Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > The Fantasy Trip

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-11-2019, 02:18 PM   #1
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Buy Stone Flesh rings

The only reason you wouldn't buy a Stone Flesh ring as your first magic item (not counting potions) is if you accidentally selected non-Wizard during character creation (You'll know better than to make that mistake the next time around) and so need to buy a magic weapon to deal with all the monsters that are only damaged by staves or other magical weapons.

For only $4k the Stone Flesh ring stops more damage types than +4 armor (ITL 108) for half the cost. Poison is one of the few things it doesn't defend against (ITL 125) and even that needs to either get past the Stone Skin or be delivered as a gas bomb. (As a wizard you'll of course have a high enough IQ to spot such traps, especially if Alertness is one of your only talents.)

Next get weapon expertise (for whatever form your staff is, most likely Dagger) and with a 5-die defend you'll have only a one in almost eight thousand chance of getting hit for triple damage. As a wizard you'll be able to combine the Defend option with either occult staff zaps or maintaining damaging creations so unlike whatever non-wizards are called, you're capable of stacking offensive and defensive options together.
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2019, 02:48 PM   #2
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

Stone Flesh rings are pretty great. But if your GM won't let you buy one on wizard Amazon, you might have a few years of play in front of you before you will be capable of making or stealing one!
larsdangly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2019, 09:04 PM   #3
Chris Rice
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

And that's why I don't allow characters to just buy the magic items they desire at the listed prices. I don't want a game in which they're running about loaded with magic items; if that's what I wanted I'd have kept playing D&D.
Chris Rice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2019, 09:18 PM   #4
hcobb
 
hcobb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

Even if you don't have a magic shop (as on page ITL 170, in a village of a few hundred at most...) then your typical starting goblin pythoness of IQ 17 has a 70% chance of finding a Stone Flesh ring for sale each week (ITL 166) and if magic items are much rarer than that then the only way your party members are holding magic weapons is if they each cast the Staff spell.

In which case they depend on their naturally stony skin to protect them as they do the silver halberd charge flight. (Wight being the sound they make when they're hit for 3d magical weapon damage of course.)
__________________
-HJC
hcobb is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2019, 10:44 PM   #5
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

Yoiks. #notmyTFT
larsdangly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-11-2019, 11:05 PM   #6
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

No, please stop.

The only thing I agree with about any of this is the idea that Stone Flesh is far less expensive than it should be.

Stone Flesh seems to me very powerful (especially when combined with other armor) and I would say should probably both cost more AND have a ST cost to maintain.
Skarg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2019, 09:20 AM   #7
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

I don't mind the cost of the spell; there are many spells that act as an effective counter to a specific sort of threat, and this is just one of them. I don't even mind the cost to enchant into an item - in my experience it is rare for players to invest what it really takes, in time, spells, stats, campaign 'work' (i.e., finding and hiring and keeping apprentices) to make a useful magic item. And if they do, I'd say they have earned it. But I wouldn't even consider letting them purchase something like this for a few thousand measly $
larsdangly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2019, 09:39 PM   #8
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

Oh, yeah, I didn't mean casting the spell was a problem. The spell always has a ST cost, requires a casting roll at -1 per hex to the subject, takes combat time from a wizard, study/IQ to learn the spell, etc.

The enchantment RAW has no ST cost, always works, will be worn and always already activated at all times by any PC who gets one, etc.

The listed RAW enchantment cost and time to make may be hard for PCs to do themselves, but according to the RAW suggestions supposedly might reasonably be expected to be something someone could find for sale, or at least commission from the Wizards' Guild... and the cost/time listed are much lower than their relative munchlin (and game-imbalance) value compared to other enchantments on the table.

Also, in a logical campaign world that does have magic items in it, if it's a relatively easy enchantment that's so powerful, one would expect some to be in selection, and once a PC has one, good luck getting them to ever let go of it, not have it turned on, etc. It'll be stacked with Toughness and other armor and suddenly they'll be nearly invulnerable to the majority of normal weapons, etc.

Hence my suggestions to give it a ST cost and/or increase the cost/time listed.
Skarg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2019, 10:18 PM   #9
larsdangly
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

I'm a little confused about which RAW items have ST costs to use and which are self powered. Some say one way or the other very clearly, but others do not. And the costs of self powered items should be really high; were the all calculated correctly to reflect this?
larsdangly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2019, 04:56 AM   #10
Chris Rice
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland
Default Re: Buy Stone Flesh rings

Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdangly View Post
I'm a little confused about which RAW items have ST costs to use and which are self powered. Some say one way or the other very clearly, but others do not. And the costs of self powered items should be really high; were the all calculated correctly to reflect this?
Yes, it not exactly clear for some items. It should perhaps have been cleaned up for the new edition, but in any case I decide my own prices for magic items even if I do, rarely, allow them to be bought.
Chris Rice is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.