RPG Superstar 2013

So, looks like Sean is going to attempt to design an item, and Ian is going to try to submit next year. However, after the contest, I'm going to try to have them design something of their own every week. Should be Fun.

It's always so hard designing something of Superstar quality. It's easy to design magic items, but SuperStar quality requires really digging deep, throwing out crappy, trite, ideas. The writing must be tight. The idea must be innovative, rules twisting is a bonus, and of course, pricing must be perfect. If you're twisting the rules, up the price just a bit. Even if you designed the item perfectly to the rules as written, when you bend rules, you need to calculate what that tweak is worth.

If you're entering, Good Luck

Designing for RPG Superstar

No, I'm not posting my entry, I will post it after it's over.

But designing a wondrous item was hard enough when you were just trying to please the judges, go by the rules and post something special, which bends rules, shows creativity, and of course, is of Superstar quality. With the new "Voting" by Paizo members to get to Top64, followed by Judging to Top32. There's a whole new Paradigm. Now we have to design down to the layman, while designing up to the judges.

Once I found out the new shift, I instantly threw out two ideas, as they might not be close enough to what paizoans might vote for. If you don't make Top64, you're not going to make Top32.

1. Naming
This is in fact one of the hardest parts of the contest.

2. Design that bends and warps rules. My entry last Year, the Eye of Abendego, bent the rules, but maybe a little too much. I mentioned lightning bolts that could be shot from the necklace, but since they were derived from call lightning I used that damaged. This was off-putting to the judges. I tweaked the rules from hurricane force winds, halving them to produce a lighter wind around the character, but the judges thought it was awkward. (Strange though, now an item or spell in the Ultimate Equipment I noticed has the same effect...)

3. Pricing This is a true pitfall, my Ghostfire Torch, was innovative, rule bending, and though it was a single use item and priced that way.  With only a limited 10 minute duration, it's overall effect was thought to be worth more than 900gp. (900gp for a single use item it a LOT).

Overall, Designing for RPG Superstar is fun, challenging and frustrating all at the same time. Hopefully, I can make it to round 2 this year. 

RPG Superstar 2011 and 2010 entries

(Note: due to the entry rules, these items now belong to Paizo, LLC. I am using them under the Paizo CUP. )

This was my entry from 2011:

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Rings of the Master

Aura faint abjuration, necromancy,  and transmutation; CL 5th

Slot wrist; Price 41,500 gp; Weight 5 lbs.

Description This set of ten mithral rings is engraved with mystical Tian characters. Mundane versions are known as chi sau rings, which are used in the monasteries of Tian Xia to condition the body through hours of form training; gaining power and speed from the extra weight on the arms.  

   

A wearer that has the Deflect Arrows feat may avoid two ranged attacks per round, instead of the standard one per round. He also gains the ability to deflect magical rays by making a DC20 reflex save, once per round, in lieu of deflecting normal missile weapons.

   

Once per day, as a standard action, the wearer may use 2 points of ki to activate his inner reserves, gaining 10 temporary hit points for a duration of 10 minutes.

   

Due to the mithral construction of the rings, unarmed attacks are considered silver for purposes of bypassing damage reduction.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, entropic shield, false life, haste Cost 20,750gp

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This was my 2010 Entry:
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Ghostfire Torch

Aura moderate abjuration; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 1,800 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Description
This polished birch torch flares to life with a pale green incorporeal flame when lit. Within the 20 foot bright illumination radius of the torch incorporeal creatures become almost corporeal. This near corporeal state negates movement through solid objects and their attacks do not surpass natural armor, armor and shields. In addition they lose their 50% reduction in damage from corporeal sources and they may be affected by normal weapons. Within the 40 foot dim illumination radius of the torch, incorporeal creatures are reduced to 25% reduction in damage from corporeal sources, but maintain the rest of their incorporeal abilities. Once lit the torch quickly burns out, only lasting for 10 minutes.

Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, dimensional anchor, ability to channel positive energy Cost 900 gp
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The general consensus was that it was too cheap, and it really took away the incorporeal aspect. It's a one shot item, for 1800gp, I think it would mostly be used as an escape mechanism. It was priced perfectly according to the creation rules. The judges can be funny, sometimes they judge on originality and creativity, other times they ding the professionalism. This one they compared to a fanboi item...which is strange since I'm a GM 99% of the time...Also one of the problems that the judges didn't catch, is that it was similar to an item from 2009.

RPG Superstar 2012 Entry

Seeing as how I didn't make top32 for the 5th year running, here's what I submitted. I thought I had tweaked it enough from being a SAIC...Guess not.

Tempest of Abendego

Aura moderate abjuration and evocation;  CL 9th

 Slot neck; Price  77,900gp;  Weight 1 lb.

 Description 

This is a large deep blue opal pendant in an adamantine setting with seven mithral Azlanti glyphs. Tiny mithral wires crisscross the face of the gemstone connecting to minuscule platinum coils beneath each glyph. When viewed closely, the dark swirling clouds of a tempest can be seen brimming within.

The wearer is constantly surrounded by moderate winds. The wearer is never checked by, or blown away by, winds of hurricane strength or less, and ranged attack rolls suffer a -2 penalty. This effect may be suppressed at will.

     The wearer may, upon command, surround himself in a cloak of winds, up to three times per day. While a cloak of winds is active, as an immediate action, the wearer may draw on the power of the storm within for one of the following effects.  The user may either call a bolt of lightning from the amulet as  lightning bolt for 3d10 damage (up to 9 bolts per day), or gust of wind up to three times per day. The wearer may choose to be pushed or lifted by the gust of wind, making a move of up to 60 feet in a straight line in any direction. 

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, call lightning storm, cloak of winds, gust of wind;  Cost 38,950gp

Here's what I used as my pricing guide.  

Caster Level 9

Level 3 spell 3/day 3x9x1800/(5/3) = 29160

Level 3 spell 1/day 3x9x1800/(5/1) *1.5 1800*1.5=14580

Level 2 spell 3/day 2x9x1800/(5/3) *1.5= 29160

Level 1 effect constant = +2 deflection 10000gp/2=5000gp

23360gp

RPG Superstar 2012

Well I hit submit on my entry for the year, it's under the 300 word limit, it messes with the rules but doesn't completely rewrite them, it's multi-SAIC, but I hope it has enough creativity to have the theme come through.

Let's hope for a Top 32 on January 24th. I almost got kept in 2009 with my Ghostfire Torch, but they thought it was too inexpensive, personally I think that a single use 10 round items that helps protect you from incorporeal undead, is priced about right at 900gp, perhaps I should have upped it by 50%.

Now to start thinking of an organization.

What really make RPG Superstar tough is you can't throw ideas around with others, its game design in a bubble. Game design in a bubble leads to overpowered items, and stupid items because you can't say "Does a Tablet of Book Storage sound too much like an iPad? " How about Spectacles of the Librarian? Actually Spectacles of the Librarian sounds pretty damn cool....just writing ideas out for others to review can be enough to get the juices flowing.

New Ideas (NOT MY SUBMISSIONS!!)

Tablet of Book Storage (sounds like an iPad, but is actually a place to store physical tomes, not to display their works.)

 Place a book on the tablet and push, and it is stored in the space. place your hand on the tablet to see what is stored within, like seeing a library shelf. Say the name of the book you want to call to bring it to your hand.

Spectacles of the Monster Hunter
These spectacles allow you to read treatises on various creatures, as an immediate action you may describe the creature out loud. The next round you may make an a Knowledge check to identify the creature's name and ecology. The round after the spectacles will instruct you on the powers and attacks of the creature. On the 3rd round, the spectacles will note all of the vulnerabilities of the creature, complete with highlighting vulnerable areas with faerie fire on the creature itself. This will grant a +1d6 precision damage for any attacks against the creature, unless it is a creature immune to criticals.

Spectacles of the Sage
These spectacles allow you to read treatises on various histories. Choose a subject, and read for 1 hour, for the rest of the day, you will have a +10 competence bonus on that specific knowledge check.

Spectacles of the Linguist
These spectacles allow you to read reference materials on various languages. When trying to decipher a language, you will have a +10 competence bonus on that specific linguistics check. 

(I will fully flesh out these items in the future)