The fluff of infusions

[Torben Raibeart]

Due to a TPK our whole group have to roll up new characters, and as such I figured I'd try something I've never trided before; The artificer.

The build as such is fine now, but as I intend to try to roleplay my infusions as different to 'normal' spells by following the fluff as closely as possible, I find myself a little...stumped by the line that all infusions must be imbued into an item or a construct in reguards to some of the infusions. It's fine with touch range stuff like bulls strength and weapon augmentation and such, but how does this 'imbue into item' combine with the more fancy ranged stuff? Wall of stone is easy enough, I can describe that as imbueing it into a seed-stone and then fling this stone. But what about Wall of Force or Blade Barrier? I could probably fluff it as seeding it into a crystal or dagger or something and flinging it, but I feel that becomes kind of wonky when stuff got medium range. Or long, as move earth.

And then there is Natural Weapon Augmentation, that got a creature as target, even though I should be unable to use an infusion on a target unless this is a construct. Did they not read their own fluff before making these infusions? My guess it 'No'.

I just.. What? How? What where they thinking?

[Spore]

Which setting are you playing in? Faerun can explain almost anything with the Weave. Keith Baker's Dreaming Dark series has several parts where the main character artificer explains how she mends things (basically by feeling the magical field or force and fixing it, a lot like I would imagine the Weave). In our homebrew universes one utilizes ley lines where Mana is concentrated. The other one does this with roots of the World tree.

[fishyfishyfishy]

Natural Weapon Augmentation is meant to be used on constructs. You can create Hommunculi to benefit from this, or you can be a Warforged.

And what infusion are you using to cast a blade barrier? Spell Storing Item? That infusion creates a non-arcane, non-divine version of the spell you are storing. You are creating a one use wondrous item that contains the spell. Like a bandage with cure minor wounds or something similar.

Edit: wow I forgot blade barrier is actually on their list of infusions. I saw it when checking the list just now.

[Torben Raibeart]

It's the GMs own setting. And no, there is no such thing as action points there.

Nothing in natural Weapon Augmentation implies that it construct only though. They could have said Target: A construct, but they didn't. I'm a dwarf by the way.

[Urpriest]

Most of the time, the key is to remember that, by using an infusion, you are essentially creating a temporary magic item. Bull's Strength's Target line is still the creature, but you affect the creature not by directly casting on it, but rather by enhancing a belt or gloves or the like.

Natural Weapon Augmentation could be thought of the same way. There are magic items that modify natural weapons, like the Amulet of Mighty Fists and the Necklace of Natural Attacks. You're temporarily turning some item on the creature's person into one of those, basically.

For Walls and the like, it's trickier. One option might be to think of yourself as turning the room into a temporary magic item, like the Wondrous Architecture from Stronghold Builder's Guidebook.