Meta Gaming Support Blog

Question: Dungeon Monkey, I’m playing in a fantasy game and currently our DM has given us some money to invest in new magical items, I’m using a lot of my other slots already and I was thinking of getting some new magical boots, however I was not sure what to load into them for spells.  I’ve used some boots in the past that had classical additions to them, such as invisibility, speed, flying, you know, the normal stuff.  However I was curious if you had any suggestions for other things that might be either unexpected or cool to have in some magical foot gear!

Answer: New magical toys are always a wonderful thing and, in the event that your Game Master (GM) opens up the door for you stretching yourself creatively, there is nothing quite like building something magical that is both fun and useful, preferably goals you achieve by building something mind-bending in its oddness and utility.  The first, and most obvious thing to create, would be the game-breaking boots of granting wishes, but no GM in their right mind would allow you to create such an item.  In fact if your GM does allow you to make something like that either your campaign has reached a level of player character power in which you don’t need new boots, you need some sort of literal hammer of the gods, or your GM has evil plans for the items in which case you should never use your new boots.  In fact, if your GM allows you to have said boots of wishes, lock them away in a chest and never take them out.  You will only find grief in such boots.

But some more reasonable boots you can probably get away with and that will make your character more interesting include things such as boots with the gift of dancing, that provide your character with a higher social or appearance ability, boots that by stepping well and properly for you make you more charming.  For a fighter or other muscled type of hero this can provide an unexpected boost in some situations and allow you to challenge the domain of the diplomatic character on occasion.  Note however high stepping might not always be the best choice in some diplomatic situations, boots like this should not be used to augment your abilities at funerals or other somber events.  Another fine addition, in the same vein, is to make boots that can speak elegantly for you, intelligent boots that are suave and able to speak on your behalf when attempting to charm someone.  Boots of this sort are good for both novelty experiences and can help you out in many a negotiating pinch, however you will need to stay on their good graces.  Any item that can talk smoothly for you can also get you into huge amounts of trouble if it feels unappreciated, if you are not one to take good care of your talking boots do not take them into any criminal dens or noble courts.  Nothing makes for an adventuring party having an extra special day then a players cranky boots making a lewd pass at a married monarch with a spouse who enjoys blood sports.

Another fine addition to any pair of boots might be the ability to summon small friendly furry creatures as you walk, simply have them appear in your boot prints when you pass through fields or other natural areas.  There is nothing quite like mountains of helpful furry creatures frolicking around your feet all the time as you stride with might and pride over hill and vale.  Be sure to get boots with a built in automatic cutoff time for the creatures summoned or that only summon frolicking creatures when you want, otherwise you might end up severely modifying the local environment with your abundant outpouring of adorable fauna.  Bonus points if you can get your GM to allow you to have talking cute furry animals, nothing adds to a campaign like squirrels that can give helpful advice and uplifting chatter when the group is feeling low.  Note if your group involves any figures who are cranky or prone to extreme violence you might wish to avoid the talking feature, otherwise it might result in your untimely death as a player character.

If you simply want an accessory that will make you feel better about your character get boots made with a built in mood-appropriate sound track so that when you stride nobly through the countryside it plays a powerful anthem to you and your groups abilities, when sneaking through a dungeon it plays suspenseful music, and when in a romantic moment it will play some soothing melodies to help improve your chances of scoring your loves affections.  If nothing else it will add to the mood of your campaign setting and help establish your name as an adventuring party, plus a well made musical score will greatly cut travel time for your group as you hike along the countryside.

Of course if you want something purely practical have boots with a built in magical ability to don your armor for you, then whenever you sleep with your boots on you can get comfortable without worrying about the length of time it might take you to field equip your armor.

- Dungeon Monkey

Have a question for the Dungeon Monkey?  Want to seek out some gaming suggestions?  Email Dungeon Monkey at dungeonmonkey@umich.edu and get your answers!