Friday, November 11, 2011

Getting Crafty Part 3: It's Magic!


What about magic items?
What about them? Just kidding, they are an integral part of what makes Dungeons and Dragons Dungeons and Dragons t many people. They'd work the same way, more or less.

  • "Enchant Magic Item" would be a ritual that would require a skill challenge to complete. The DCs and Complexity would be set with how many enchantments and of which type you are trying to magically imbue into the item.  
  • Special reagents, much like special materials in crafting, would work the same way, granting bonuses (or penalties) to checks in the challenge.
  • Failures would result in Cursed items. There would be lesser curses and greater curses.
  • This brings back the early edition ability to have multiple magic item enhancements on a single item. I have missed that a little bit.
  • All complexities and levels would be added to determine the DCs and number of successes, rather than added to any item's base.
I have started putting together a list of potential enchantments for weapons.  I am generating this list by going through the magic weapon list and thinking to myself, "Self, could this be done non-magically in a weapon?"  If the answer is no, I decide it should be magic-based, rather than craft-based.  Yes, you've read almost that exact paragraph before, but with a couple of words swapped.  Get over it.  


Here are three I have created so far:

  • Feature: Flaming Type: Weapon (Any Weapon)
Complexity +1 Key Skills: Arcana
Level +5
Benefit: This weapon gains the Flaming magic item power
Flaming (Daily Power)
You can will this weapon to burst into flame.
Free Action Target: The creature hit
Trigger: You hit a creature with this weapon.
Effect: You deal 1d6 fire damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends.)
Lesser Curse (1 failure): The DM gains access to the Glowing Brightly curse
Glowing Brightly (Curse)
When it is least convenient, the flames of your weapon draw attention to you.
Free Action  
Trigger: You attempt a stealth check while carrying this weapon.
Effect: You fail the stealth check.
Greater Curse (2 failures): The DM gains access to the Uncontrolled Flame curse
Uncontrolled Flames (Curse)
The fires in your weapon do not distinguish between friend or foe.
Free Action
Trigger: An enemy saves against the ongoing damage dealt by this weapon while adjacent to one of your allies.
Effect: Your ally takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends.)  
  • Feature: Frost Type: Weapon (Any)
Complexity +1 Key Skills: Arcana
Level +3
Benefit: This weapon gains the Frost magic item power
Frost (Daily Power)
A thin layer of frost coats the business end of this weapon.
Free Action Target: The creature hit
Trigger: You hit a creature with this weapon.
Effect: You deal 1d8 cold damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your turn. Lesser Curse (1 failure): The DM gains access to the Icy Grip curse
Icy Grip (Curse)
The grip of your weapon sometimes frosts over too.
Free Action
Trigger: You roll a 1 on an attack roll with this weapon. 
Effect: You drop your weapon.
Greater Curse (2 failures): The DM gains access to the Cold Feet curse
Cold Feet (Curse)
Wielding this weapon, you sometimes think you will never feel warm again.
Free Action
Trigger: You take cold damage 
Effect: You are slowed and dazed (save ends).
  • Feature: Lifedrinker Type: Weapon (Any Melee)
Complexity +1 Key Skills: Heal
Level +3
Benefit: This weapon gains the Lifedrinker magic item power
Life Drinker (Daily Power)
This weapon transfers an enemy's vitality to you.
Free Action
Trigger: You drop an enemy to 0 hit points or fewer with a melee attack made with this weapon.
Effect:  Gain 5 temporary hit points.
Lesser Curse (1 failure): The DM gains access to the Clinging to Life curse
Clinging to Life (Curse)
You never want to let go of the life you've stolen.
Free Action  
Trigger: You gain temporary hit points while you already have temporary hit points.
Effect:  When you take damage, you lose regular hit points before you lose any temporary hit points.
Greater Curse (2 failures): The DM gains access to the Overloaded curse
Overloaded (Curse)
It is hard to concentrate with the life of others coursing through your veins.
Free Action  
Trigger: You gain temporary hit points. 
Effect: You grant combat advantage to all enemies until you no longer have temporary hit points.


Sum-Up:  
So, a magic item imbuer could make a Flaming Weapon and only have to hit level 5 DCs 4 times, A life-drinking cold weapon for level 6 DCs, but it'd be complexity 2 (5 successes), or an amazing level 11 magic item at complexity 3, requiring 6 moderate successes and 2 difficult successes. You can put a lot on a weapon, but it get much harder as you go.


Other Thoughts:
The more I think through this system, the more I am inclined to scratch all powers from Non-magical crafting (minus flaws). I think rewriting my crafting rules to let you incorporate all sorts of cool passive bonuses into more and more advanced weapons (or setting detailed tasks to crafting existing weapons) would make it feel less like magic, and then anything that needs a power to activate would be magical. That would make them seem like two distinct complimentary systems, rather than the same system with an arbitrary magic/non-magic divide thrown down the center. I'm done tinkering with this for now, but I might revisit this concept at a future point.

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