[RPG] How to make magic items more interesting

gm-techniquesmagic-itemsroleplayingsystem-agnostic

We all read about the little person finding a magical ring and the GM basing
his whole plot on that little ring. That was a cool example
of a MacGuffin.

Earthdawn has a system in which characters need to research the history
of magical item before they can unlock their power. Or they can weave
magic into their own items, thus making them more powerful.

What do you do to make a magical item more interesting in your game?

How do you make that +X sword interesting? How do you make sure your
magical item enhance the story you are telling? How do you get
characters to create their own magical items within a story?

Finally, I am not really interested in rules answers. I am afraid that I
do not care that page 256 of Treasures and Gimps gives rules to create a magical +1
sword of cucumber slaying.

Best Answer

Magic items are more interesting when they serve to advance or drive a plot. This may be because

  • Only with that item can the characters succeed (and it is hard to get or keep the item). Example: wights that can only be hurt by +1 weapons, in an area where +1 weapons are extremely rare.

  • The item is complex; it only sometimes works, or requires mastery and exploration. Example: a Wand of the Moon which has greater effects at night than during the day, but the nature of the effects change with the phase of the moon (all of which the characters have to find out).

  • The item has a long and elaborate history, some of which is relevant to some grand plot or event. Example: a horcrux.

  • The item is unique, and even if not all that powerful, the characters become known as the ones with that unique capability, if only they can make it. Example: the characters have to create +1 swords for wight-slaying, and they learn from an old magician how to both enchant the swords and make them glow if wights are within 100m.

You cannot, in general, make people super-excited about items that are commonplace and easy to get, no matter how fantastic they are. For example, in a matter of seconds, I can talk to any person I choose on the planet, thanks to a cell phone. Do I spend much time thinking about the cell phone itself? Not really. (Apple does a good job at making its products seem extraordinary, so if I had an iPhone it might be a partial exception.)