Goodman Games

How are magic items treated in DCC?

I've always liked the Earthdawn way, where each magical item has its own history. You have to unravel that history in order to unlock the item's powers. For example:

A Magical Sword

Level 1
Requirement: Discover the name of the sword
Unlock: +1 to attack +1 to damage

Level 2
Requirement: Find the name of the blacksmith who forged the sword
Unlock: +2 to attack +2 to damage

Level 3
Requirement: Find the name of the priest that blessed the blade
Unlock: Heal 1d8 damage once/day

Makes things that more interesting.

The Earthdawn method is great. Gives plot hooks and makes players invest in their equipment.

My shady memory seems to recall seeing an article in White Dwarf magazine a long time ago for Ad&d about magic weapons... I think it suggested similar things... With a bonus from the weapon that could be split up between encounters throughout a scenario etc

So... You might get +5 to use. That could be 5x +1 or a +2 and +3 etc.
I think the example was from the Excalibur film by John Boorman where King Arthur shatters Lancelot's weapon with said blade... That being a full use of an epic items daily bonus.

I quite liked this method. Used it a few times in games I ran but to be honest I moved on to games like Rolemaster and forgot about it. Only recently have I returned to D&D based games and I just remembered it...

Maybe somebody has the article and can correct me, if I have remembered it wrong