Well at least the OL and hero version of the relics have different names, which is why I don't really mind the different effects.

Steve-O said:

You mean something like a magic ring that makes only the Heroes invisible while it makes the Overlord into an unstoppable force?  Yeah, I've never heard of artifacts behaving that way. 

(I get your point though!) 

Bleached Lizard said:

Wait, seriously?  So heroes who begin their move action adjacent have their movement hindered, but heroes can walk past without penalty as long as they started at least 2 spaces away?

It could be that the heroes' version represents the relic's original form, while the overlord's version represents the same relic after it has been corrupted by the overlord.

For example; if the heroes fail to recover the legendary Staff of Light, the overlord's minions bring it to their dark master who twists its powers, transforming it into the foul Staff of Shadows.

Indeed, one of the quests is called The Ritual of Shadows, perhaps the heroes are attempting to prevent this from happening.

Antistone said:

Yep.

Scy800 said:

I am also soothed by this new information.

jwdenzel said:

Was there anything in any of Mr Tolkien's books that ever suggested the One Ring wouldn't make Sauron invisible?  I know he was visible while wearing it in the opening scene of the first movie, but that would hardly be the only thing that changed from page to screen.  Maybe the ring does many things if you know how to work it, but unfortunately it got stuck in "ring of invisibility" mode when it was cut off Sauron's hand and no one who held it since has had the ability or the knowledge to make it do anything else.

I see what you're saying, though. =P

Like I said before, I'm cool with some magic items that change their effects depending on who's holding them, but if EVERY magic item does that sort of thing, it gets old fast.  That's all I was saying.

Antistone said:

I've known mud puddles that did the exact same thing to my car.  Momentum is a bitch (well, depending on your point of view. =P)

Steve-O said:

If I recall correctly, it only makes mortals invisible.  In the first book, Tom Bombadil puts it on at one point and specifically does not disappear.

Steve-O said:

"On the same turn" does not necessarily equate to "momentum".  I could move two spaces towards you, attack, and then move two spaces in exactly the opposite direction - momentum cannot possibly be helping me there.  On the other hand, I could spend all of my actions on two consecutive turns sprinting in a straight line, and still happen to be next to you at the end of the first turn.

Turns are just arbitrary time-slicing to reduce the complexity of the sim - there is no thematic construct that corresponds to "the end of a turn".

Antistone said:

Yeah, and magic is MAGIC.  A fictional force whose primary purpose is to defy the laws of physics as we know them.  Use whatever rationale helps you sleep at night, magic doesn't need to make sense.