Dungeon Fantasy Enchantment Power

[b-dog]

I have a question, how would you make a power for enchanting weapons and magic items instead of using the GURPS enchantment system. For instance, dwarves are supposed to be able to make magical items like swords and armor, yet they really aren't mages, they are just creatures with some sort of magical power that allows them to make enchanted weapons. This is the same for leprechauns, elves and many other magical creatures. Thanks.

[Phoenix_Dragon]

I suppose one way of doing it is to give them an Affliction, that inflicts an always-on/aura Affliction on an item to grant abilities to its holder. Kinda crude...

[PK]

Probably easiest to make a variant of Gadgeteer, honestly.

[Kromm]

I wouldn't define it at all in game terms. I really do think that "PCs can't make magic items" is critical to the feel I'm going for in DF. As soon as you define it, you make it possible in theory for pushy players to ruin the campaign of a weak-willed GM even more quickly than usual.

I'd just say, "Somewhere, there are people who have a power for this. It's easier than regular enchanting, which is why dungeon fantasy worlds have so many items."

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I really do think that "PCs can't make magic items" is critical to the feel I'm going for in DF.

This has seemed kind of curious to me since I've heard it. In D&D, PCs can (and do) make Magic Items, if DF is supposed to let GURPS do the DF subgenre as well as D&D, why the restriction?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

This has seemed kind of curious to me since I've heard it. In D&D, PCs can (and do) make Magic Items

As of when? My vague recollection is that the last time I played D&D seriously (1st edition AD&D), only very high-level magic users could make magical items, and even then it was only rather inconsequential ones and it couldn't be feasibly done during adventuring. I suspect that's the kind of really old-school feel Kromm's going for: not only do PCs not have the ability to make magical items, they don't even have the time to do so because they're always actively adventuring. Time between dungeon crawls is spent healing up and looking for the next old man at a tavern, not in productive labor.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

My vague recollection is that the last time I played D&D seriously (1st edition AD&D), only very high-level magic users could make magical items, and even then it was only rather inconsequential ones and it couldn't be feasibly done during adventuring. I suspect that's the kind of really old-school feel Kromm's going for

Yes. My influences are T&T c. 1975 and AD&D c. 1979, with a nod to Rogue and NetHack, of course, and the Diablo series and other CRPGs that predate "crafting." No post-1970s RPG or post-crafting CRPG is significantly influential here. I'd say that zombie movies and Lovecraft have more pull on my thinking than does, say, 3.0/3.5 or WoW.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

This has seemed kind of curious to me since I've heard it. In D&D, PCs can (and do) make Magic Items, if DF is supposed to let GURPS do the DF subgenre as well as D&D, why the restriction?

Because the FRPGs I'm aping are c. 1979 and don't let PCs make items without lots of pointless trouble. I'm well aware that 3.0/3.5 does let PCs make items relatively easily . . . but I think that's a mistake there, too. It's hard to justify delving if many of the items traditionally considered loot are things you could just make. All it takes is one PC with high Wealth and enchantment skills to make a GM's life hell. I'm not really convinced it's a good thing for the genre, whatever 3.0/3.5's creators might have thought.

[Almafeta]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Because the FRPGs I'm aping are c. 1979 and don't let PCs make items without lots of pointless trouble. I'm well aware that 3.0/3.5 does let PCs make items relatively easily . . . but I think that's a mistake there, too. It's hard to justify delving if many of the items traditionally considered loot are things you could just make. All it takes is one PC with high Wealth and enchantment skills to make a GM's life hell. I'm not really convinced it's a good thing for the genre, whatever 3.0/3.5's creators might have thought.

D&D enchanters have to expend beaucoup amounts of XP.

Which is how to do it in GURPS, too: Signature Gear.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Because the FRPGs I'm aping are c. 1979 and don't let PCs make items without lots of pointless trouble. I'm well aware that 3.0/3.5 does let PCs make items relatively easily . . . but I think that's a mistake there, too. It's hard to justify delving if many of the items traditionally considered loot are things you could just make. All it takes is one PC with high Wealth and enchantment skills to make a GM's life hell. I'm not really convinced it's a good thing for the genre, whatever 3.0/3.5's creators might have thought.

I was rather hoping that DF would make it easier to convert Eberron, if I was ever inclined to do so. I guess not. Oh well.