Example Legacy Item Design

Table 4–9

Character Manifester Level Power Point Level Penalty Loss

5th — — 6th –1 2 7th — — 8th — 2 9th — — 10th — 2 11th — — 12th — 2 13th –2 — 14th — 2 15th — — 16th — 2 17th — — 18th — 2 19th — — 20th — 2 Ritual Costs: least 1,500 gp; lesser 11,000 gp; greater 40,000 gp.

Table 4–10

Manifester Hit Power Character Attack Level Point Point Level Penalty Penalty Loss Loss

5th — — — — 6th –1 –1 — — 7th — — 2 2 8th — — — — 9th — — 2 — 10th — — — 2 11th — — — — 12th — — 2 — 13th — — 2 2 14th — –2 — — 15th — — 2 — 16th — — — 2 17th — — — — 18th — — 2 2 19th — — 2 — 20th — — — 2 Ritual Costs: least 2,000 gp; lesser 12,000 gp; greater 39,000 gp.

Tables 4–6 through 4–8 apply personal costs that include lost spell slots. Thus they are appropriate only for spellcasting characters. Table 4–6 offers the most widely applicable progression, useful for any “pure” spellcaster (cleric, druid, sorcerer, or wizard). Table 4–7 works well with spellcasters who have some melee capability (such as clerics and druids), replacing skill check and save penalties with penalties on attack rolls. Table 4–8 is best suited to characters who combine limited spellcasting with skill use (mostly bards, though items for rangers who don’t advance past lesser legacy could also use this table). Spell slot, hit point, and skill point losses are cumulative, but penalties on attacks, saves, caster level, and skill checks represent the total at a given level. Tables 4–9 and 4–10 offer psionic equivalents for spellcaster cost progression. Most of the cost here is assessed as power point losses—the psionic equivalent

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EXAMPLE LEGACY ITEM DESIGN

Dave is playing a 5th-level character who founds a legacy shield: Praetorian Bulwark. Before the founding ritual, the shield has a +1 enhancement bonus to Armor Class but no other magical properties. Dave decides to assign all of the shield’s legacy abilities at the time of the founding ritual. He chooses one option from Menu A for the item’s 5th-level legacy ability: an increased enhancement bonus to the shield’s AC. As soon as Dave’s character completes the least legacy ritual and pays the appropriate costs, his shield’s enhancement bonus immediately improves to +2. For the next legacy ability, Dave decides to increase the shield’s enhancement bonus again. To do so requires choosing the enhanced armor or shield option from Menu B, because the Menu A choice can’t be taken again. A Menu B choice uses up two least ability slots: one ability that would otherwise be available from Menu A at 6th level and one at 7th level. Therefore, Dave’s character unlocks no new legacy ability at 6th level, instead waiting until 7th level before Praetorian Bulwark’s enhancement bonus improves to +3. Dave could choose another Menu A ability for 8th level, but instead he opts for the fly ability from Menu C. This takes up three least ability slots, meaning that his character can’t unlock that ability until he reaches 10th level. Having now assigned all his item’s least ability slots, Dave has founded a legacy shield. Once his character reaches 11th level, Dave will need to decide whether he wants to design a lesser legacy ritual and continue adding powers to Praetorian Bulwark. Finally, Dave must assign ritual and personal costs for his item’s least abilities. Because a shield is most suited to a combat-oriented character, Dave decides to use Table 1. His character expends raw materials worth 2,500 gp to perform the least legacy ritual. On attaining 6th level he will lose 4 hit points, and another 2 at 9th. He takes a –1 penalty on all saving throws at 8th level, and a –1 penalty on all attack rolls at 9th level. If he decides to unlock the Praetorian Bulwark’s lesser abilities, he must pay the appropriate ritual and personal costs from the same table.