(Akashic Mysteries) Discussion about [enhanced] veils.

[The Xiao]

Hi everyone. I'm a fan of Path1 and especially some of its 3rd party content. What I want to discuss is the Akashic Mysteries subsystem published by Dreamscarred Press.

Especifically, the [enhanced] veils that have been appearing in 3rd 3rd party products, those not penned by Michael Sayre, the author of Akashic Mysteries.

Basically, an [enhanced] veil gives you access to a magical construct in the shape of equipment, a sword or armor for example, that can be enchanted. However, the cost is the same as enchanting a mundane blade, but since it is a veil, it reforms if destroyed after just 1d4 rounds. What I want to discuss is the balance, and maybe options for balancing them, since while cool, with feats to access veils, everyone can have eternal magical items (RIP sunder). So, while it has a cost, with a feat you get access to class-defining features that questions the existance of soulknives or aegis.

Please leave your two coopers.

[icefractal]

In the whole time I've been playing 3.x, I've seen weapon-sundering come up ... maybe one or twice? Weapon losing by other means, a little more, but still a rare occurrence. Soulknife's draw is that their blade is free, plus their other abilities (and the 3.5 version with less of those other abilities was a rather bad class). Aegis, while it does provide armor, is more like a Synthesist Summoner really.

So personally speaking, this seems like a fairy low-impact feature, the main benefit being the ability to smuggle the gear in where it might usually be difficult. But for that purpose there are a lot of alternatives as well, including any kind of magical storage.

[The Xiao]

Thanks for the answer. The priblem is not only sunder. Your weapons can't be disarmed, stolen, destroyed the same way than a normal enchanted item, and anyone that has con/wis 13 can get the Shape Veil feat. Who in his sane mind would ever want a normal 3nchanted weapon/armor/shield when you have this option?

The thing for me is the price. It ahould be at least double.

[icefractal]

A feat is a pretty steep cost. And again - how often does having your weapons stolen / destroyed really come up? Because IME, it's a pretty niche thing.

[The Xiao]

But slotless magic items cost double. A normal veil needs essence to be powerful, while these veils just need money to be like that.