Easy Magic Weapons?

[Raekai]

Okay... For my upcoming campaign (and it will be here sooner than I thought), I would like to have easily accessible magic weapons. The Technology Level is TL3+2 and so I would say the Flintlock and Wheel-Lock Pistols are around. But what if I want a magic variant that shoots Fireballs? Or what if someone just wants a wand that can only cast six Fireballs before it's useless?

I know there's a way to do limiting enchantments like that, but I don't remember where all of the rules are, and I'm aware that they are some really interesting House Rules around here for that kind of stuff too. Anything helps... I just want to know the numbers. How much fatigue is it going to cost? How much time does it take? How much money is it going to be? Assisted enchanting? Etc.

If someone can point out all the places in the various books where this stuff pops up, I would be super grateful. If someone wants to point me to their House Rules on this kind of stuff, I would be even more grateful!

I would just like it to the point where someone who doesn't have higher levels of Magery can still have access to magic through the form of wands, staves, magic guns, or even swords.

Thanks!

[ericthered]

This isn't as specific as you're looking for, but it sounds like you want magic as technology, at least for the most part. In which case the thing that matters is that the weapons are balanced with regard to their physical cost and control rating.

You should also ask yourself if a good mage:

• is more powerful than "canned" magic
• is less powerful but more flexible than canned magic
• is a high paid engineer or craftsman who sits at home making the tech.

[hal]

Originally Posted by Raekai

Okay... For my upcoming campaign (and it will be here sooner than I thought), I would like to have easily accessible magic weapons. The Technology Level is TL3+2 and so I would say the Flintlock and Wheel-Lock Pistols are around. But what if I want a magic variant that shoots Fireballs? Or what if someone just wants a wand that can only cast six Fireballs before it's useless?

I know there's a way to do limiting enchantments like that, but I don't remember where all of the rules are, and I'm aware that they are some really interesting House Rules around here for that kind of stuff too. Anything helps... I just want to know the numbers. How much fatigue is it going to cost? How much time does it take? How much money is it going to be? Assisted enchanting? Etc.

If someone can point out all the places in the various books where this stuff pops up, I would be super grateful. If someone wants to point me to their House Rules on this kind of stuff, I would be even more grateful!

I would just like it to the point where someone who doesn't have higher levels of Magery can still have access to magic through the form of wands, staves, magic guns, or even swords.

Thanks!

The way to make magic items that have X uses per item, is to make it such that the item is enchanted with powerstones. Make it that the item can only use the energy from the powerstones themselves for the casting of spells, and you've got your wand of 6 fireballs or what have you. Note: When enchanted with powerstones in this fashion, powerstones grant a x3 ratio of power to energy. In other words, a 1 strength powerstone is equivalent to 3 fatigue for spell casting purposes. If you want further advice on "magic as technology" for your campaign world, feel free to email me.

One MAJOR piece of advice? Go through the spells from GURPS MAGIC for 4e, and start weeding out those spells you definitely do NOT want in your campaign. As a bit of helpful advice? Pick up a copy of GURPS CLASSICS MAGIC for an idea on how to limit certain spells from the start. Much of what is in GURPS CLASSICS MAGIC will bypass a fair amount of grief from the current GURPS MAGIC for 4e.

In any event, good luck. Also? If I might be so bold? Go to HERE to find an archive of the old ALACONIUS lectures regarding spells and their uses in game. Might (or might not for that matter!) be helpful...

[Blind Mapmaker]

For wands with limited charges Kromm gave some versatile rules here:

http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...9&postcount=11

This still means magic weapons aren't exactly cheap, but it gives you more options. And you can fiddle around with the enchantment assumptions as presented in Thaumatology. Personally, I think making Magery 3-5 at least somewhat accessible and allowing an enchanter to put Energy up to their Magery level into Slow & Sure Enchantment every day doesn't completely unbalance magic items. Be advised that they are probably better than most things TL 4 can come up with (btw, did you really mean TL 3+2? That's not superscience equivalent of wheellocks and flintlocks, but of percussion caps and cartridges, i.e. Victorian technology).

[Kax]

Originally Posted by hal

<snip>

In any event, good luck. Also? If I might be so bold? Go to HERE to find an archive of the old ALACONIUS lectures regarding spells and their uses in game. Might (or might not for that matter!) be helpful...

Those lectures are very useful. Thanks. :D I presume no desire to continue them?

I put them together and edited and proofread it a bit, as I want to use them for my players' wizard; he's rather an academic and will appreciate the delivery style and the ideas.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Raekai

Okay... For my upcoming campaign (and it will be here sooner than I thought), I would like to have easily accessible magic weapons. The Technology Level is TL3+2 and so I would say the Flintlock and Wheel-Lock Pistols are around. But what if I want a magic variant that shoots Fireballs?

Guns that shoot Fireballs use the Throw Spell Enchanted Item from p.129 of Magic. It isn't cheap but it is simple.

[hal]

Originally Posted by Kax

Those lectures are very useful. Thanks. :D I presume no desire to continue them?

I put them together and edited and proofread it a bit, as I want to use them for my players' wizard; he's rather an academic and will appreciate the delivery style and the ideas.

You are more than welcome to make any changes you deem necessary. It was sent to the mailing list back in the day when all we had was GURPSNET mailing list, not the forums that we have here. ;)

As for continuing them? To be honest with you, the real question is who would really want more? The initial audience was the GURPSNET community back in the day when the forums weren't even a conceptual idea - let alone a reality as it is today. With the divergence of magic system from GURPS MAGIC - I would seriously doubt that anyone would want a rehash of an older system. As for creativity in players, half the fun is coming up with your own ideas and surprising the heck out of the GM with ideas that in retrospect, are obvious.

If you want? Contact me via private email, with a list of colleges you'd like to see me do lectures for, and perhaps I could write a lecture or two to expand on the old material. I might even send those "lectures" to the still existing GURPSNET (they probably won't show up in the Archive section, but maybe they might <shrug>).

[hal]

Originally Posted by Kax

Those lectures are very useful. Thanks. :D I presume no desire to continue them?

I put them together and edited and proofread it a bit, as I want to use them for my players' wizard; he's rather an academic and will appreciate the delivery style and the ideas.

Oh my lord. I didn't realize the extent of Thread necromancy until I looked at the dates of the thread responses Kax! LOL

[Prince Charon]

I'd suggest alchemy (with lowered prices, possibly due to faster & safer transportation) or industrial enchantment could lead to much cheaper magic items, at least for common enchantments.