I really like the spell focus items from Dragon 111. They provide a lot of flexibility for spellcasters and I got to thinking of what might be similar for fighters. Now, in 1e and 2e, fighters got a lot of magic items, a few that were exclusive to their class. Still, they didn't have anything that was similar to focus items. So I came up with Weapons and Armor of Absorption.
These items absorb one power from a slain foe. Usually these are the supernatural powers of monsters but it can be anything the GM allows. The more powerful the item, the more powers it can hold at one time. To give it a power, the owner needs a fresh carcass and must perform an hour long ritual. The body is reduced to dust and is useless for anything else. The number of uses per day is usually 3 for most powers but those that are relatively weak or relate to defense may be constant.
For those of you trying this out, two monsters you may want to avoid are violet fungi and drelb. The latter stuns an opponent for one round without a save. Both will kill off most opponents rather quickly.
For armor, the chill of a yeti or the shapeshifting power of a shan so (or other creatures from OA) allow the fighter to do nifty things without gaining overwhelming power. The chill can be defensive, offensive or even utility (keeping the iceman alive in the middle of the scorching desert).
Those with more limited absorption powers (charges, limited duration) might be useful for thieves, though they already have access to magic via their ability to read scrolls. It is a toss up if I would include such in my games. Absorption items do not function for monks and the spellcasting classes. And barbarians would rather chop their limbs off than use such witchcraft.
