Strange Magic Items: Ethermagic
Strange Magic Items: Ethermagic
The second of the Item-expansions for the critically-acclaimed Strange Magic systems clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 11 pages of content, so let’s take a look!
Wait…before we do: In case you haven’t noticed: My name’s on that cover. I am one of the authors of this book. I am writing these lines since I was explicitly asked to by some of my readers. Hence, this will not be a review – there will be no rating or the like – consider this, instead, to be basically a kind of overview of what’s in this pdf, all right? As such, I will try to take out as much emotion as I can possibly can – so expect none of my usual snark, cynicism or gushing here, all right?
All righty! We begin this pdf with 1 new special armor quality, namely the capturing armor, wherein items can get stuck, and distorting shields…as well as their greater brethren, which grant luck bonuses to touch ACs. A total of 7 magic weapon special qualities are included in this pdf: Bullet spawning guns and their greater brethren allow for greater synergy with blast etherspells, spontaneously generating bullets on crits with blast etherspells or firearm bullets delivering etherspells. An excess etherbullets are transferred into ether, allowing for a unique modification of the resource-management of the etherslinger class. Deep Impact firearms add this manifestation to the first etherbullet each round, while elemental barrels change the damage type caused to the energy type and additionally, these barrels can lower the cost of energy-damage substitution manifestations. Expanded firearms get an increased capacity for etherbullets, while meldshaped weapons are eligible targets for voidmeld etherspells. Finally, voidstoring weapons can basically store etherpoints.
The, at least mathematically, most intriguing component of this pdf and what made me exceedingly impressed, though, would be etherstaves – these contain manifestations and can be activated as part of casting an etherspell. Additionally, they have charges (10) that can be replenished by lowering your maximum EP and meditating for a short time – this reduction lasts for 24 hours, which means that the advantage these staves grant does not become overbearing. The rather complex formula for pricing etherstaves has been included in the pdf, though imho, there’s a glitch in it – 750*CL + 512*(Manilvl1^3/ChMani1+ReChMani1) + 1250*(ManilvlN^3/ChManiN+ReChManiN) should do the trick and provide a valid pricing base line. (That makes sense when you look at the file…)
11 specific etherstaves that run the gamut from better blasting to using the etherstaff of the canine cliché, which provides the option to go for (anti-)gravity well. Yes, Timmy has fallen down the well. Woof. There also are etherstaves here that double as weapons, like the etherstaff of the endless congregation that enhances metamorphosis/gifts from beyond and is a legal targets for voidmelds. Also worthy of being mentioned explicitly: The etherstaff of the modeling enthusiast, which directly interacts in a variety of unique ways with clockwork universe – which it can fyi also duplicate in a slightly lesser version for all of its 10 charges.
A total of 4 rings are next, the first of which increases the EP-cost of etherspells targeted at the wearer, while the second adds voidstoring to the void blades of the wearer.0 Ep-cost for athermal extremes and edges of infinity are next, while bands of transient reality decrease the EP cost of shape manifestations. The pdf also features a new potion, which can force alteration manifestations to immediately end – which is nice for a costly, if interesting way of cycling alteration etherspells. This book also contains voidmled gauntlets as an item class, with 13 variants that allow you to grant your voidblade e.g. the brace quality or decrease EP-costs. This item-class is a godsend for the ethermagus.
The pdf closes with 4 unique guns, the first of which would be Murphy’s Bane – a ridiculously rickety gun made by a notoriously unlucky etherslinger Murphy McBane…and can channel this bad luck. Fjodor’s (Relatively) Faithful Friend was not created by Fjodor, but a multi-dimensional entity whose name shall not be uttered. Unlike most such chthonic entities, this being, bored out of its wits, has taken a shining to those cute mortals with the nice ether/gunpowder-explosions. The gun, conversely, tends to show up, cocked and loaded, no matter what unlikely scenario may befall you…for as long as you amuse Fjodor. As a nod to an adaptation of the Rip Van Winkle-myth, a sniper’s musket can be found here – Ripper Van Wiggle’s Musket. And you get two nerd-creds if you know which anime made me make this one… In the end, there would be Sparkly’s Glittergun -a pistol of hardened gold, studded with gems and crystals and oh so cute, wielded originally by the self-styled shiny pixie-princess of ginormous bloody explosions…and crits with this gun let you quantum indeterminacy at the cost of EP and grit with your target in fiery clouds of golden glitter.
Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are top-notch – I noticed no glitches. Layout adheres to Interjection Games’ classic two-column b/w-standard and the pdf has some b/w-swirlies and symbols as artwork. The pdf has no bookmarks, which represents a minor comfort detriment, but one I think that can still be endured at 10 pages.
Sooo…do I like what I’ve contributed to this pdf? Yes. I actually consider quite a few options herein not only visually fun, but also mechanically interesting. Bradley Crouch has outdone himself with some of these, though. My group’s ethermagic-users celebrated this book and continue to use it. I consider this a must-have option for Strange Magic-users, mainly since a lot of the items herein allow for completely new twists of the system and shift some of the unique components around.
Thank you for reading this summary. It is my fervent hope I did not bore you and that you’ll check this out….and if you do, let me know what you did with the items herein and any hilarious stories born from this content. Thank you for your attention.
You can get these inexpensive items here on OBS!
Want the whole subscription? It can be found here!
You can make Bradley design whatever you want here on patreon!
And the kickstarter for the sequel book, Strange Magic II (also for 5e!), with me as a stretchgoal, is currently running here!
Endzeitgeist out.
