The Ember Lock Gun

[Astromancer]

Remembering something from GURPS: Thaumatology which I suggested and Phil Masters approved, and also improved. That clear markers of the use/nature of an enchanted item could reduce the power cost.

I've suggested enchanting Ember into a gun's lock or a ring. If the ring is of Iron, a gun's lock would have to be of iron, that's 2% off the cost of enchantment. Add a piece of red glass shaped as an upward or outward pointing triangle and that's 4% more off the energy cost of enchantment. Iron, red, and upward or outward pointing triangles were all commonplace symbols of fire in Early Modern Europe (the TL4 period). Write "IGNIS" (Latin for Fire) on the item and that's 2% more. This would reduce the cost by two fatigue points.

Allow Hebrew to have the reputation it had as the premere language of magic. Which Hebrew had at the time in European history when guns were taking over the battlefields. And maybe let writing "אֵשׁ" on the gunlock or the ring reduce the energy cost to enchant something with Ember by three-fifths. Assume that the use of Hebrew isn't equally potent with Mental Hard and M-VH spells. But still potent. This would make Emberlocks more common and accessible.

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Small but significant military elites might get powered emberlocks. They'd probably cost a good deal more than wheel-locks (a real-world expensive-but-superior lock contemporary with matchlocks), but probably less than full equipment for a knight...

Well swords are harder to make than axes or spears, so they were mainly only sidearms for wealthy soldiers. Exceptions include the Romans, who managed to widely equip with shortswords, but the whole civilization was pretty rich for its era.

Originally Posted by Astromancer

That clear markers of the use/nature of an enchanted item could reduce the power cost.

I've suggested enchanting Ember into a gun's lock or a ring. If the ring is of Iron, a gun's lock would have to be of iron, that's 2% off the cost of enchantment. Add a piece of red glass shaped as an upward or outward pointing triangle and that's 4% more off the energy cost of enchantment. Iron, red, and upward or outward pointing triangles were all commonplace symbols of fire in Early Modern Europe (the TL4 period). Write "IGNIS" (Latin for Fire) on the item and that's 2% more. This would reduce the cost by two fatigue points.

Allow Hebrew to have the reputation it had as the premere language of magic. Which Hebrew had at the time in European history when guns were taking over the battlefields. And maybe let writing "אֵשׁ" on the gunlock or the ring reduce the energy cost to enchant something with Ember by three-fifths. Assume that the use of Hebrew isn't equally potent with Mental Hard and M-VH spells. But still potent. This would make Emberlocks more common and accessible.

Wow, this means putting bling on your gun could actually make it cheaper by reducing enchanting costs? I wonder instead if putting enough bling on it could reduce the activation cost; the gun would not only look prettier but would be easy to use. This is another familiar trope.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Kale

Wow, this means putting bling on your gun could actually make it cheaper by reducing enchanting costs? I wonder instead if putting enough bling on it could reduce the activation cost; the gun would not only look prettier but would be easy to use. This is another familiar trope.

Alternatively, if you don't want to create a workaround for the Power enchantment, you could focus your decor on making the Power enchantment cheaper.

Though there if you stick to the guidelines (Thaumatology p110 I think) it can't be enough to make a big difference (30% reduction at very most, usually 15%), and if you break the guidelines people will use the same options to get cheaper Power enchantments on things other than emberlock guns.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Alternatively, if you don't want to create a workaround for the Power enchantment, you could focus your decor on making the Power enchantment cheaper.

Though there if you stick to the guidelines (Thaumatology p110 I think) it can't be enough to make a big difference (30% reduction at very most, usually 15%), and if you break the guidelines people will use the same options to get cheaper Power enchantments on things other than emberlock guns.

Perhaps, just change the rules for Mental Average spells. These are weak, but useful, spells.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Alternatively, if you don't want to create a workaround for the Power enchantment, .

Not quite a workaround is to have a widely High Mana setting where they don't use a 500 pt Power Enchantment that produces 2pts but a 250 pt Enchntment that produces 1 (but only gets half that in Normal Mana).

The main difference is the relative difficulty of a 250 pt Q&D v. a 500 pt one.

[Astromancer]

I could see courtiers willing to pay good cash for three of the other Mental-Average spells enchanted into small concealible items.

Gluton's Cheat would be strong insurance that little mistakes don't happen at the table. In a tech level Four culture, looking refined is worth gold because it can open the door to getting lots of gold.

Both Blend In and Stand Out would be massively useful to anyone in a social competition.Similarly, actors, con men, sales men, performers, and anyone else that needs too work a crowd, could use charms with these spells. Catching or avoiding the right eyes is everything at court.

The pairing of Stand Out and Blend In would be useful to certain figures that you'd find on a battlefield. On a TL4 battlefield the ability to get the troops to listen to you is central to command and control. Of course, if the fight goes against you, getting away to fight again is basic to survival. Having trinkets with these two spells in them could enhance control of troops in the field and thus turn the tide of battle.