I have a friend who is collaborating with his players to create the next game setting, and they came to me, as a "man who knows a lot of the rules" (and has strong opinions on them thanks to The Gaming Den), when they wanted to make socketed magic items a la Diablo II.
My initial response was something along the lines of "You want to what?!" but since I can't beat em, I'm going to wind up joining the campaign this summer, and I wanted the Den's thoughts on how such a thing might be done sanely.
There are already "weapon crystals" in the MIC, but that doesn't quite do it for them.
I guess, what they really want is the ability to add cool new unique abilities to their swords and whatnot as they go along.
It sort of fits in with the "your Magic Sword is level appropriate for you at all times" feeling, but at the same time, I have the sense that most of these guys would not even consider that paradigm.
Thoughts?
Magic Items
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Re: Magic Items
I'd really say the first thing to do is decide how you upgrade your weapons. For a fantasy setting, saying there's magic gems you can have attached to your weapon to make it flame or shoot lightning looks to be the laziest (and easiest) option.Aktariel wrote:I have a friend who is collaborating with his players to create the next game setting, and they came to me, as a "man who knows a lot of the rules" (and has strong opinions on them thanks to The Gaming Den), when they wanted to make socketed magic items a la Diablo II.
My initial response was something along the lines of "You want to what?!" but since I can't beat em, I'm going to wind up joining the campaign this summer, and I wanted the Den's thoughts on how such a thing might be done sanely.
There are already "weapon crystals" in the MIC, but that doesn't quite do it for them.
I guess, what they really want is the ability to add cool new unique abilities to their swords and whatnot as they go along.
It sort of fits in with the "your Magic Sword is level appropriate for you at all times" feeling, but at the same time, I have the sense that most of these guys would not even consider that paradigm.
Thoughts?
Ask them what kind of feel they want for this--like Materia from Final Fantasy VII (except with possibly a set of crystals dedicated to making your weapon a +1 or +4 or whatever) or if they want to gather up materials and take their weapons and armor to each city's Street of Cunning Artificers to have them upgraded.
But I have to ask: What's the MIC?
MIC = Magic Item Compendium.
In my campaigns, I often just tell the PC when their sword/staff/whatzit gets a new ability. " 'As you draw Evilsmacker, it sems to vibrate with power. It's actually slightly painful to touch. ' Your sword has the vicious enhancement now."
In a campaign I'm currently playing in, I'm a pally wielding my family's ancestray blade. Since it makes no sense for me to ever toss it aside for a "better" one, the GM decided that five gems were pried from the hilt and stolen long ago. As I find them, I can stick them back in place and the sword will gain new powers. I already found the first, which upgraded by +1 icy burst sword to a +1 icy burst truebane sword.
In my campaigns, I often just tell the PC when their sword/staff/whatzit gets a new ability. " 'As you draw Evilsmacker, it sems to vibrate with power. It's actually slightly painful to touch. ' Your sword has the vicious enhancement now."
In a campaign I'm currently playing in, I'm a pally wielding my family's ancestray blade. Since it makes no sense for me to ever toss it aside for a "better" one, the GM decided that five gems were pried from the hilt and stolen long ago. As I find them, I can stick them back in place and the sword will gain new powers. I already found the first, which upgraded by +1 icy burst sword to a +1 icy burst truebane sword.
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JonSetanta
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Weapon crystals;
Way back in the debut of 3.0 psionics a friend and I were inspired by both certain psionic items and FF7 to create modular weapon/armor enhancements.
The masterwork weapons were made to hold small round gems, commercially produced by both casters and techno-wizardry, to create customizable items on the spot.
To balance the power of switching mid-battle, the orbs (which were standardized in size and shape... and when not, could be reshaped by most blacksmiths to fit) needed a recharge time of 1 minute after being removed.
In sum, the crystals themselves granted all powers, from spells (charges per day, rather than out of 50) to bonuses to many magic item powers normally attached to single items.
While the weapons cost a little more than normal (to carve out special indents to pop these orbs into, priced by orb-holder number), the pricing for magic items all went to the crystals.
It worked great but not everyone enjoys such metropolitan, universal equipment.
It gave a feeling of established technology but you lose that rugged, sloppy medieval fantasy tone damned fast.
Way back in the debut of 3.0 psionics a friend and I were inspired by both certain psionic items and FF7 to create modular weapon/armor enhancements.
The masterwork weapons were made to hold small round gems, commercially produced by both casters and techno-wizardry, to create customizable items on the spot.
To balance the power of switching mid-battle, the orbs (which were standardized in size and shape... and when not, could be reshaped by most blacksmiths to fit) needed a recharge time of 1 minute after being removed.
In sum, the crystals themselves granted all powers, from spells (charges per day, rather than out of 50) to bonuses to many magic item powers normally attached to single items.
While the weapons cost a little more than normal (to carve out special indents to pop these orbs into, priced by orb-holder number), the pricing for magic items all went to the crystals.
It worked great but not everyone enjoys such metropolitan, universal equipment.
It gave a feeling of established technology but you lose that rugged, sloppy medieval fantasy tone damned fast.
The Adventurer's Almanac wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 10:25 pmNobody gives a flying fuck about Tordek and Regdar.
I'd play that. It sounds workable, and too much pure standard fantasy gets old after a while.sigma999 wrote:Weapon crystals;
Way back in the debut of 3.0 psionics a friend and I were inspired by both certain psionic items and FF7 to create modular weapon/armor enhancements.
The masterwork weapons were made to hold small round gems, commercially produced by both casters and techno-wizardry, to create customizable items on the spot.
To balance the power of switching mid-battle, the orbs (which were standardized in size and shape... and when not, could be reshaped by most blacksmiths to fit) needed a recharge time of 1 minute after being removed.
In sum, the crystals themselves granted all powers, from spells (charges per day, rather than out of 50) to bonuses to many magic item powers normally attached to single items.
While the weapons cost a little more than normal (to carve out special indents to pop these orbs into, priced by orb-holder number), the pricing for magic items all went to the crystals.
It worked great but not everyone enjoys such metropolitan, universal equipment.
It gave a feeling of established technology but you lose that rugged, sloppy medieval fantasy tone damned fast.
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JonSetanta
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- Location: interbutts
Our group couldn't agree on pricing for the item slots (or names) but it could be calculated by figuring that the slots by themselves are worthless and the orbs hold all power.
Slots would be worth the amount of money to retrofit a weapon to masterwork, maybe a little more.
Then subtract that price from the price of a normal +1 enhancement (or normal 'shop price' for the item) and that's what the orb costs.
Funny results, in a party killing NPCs or monsters and taking only a handful of glowing marbles from the bodies.
It's a far cry from the bags of loot of the bygone D&D era.
Also, for best campaign style, combine with some form of mystical banking system, and insurance plans for teleporting caster-medics to pop in and resurrect your dead asses. lulz.
Slots would be worth the amount of money to retrofit a weapon to masterwork, maybe a little more.
Then subtract that price from the price of a normal +1 enhancement (or normal 'shop price' for the item) and that's what the orb costs.
Funny results, in a party killing NPCs or monsters and taking only a handful of glowing marbles from the bodies.
It's a far cry from the bags of loot of the bygone D&D era.
Also, for best campaign style, combine with some form of mystical banking system, and insurance plans for teleporting caster-medics to pop in and resurrect your dead asses. lulz.
The Adventurer's Almanac wrote: ↑Fri Oct 01, 2021 10:25 pmNobody gives a flying fuck about Tordek and Regdar.
You reloaded the game?
I have nothing clever to add - it seems that the cost of a slot should be more or less 300 GP - the cost of Masterworking, and the cost of a materia should be the cost of what such an item would be.
Hmm, although this would mean you could make your weapon a +1 Flaming Shocking Bane Spellstoring weapon for only 11,500 GP as opposed to 50,300 GP. Although perhaps that's more accurate. I wouldn't know.
I have nothing clever to add - it seems that the cost of a slot should be more or less 300 GP - the cost of Masterworking, and the cost of a materia should be the cost of what such an item would be.
Hmm, although this would mean you could make your weapon a +1 Flaming Shocking Bane Spellstoring weapon for only 11,500 GP as opposed to 50,300 GP. Although perhaps that's more accurate. I wouldn't know.
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Draco_Argentum
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Finding a flaming ruby and gluing it onto your +1 sword is pretty much the same as finding a +1 flaming sword and throwing away your +1 sword.
I'd say make socketed sword + gems = level appropriate sword. Just don't let anyone have a level appropriate sword that also has sockets. Also socket bonuses are probably a bad idea. Same goes for 'special' gems with to awesome ability to be more powerful than normal.
If anyone asks about pricing see if you can convince them that the current pricing rules are bunk anyway. That way you can use something vaguely intelligent.
I'd say make socketed sword + gems = level appropriate sword. Just don't let anyone have a level appropriate sword that also has sockets. Also socket bonuses are probably a bad idea. Same goes for 'special' gems with to awesome ability to be more powerful than normal.
If anyone asks about pricing see if you can convince them that the current pricing rules are bunk anyway. That way you can use something vaguely intelligent.
Assuming you wanted to maintain the existing exponential pricing scheme, which is by no means a given, you'd need to put most of the cost on the weapon, based on the number of slots it has.
For instance, if all gems hold +1 equivalent properties, and cost 2K each, then the sword prices would be:
1 slot: 300
2 slots: 4K
3 slots: 12K
4 slots: 24K
5 slots: 40K
But alternately, you could toss exponential pricing entirely and go with the MIC model, where gems are the primary cost and price increase is more or less linear.
It depends where you want the versatility - making the weapon the primary cost will let you have and swap between a larger number of enhancements. Making the gems the primary cost will let you easily switch weapons.
Incidentally, I did something like this for wands being used by a highly advanced group (Ethergaunts), where the charges were stored in carved stone rods, separate from the focusing elements. Just by splitting the price between the wand and charges, it gave them more flexibility and longevity for the cost, which gave it the "super-evolved magic" feel I was going for.
For instance, if all gems hold +1 equivalent properties, and cost 2K each, then the sword prices would be:
1 slot: 300
2 slots: 4K
3 slots: 12K
4 slots: 24K
5 slots: 40K
But alternately, you could toss exponential pricing entirely and go with the MIC model, where gems are the primary cost and price increase is more or less linear.
It depends where you want the versatility - making the weapon the primary cost will let you have and swap between a larger number of enhancements. Making the gems the primary cost will let you easily switch weapons.
Incidentally, I did something like this for wands being used by a highly advanced group (Ethergaunts), where the charges were stored in carved stone rods, separate from the focusing elements. Just by splitting the price between the wand and charges, it gave them more flexibility and longevity for the cost, which gave it the "super-evolved magic" feel I was going for.