilliant, low cost item that negates most vision impairment.

Metamagic Wandgrip and Rod of Many wands, allowing metamagic and multi-wand use at the cost of burning through charges like a madman.

Fortifying bedroll. Oh god, fortifying bedroll. Regain spells in an hour, and some nice side benefits.

Aspect mirrors, have conversations between the party at any range, any time, for cheap.

Silent portal disk. Avoiding the "the door squeaks loudly as you open it"

[gallagher]

I like portable holes. No weight limit, you can just stick pretty much anything in them. Also can be used to hide people, trap locations, cover from effects, and a variety of other uses.
Blindfold of True Darkness, while taking a head slot, is a brilliant, low cost item that negates most vision impairment.

Metamagic Wandgrip and Rod of Many wands, allowing metamagic and multi-wand use at the cost of burning through charges like a madman.

Fortifying bedroll. Oh god, fortifying bedroll. Regain spells in an hour, and some nice side benefits.

Aspect mirrors, have conversations between the party at any range, any time, for cheap.

Silent portal disk. Avoiding the "the door squeaks loudly as you open it"

question about the portable hole, can you throw it with the throw anything feat and successfully trap enemies?

[Douglas]

Pearls of Power have one rather hefty shortcoming if you're trying to use them to imitate spontaneous casting in combat: it takes a standard action to use one, and you have to wait until after you've cast the spell you want back to do it. Need five Orbs of Force but only prepared one? You'll be spending rounds 2, 4, 6, and 8 just using the Pearls. It will take a total of 9 rounds to cast those five repetitions of a spell, and your standard action will be unavailable for any other spellcasting you might want to do during that time.

This is the real reason Rings of Wizardry are so much more expensive.

[Arbitrarity]

question about the portable hole, can you throw it with the throw anything feat and successfully trap enemies?

Don't think there's a rule for it, but I don't think so. It doesn't make sense, you have to actually place it on a surface to make the hole (a standard action), and the fact that it takes an action to unfold implies it's rather unlikely that randomly throwing it would make a hole. To boot, it's such a small hole that unless you immediately picked it up and closed it, the enemy could probably jump and climb out, unless they were very small.

[gallagher]

Don't think there's a rule for it, but I don't think so. It doesn't make sense, you have to actually place it on a surface to make the hole (a standard action), and the fact that it takes an action to unfold implies it's rather unlikely that randomly throwing it would make a hole. To boot, it's such a small hole that unless you immediately picked it up and closed it, the enemy could probably jump and climb out, unless they were very small.

ready an action for someone to move within range, and throw it on the ground? say, someone charging, maybe even if you are fighting a mounted warrior? i am just saying it has flavor. be a master thrower and have one or two just for fun. maybe you could also have a bag of holding and throw it in with them if they end their action in the hole.

or if you have a friend working with you, have them delay until after they throw it to run up and pick it up.

i am just sayin it could be fun

[Arbitrarity]

Placing it on the ground, sure, as a readied action would be neat.

Huh, actually, there is no listed action in the SRD for opening or closing the hole. Interesting. "Spread upon" a surface implies some unlisted action.

Ah, found it. The enveloping pit, bizarrely evil only, is a portable hole opened with a command word, 60 ft deep, only if you worship a kobold god and sacrifice a 3rd level spell slot. Basically, get a lot of UMD.

Actually, Bunko's Bargain Basement is a great resource.

[Tyndmyr]

Pearls of Power have one rather hefty shortcoming if you're trying to use them to imitate spontaneous casting in combat: it takes a standard action to use one, and you have to wait until after you've cast the spell you want back to do it. Need five Orbs of Force but only prepared one? You'll be spending rounds 2, 4, 6, and 8 just using the Pearls. It will take a total of 9 rounds to cast those five repetitions of a spell, and your standard action will be unavailable for any other spellcasting you might want to do during that time.

This is the real reason Rings of Wizardry are so much more expensive.

Well, rings of wizardry are technically better for sorcs, in terms of number of slots gained.

They are also mechanically superior over pearls of power in that they allow you do have more spells prepared(if you aren't using the staff of power or another spont spellcasting trick). Of course...using both is a great combo.

Yeah, using the pearl takes an action...but it's great for between battle replenishing(Oh crap, it's an undead dungeon, I'll need that back).

[Arbitrarity]

Not a trick. Runestaves are items from the Magic Item Compendium. That one... is modified, mostly, and uses a lot of already potent enhancements, along with using GMW with enhancements which reduce the attack power of the staff (like you care, as a caster).

[Tyndmyr]

Also from MIC, Memento Magica.

Basically, a slightly more expensive pearl of power, also available for each level. Instead of refreshing a spell...it refreshes a spell slot. It requires spontaneous casting ability of the level to be refreshed, so it's clearly meant to be a sorc version of the pearls of power, but if you've used one on of the interesting ways to gain spont casting as a wizard/etc, boom, you have the ability to suddenly regain an already blown slot and prepare something new.

It's the perfect thing to have with for unexpected, weird dungeon situations that require some obscure spell that you just don't normally keep prepared.

All the metamagic rods are pretty awesome, too.

[Doc Roc]

Belt of Battle
Ring of Spellstoring
Drakehelm

[mostlyharmful]

hat of disguise in a skillfocussed game is nearly gamebreakingly powerful at times, your milage may vary on player Chutzpah and DM flexibility