As you gain levels, the mundane equipment you purchased as a starting character becomes less important; it's overshadowed by the magic items you acquire on your adventures. Magic armor that can cloak you in shadow, or Ioun stones that orbit your head to grant you great capabilities; these items enhance and supplement your powers you gain from your class and enhance your attacks and defenses.
Magic Item Slots
Most Magic Items are designated by the "slot" on the character that they occupy - that is to say that a character can, in most circumstances, only wear one pair of footwear or one piece of headwear. If, for any reason, a character is able to equip more than one type of item in the same slot, she will only gain benefits from the first item equipped. This applies also, for example, to bracers and shields, as they both occupy the arm slot.
Armor
Magic armor is an enhanced version of its base - that is to say that a set of +5 Black Iron Dragonscale still adds the +10 AC gained from scale armor, plus an additional +5 AC (from the enhancement bonus). Even further, the extra benefit of granting the wearer +5 resist fire and +5 resist necrotic granted by the Black Iron set. To gain the magic benefits of magic armor, the wearer must have the applicable proficiencies for the type of armor.
Weapon
Main article: Category:Magic weapons
Magic weapons, like magic armor, are enhanced versions of their bases. That is to say that a +3 flameburst longsword still has all of the properties of a longsword, including requiring the applicable proficiency to gain the magic benefits, but adds +3 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. In addition, the flameburst enchantment grants the weapon a daily power and +1d6 fire damage per enhancement level.
Implement
Main article: Category:Magic implements
Magic implements, like weapons and armor, require the corresponding implement proficiencies in order to gain the magic benefits. However when used by a proficient character, they grant bonuses to attack and damage rolls to powers with the implement keyword, in addition to any benefits granted by the item itself.
Clothing
Main article: Category:Magic items by item slot
Clothing is a general term to cover most other items. The slots falling under this category include:
- Arms: Shields and bracers
- Feet: Boots, shoes and greaves
- Hands: Gloves and gauntlets
- Head: Helmets, hats, circlets and Ioun stones
- Neck: Amulets and cloaks
- Rings: Rings and bands
- Waist: Belts
Wondrous Item
Main article: Category:Wondrous items
Wondrous items don't take up item slots or fall into any other categories. Typically, many are small and can be carried in a bag and ready to be used at a moment's notice.
Potions
Main article: Category:Potions
Potions are flasks or vials of liquid that can be imbibed, usually to a positive benefit of the user. Various actions available to all characters revolve around potions, such as drinking a potion or drawing/stowing a potion (minor actions) or administering a potion (standard action).
Development
Before the release of 4th edition, there was a planned hard line on magic items. [Dr367:67]. The design was as follows:
- Minimum level: Characters needed to be level 5 to equip an item. and could get an extra item every additional five levels.
- Bonus: Depending on the body slot, the following bonuses were expected:
- Arms: +1 reflex or +1 damage/die with melee attacks
- Head: +1 will or +1 damage/die with ranged attacks.
- Heart: +1 fortitude or +1 DR. (amulet, armor, vest, cloak, robe.)
- Legs: +5 ft. land speed, or +1 hp/level
- Magic weapons: Don't occupy a body slot. +1 bonus to attack rolls.
- Attunement: At 10th level, you could attune yourself to a magic item to unlock a special power. 15th level allows attuning two powers, and 25th level allows attuning three powers.