[RPM] Better Arms and Armor Through Magic

[Varyon]

I'm been working on an RPM modification that includes creation of magic items, but I need a base to work off of. Namely - how would one go about designing a ritual that would modify an item in some way? For example, with RPM we could create a sword made of fire (Greater Create Energy + Greater Control Energy + Altered Traits: Innate Attack), but how about simply surrounding the blade of an existing sword with fire? Or, for that matter, how about getting a +1 to damage or skill/Acc, or for armor making it Hardened or granting it additional DR? This thread is meant to address this.

We'll start with damage bonuses. One idea is simply to use Bestows a Bonus - it's probably Broad. Of course, this gets a little odd when the extra damage doesn't match the initial weapon's damage type (such as with a poisoned, flaming, or corrosive sword), and I'm personally less-than-fond of using Bestows a Bonus for anything that isn't a 3d6 roll. An alternative is to keep in mind that Follow-Up on natural attacks is a +0% modifier, and our modification to the weapon is, well, an enchantment on the weapon itself. That in mind, I think a ritual that gives the weapon Altered Traits: Innate Attack (Follow-Up +0%) is appropriate. For weapons with multiple attack modes, such as a sword or halberd, use modifiers like Thrusting Blade (in general, such should be built using the most expensive attack mode - impaling for the halberd - and then applying +20% or so for each additional attack mode).
Things get a little hairier with projectile weapons (thrown weapons and projectiles themselves are probably alright using the above). There, you'll need to build the Follow-Up as having the same range as the weapon itself (if the weapon has multiple ammunition types with different ranges, simply using the typical ammo to build the trait is likely sufficient).

Next up are attack bonuses. These are easy enough - they're clearly a case for Bestows a Bonus. This is probably a Narrow Bonus ("Attack rolls with this weapon only"), although a Moderate Bonus ("Attack and Defense rolls with this weapon only") may be more useful.
Ranged/thrown weapons and projectiles can instead (or in addition) increase Acc. The general guideline for Enhancements on Damaging Spells is +1 energy per +5% Enhancement, meaning +1 energy per +1 Acc (unless the weapon is powerful enough for the damage to cost more than 20 energy as a spell - 40d for pi-, 20d for pi/cr/burn/tox, 15d for pi+/cut, and 10d for pi++/imp/corr/fat - in which case it's +5%).

The same way we handled Acc will work for other modifications as well. Increased Range is +10% per +2 to Range on the SSR Table. Expanding this to +5% per +1 would work, and would also mean 1 energy per +1 Range. Giving a broadsword Reach characteristics of a whip (going from Reach 1 to Reach 1-4) is a +10% boost, or 2 energy. Cannot Parry is a -5% Limitation, so one could argue for getting rid of the U on Parry nU weapons at the cost of 1 energy. Armor Divisor is +50%/level, meaning 10 energy per level.

Heading over to armor, the first thing we'll need to do is boost DR. As any DR a piece of armor benefits from will also help the wearer, this is Altered Traits: Damage Reduction. For most armor, this is simply 5 energy per +1 DR (6 energy if you'd like it to function as a Force Field to protect the wielder's equipment as well), while flexible armor is instead 4 energy per +1 DR. We could easily do other modifications, such as making the bonus DR (semi-)ablative or similar, with appropriate reductions in energy cost. Note the energy price will also need to be scaled with armor coverage (the above assumes full coverage).

Making armor Hardened is slightly more involved - we need to first determine what the armor would be worth as innate Damage Reduction (if not using multiplicative modifiers, you can ignore any modifiers like flexible, partial coverage, etc), then apply the cost of appropriate level of Hardened. For example, Hardened 2 is +40% - applied to a DR 6 plate harness ([30], so 30 energy), we're looking at 12 energy.

A final (for now) modification deals with the fact that magic items tend not to degrade or rust, as well as the fact that they can often be made with designs or materials that shouldn't be very resilient, yet function just like more normal items would. The first is essentially Altered Traits: Negated Disadvantage (Maintenance), which is typically worth around [10] (while in use such items need daily maintenance by 1 person), so 10 energy. The second is basically a Rules Exemption, allowing items that should be incapable of being anything but Cheap for breakage to ignore this. I've opted to make this essentially a "double Perk," for [2], and thus 2 energy. This works out to 12 energy for the whole deal - but this should probably only be used in rituals with rather long durations.

Note that none of the above looks at what Effects are in play - this would be rather reliant on how the spell functions. A flaming sword is probably Greater Create Energy + Lesser Control Energy, an infinitely Hardened breastplate is probably Greater Strengthen Matter, and so forth. For my purposes, I need to know what can be done with Lesser Strengthen Matter, and for this my guidelines would be as follows:
Damage: Up to +2 to damage (similar to Very Fine). This would be 2 energy (Bestows a Narrow Bonus, as suggested by PK).
Skill: Up to +1 skill (similar to Balanced). This would be 2 energy (Bestows a Moderate Bonus).
Acc: Up to +2 Acc (similar to Very Accurate) for weapons, up to +50% Acc on ammunition (similar to hand-loaded match-grade). This would be 2 energy for +2 Acc, possibly more for precision ammo (1 energy per +1 Acc).
Range: Up to +2 Range. This would be 2 energy (1 energy per +1 range).
DR: Up to +50% DR. Price would vary, see DR guidelines above.
Hardening: Up to Hardened 1. Again, see guidelines above.
Resilience: The above modification for this (no maintenance + allows poor materials/designs) is considered a Lesser Strengthen Matter effect in my system - in fact, all magic items must have this modification, and other Lesser Strengthen Matter effects must be included within the same ritual. I'm not certain if I should apply the Strengthen cost (3 energy) again or not, however (that is, should a ritual granting +2 damage, +1 skill, and no maintenance to a broadsword have one Lesser Strengthen Matter effect, or three?).
EDIT: Resilience no longer has the Rules Exemption option, instead adjust the Breakage chance, as below.
Breakage: Down to -2 (similar to Very Fine). This would be 2 energy (Bestows a Narrow Penalty).
Weight: For weapons only; this affects effective weight (for purposes of MinST and breakage), not actual weight (for purposes of encumbrance and item HP). Up to 1.5x or down to 0.7x current weight. This would cost 10 (Heavy; 1 energy per +5%) or 3 (Light; 1 energy per -10%).

[Dalillama]

Bonuses to skill could also be handled by Path of Chance effects. Control Matter could also be used for Accuracy-type effects, by actually moving the projectile to make a better trajectory. I have a ritual for enhancing bullets posted here

[Dwarf99]

I may be wrong, but I think you may need Universal Followup to apply damage bonuses to ST based weapon attacks. Using RPMs damage table may supercede that though.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Bonuses to skill could also be handled by Path of Chance effects. Control Matter could also be used for Accuracy-type effects, by actually moving the projectile to make a better trajectory. I have a ritual for enhancing bullets posted here

Oh, certainly, other Paths are rather useful - I've got some ideas for Path of Chance effects that would increase the chance of a critical hit (by boosting your skill for this purpose only), cause random hit location attacks to gravitate toward certain body parts (say, the Neck), and/or move the results on the Critical Hit Table away from 10 bouncing around in my head. The reason I'm interested in what Lesser Strengthen Matter specifically can get away with is because the artificing system I'm working on allows artisans to make magic items with such effects without themselves actually knowing magic (I'm letting the appropriate crafting skill substitute for Path of Matter for this purpose only). That's for another discussion when I have some better ideas on exactly how my system is going to be working.

As for this thread, I failed to list the purpose of it in my first post (I've a habit of doing this). What I'm mostly looking for are thoughts on my proposals, and of course additional enchantments are always welcome. Under what I laid out in the original post, your charm would probably be built as Lesser Strengthen Energy (3) + Lesser Control Magic (5) + Bestows a Bonus (Narrow) 2 (2) + Increased Range x2 (2), total 12 energy. My system allows that Narrow bonus to be a straight bonus to hit even at 3 yards and closer, while with yours it's reduced to +0 at 2 yards and +1 at 3 yards (not that that will typically make much difference).

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Dwarf99

I may be wrong, but I think you may need Universal Followup to apply damage bonuses to ST based weapon attacks. Using RPMs damage table may supercede that though.

This is set as a Follow-Up to the weapon's "natural attack," which is +0%. The spell is on the weapon, not the user.

EDIT2: For things like flaming swords, Aura may actually be the way to go, come to think of it.

[PK]

For what it's worth, Bestows A Bonus is absolutely the canonical way to do a "+2 flaming sword." Nothing about BAB limits it to success rolls! Damage rolls, reaction rolls, rolls on a table, etc., are all fair game! And unless the GM feels the need to inflate the cost, "damage" is absolutely a narrow bonus -- it improves one thing and one thing only about the weapon, after all.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by PK

For what it's worth, Bestows A Bonus is absolutely the canonical way to do a "+2 flaming sword." Nothing about BAB limits it to success rolls! Damage rolls, reaction rolls, rolls on a table, etc., are all fair game! And unless the GM feels the need to inflate the cost, "damage" is absolutely a narrow bonus -- it improves one thing and one thing only about the weapon, after all.

Would "Rolls made relating to this weapon" then be a moderate category? How about "Rolls made to hit me", for a defensive spell?

[DangerousThing]

Would it be possible to create an RPM ritual to create a superfine weapon. I'm thinking it would be done during crafting and not make a magical weapon, but just a stronger one.

In my setting I use Realm magic to do this when necessary. I have it work much better if the mage knows then mundane skills so he knows better what to tell the magic what to do.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by PK

For what it's worth, Bestows A Bonus is absolutely the canonical way to do a "+2 flaming sword." Nothing about BAB limits it to success rolls! Damage rolls, reaction rolls, rolls on a table, etc., are all fair game! And unless the GM feels the need to inflate the cost, "damage" is absolutely a narrow bonus -- it improves one thing and one thing only about the weapon, after all.

Interesting. I think I'll run it this way, then, and when the damage type of the enchantment doesn't match that of the weapon (as with a flaming or acidic sword), I think I'll handle it as a) the extra damage gets precedence when penetrating (so if I thrust and roll 6 damage against DR 3 with my +2 Burn sword, 1 imp and 2 burn get through) and b) I'll use the price guidelines from Damage to adjust the price of the bonus (so pi- is half price, cut/pi+ is 1.5x price, imp/pi++/corr is 2x price). For weapons that are sheathed in an aura (causing passive damage just from a touch), I'll either double the value or require they instead be built as an Aura. I'll keep the Follow-Up rule in effect for enchantments that damage FP, however.
Incidentally, what do you feel about Bestows a Bonus +n (Critical Hit Table, only on rolls of 11+) + Bestows a Penalty -n (Critical Hit Table, only on rolls of 10-)? It seems like 2 Narrow bonuses to me, but I'm not certain it's legitimate to actually give a bonus/penalty based on the roll results. The idea is that it's +/-n, whichever would be more useful.

Originally Posted by DangerousThing

Would it be possible to create an RPM ritual to create a superfine weapon. I'm thinking it would be done during crafting and not make a magical weapon, but just a stronger one.

I don't have UT, but IIRC, Superfine grants +1 Armor Divisor (1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 5, etc) and an additional -1 to Breakage. Easy enough - Armor Divisor 1 (10 energy) and Bestows a Bonus (or Penalty, depending on how you look at it) +1 to a Narrow category (1 energy). Clearly a Strengthen Matter effect - justifiably a Lesser Effect for a Very Fine weapon at least.

As for actually crafting one without enchanting it, my artificing system probably wouldn't allow this outright (although I'm debating allowing "enchantments" done entirely with crafting skill not count as magical, in which case it essentially would work). With RAW RPM, you'd probably need to do a ritual to give the craftsman sufficient High TL for Superfine to be available and negate the penalties of using a lower TL version of Armory and Metallurgy. After this you'd need to somehow (using rituals, naturally) create the necessary workshop for processing TL 4 (or whatever) steel into TL 9 or 10 (whatever Superfine requires) steel, then create the item before all your buffs run out (make time to replenish Duration, or just set it long enough to be able to make the item outright).

[DangerousThing]

OK, superfine might be overdoing it in a traditional fantasy environment. My setting is TL 6+3. The people know what makes strong metal.

I even allow transformation, though this requires a very lengthy ritual - matter doesn't like being changed that much. Changing the crystallization is easy; changing lead to gold requires a lot more time and effort.

This is in my setting, with my magic system.

I basically went through each realm and decided on how things in that realm behaved. For example, gas doesn't like to be shaped; it is a 5 CP unusual background for a mage to manage it with a penalty.

Solid matter doesn't like to be transformed, and it can only be done using a lengthy ritual. Whereas energy can be summoned and shaped easily; however, in my system it's usually easier to throw a beam of energy than a tradition GURPS missile spell, because throwing it as a beam doesn't require you to keep the energy in a stable state while it's being empowered and thrown.

[Langy]

The way I've been thinking about doing it is by shoving the Imbuements rules into RPM, and make most 'alter the item' magic items just permanent Imbuements.