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View Full Version : Moving Magical Enhancements (3.5)



panaikhan
2011-01-31, 08:13 AM
If this is in the wrong place, someone please redirect it. Thanks.

I was looking through the magical item compendium, reading the armour and weapon "add-ons", and I wondered if the standard enhancements could be re-fluffed or re-calculated to work in a similar way (removing the 'one at a time' restriction).
Basically, I would like to reduce all magical weapons / armour to their enhancement bonus, that have sockets for additional effects.
I know that price-wise, there would need to be some work-around to keep everything balanced - but is this a good idea? A bad idea? or simply unworkable?

Cog
2011-01-31, 09:02 AM
...simply unworkable?
This, I think, unless you're running a low-wealth game. Character wealth scales geometrically, while having each bonus be an addon will scale linearly; a few levels after you can afford a couple plusses, you can just buy them all instead.

Hm. You could put the increasing-cost on the weapon itself. The first socket for a special ability plugin costs X, the second 2X, then 4X... basically, scale it up the same way it does now, to keep higher-price combinations to late-game, but still let you hotswap.

panaikhan
2011-02-01, 08:15 AM
OK, let me share my thoughts on this.

A +1 weapon, costs the same.
A +1 weapon with one 'slot' cost 2K less than a (slotless) +2 weapon
A +1 weapon with two 'slots' costs 4K less than a (slotless) +3 weapon

Each enchantment takes up 'slots' equal to it's 'plus' value, and costs 2K a slot.
Enchantments that simply have a base cost, I will figure out, but should be OK to move around like the weapon shards, as their cost doesn't alter with the enhancement bonus.

Gullintanni
2011-02-01, 12:53 PM
I think the way I would work this would be to have different slot sizes. For example, putting a Slot into an item that could hold up to +4 points of enhancements into a +1 Weapon would cost the same as upgrading a weapon from +1 to a +5 weapon.

I'd then have the additional enhancement gems cost $1,000 (or whatever you find realistic) per point of enhancement.

For example...

A +1 weapon with a +5 slot would cost the same as a +6 weapon.
A Vorpal gem, is a +5 enhancement and would fill the described weapon to capacity. The gem would cost $5,000.

This means that for a +1 Vorpal Weapon, you're paying for a +6 weapon +$5,000 gold. The added cost can be justified owing to the fact that you can buy a bunch of different enhancement gems for cheap and swap them around. Added versatility means added cost. You only need one slot because, in this situation you simply rule that a +5 enhancement gem fits the whole slot, whereas in the same slot, you could fit two, smaller, +2 and +3 gems.

I would also include the standard enhancement method as an alternative for players not convinced that versatility is worth the extra cost.

panaikhan
2011-02-02, 08:11 AM
Ok. Time for the backstory....

All this brain-draining came about from a conversation with the party I am putting though the World's Largest Dungeon.

If people aren't aware, there are very few places (as written) that the PC's can trade what they don't want, for something more useful.
The idea that they can 'unplug' the Flaming rune (for example) from the Bastard Sword that no-one can use, and plug it into the Barbarian's Axe, has a certain appeal.
I'm just looking to let the party use what they find, not penalize them for the lack of trade opportunities. If I can keep the 'cost' balanced, it stops them taking the relevant feats and abusing it.

Greenish
2011-02-02, 09:11 AM
Forge of War has the Dragonshard Pommel Stone. You enchant it like a weapon (but 125% cost), then when you plug it into any MW weapon, the weapon gains the enchants from the stone. You can put it into a magic weapon, but the stone's enchants override the weapon's.

kamikasei
2011-02-02, 09:23 AM
OK, let me share my thoughts on this.

A +1 weapon, costs the same.
A +1 weapon with one 'slot' cost 2K less than a (slotless) +2 weapon
A +1 weapon with two 'slots' costs 4K less than a (slotless) +3 weapon

Each enchantment takes up 'slots' equal to it's 'plus' value, and costs 2K a slot.
Enchantments that simply have a base cost, I will figure out, but should be OK to move around like the weapon shards, as their cost doesn't alter with the enhancement bonus.
So a given weapon with a given set of bonuses would still cost the same, it's just that it could have its bonuses reconfigured easily? Sounds good to me. I wouldn't say there's any need to increase costs to give the added flexibility a price: if that's the style your group wants, the same option is available to everyone, and people are ultimately paying the same amount for a weapon of given power, it should be fine.