[Magic] Enchantment Through Balance

[Prince Charon]

A little while ago, johndallman made a post that gave me an idea, hence this thread. I'm not sure I like the title, so if anyone has a better idea, I'll ask a mod to change it.

Magic, especially permanent magic, has a tendency to balance itself. Thus, one common way to create magic items without taking a lot of time or needing a lot of energy (or even the only way in the setting) is to also create its opposite. Philosophically, you are not so much creating anything, as moving qualities from neutral items to change them. For example, creating a dagger that gives +1 to Knife skill requires creating another that gives -1 to Knife, or perhaps a club that gives -1 to Axe/Mace. Creating a flaming sword for Baron Soandso requires the creation of an icy sword, which a clever enchanter might decorate a bit, and sell to Count Suchandsuch for twice the money. An axe that does +3 damage might be made by creating a 'Merciful Sword' that does -3 damage, or three daggers that each do -1 damage, or a -2 spear and a -1 axe, and so forth. Essential Water might be created along with an equal quantity of Dehydrating Water (from this post).

An item might be balanced within itself: Thorvald the Tall is given a sword which gives +4 to attack rolls, at the cost of -4 to defence rolls. Since Thorvald is a berserker, he doesn't care about that, since he won't do any defending, anyway. After he gets himself killed, Gimli the Garrulous picks it up (it's a very fine sword, more than Gimli could buy for himself, and Thorvald certainly doesn't need it), and dies in his next battle, because he's a primarily defensive fighter.

A single item might have multiple effects on it, such as a flaming longsword that grants +1 to Broadsword, +3 to Intimidation, +2 damage, +2 to Dancing (Sword-dancing), and keeps an edge like a very fine blade. An item might also be used as a 'sink' for multiple negative effects from different enchantments, such as a club that gives -10 to Axe/Mace, and a number of other penalties, though I would say that forcing an item to give a penalty to its own use worse than -10 (or another number set by the GM) immediately shatters, both doing damage to anyone nearby, and inflicting some form of magical backlash (perhaps treated as a critical failure).

I'm a bit vague on the actual mechanics of this, beyond the idea that it should be faster and cheaper than Slow and Sure Enchantment, even when making things that would normally require it in the standard system.

One idea I considered was specific to RPM: the enchanting process is a permanent Greater Transform Matter and Greater Control Magic effect, usually with two or more targets. I'm pretty sure making it permanent requires Greater effects, but my experience with RPM is limited, and this style of enchantment could work in multiple magic systems, with some variations on the fluff (like 'exchanging aspects of the spirits of metal').


Thoughts?