LibraryOgre
2022-10-21, 11:31 AM
So, I'm playing with an idea, whereby PCs can invest earned experience into items to create magical items... Grognard the Warrior and his fantastic sword Brainteaser (because he frequently hits people in the head with it) don't need to come from a wizard, it can simply be that Grognard has done such great deeds and soaked it in the blood of so many creatures that it acquires some fantastic properties.
However, I'm trying to work out how to do this.
My first instinct is that you invest XP at a 10:1 ratio... 10 XP gives your item 1 XP towards becoming a magic item, and you can invest no more than 50% of a single XP award into an item... so, if I wanted to make Grognard's sword into a +1 sword, he'd need to invest 4000 XP into it, and so need to have earned 8000xp... at low levels, he'd need to choose between being 3rd level with a +1 sword, or 4th level.
Obviously, this becomes easier as levels go up, and you have more XP, but it also becomes easier when you do great deeds (that bring a ton of XP, so you have more than you can use to get your next level). If Grognard were 3rd level and awarded 16,000xp, going to 4th level AND making his sword cooler is a good idea, since he wouldn't be able to use all that treasure (ignore, for a moment, how he got that much XP; it's only a model).
Some limits in mind:
0) As mentioned above, no more than 50% of any XP award into an item. If you make 12,000 XP, you can put only 6,000 into it. If you make 8,000 XP on an adventure, and don't give any to the item, then make 3,000 XP on the next? You can put 1,500 in the item, half of that reward. Nothing from the previous award.
1) You can only be enchanting one object at a time. You can start having a famous shield, or a famous sword, or famous armor, but you can't enhance the fame of all of them. I'm a little torn on this, since there's still the big XP cost.
2) You have to be using the object on an adventure. If you have your "famous" sword, and a +1 sword? You need to be using your famous sword to improve it. Not "Swing once then switch to the better one", but "mostly use the famous sword, except when you can't". Want to turn your spellbook into a Boccob's Blessed Book? Then you need to bring it with you (though you might do that with your travelling spellbook). Beaker of Everfull potions? Keep reusing the same potion bottle. This is something that will take conscious decision by the player.
3) Some enchantments are off-limits, some are going to be harder to pull off than others. I'd balk at allowing a level-gain book, or a stat-gain book... even at 80,000 XP, a Tome of Clear Thought is a steal for high-level-level wizard (though it may explain why the really high level wizards are always very smart). For something like an Ioun stone, you might be able to improve one, but creating one from scratch would be very hard.
One of my debates is intermediate stages. I see three options.
1) No need for intermediate stages. If you have 30,000 XP, you can take a plain sword straight to a Sun Blade.
2) Intermediate stages, cumulative; you have to be a sword +1 before you can be a sword +2, or a sword +1 before you can be a sword +1/+2 v. magic using creatures. However, if you've spent 4000 XP to get a sword +1, you only need a another 2000 to get a sword +1/+2 v. magic-using & enchanted creatures (normal XP value is 600; 6000 - 4000 to get to sword +1)
3) Intermediate stages, non-cumulative. You make your sword a sword +1. To make a sword +1/+2 v. magic-using & enchanted creatures, you need to spend the whole 6000 XP.
Another question is the form of items. Normally, a sun blade is a short sword that handles like a bastard sword, and Maces of Disruption only come in maces. But what if I wanted a Sun Axe? Or a Hammer of Disruption? Lock picks of thievery? This gets a bit chancy, given the different XP values for swords v. other weapons, especially. Should a Sword of Disruption get a discount?
I think this is RELATIVELY solid. It mostly comes into play at higher levels, it will frequently be overshadowed by found items. But it gives an outlet for "wasted" XP, and lets players build their characters into something they want... though at a fairly high cost.
However, I'm trying to work out how to do this.
My first instinct is that you invest XP at a 10:1 ratio... 10 XP gives your item 1 XP towards becoming a magic item, and you can invest no more than 50% of a single XP award into an item... so, if I wanted to make Grognard's sword into a +1 sword, he'd need to invest 4000 XP into it, and so need to have earned 8000xp... at low levels, he'd need to choose between being 3rd level with a +1 sword, or 4th level.
Obviously, this becomes easier as levels go up, and you have more XP, but it also becomes easier when you do great deeds (that bring a ton of XP, so you have more than you can use to get your next level). If Grognard were 3rd level and awarded 16,000xp, going to 4th level AND making his sword cooler is a good idea, since he wouldn't be able to use all that treasure (ignore, for a moment, how he got that much XP; it's only a model).
Some limits in mind:
0) As mentioned above, no more than 50% of any XP award into an item. If you make 12,000 XP, you can put only 6,000 into it. If you make 8,000 XP on an adventure, and don't give any to the item, then make 3,000 XP on the next? You can put 1,500 in the item, half of that reward. Nothing from the previous award.
1) You can only be enchanting one object at a time. You can start having a famous shield, or a famous sword, or famous armor, but you can't enhance the fame of all of them. I'm a little torn on this, since there's still the big XP cost.
2) You have to be using the object on an adventure. If you have your "famous" sword, and a +1 sword? You need to be using your famous sword to improve it. Not "Swing once then switch to the better one", but "mostly use the famous sword, except when you can't". Want to turn your spellbook into a Boccob's Blessed Book? Then you need to bring it with you (though you might do that with your travelling spellbook). Beaker of Everfull potions? Keep reusing the same potion bottle. This is something that will take conscious decision by the player.
3) Some enchantments are off-limits, some are going to be harder to pull off than others. I'd balk at allowing a level-gain book, or a stat-gain book... even at 80,000 XP, a Tome of Clear Thought is a steal for high-level-level wizard (though it may explain why the really high level wizards are always very smart). For something like an Ioun stone, you might be able to improve one, but creating one from scratch would be very hard.
One of my debates is intermediate stages. I see three options.
1) No need for intermediate stages. If you have 30,000 XP, you can take a plain sword straight to a Sun Blade.
2) Intermediate stages, cumulative; you have to be a sword +1 before you can be a sword +2, or a sword +1 before you can be a sword +1/+2 v. magic using creatures. However, if you've spent 4000 XP to get a sword +1, you only need a another 2000 to get a sword +1/+2 v. magic-using & enchanted creatures (normal XP value is 600; 6000 - 4000 to get to sword +1)
3) Intermediate stages, non-cumulative. You make your sword a sword +1. To make a sword +1/+2 v. magic-using & enchanted creatures, you need to spend the whole 6000 XP.
Another question is the form of items. Normally, a sun blade is a short sword that handles like a bastard sword, and Maces of Disruption only come in maces. But what if I wanted a Sun Axe? Or a Hammer of Disruption? Lock picks of thievery? This gets a bit chancy, given the different XP values for swords v. other weapons, especially. Should a Sword of Disruption get a discount?
I think this is RELATIVELY solid. It mostly comes into play at higher levels, it will frequently be overshadowed by found items. But it gives an outlet for "wasted" XP, and lets players build their characters into something they want... though at a fairly high cost.