Creating a new resource

[Kagan]

I'm in the process of developing a campaign that's going to delve into organized warfare and mass combat. The thing is, though, I'd like to have an over-arching reason for the conflict that goes beyond, "Side A wants side B's land; defend yourself from the evil side A." I'd rather not make this a good vs. evil bit, and instead litter the area with moral ambiguity.

To do this, I'm trying to find the best way to inject a new resource into the world - one that might not be absolutely critical for sustaining life, but certainly has a significant impact on an organized society. Let's call it resource X. Here's what I have so far.

Resource X is the material required to create any magical item (no longer the more generic "experience") - if the item is more powerful, more of the resource is required. This goes for anything from a +1 Mace, to a device that creates food and water for a village. A society with more of the resource experiences an extreme advantage if it organizes itself (centering around the extraction and utilization of the resource), and in doing so makes the transition from a disorganized grouping of towns and villages to that of powerful, wealthy, booming cities - and in this world, many do. Plenty of others, for whatever reason, simply don't - sitting instead on a mountain of potential wealth, but never making use of it.

I've always had a problem with the underlying notion that the hypothetical D&D world is filled with wizards and sorcerers that bend time and reality, but these individuals take breaks from such activities in backwards, medieval hamlets amidst the backdrop of a poor, agrarian society. Understandably, there are other interpretations - but normally it's either this or Steampunk... And I'd rather not go to the latter. I like instead the notion that it's a simple problem of organization, and with this I can make such organization and disorganization extremely apparent when placed against the backdrop of a critical resource.

I can see the end result very easily - large groupings of cities showering themselves with magical creations that satisfy every need an organized society has (transportation, communication, food, water, construction, defense, power projection, etc). Meanwhile, these same societies could easily be completely paranoid of any other group that has access to the same. As the need for the resource extends far beyond what a society has within its own borders, colonies are created, trade agreements are established, and imperialism becomes the new order. Attempts are made to lock other groups out of one's own exploits abroad, disagreeable leaders of smaller cities with access to the resource are forcibly removed and replaced, etc etc. War becomes a distinct possibility as multiple groups require a single resource that must be gathered abroad, particularly when that resource can be easily converted into a display and projection of force. Policy quickly shifts from 'we need this resource to create fun new things that improve the quality of life', to 'we need this resource to supply our army to protect our interests, because those awful people over there obviously want to steal what we have, require, and what is rightfully ours.'

Mechanically speaking, though, I haven't gotten there yet.

I'm looking for any suggestions as to how to address the scale of what's being dealt with here. If every magic 'thing' requires this resource, how much of it should be currently available? How is this derived? I'm pretty sure it should come, in some form, from the GP limit and Total wealth tables from the DMG (the section on creating a city) - but I could really use someone else's perspective here. I hardly have access to anything beyond the core books - but if this exact concept has already been dealt with elsewhere in D&D terms, someone let me know before I sink any more time into this :smalltongue:

I'm also trying to find ways to further integrate this resource into the world I'm making. How would a society with access to magical devices treat those that are lacking? Would there be a preponderance of arrogance, contempt, dismissiveness, or benevolence? What would the disorganized societies think of their counterparts? Jealosy, anger, or pity? There's plenty of first world/third world/oil politics parallel here, but being completely stuck on the mechanical issues, I haven't spent nearly enough time on the fluff here.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or general criticism would be much appreciated.

[Eruenno]

General criticism it is then: I personally think that adding a resource X to whole world doesn't make it have much more... sense so to say. Couldn't they do it diplomatically? Or under-cover?

I like to add secret organizations and manipulators, so in my world, you can never know who is good or bad, and my players often get confused or paranoid. Telling someone what they ATE in my session can cost them life.... but I am going off the topic... lol

I like to put a magic "Weave" into my world as a source of all magic(if you played... NWN II for example, you will know what it is). But I suppose you could always say that a certain mage did research into the source of magic itself(unknown to other mages due to their narrow perception of magic) and that two states are arguing about who holds the right to his tower, in which the knowledge is held(he is missing or smth). For example he was the citizen of state A, but he went to state B and lived there... his tower/residence could be near the border for example, to make it more... tense. You could always, as I like to do, add secret organizations with similar goals, so my players end up thinking a long time before they figure out who to trust and how to get what they want...

I hope i understood right what you're looking for and that this helped you a bit...

[Jasdoif]

You have some questions left to answer about the resource itself, I think. Is it an exhaustible resource (can more be made)? Is it a recoverable resource (can you get the stuff back out of magic items)? Is this only for permanent magic items (do you need it for scrolls, wands, potions, etc.)?

[Psionic Dog]

Ok, so material X is a coveted critical component of magic items. Nations fight wars over this stuff, and fluff/mechanic details are requested.

How is this for a start (Use as much or as little as you like)

Resonance Crystal:
Physical Description:
This dark translucent substance is similar to obsidian and usually exists in pure form as a crystal, but with the proper equipment can be drawn out to form a wire like flexible thread. This material is noted for it's ability to absorb magic and is useful in stabilizing magical energies.


Crystal Use
Resonance Crystal threads can be worked into metals, woven with silk, and inlaid along wood, bone, and stone, and dissolved into magically imbued substances. Items properly incorporating this crystal or crystal thread can be permanently enchanted. The more crystal, the more potent an enchainment can be held.

Items come in three types:

Crystal Free: Items without Resonance crystal can still be enchanted, but there is a cumulative 5% chance after every month that the magic will fade.

Crystal Augment: These items work like normal SRD items. They can be stored indefinently and still work. Requires one diem* of crystal for enchantments worth less than 100gp. More materiel allows for a (each extra diem*)^2 * 1500 maximum enchantment.

Low Crystal: Items with at least 10% of the necessary crystal content but less than the full amount needed have a cumulative 5% chance every 6 months of having their magic fade.

Faded Magic: These items can be reactivated for 20% of the cost to create them.

*Diem: 1/50 pound, the weight of one standard coin.



Crafting with Resonance Crystal:

Whenever Resonance Crystal is added to an item, increase the Craft DC (if there is one) by 5. The crafter must also make a DC15 Crystal Working check +2 for every extra diem of material. If the required Crystal weighs more than the finished object, add +4 to the DC for extra refining.


Obtaining Resonance Crystal:

Crystal Deposits: These very rare deposits can be mined much like gemstones.

Crystal Ore: Although this is much more common than Crystal Deposits, it is still relatively rare and requires a long, slow, expensive extraction process. Generally, refining ore cost twice as much work and skill as mining deposits, but only produces 1/20th the crystal for the extra work and effort.


Crystal Costs:

In lands with rich access to Resonance crystal, each diem* of crystal costs about 250gp.

In lands with minor access, each diem* is worth about 1,000 gp.

In lands with practically no access, each diem* may be worth as much as 5,000 gp.


*1/50 pound, same as one standard coin.


The Crystal Politics:
Resonance Crystal is a valuable commodity whose trade is often heavily regulated or taxed. Do to the price disparity between nations blessed with rich deposits and foreign lands under embargo, smuggling is a profitable activity. To deal with this, laws often deal harshly with crystal smugglers (for crystal rich lands) or offer lucrative incentives (for crystal deprived lands)

Lands blessed with large crystal deposits accumulate numerous magic items over the generations. These lands view places with less crystal as savage, uncivilized, poor, and deprived.

Lands that once had access to crystal but no longer do view their permanent items as minor artifacts of great quality and are envious of those places that still have crystal.

Finally, lands that have never enjoyed having resonance crystal view any neighbors with the stuff as glutinous, wasteful, and lazy, while taking pride in doing without if they suspect life could ever be any different. They still have magical items, but the items are more like long-term enhancements available only to their own elite. Common folk in crystal-less societies may spend their entire lives without ever touching a magic item of any kind.

[Eruenno]

Well, as for my "Weave", it does stretch through all things... It is invisible and present in all places. It's in the rocks, in the grass, animals... humans even(life force). As you know, Mages cast magic by speaking the words of power. I usually make it so that even the first god(s) came from the weave. They learned the language and through it, they shaped the Wave into the world as we know it. Through long researches, humans(or whatever nation you prefer) discovered a fraction of that language and the "Art of Magic" itself, but they never truly understood the Wave or the creation itself, and that's why we don't have crazy mages killing gods... :smallbiggrin:

[Arrghus]

Interesting. I've actually done something similar, but with spell components instead. Had a country build up an entire army of monks (much more powerful in a setting where magical weapons (and magic itself) cost more money than a small country has) to protect it's reserve of wild bats (for bat guano). It was funny, yet a bit sad to see people fight for the natural resource of manure.