Author Topic: Item Creation and Enchanting  (Read 1021 times)

Ternce

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Item Creation and Enchanting
« on: December 13, 2011, 05:09:35 AM »
This may come off as a rant, or it may come off as constructive feedback.  The tone is not meant to be malicious or admonishing.

I've noticed that more than a few people have started stockpiling items made of a certain material in order to try to make something special for themselves out of said material.  In some cases, it has been allowed to happen, in other cases it has been ignored, I personally feel like this shouldn't be allowed, since in Article 8 of the Journal it explicitly states that if something special -is- made, then it will go into the loot table, and not be handed directly to you.  Aside from the rule that I interpret as disallowing this, there are already ways to make weapons very powerful and very special.

I'm not sure if it allows you to rename your item when you enchant it, or if a DM has to do it, but I've seen items that were renamed to give a personal touch, which I'm all for, since the renaming only takes a moment of time and a single tool.  The former I spoke of is a little more complicated, with design being implemented in the toolset, exporting the item to a file, going into a custom module and placing the item on the ground, picking it up on your DM avatar, saving it, then bringing that special one of a kind item into POTM.  Really, it's just a strain on the team to make these kinds of requests because a lot of work is involved in implementing it, and I'm especially against it because it can give a character an unfair edge over other characters.

On the subject of enchanting, I feel that the level requirement for the donor is a little too high.  I understand that this was done to keep people from using AMPC's or just churning out new characters to use for enchanting, but I've been told repeatedly that 14-15 is the minimum level to start being an enchanting guinea pig.  I feel this level should be 10 instead, since getting any higher than 10 requires a lot more effort than the previous levels, and that is around the time that you start having to venture into more dangerous areas to get positive results out of your adventuring, where enchanted equipment could be best utilized. 

Currently, it seems as if the enchanting system is only in place for very high level characters who have been around for years to have something to do with their excess experience points, since the challenges of the module were overcome by them long ago.  Therein lies the conundrum that the only people who have access to this special equipment is those who have no need of it, since they were already able to best the challenges of the module, and I feel like it would open the craft to younger characters who still have the ambition to see the more difficult areas.

Granted that you can reach the more difficult areas without these items, and my static adventuring party has proven that these items are more of a decadence than a necessity, but I feel like other people should get the opportunity to see the more difficult areas without a 2 year investment.  Lowering the donor level requirement would also reduce the want for these custom items, and while requests haven't been plentiful enough to warrant a public service announcement from the staff, I feel like these requests are wholly  unneeded since we already have this underutilized craft.

Thanks for your time,

Terrance

Mrjunkie

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Re: Item Creation and Enchanting
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2011, 06:51:53 AM »
Custom items usually add a little flair.
Indeed in the journal it states such, but due to a plot line or a ongoing RP storyline a minor item can be replaced to represent a happening, feeling or moment in said storyline.

As for enchanting, the level 14 starting level is indeed intended to halt an abundance of Enchanted Items, due to their overpowerd stats.
If it was to be lowerd, i would say to 12, as even reaching level 10 is done with little perserverance and once the experience is lost, easily regained.
From level 12 and especially 14 onwards, XP is much harder to gain due to the nature of the dungeons we accomidate.

Personally i see no issue with the waythe systems are in place.

And it is at a DM's disgression to allow a custom item, wich they themselves take the time to make for a plotline, or a player requests and the entire DM Team reviews the item.

Badelaire

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Re: Item Creation and Enchanting
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2011, 06:48:08 PM »
A lot of custom stuff I've seen always came with some form of drawback, each one is made at the DM's discression and usually regarding a plot or series of events. Custom RP items with no mechanical bearing tend to be the most frequent request. Sometimes it's a case of:



but it's hardly affecting the game of others. 2 custom weapons I recall weighed more than plate mail for example.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2011, 07:07:19 PM by Badelaire »