06-08-2009, 07:47 AM | #71 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Mid-Atlantic Region, USA
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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Of course, I started to ponder shifts towards magical steam punk devices soon after. TL(3+2) artillery weapons and iron horses. I'd game here. Seems to me I've read published adventures that started here, and had the bound elemental escape and kill the mage... and the players had to go investigate the mage's abode to determine what the strange noises where... |
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06-08-2009, 08:22 AM | #72 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Mid-Atlantic Region, USA
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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Now, the few mages living in secluded areas. They tend to pursue the study of magic, not for wealth, but for power. Those old city ruins might have recovered. Few are still no-mana areas, but a few still have 'low mana' areas. There are rumors passed from mage to apprentice that many secrets were lost during those times, and still exist in the old ruins, and rare is the apprentice who doesn't attempt to pull together some adventurous group to explore those old ruins to uncover at least a few lost secrets... |
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06-08-2009, 09:52 AM | #73 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Boston, Hub of the Universe!
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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And I don't allow a double energy casting to turn it into metal. For that, you need the new spell Smelt Ore (prerequisites: Earth to Stone and Heat), which turns the earth into the kind of metal you would get from applying great heat like in a furnace or smelter - sand turns to silicon, hematite turns to iron, malachite turns to copper. But with this spell, only the actual metal part remains, and it doesn't change shape - your cubic yard of sand becomes a loose sponge-like block of pure silicon, and if you start with poor hematite you end up with only a small handful of pure iron powder If you start with a mineral that doesn't have any metal, it all gets smelted and you end up with nothing. So what magic does is makes things far easier and faster, but isn't a Star Trek replicator. To put more brakes on, I also say that most skills are limited by a college-specific skill (earth creation/transmutation spells are limited by Geology skill), and Margin of Success. So really smart, well-educated wizards are going to be rich, which doesn't seem all that wrong. |
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06-08-2009, 10:18 AM | #74 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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06-08-2009, 10:23 AM | #75 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
The spell does specify that a weapon made this way is automatically VH.
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Fred Brackin |
06-08-2009, 10:43 AM | #76 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
A fix"for "magic farming" that appears in most of my fantasy games:
Crops that are blessed produce at what turns out to be the appropriate rate for the economy I want (9-1 or whatever). Unblessed crops just aren't worth it. Note that this is the default assumption in the real world, even today. Farmers pray for their crops. Religious authorities in agricultural areas ditto. The only change is "does praying actually help" is definitively answered in a direction not supported by data in RL. An interesting fix for "mage problems" from the Harn setting: Harn mages more or less have a rule "Use real magic[1] to blatantly mess with politics or economics or mundanes in general, and a bunch of archmages will drop by and ask you to stop and say you're sorry[2]. If you don't, they kill you." If you look closely at the background material, this seems to be a side effect of the "Eldrich Period" that was apparently a mageocracy that did not work out well. This tends to produce insular academic mages who may have great personal power but don't obviously mess with the rest of society. [1] Frauds, alchemists, herbalists, and real mages peddling fraud, are left alone. Priests ditto, although most priest magic is "non-blatant." "Wild talents" (and a large chunk of innocent scapegoats) tend to be killed by their neighbors for witchcraft, or are very subtle about using it. [2] The major historical exception was an archmage so hoss that when six other archmages came to kill him, he fought them to a standstill, killing three. He was still forced to run off to barbaric lands after that. |
06-08-2009, 11:15 AM | #77 |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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06-08-2009, 11:22 AM | #78 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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It's not even just an automatic Critical success for the caster on non-weapon items. It's Crit from someone with a Skill level 5 pts higher than the casters.
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Fred Brackin |
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06-08-2009, 01:43 PM | #79 | |
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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"The work is as good as if it were made with a critical success by an artisan of skill 5 levels higher than the subject’s actual skill" (bolding mine) So you could cast it on a master craftsman and get truly astonishing work. |
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06-09-2009, 09:41 AM | #80 | |
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Re: Economy wrecking spells?
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True, you might have to take the damage every day (assuming the construction takes that long) but that's what assistants and healing mages are for. Since the Master might not be *able* to stop they follow him/her around casting Heals and Lend Fatigue every so often. In the hands of a clever player this spell could wreak all sorts of havoc in a campaign. Especially if you apply it to criminal enterprises. Critical success on Forgery/ Counterfeiting at effective skill 18+ comes to mind... GUARANTEED Critical success. Gadgeteering is even a possibility, but is outside the parameters of the thread. Forgery combined with Inspired Creation means that damn near everything official would have to have a magical 'seal' affixed to the paper or it would not be trusted. "Gee Sven, this order to execute your father sure looked legitimate to us." Last edited by Jasonft; 06-09-2009 at 10:25 AM. |
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Tags |
game economy, magic |
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