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Old 08-26-2009, 09:38 PM   #161
hal
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Powerstones

Interesting question:

For ANY magic item to work, it must have a power of 15

For any magic item to work in a low mana region, its power must be 20+

Does the rules regarding recharge rate supercede the blanket rule of low mana and power being 20+, or is it just a function of mana recharge rates in and of itself only - requiring a powerstone whose "power" is 20+ in order to be able to recharge slowly in a low mana zone?
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Old 08-26-2009, 09:38 PM   #162
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

Quote:
Originally Posted by Witchking View Post
YMMV but my interpretation is...caster skill level doesn't matter for the question of "functionality" in various mana zones.
No, this is pretty clear. It's just the opposite of your interpretation. A Powerstone is a magic item. Magic items require an _effective_ Skill of 15 to work. For Low Mana areas this includes the -5 for Low Mana.

So a Powerstone made at 15 in regular mana drops to 10 in a LMZ and doesn't function as a magic item at all.
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Old 08-26-2009, 09:52 PM   #163
hal
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
No, this is pretty clear. It's just the opposite of your interpretation. A Powerstone is a magic item. Magic items require an _effective_ Skill of 15 to work. For Low Mana areas this includes the -5 for Low Mana.

So a Powerstone made at 15 in regular mana drops to 10 in a LMZ and doesn't function as a magic item at all.
That was pretty much what I expected to be the case, but - sometimes I get the feeling that conventional usage versus rules as written tends to neglect that niggling detail ;)
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Old 08-27-2009, 01:02 AM   #164
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Default Re: Powerstones

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
No, this is pretty clear. It's just the opposite of your interpretation. A Powerstone is a magic item. Magic items require an _effective_ Skill of 15 to work. For Low Mana areas this includes the -5 for Low Mana.

So a Powerstone made at 15 in regular mana drops to 10 in a LMZ and doesn't function as a magic item at all.
ISTR there's a ruling that glosses or homogenizes the various castings of Powerstone on the same item, this may make it easier to get the whole thing to a higher Power rating, like the 2d increase from critical success.
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Old 08-27-2009, 10:45 AM   #165
hal
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

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ISTR there's a ruling that glosses or homogenizes the various castings of Powerstone on the same item, this may make it easier to get the whole thing to a higher Power rating, like the 2d increase from critical success.
I recall that same ruling - which is why I don't think removing enchantment on the last powerstone casting will remove the quirk. I've already pointed out the issue involved with keeping track of every single enchantment done at varying levels of power levels for the enchanter tacking on a new "Powerstone" enchantment - and it makes for some nasty book keeping requirements.

Likewise, what happens when you have a mage who enchants a sword to +1 damage with Pussiance at skill level 16, and another mage casts the +2 version (ie another +1 in addition to the original +1) who happens to have a skill of 20 in both Pussiance and Enchantment? Kinda gets ugly, ya know?
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Old 08-27-2009, 01:02 PM   #166
Not another shrubbery
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

I've got the beginning of an idea that might solve some problems with Powerstone, but might create others :/ What if you tie the power of the enchantment to the capacity of the powerstone? I'm thinking that a casting would fix its maximum charge at Power (effective skill), and that subsequent castings would actually add charge without affecting the maximum.
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Old 08-27-2009, 05:49 PM   #167
hal
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

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Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery View Post
I've got the beginning of an idea that might solve some problems with Powerstone, but might create others :/ What if you tie the power of the enchantment to the capacity of the powerstone? I'm thinking that a casting would fix its maximum charge at Power (effective skill), and that subsequent castings would actually add charge without affecting the maximum.
As best as I know at this point in time - ie, based on 3e stuff from the past...

The power level of the powerstone is equal to the highest enchantment level put into the powerstone at any given time. Critical Successes increase the relative power level of the powerstone (I wish powerstones hadn't been called powerstones. Manabatteries yes, powerstones, no. It gets confusing to list the power of the magic item and try to avoid the confusion of how much energy the powerstone contains. Revised Magic should rename the item Manastones). Quirks and crit successes permeate the entire magic item. Thus, the powerstone always has one "power" value throughout, and any quirks affect all of the stone, not just the last power point imbued into the stone.

I suspect too, that the same holds true when you attempt to add a second +1 pussiance to a sword that already has +1 pussiance embedded. That does raise a theory of magic issue. What happens when the skill of the mage is at say, 15, and he is attempting to add the second +1 for pussiance, to a sword whose power is listed as being 20?
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Old 08-27-2009, 06:21 PM   #168
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Default Re: Powerstones

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Originally Posted by hal View Post
As best as I know at this point in time - ie, based on 3e stuff from the past...

The power level of the powerstone is equal to the highest enchantment level put into the powerstone at any given time. Critical Successes increase the relative power level of the powerstone (I wish powerstones hadn't been called powerstones. Manabatteries yes, powerstones, no. It gets confusing to list the power of the magic item and try to avoid the confusion of how much energy the powerstone contains. Revised Magic should rename the item Manastones). Quirks and crit successes permeate the entire magic item. Thus, the powerstone always has one "power" value throughout, and any quirks affect all of the stone, not just the last power point imbued into the stone.

I suspect too, that the same holds true when you attempt to add a second +1 pussiance to a sword that already has +1 pussiance embedded. That does raise a theory of magic issue. What happens when the skill of the mage is at say, 15, and he is attempting to add the second +1 for pussiance, to a sword whose power is listed as being 20?
Well hal as to the powerstone questions IIRC kromm is quoted elsewhere in this thread as saying "yes you can use Remove Enchant to pull a quirked casting of Powerstone (note a casting...not every casting ever done on the stone). As to spell level I have no particular thoughts beyond the one I stated upthread.

As to "upgrading" a weapon note the following....
Quote:
Magic p 65 from Accuracy Enchantment
Note: If a weapon already has this spell at a low level, a caster may recast
the spell at a higher level (making the weapon more accurate). The cost for
the new spell is the difference between the levels; the “old” spell does not add to the item’s resistance to the “new” one
So you are not casting an Energy cost 250 Accuracy +1 to add to the 250 Accuracy +1 on the weapon to end up with Accuracy +2.

You must cast Accuracy +2 Energy cost 1000 and the Accuracy +1 EC 250 on the weapon adds it energy in (ie upgrade takes 750 EC).

So it isnt as simple as 1+1 = 2

A few to think on...
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Old 08-27-2009, 06:32 PM   #169
hal
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

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Originally Posted by Witchking View Post
So you are not casting an Energy cost 250 Accuracy +1 to add to the 250 Accuracy +1 on the weapon to end up with Accuracy +2.

You must cast Accuracy +2 Energy cost 1000 and the Accuracy +1 EC 250 on the weapon adds it energy in (ie upgrade takes 750 EC).

So it isnt as simple as 1+1 = 2

A few to think on...
Um Dude... ;)

A level 1 pussiance enchanted with a skill of 20 at 250 points, is the first level of enchantment. A level 2 pussiance (or an additional +1) will as you note, cost 750. I am well aware of that. But as I pointed out, what happens if the enchanter who attempts to add the second +1 bonus to a sword already enchanted with +1, but HIS skill is only 15 - what then?

Is the GM required to make note of this situation such that it acts as a +1 sword in low mana regions, and +2 sword in normal or better mana regions?

What if the situation were reversed, where the person who inbued the sword with a +1 initially had a power level of 15, but the second mage added on the imbuement that would take it to +2 for only 750 energy - and his skill were at 20?

Would the entire sword's enchantment fail to work because the foundational aspect of the pusiance isn't working in the low mana region, or will it act as a +1 weapon in low mana because the secondary imbuement will work in low mana, and doesn't require the foundational imbuement to work? THAT is what I was trying to get at.
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Old 08-27-2009, 06:35 PM   #170
hal
 
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Default Re: Powerstones

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Originally Posted by Witchking View Post
Well hal as to the powerstone questions IIRC kromm is quoted elsewhere in this thread as saying "yes you can use Remove Enchant to pull a quirked casting of Powerstone (note a casting...not every casting ever done on the stone). As to spell level I have no particular thoughts beyond the one I stated upthread.
I did a search on Remove Quirk Powerstone with the user KROMM and found zero hits on the topic. Could you refer to the location or thread where Kromm makes that point?

Thanks :)
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