Karma Rules QUESTION: "How Many Magic Items Can I Use at Once?"

Here is the question. We have been working on converting our game from THAT GAME WHICH SHALL NOT BE NAMED to Karma.  As we were converting magic items from the other system to Karma, we realized there are no rules as to how many of a particular item you can use.  For example, in the other system, you can only wear two magical rings at any given time.  But there doesn't seem to be any restriction in Karma.  Is that true? 

Also, what about bonuses stacking?  For example, say I have something from that other system that offers a deflection bonus to Armor (which would be Protection Rating in Karma, right?), and then I have another item that offers a deflection bonus as well.  Can I use them both, or only one?

And if the answer is yes to both, isn't that unbalancing?  I could have five Rings of Protection +3 for a total PR bonus of 15! 

 Todd S.

Alice, TX

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Hmmm, not sure what that Game Which Shall Not Be Named refers to, but it sounds an awful lot like D&D. 

Short Answers First:

YES, there is no limit on the number of a particular item that can be worn...other than common sense.  For example, you could wear a ring on each finger, but only one helm or one pair of boots.  If you can't wear or carry more than one mundane version of an item, the same applies to the magical variant.

YES, all bonuses stack.  So theoretically you can have five Rings of Protection +3 active at the same time.

YES, it can get unbalancing if you use the Magical WalMart approach to magic items in a Karma game.  But the nature of magic and the differences in the economics of Karma, as opposed to other systems, neutralizes much of that potential abuse.

Now for the long explanations:

Karma is meant to remove a lot of the arbitrary restrictions that are in place in some other fantasy games.  We are all long-term gamers, and have played in a lot of different systems.  Many systems attempt to regulate the use of magic with arbitrary rules that only open the door for loopholes.  You can only wear two rings...but then you have this special magic item that lets you wear a third.  Mages can't wear armor, but here are fifteen feats and special abilities that circumvent that rule.  That sort of stuff. 

Also, trying to track multiple different types of bonus is just an accounting nightmare.  So your Ring of W is a divine bonus, your Ring of X is a deflection bonus, your Necklace of Y is a circumstance bonus, and your Helm of Z is a dodge bonus.  In the heat of combat, nobody remembers these things.  And trying to keep track of them slows down gameplay.

But this freedom in magic items is balanced by the fact that magic is harder to come by.  Magic items require a great deal of magical skill, expensive components, and a lot of time.  If a mage is going to spend 9 weeks crafting a Staff of Bones, it isn't going to be for resale to the highest bidder!  The trouble with many fantasy games is that magic is often viewed as a replacement for technology, and every major city has a magic shop full of magic items available for sale as if it was a Best Buy selling computers and big screen TVs. 

But Karma takes a different perspective.  In a world where a person is lucky to earn one Crown or gold piece a month, most people don't have the money to buy magic items a la carte.  And those that do have wealth are going to commission private crafters to craft items for them.  Merchants don't trade in magic items, because the chance of finding a buyer is too hard and shelf space is limited.  What merchant wants to risk getting robbed over +4 armor when he can stock low cost, high turnover items instead?  And the typical merchant couldn't afford to buy magical items for resale anyway even if they were inclined.

In short, while you can technically wear 10 rings at once if you really wanted to, the chances of you acquiring ten magical rings to begin with is small.  You could make ten magical rings for yourself as a spellcaster, but then you need to calculate how much time it would take you to do so...and if your character can afford to be out of action that long.