Explosive gems

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Shostak

Sounds good to me. I'd like to see the success of the enchantment being unknown so that duds are possible.

Oh, I like that. You could still, I suppose, do a detect magic to find out the outcome, unless duds really do (say) 1 point of damage, so they aren't complete duds.

Analyze magic still might show that the roll was flubbed, but that's a 4 fatigue spell. It's a dawdle if you're not on adventure, however. One problem in-game with spells like that is that a player can just cast Analyze Magic and Detect Magic repeatedly so that failures are not caught unless, as some have suggested, that failures have a way of fixing themselves in the mind of the caster.

[phiwum]

This question was motivated, by the way, by a recent encounter where I gave one bad guy a 2d explosive gem. Turns out that he missed his throw, even with the Thrown Weapons talent, but I wondered why I settled on such a low damage gem.

Obviously, in metagame terms, I wanted the gem to hurt but not to derail everything. Bill has raised a good point that going from 2d to 3d usually requires an apprentice, but in this context (dreadful goblin army with lots of wizards), that's not a big deal. However, if quality gems are in short supply and if 3d requires a better gem, at least that gives me an in-game explanation for my metagame criterion.

[hcobb]

Remember to give this spell to high DX evil wizards to eliminate the party's powerstones from a few hexes distance.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

I'm doubtful whether explosive gems are a good idea anyway. They tend to change the "We might die in this fight!" threat into "We may not make a profit from this fight," which is a lot less fun.

Being alive at a net financial loss is usually better than the alternative.

[Bill_in_IN]

If one pursues that the cost of each stone doubles for each die of damage, I would find it a little bit more acceptable if included the actual explosive enchantment. Of course, that would cause the proposed geometric increases for the first few gems to have an increase for the wizard's time and effort. After that,the cost increase is so draconian that it really doesn't matter but, it would be nice if it, at least, included the explosive enchantment.

I still say that in my game, the ability to get an explosive gem above 3 Dice of damage is limited by available magic power. So, the need to come up with an impossible to achieve cost chart that is much like the XP to attribute cost chart is not needed unless someone just really likes being a miser on multiple fronts when it comes to such things.

On average, I give out XP at 20-100 per session (per ITL) and I don't throw treasure and coin around like candy. I would say that what I have stated would apply to any game that is similar in that respect. Therefore, there is no need to extreme and excessive when it comes to the cost of such things. Yes, they don't need to be made too easy to get but making impossible is just being a _____. I admit that the cost chart that I posted is on the light side even for my game.

[hcobb]

Where do you find the apprentices that will stand next to and Aid the wizard who's about to roll 18?

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Where do you find the apprentices that will stand next to and Aid the wizard who's about to roll 18?

I understand that factor. Interpret it as you wish.

[Drakenbow]

Originally Posted by hcobb

Where do you find the apprentices that will stand next to and Aid the wizard who's about to roll 18?

Originally Posted by Bill_in_IN

I understand that factor. Interpret it as you wish.

The former is rather humorous.

Grand Wizard "Now my appretices, give me your strenth so I can create a most powerful Explosive Gem the world has seen!!!"

Appretices all take one step further back and decide for the extra -1 DX.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by Drakenbow

The former is rather humorous.

Grand Wizard "Now my appretices, give me your strenth so I can create a most powerful Explosive Gem the world has seen!!!"

Appretices all take one step further back and decide for the extra -1 DX.

LOL! I'm used to seeing that. I work with voltages in excess of 50,000 volts. The less brave take a step or two back.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

I'm doubtful whether explosive gems are a good idea anyway. They tend to change the "We might die in this fight!" threat into "We may not make a profit from this fight," which is a lot less fun.

The fights my characters seem to find themselves in are ones in which they both might die and might not make a profit.