Items in Aetheria range in power from worthless tools crafted by stunted goblins to items that seem to have been fashioned by the gods themselves. Due to the magical nature of items of power, they can only be wielded by those sufficiently powerful to do so. If a mere commoner were to attempt to equip the sword of planar being, the results would be both spectacular and horrible.
Item Types
There are five basic types of items in Neversummer 5:
- Dropped Loot: These items are used and equipped by the various creatures around Aetheria. Their levels vary directly with the level of the creature, and will drop randomly when the creature is killed.
- Crafted Items: Created by the skills of a character, these can also vary widely in usefulness. Generally, they are on par with Dropped Loot, however they are much easier and less expensive to create compared to purchasing them from a merchant.
- Gold, Gems, and Art: Ranging from a tiny worthless children's toy to the most magnificent, polished diamond - these items' only value lies in their aesthetic (and monetary) appeal. Keep them as souvenirs or sell them to merchants - it's up to you.
- Unique Items and Artifacts: Crafted or used only by one or two powerful creatures, these items are almost always significantly more valueable than any normally dropped item. They sometimes drop on the unlikeliest of creatures - even a lowly Hobbit, after all, could stumble upon a precious ring in the dark mountain caverns.
- Enhancement Kits: Found throughout the realm are kits which can be used on items to give them special properties. These kits may impart short lived temporary effects on the items they are used on or may infuse their essense with the item in order to give it great power permanently.
Items found in Aetheria are equippable by players if the player is powerful enough to use the item. The system we've employed to establish this is a point system. Each item property is associated with a certain number of points. Likewise, each item slot has a certain amount of points that can be used by a player of a certain level. As you increase in levels, the number of points you're able to use for each item slot increases.
Therefore, whenever you attempt to equip an item, the number of points that item is worth is added up and compared to how many points you're able to use for that item slot. If the number of points of the item exceeds your current equipment slot alotement, the item is said to be too powerful for you to wield at the moment.
This system allows a much more fluid item level restriction system than has been used in the past - especially when combined with the item enhancement kit system. Players can create items that fit their stengths or cover their weaknesses without being confined to just the items that drop in the world.
While the line now blurs between specific lines of equipment and the level at which they can be used, below is a rough list of item lines of gear and the rough level at which they can be used:
- Plainly named items: Levels 1 - 5
- Masterwork Items: Levels 5 - 10
- Enhanced Items: Levels 10-15
- Enchanted Cloth: Levels 15-20
- Imbued Items: Level 20-25
- Infused Items: Level 25-30
- Planar Items: Level 30-35
- Divine Items: Level 35-40