In my Pacific Island themed Catamaran campaign I was shooting for an epic, mythic feel for the game from the beginning.  I didn’t want the PCs to level up into epicness, I wanted over the top legendary action from day one with the players dealing with gods and monsters of legend right off the bat. Their first story arc was about curing a god of a poison that Asmodeus inflicted upon it. I wanted the campaign to really feel like playing in the world of the movie Moana in a D&D game rather than something more grounded or gritty.  As part of this I didn’t really feel the standard loot focus of D&D was what I wanted. Great heroes of legend don’t really get new weapons and equipment by going through the gear and pockets of their enemies unless that enemy has a legendary item that is known (and probably part of the reason they fought this legendarily armed enemy in the first place).  So I implemented something I call the Glory System.

In the Glory System players earned Glory Points by doing awesome things.  Awesome, mythic legendary things.  This could be defeating a great monster,  accomplishing an impossible feat of athletics, or even sneaking past  an eye beast that sees all.  Anything sufficiently challenging and suitable to be retold in story could earn a Glory point.  The players got one  for  winning a boat race during a festival to honor a dying god, and got one for a time travel heist back in time to attune to a magic item used by their arch nemesis so they could wrest control of it away from him in the current time.  That’s a long story.   Anyways, back to the Glory system  \

The players  tended to get a Glory point every  three or four sessions, sometimes less sometimes more but around there.  We played every two weeks reliably in this campaign so they were getting 6 -8 Glory Points per year. These Glory points could then be spent to upgrade their gear; the items they use in their great deeds take on part of the legend of those deeds, becoming magical in the process.  The shark totem barbarian’s great sword became known as Witchsplitter through this process, becoming a+1 weapon or  +3  and +2d6 damage against anyone with spellcasting abilities  after several notable battles defeating wizards.  

Glory points could be spent during any long rest, during which the PC told or recorded the tale of their deeds. Some of the PCS did this in the traditional method, especially the bard telling locals of their epic adventures wherever they traveled, but the shark totem barbarian got tattoos that detailed all his mighty deeds. 

Glory Points can be spent in the ways detailed below, but only if the option they are spent ties into the heroic deed that earned the character the Glory.  If you received a Glory point  for fighting a dragon in a volcano, investing that Glory in making your weapon more effective against dragons or your armor fire resistant is totally valid, but making your weapon more effective against sea monsters is not.  

• You can add an bonus to a weapon or suit of armor.  Adding a +1 bonus requires 1 Glory point, a +2 bonus requires 2 Glory points, and adding a +3 bonus requires 3 Glory points. You have to purchase all the bonuses  in order, so getting a +3 weapon costs 6 Glory in all.  No one in the Catamaran campaign ever got that far; they always spent their Glory too fast.  
• You can add bonuses against specific types of foes, such as fiends or sahaugin to weapons. One Glory gets you a +2 bonus and a+1d6 damage bonus against the creatures specified 
• Armor can be made to grant resistance to a damage type for 1 Glory.
• Armor can grant advantage on saving throws against one condition (i.e. fear or charm), or one energy type for 1 Glory.     
• Choose a damage type : For 1 Glory when using abilities that use that damage type you gain +1 to attack rolls, +1 to your Spell save DCs,.  You can increase this bonus to +2 by spending two additional Glory, and to +3 by spending three additional Glory.  
• Choose a spellcasting focus.  For 1 Glory When you have it you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and +1 on your spell save DCs when casting spells through that item. You can increase this bonus to +2 by spending two additional Glory, and to +3 by spending three additional Glory.  
• Choose a spell of 3rd level or lower.  For 1 Glory You can cast that spell once per long rest as a bonus action as if you were using a 3rd level slot.  You can select your spellcasting ability score modifier.   Each time this ability is selected the cost goes up by 1 Glory point.
• Gain a feat appropriate to your Glory deed.  The first feat costs 2 Glory, the second costs 4 Glory, etc. 
• Bind an NPC to your fate for 1 Glory point.  They begin gaining levels on their own and will have a more prominent role in the story going forward.  They have advantage on Death saves as long as you are alive.  This is how you get sidekicks .
• Invest1 glory point in a vehicle, and increase it’s stats and get advantage on any Ability check made involving it. If I were using the Ghosts of Saltmarsh boat system something  like +1 to the AC and +20 to the hit points of every component and +10 feet of movement for the first point. So if your character loves their boat you can make it a part of your legend.  The PCS in the Catamaran campaign had a boat that one PC invested a lot of effort in it  including several Glory points,. So it became faster, got more hit points ,etc.  Fastest hunk of junk on the seas.  

If I were to use this system again I would probably make a rule that bonuses from glory points cannot stack, so if you spend Glory points be tied to fir, getting a +1 attack bonus and Spells save DC with fire spells, and then acquire a spellcasting focus with Glory points they do not both apply.  This never happened in my game but could be pretty terrifying.  

In Catamaran the PCs never got magic items that added bonuses to rolls and rarely got permanent magic items of any sort.  Those items they did get were important items of legend; there was no such thing as just an amulet of proof against detection or slippers of spider climb. Every such item had a story and a legend of the person whose stories and legends the item was involved in.  Thus when they did get magical loot it tended to be from major enemies who basically had used the Glory systems themselves to upgrade their gear.  Such items could be looted and keep their powers as the PCS became part of their dead opponent’s legend by defeating them. Though this did mean if the players  stole a magic item from an NPC in a really mundane, uninteresting way it would no longer be magic.  Go big or leave your magic items at home.

Items from outside the PCs’ islander culture, like metal weapons and armor, could not be invested with Glory.  This kept the players using idiom appropriate weapons and armor even though better versions were available (steel weapons and armor were considered +1 compared to the bone, wood, and obsidian weapons the players used).  

Materials

In Catamaran the players encountered weapons and armor made out of a wide variety of materials.  The player’s island culture had little metal working knowledge so their weapons were mainly wood, bone, stone, and obsidian.  The shark totem barbarian carried a massive two handed sword that was basically a six foot plank with shark teeth down each edge.  The weapons of the PCS were considered the baseline, but metal weapons were more effective.  Steel arms and armor were considered +1,  but could not be enchanted with Glory points. Such heavy gear also meant if you fell overboard you would probably drown (disadvantage on Athletics checks to swim in medium or heavy armor and you could not use a natural swim speed)). Which was a concern since 50% of the game was on the water.  

The PCs’ culture  did not produce metal armor, but what they did have is spirit armor.  The Islander culture of the players had developed a ritual based magic using tattoos, fetishes, totems, and other objects that can grant their warriors protection by wrapping the spirits of their ancestors around the warriors. After the tattoos are inscribed, the warrior must perform a ritual to “don” the spirit armor, so effectively the warriors must do something like the Maori haka to turn on this spirit armor. Spirit armor works exactly like the existing armor types in D&D; it provides AC, can inflict disadvantage on Stealth, etc. The cost of the ingredients to get the tattoos, the fetishes, totems, etc., are exactly the same as normal armor in D&D. The names were things like Spirit Armor of the Honored General instead of plate mail, but numbers wise it all works the same. Armor that has disadvantage on Stealth has noisy spirits in it who wail or chant, or make you walk with thundering footfalls everywhere you go.

Together these rules helped keep the aesthetic I was shooting for in that the PCS did not run around wearing metal armor as they hopped across the rigging of their sailing ship. Also it made the Roman-esque Therian Legionnaires the PCS regularly ran into extra scary as they usually had full sets of metal gear. A low level fighter becomes a lot more dangerous when all of his gear is +1.  

As the campaign went on I introduced non-metal materials the players could use to make weapons and armor from and could invest Glory points in addition to a number of metallic options they discovered in game.  And expanded the use of some existing materials with new mechanics.  In addition to the Glory system I also introduced an item enchanting system I may post at a later date but it is probably way too crunchy for anyone to ever want to use.  

Note the abilities for a lot of these items are pretty low in power.  Most of them would be uncommon items so they’re not very powerful. My hope was to give players more pieces of lower level gear they could swap around as needed.  The ship options I list below are for using the ship rules in Ghosts of Salt Marsh.

Adamantine:  

The super  hard metal we all know and love. In my setting it was mined from the earth near volcanoes that had connections to the Elemental Plane of Earth.  It is immensely valuable but very hard to work; only the heat in the heart of a volcano can melt it.  Thus finding a smith who can work adamantium is often harder than getting your hands on the stuff.    In Catamaran, Adamantine gear was innately +1 but could not be enchanted with Glory points.  

Adamantine Weapons: Treat damage rolls of 1 or 2 as 3. 

Adamantine Helmet: Once per long rest can turn a critical hit into a normal hit.  

Adamantine Armor: Turn all critical hits into normal hits.  (And let me say don’t let the fact this armor is rated as uncommon fool you.  It is hugely effective).

Adamantine Shield:  As a reaction once per long rest can grant advantage on a Dexterity saving throw.

Burnwood 

Burnwood is a rare wood that only grows in certain forests where magical energies run rampant.  It is most often found in areas where forest fires are common, sprouting up in the aftermath.  Burnwood is unique in that it burns extremely slowly.  A fist sized chunk of burnwood will burn bright and hot for longer than a human lifetime. It is valued by travelers for being a long lasting light and heat source, but it is also used to make weapons as a burnwood weapon remains strong and usable even when alight for many hours.   

Burnwood Weapons: You can use a bonus action to ignite a burnwood weapon. It provides bright light in a 10 foot radius and dim light for 10 feet beyond that. If the striking portion of the weapon is on fire, such as the ends of a quarterstaff it does an additional 1d3 fire damage.   

Cloudwood

This wood once removed from its tree is lighter than air, requiring very special precautions to harvest. Such trees are found in forests at high elevations where they grow among the cloud banks.  Cloudwood forests usually have a strong tie to the  Elemental Plane of Air and are often home to aarakocra who make use of the cloudwood. 

Cloudwood Arrows/Bolts/Spears: Double the range of the weapon.  

Cloudwood Ship: The ship gains a fly speed equal to its normal speed.  

Deadspell Iron

A rare metal found in areas of magical disturbance, it had all of its innate magic sucked out of it over centuries of arcane turbulence or exposure to anti-magic zones.  Such iron is completely magic dead and can never be used in fashioning magic items, though unravelers can find it of use in making tools for their esoteric arts.  Deadspell iron is black without limit, it has no shine or glint.  It is a blackness that captures all light within it.  In Catamaran, Deadspell Iron gear was innately +1 but could not be enchanted with Glory points.   

Deadspell Iron Weapons:  Any spellcaster damaged with this weapon has disadvantage on Concentration checks caused by that damage.   

Greater Deadspell Iron Weapons: The weapon ignores any spell defenses like shield, stone skin, etc. on the target.  It cannot penetrate spells like wall of force, only spells with a range of self or touch.  

Deadspell Iron Helmet: Advantage on Wisdom saving  throws to end ongoing effects.  

Deadspell Iron Armor: Resistance to any damage from beginning your turn in the area of a spell or ongoing magical effect.  

Deadspell Iron Shield: As a reaction you can impose disadvantage on any spell attack roll made against you.

Eog

Eog is a special form of enchanted glass that was created by the elves in a day long past.  Eog is as hard as steel and impenetrable to spirits; it was intended for art and architecture but was soon turned to war.  Few know how to make Eog today but surviving weapons do occasionally show up.  In Catamaran, Eog gear was innately +1 but could not be enchanted with Glory points.   

Eog Weapon: Add +2d6 damage against any creature with the Incorporeal Movement ability. 

Eog Armor: Creatures with the Incorporeal Movement ability have disadvantage attacking you and cannot move through your space.  

Eog Shield: You gain Advantage on Constitution saving throws against  the attacks of creatures with the Incorporeal Movement ability.  

Ironwood

A rare wood that grows in forests of power; such as those favored by trees of life or local gods.  As hard or harder than iron, these trees cannot be felled with axes or saws, instead must be beseeched by a druid or cleric  to give their bounty  up.  This wood is often used in weapons and shields, but  on rare occasions is used in boats.  Though rarely is such a quantity of iron wood available.  

Ironwood Weapons: Treat damage rolls of 1 as 2

Ironwood Shield: Plant creatures have disadvantage on melee attacks against you.  

Ship: Increase the AC of the Hull, Ram and Control: Helm by +2. 

Mithral: 

Truesilver, this metal came from the heart of the mountain and formed from the bones of the world. Immensely valuable, it requires great skill to work but not the intense heat of Adamantine. Only master smiths can work Mithral before it sets. In Catamaran, Mithral gear was innately +1 but could not be  enchanted with Glory points.   

Mithral Weapons: Counts as a magic weapon for purposes of damage resistance and adds +1d6 damage against any creature with damage resistance that is penetrated by silver.  

Mithral Helmet: Grant advantage on one Wisdom saving throw against fear or charm per long rest.  

Mithral Armor: Mithral armor never imposes disadvantage on Stealth.  

Mithral Shield: As a reaction can grant advantage on a saving throw against a spell once per long rest

Moonkelp Treated Whalebone:

Created by the sailing peoples of the Sea of Keruna, this material is made by treating whale bone for many months with juices from certain kelps that draw their power from the light of the moon.  Only the wisest of the wise know how to make such weapons and they are reserved for great warriors. 

Moonkelp Treated Whalebone Weapon: Add +2d6 damage on attacks against a creature not  in its natural form (polymorphed creatures, druids using wildshape, lycanthropes, etc).  

Moonkep Treated Whalebone Shield: Any creature not in its natural form has disadvantage on melee attacks against you.  

Orachalcum

A special alloy made of brass and numerous other metals, only master alchemists are able to successfully create orchalcum.  It is a metal used by wizards and artificers for small objects like rings or wands, rarely collecting enough for a weapon or suit of armor.   It is horrendously expensive to create.  In Catamaran, orachalcum gear was innately +1 but could not be enchanted with Glory points.   

Orachalcum Weapon: Can be used as a spell focus and counts as a magic weapon for purposes of damage resistance.  

Orachalcum Armor: You gain advantage on saving throws against spells.

Orachalcum Shield: You may use your redaction to gain advantage on a Constitution save to maintain concentration.   

Skysteel

A highly magnetic metal, it is found in stars that fall from the sky on the rare occasion where an impact point is located.  Most skysteel comes from polar regions where the meteors can be seen buried in the ice after impact.  Indeed some polar trade towns rely on the hunt for sky steel to survive.  Skysteel is known to be antithetical to constructs of all types, something about the magnetic quality of the metal throwing off construct enchantments.  In Catamaran, Skysteel gear was innately +1 but could not be enchanted with Glory points.   

Skysteel Weapon: +1d6 damage against constructs

Skysteel Armor: Constructs have disadvantage on melee attacks against you.

Skysteel Shield: Constructs have disadvantage on any attempt to resist being shoved or knocked prone while you are adjacent to them.