Upgrading existing gear

[zuljita]

Related question: If a PC wants to order something that isn't on hand in ye olde shoppe, are there rolls to try to get something *very* specific. For example a fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum, penetrating scythe (random example I'm totally not trying to find for a game I'm a player in ...). What does that look like?

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by zuljita

Related question: If a PC wants to order something that isn't on hand in ye olde shoppe, are there rolls to try to get something *very* specific. For example a fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum scythe (random example I'm totally not trying to find for a game I'm a player in ...). What does that look like?

A map to a dungeon? "It's in there somewhere! Znargross heard a rumor."

;-)

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

The thing I've seen is when the player gets a cool bow (in my game an artifact bow) that is as good or better than anything they are finding, but then they raise ST. Is it reasonable for them to restring the existing bow, or not? Or even if they find a cool bow but it is a different ST than theirs?

The realistic answer is no, but the in-genre answer is "yes unless the DM feels like making a particular magic item annoying".

[JMason]

Originally Posted by zuljita

Related question: If a PC wants to order something that isn't on hand in ye olde shoppe, are there rolls to try to get something *very* specific. For example a fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum, penetrating scythe (random example I'm totally not trying to find for a game I'm a player in ...). What does that look like?

Nothing official that I know of, but you could try something like this:

Anything "mundane" is going be almost always available. Let's called that a frequency of 16 or less on 3d6. Treat every enchantment and option as a modifier to the frequency, either -1 or -2. I'd go with -1 on common mods, and -2 for uncommon or better enchantments... but that will be up to you.

So with your example: Scythe (16), fine -1, balanced -1, dwarven -2, oricalcum -2, penetrating -2; Roll (16-1-1-2-2-2) 8 or less to be able to get one. I'd also make the wait time a couple of weeks.

All that said, the whole point of Dungeon Fantasy is to kill monsters and get loot. It might play better to have the players start asking around town to find what dank hole happens to have a "fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum, penetrating scythe" in it.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Edit: This dangerous pastime of adding "reality" to Dungeon Fantasy RPG makes me nervous. I feel like putting on a seatbelt or something.

I don't even necessarily need a "realistic" answer, at least initially. I wasn't even sure what the intent of the rules for bow-ST are in this regard.

Your answer, as always, is definitely helpful.

Originally Posted by zuljita

Related question: If a PC wants to order something that isn't on hand in ye olde shoppe, are there rolls to try to get something *very* specific. For example a fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum, penetrating scythe (random example I'm totally not trying to find for a game I'm a player in ...). What does that look like?

See Rolling, Rolling, Rolling, Exploits p. 12. This is an appearance roll.

For this I suggest adapting the frequencies for Wandering Monsters (Exploits p. 95) and the rules for With Spikes p. 6.

The chance of a specific item being available is based on the size of the town:
Small hamlet: 6 or less
Average town: 9 or less
Metropolis: 12 or less
Vaults of the Dwarven Kings, Shopping Mall of the Gods, ect: 15 or less.

Modifiers: +6 for any of the equipment listed as Basic, clothing, knives, sticks, slings and rocks, +3 for regular bows, short bows, impaling arrows, and leather and cloth armor. -3 for equipment listed as Special Orders, Magic Items, weapons and armor with a base cost of $1000 or more. -1 per quality (including "Good" and "Fine" for gear like lockpicks and toolkits) and -2 per enchantment.

On a failure by three the item is available in a larger settlement and can be ordered. It will arrive in in 2d weeks at 1.5x cost (or the delvers can pick it up themselves after a quarter of this time in travel). On a greater failure the item may be available by a custom order. Roll again with the same modifiers against appearance 12, on a success the item can be commissioned within the kingdom, otherwise it is unavailable without a quest.

Originally Posted by Anthony

The realistic answer is no, but the in-genre answer is "yes unless the DM feels like making a particular magic item annoying".

The backing thing seem real.

[zuljita]

Originally Posted by JMason

Nothing official that I know of, but you could try something like this:

Anything "mundane" is going be almost always available. Let's called that a frequency of 16 or less on 3d6. Treat every enchantment and option as a modifier to the frequency, either -1 or -2. I'd go with -1 on common mods, and -2 for uncommon or better enchantments... but that will be up to you.

So with your example: Scythe (16), fine -1, balanced -1, dwarven -2, oricalcum -2, penetrating -2; Roll (16-1-1-2-2-2) 8 or less to be able to get one. I'd also make the wait time a couple of weeks.

All that said, the whole point of Dungeon Fantasy is to kill monsters and get loot. It might play better to have the players start asking around town to find what dank hole happens to have a "fine, balanced, dwarven, oricalcum, penetrating scythe" in it.

I like the idea of finding it in a hole somewhere, but it's pretty far from a legendary item. I doubt I'm going to hear rumors about it.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by zuljita

I like the idea of finding it in a hole somewhere, but it's pretty far from a legendary item. I doubt I'm going to hear rumors about it.

It's significantly expensive and specific enough that you might be able to research it. This is either a thing nobody has ever made, or the weapon of a wealthy, and thus famous person.

[Imbicatus]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

It's significantly expensive and specific enough that you might be able to research it. This is either a thing nobody has ever made, or the weapon of a wealthy, and thus famous person.

Or maybe mix both. Several different hooks could get you there. “Scythes are the favored weapon of the cult of the death goddess.” “The High Priestess of the death goddess had a wonderous scythe made.” “There were zombies sighted near the deep fens. They say there is a ruined temple to the death goddess out there in the deepest part of the swamps...”

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

On a failure by three the item is available in a larger settlement and can be ordered. It will arrive in in 2d weeks at 1.5x cost ...

"Ain't this place a geographical oddity. 2d weeks from everywhere."
-Ulysses Everitt McGill

[Kromm]

I tend to agree that while an item with a long list of "stock" modifiers and enchantments might not qualify as an artifact, exactly, it's going to be noteworthy. Hack 'n' slash doesn't have a click-based economy . . . somewhere, a dwarf had to hand-make that fine, balanced, dwarven, orichalcum scythe, which is why it costs 47 times as much. That dwarf would probably talk about this time-consuming piece of work ("Ever tried to forge orichalcum? You can't! You have to alloy it in the mold and hope for the best once it cools."). And then that item had to spend time sitting around while the Wizards' Guild enchanted it, and doubtless noted how unusual it was. It might not be a case of "this is Thor's hammer," but it's likely to be "this sword was made by my father for the six-fingered man."