Four Magics

[dataweaver]

Originally Posted by isf

How about the dwarves build in a magic reserve that powers the item; it either recharges over time or is there until it is all used up. The enchantment may also use the energy put into the enchantment itself to power itself, reducing the enchantment to nothing over time. They may have the ability to re-enchant or repair the enchantments and/or the energy reserves.

That's a very human (i.e., Channeling) way of looking at it, conceptually. In particular, you talk about "powering the item" and "recharging the reserves", and of energy being put into the enchantment. This is precisely the paradigm that I'm looking to get away from. Somehow, I need to translate the energy costs of the spell system into a different concept - something that isn't so blatantly about magical energy. I don't think that I can just ditch the energy costs, because those costs are the limiting factor of the spell system.

Then again, maybe I can. Keep the "energy costs" involved in item creation, but think of them instead as being analogous to the man-hours of labor needed to create the item. In fact, that may be exactly what they are in terms of the Slow and Steady enchantment rules. That right there provides a balancing factor between the various spells, in that the more potent ones will require more man-hours to enchant into an item. With that in play, could I get away with completely ignoring the energy costs to activate and/or maintain the item's spell?

If not, what options do I have to work with?