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Gef · 07-30-2016, 02:36 PM

Hi Eric,

That's why I brought it up, because my campaign assumptions may differ from others, and what makes sense in a magic style depends on those assumptions. In the case of the Stalwart Brothers, you can expect a master to make an Utter Wall 4 yards long; that's why he needs combat ceremony to work with other masters to make a wall the bad guy can't just run around in one turn. Energy Reserve is very affordable even without heroic-level characters and the logical consequences are easy to extrapolate. For the fire-only wizard, it means he can cast Rain of Fire over an area comparable to a D&D fireball. And for enchanters, it means you can scan through the enchantment costs with a target number in mind and figure out what's on the market. I like the results; the cost for +1 Accuracy as Signature Gear doesn't work out more expensive than a level of skill.

In a TL4 game, I use $10/pt retail up to 250 energy assuming a very wealthy lead enchanter with wealthy assistants. A fine presentation-grade backsword with fine balance and Accuracy +1, Puissance +1 (+2 Goblin Bane), Penetrating Blade (2), and Hex with Password costs $18,950 - or 19 points as Signature Gear, and you'd definitely want Weapon Bond for a nice round 20. You need the Hex to protect such a valuable investment, which you could only buy with starting wealth if Filthy Rich. A sword with higher-level enchantments is still out of reach.

With prices like these, a serious professional can afford a magic item as an investment and reasonably get venture capitol to cover the startup cost. The wealthy can have enchantments if they really want to, and the filthy rich can have them on a whim, but only the modest stuff. Instead of a digital divide, there's a divide between the folks who can afford magic to be better at their jobs, and those who can't.

However, there are individual enchantments that are too cheap, relative to the others, and the number one example is Golem. In my campaign, that's a TL5 spell.

07-30-2016, 02:36 PM	#8
Gef Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Yucca Valley, CA	Re: First magic style Hi Eric, That's why I brought it up, because my campaign assumptions may differ from others, and what makes sense in a magic style depends on those assumptions. In the case of the Stalwart Brothers, you can expect a master to make an Utter Wall 4 yards long; that's why he needs combat ceremony to work with other masters to make a wall the bad guy can't just run around in one turn. Energy Reserve is very affordable even without heroic-level characters and the logical consequences are easy to extrapolate. For the fire-only wizard, it means he can cast Rain of Fire over an area comparable to a D&D fireball. And for enchanters, it means you can scan through the enchantment costs with a target number in mind and figure out what's on the market. I like the results; the cost for +1 Accuracy as Signature Gear doesn't work out more expensive than a level of skill. In a TL4 game, I use $10/pt retail up to 250 energy assuming a very wealthy lead enchanter with wealthy assistants. A fine presentation-grade backsword with fine balance and Accuracy +1, Puissance +1 (+2 Goblin Bane), Penetrating Blade (2), and Hex with Password costs $18,950 - or 19 points as Signature Gear, and you'd definitely want Weapon Bond for a nice round 20. You need the Hex to protect such a valuable investment, which you could only buy with starting wealth if Filthy Rich. A sword with higher-level enchantments is still out of reach. With prices like these, a serious professional can afford a magic item as an investment and reasonably get venture capitol to cover the startup cost. The wealthy can have enchantments if they really want to, and the filthy rich can have them on a whim, but only the modest stuff. Instead of a digital divide, there's a divide between the folks who can afford magic to be better at their jobs, and those who can't. However, there are individual enchantments that are too cheap, relative to the others, and the number one example is Golem. In my campaign, that's a TL5 spell.