Game breaking items, or why you should always play with randarts

[PowerWyrm]

The question is... why play a warrior or a ranger, when you can be as powerful (or more) with a bookless mage?

If you play with randarts... the only thing you have to do is find a piece of armor with extra blows or extra shots. Then you can turn your mace of disruption of slay evil or your heavy crossbow of extra might into monster destroyers.

This doesn't feel right...

[PowerWyrm]

Latest game:

the Quarterstaff of Luilor (6d9) (+12,+26) <+2, +3, +5, +1>
----------------------------------------------------------
+2 strength.
+3 intelligence.
+5 dexterity.
+1 constitution.
+1 speed.
Slays undead (powerfully), demons (powerfully), orcs, animals, evil creatures.
Branded with poison.
Provides resistance to acid, fire, cold, nexus.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.
Sustains strength, dexterity.
Slows your metabolism.

Impressive alone... but with this:

the Leather Shield 'Mondin' (+8,+3) [8,+18] <+1, +2>
----------------------------------------------------
+1 strength.
+2 attack speed.
+1 light.
Provides resistance to acid, lightning, fire, cold, dark.
Cannot be harmed by acid.

Not mentioning...

the Heavy Crossbow 'Bargorme' (x6) (+11,+26) <+3, +5, +2>
---------------------------------------------------------
+3 constitution.
+5 tunneling.
+2 shooting power.
Provides resistance to shards.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

with...

the Blue Dragon Scale Mail of Armen (-2) [12,+27] <+2, +6, +3, +1>
------------------------------------------------------------------
+2 strength.
+6 intelligence.
+3 stealth.
[B]+2 shooting speed.[/B]
+1 light.
Provides resistance to acid, lightning, fire, cold, nether, chaos.
Provides protection from fear, blindness, confusion.
Sustains strength, wisdom.
Grants the ability to see invisible things.  Sustains your life force.

[Huqhox]

I think the problem is that Mages are still rather too good at fighting at higher levels - the powerful randarts just bring that point a bit earlier

My 2p is that mages should be so poor at combat that at best these types of artifacts just make you 'ok' at fighting at the point where every other class is significantly better (albeit priests not much better).

Something to consider when the classes get reviewed for 4.2?

[Sky]

those are rare combinations. i've gone through ... sigh ... seven artifact sets (i didn't have much luck this week) and have found ONE item with +1 blows and none with additional shots.
i did however find a set of boots <+17> speed. but that's it. most randards with speed had +1~4, nothing like before. biggest to-dam weapon was a 7d8 MoD and a 8d8 Battleaxe, neither with slay evil.