Explosive gem spell
 

This seems to be easily abused. There's nothing stopping a wizard from making dozens of grenades in between adventures. Besides not allowing this spell has anyone had to deal with this spell in game? How have you handled this spell?

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

Explosive gem is a pretty good one (mitigated by the fact that its serious damage applies only to one hex). As is Hammertouch. And a few others. Non magical characters have a few similarly effective one-shot kills. A petard. A well aimed arquebus shot. A lance charge. You can rein these in with house rules, but there are so many of them that I prefer to just accept it's part of the game that some very dangerous things find their way onto the playing field. Just note that many of them also have clear defenses. The first time your wizard throws a 6d Explosive Gem at someone protected by reverse missiles, he or she will experience a frisson of regret just before getting jellied.

The best control on abuse of most other magic item creation rules is a carefully maintained calendar and strict enforcement of the rules governing material components and ST expenditures.

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

Hire an IQ 14 wizard and seven apprentices for a week to make 25 eight-die gems. That's $1250 in material costs and $500 in labor costs which totals $1750 or $70 each.

I suggest hitting the halfling armed with a sling and 25 explosive gems with a lightning bolt. (ITL 167)

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

The most egregiously 'gameable' element of the magic item creation rules is the price list. I just shut that down completely in my campaign: If I'm in the captain's chair there just isn't an option of tossing a few hundred gold pieces at the local wizard's guild in exchange for whatever item you would like. My default rule is the same one good parents apply to children who want a boost onto a tree branch: 'You can do it if you can do it'. Want a flaming sword or teleportation ring or whatever it is you covet? Fine. Learn the relevant spells, build the lab, accumulate the supplies, find and hire (and keep happy) the apprentices and/or assistants, and invest the time. Of course I also have the occasional magic item scattered through the world, but there is no ordering for same-day deliver off of the Wizard pages of amazon.com.

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

Drat. There go my plans for the invasion, and I guess my would-be World Conqueror's highly overpriced Prime Membership was a complete waste. :D

I'm not yet thoroughly versed in the system's math, or its implications; are the prices much too low? (Or conversely, is Gold too easily acquired?)

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

You can play in a world of high magic item availability, but if should cut both ways. The halfling with the sling and bag of explosive gems is going to cross paths with reverse missile rings, teleporting kung-fu shadow monks, and flying gargoyle assassins dropping casks of oil and shooting flaming crossbow bolts.

As if the game isn't deadly enough... :)

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

What exactly is the modifier to target the ground in the wizard's hex?

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

In GURPS, +4. But this isn't GURPS.

In TFT, it's +0. (Miss the DX roll with a molotail, it lands in a different hex; there's no chance of landing in the same hex, hence no little margin where you can miss the figure but hit the hex. Grenades get no bonus to hit. Using the rules for hitting multihex creatures, hitting a 1-hex target is +0.)

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

I have increased the gem value required, the difficulty to make, and also made them harder to aim than a rock, not easy to quickly find in a pouch during combat, and volatile (don't pack them together with each other, or other hard objects).

Re: Explosive gem spell
 

I don't think the magic item costs could be called too high or too low because that totally depends on the magic level you are going for in your campaign. But, basically, they are too low. Or, at least some surprisingly impactful things are surprisingly cheap. It's just something you have to keep your eye on as a GM.