General PF2e magic item question

[Nodwick]

Hello,

I haven't played a TTRPG since AD&D in either 1982 or 1983, so my frame of reference for understanding PF2e is dated.

In AD&D magic items commonly raised ability scores. In PF2e magic items seem designed to exclude raising ability scores, possibly as too powerful given the designed mechanics.

Is this assessment correct? How game breaking would it be to add ability score raising items into PF2e?

Thank you.

[Trenloe]

This is very specifically by design. There are level 17 apex items in the core rules (page 603) that increase abilities, but that's pretty much it.

Game breaking to add more magic items that increase ability scores? That really depends how your game would handle it I suppose.

[MaxAstro]

The math of PF2 is very tight, and I would be careful with any changes that alter that math until you understand the system very well. As Trenloe suggests, Apex Items are level 17 items for a reason.

There's plenty of design space for new Apex Items, since they all have additional abilities on top of raising ability scores; I believe Paizo has even occasionally introduced new ones that have different secondary abilities while granting the same ability score bonus. But I would not suggest bringing Apex Items in at a lower level, allowing characters to have multiple Apex Items, or increasing the ability score bonus that Apex Items grant.

[Nodwick]

Thank you for the replies. Magic Items with Ability boosts are definitely for major magic items. There is plenty of room for magic item design without going that far out into left field.