Incoming change - tying enchanted gear to the target drained

[Soren / Zarathustra217]

Enchanted gear is intentionally meant to be powerful - likely the most powerful you will come upon on this server. This is partly because we wanted the most powerful gear to be achievable by collaborate effort rather than just repeated searching through loot, and partly because we wanted to allow people to further extend the period they can continue to progress rather than just hitting the hard level 20 cap and be done.

But the sad reality is that this has opened for some exploits as some people use retired or even long dead characters to drain XP from to make items for other characters. It has also at times become a balance issue even when done fully legitimately. Therefore, as per the next update, you will find that newly made enchanted gear can no longer be worn by anyone other than the person that was used as the drain target when making the item. They will effectively be tied to the person that sacrificed XP to have the item made.

For all existing enchanted gear, the items will rather be tied to the current item possessor at the time of the update to not cause too much frustration.

We hope you understand and can sympathize with this change (even if you might not all agree with it). Feel free to leave a comment if you want.

(And as usual: if it should turn out to ruin POTM forever, we are always able to roll it back without issue - but let's give it a proper shot first)

[FinalHeaven]

I guess I find it a bit silly that this is necessary and it's a bit frustrating that we can no longer make a gift of enchanted gear to someone dear to our characters, assuming they're level appropriate.  I feel like it would have been much simpler and allowed for the continuation of some good roleplay to simply level restrict the items and then make a rule that characters that haven't been played for x amount of time can't be used as enchantment batteries for someone else.  The latter seems common sense to me and I would think making it a proper rule would have the desired effect.  I look at it in the same way as the rule against trading items between characters, or muling.

I'd also point out that a huge gold sink has just been killed but I guess that opens a whole other can of worms.

I understand why it might just be quicker to go about it this way, though.  While I personally don't really like it, it can't be denied that it solves the problem.

[BahamutZ3RO]

What does this mean, exactly? The person wearing enchanted gear has their exp docked and it's returned when they remove it?

[FinalHeaven]

What does this mean, exactly? The person wearing enchanted gear has their exp docked and it's returned when they remove it?

Craven wants some magic pants.  Craven has to stand in the circle himself.  If someone else stands in the circle and makes magic pants, Craven can't wear them.  Only the person who actually loses the xp can wear the gear.

[BahamutZ3RO]

What does this mean, exactly? The person wearing enchanted gear has their exp docked and it's returned when they remove it?

Craven wants some magic pants.  Craven has to stand in the circle himself.  If someone else stands in the circle and makes magic pants, Craven can't wear them.  Only the person who actually loses the xp can wear the gear.

Oh. Guess I'm in the market for a new set of boots then!

[ladylena]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes, or gifts. Perhaps there could be a way that one enchanted, the first person to equip it (after enchantment) is bound to it?

[Arawn]

What does this mean, exactly? The person wearing enchanted gear has their exp docked and it's returned when they remove it?

Craven wants some magic pants.  Craven has to stand in the circle himself.  If someone else stands in the circle and makes magic pants, Craven can't wear them.  Only the person who actually loses the xp can wear the gear.

Oh. Guess I'm in the market for a new set of boots then!

Note please that as Soren said, already-made and gifted materials will not be affected by this change, but will lock to the character who owns them now.

[FinalHeaven]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes, or gifts. Perhaps there could be a way that one enchanted, the first person to equip it (after enchantment) is bound to it?

Actually, this is perfect, if it could work out.

[ladylena]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes, or gifts. Perhaps there could be a way that one enchanted, the first person to equip it (after enchantment) is bound to it?

Actually, this is perfect, if it could work out.

And perhaps for the use of old alts and such, maybe if a counter could be added to the chars and only permit characters who have been active the last X amount of days to give up their xp for the item?

[Tycat]

This change +90000000

I love it. I really do. As an enchanter I have been a little disheartened by how blah blah it's been treated. It is supposed to be the end all acheivement, to get something enchanted, and I like that this will make it feel just that more more incredible. Now, I like the idea also that someone can enchant for someone too. I wear things that my character's love enchanted for him myself, BUT this makes a lot more sense. It also gives an impression of importance to the item. that it cannot just simply be passed on but bound to the wearer.

I just love this. I am actually looking forward to this change.

[EO]

And perhaps for the use of old alts and such, maybe if a counter could be added to the chars and only permit characters who have been active the last X amount of days to give up their xp for the item?

It's not just a matter of old chars used as batteries but also a matter of balance. These are the most powerful items but they end up being gifted to low levels, where it skews the balance. We had set a minimum level limit to crafting to prevent that but with gifting, this limit ended up being circumvented.

Such change will make it so lower levels can't get enchanted gear; they will also become much rarer and more unique since people won't be able to chain make them.

[FinalHeaven]

And perhaps for the use of old alts and such, maybe if a counter could be added to the chars and only permit characters who have been active the last X amount of days to give up their xp for the item?

It's not just a matter of old chars used as batteries but also a matter of balance. These are the most powerful items but they end up being gifted to low levels, where it skews the balance. We had set a minimum level limit to crafting to prevent that but with gifting, this limit ended up being circumvented.

Such change will make it so lower levels can't get enchanted gear; they will also become much rarer and more unique since people won't be able to chain make them.

Couldn't you theoretically just put a level restriction on the item itself, though?  Or just make a server rule?

[MJ_Johansson]

I approve. The only thing I'll miss is that fear that someone will kill you and steal your enchanted greatsword of everything slaying. But it makes sense still.

[Strigoi]

makes sense from a story point of view. your soul enchants it, therefore it's power only works for you. 

[Dumas]

I very much support the change. I've had a sense that far too many people have sought ways to avoid the XP penalty for enchantments, and that other characters sacrificing their souls for another's weapon or armour to be a bit better sounds like a stretch of believability. Why would someone give up their soul for another's possessions to be better? That has always struck me as a sacrifice the actual user of the item should make.

[qwertyuioppp]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes

This is my main concern, considering I went to a bit of effort getting something enchanted as a grand prize for Underbrawl. Will exceptions be allowed? I do like this as a change, in general, but I feel like there should be room for exceptional circumstances.

[DM Brimstone]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes

This is my main concern, considering I went to a bit of effort getting something enchanted as a grand prize for Underbrawl. Will exceptions be allowed? I do like this as a change, in general, but I feel like there should be room for exceptional circumstances.

I completely agree with qwerty. Maybe we could have a DM or CC approval process for exceptions?
 

[Bluebomber4evr]

And perhaps for the use of old alts and such, maybe if a counter could be added to the chars and only permit characters who have been active the last X amount of days to give up their xp for the item?

It's not just a matter of old chars used as batteries but also a matter of balance. These are the most powerful items but they end up being gifted to low levels, where it skews the balance. We had set a minimum level limit to crafting to prevent that but with gifting, this limit ended up being circumvented.

Such change will make it so lower levels can't get enchanted gear; they will also become much rarer and more unique since people won't be able to chain make them.

Couldn't you theoretically just put a level restriction on the item itself, though?  Or just make a server rule?

No. Level restrictions are a sever-level rule and it's all-or-nothing, which would break all of our custom systems.

[herkles]

Why not just remove enchanting and tie the greatest of the gear to DMs and their Events?

[Merry Munchkin]

I like this, save for the no longer being able to offor enchanted items as prizes

This is my main concern, considering I went to a bit of effort getting something enchanted as a grand prize for Underbrawl. Will exceptions be allowed? I do like this as a change, in general, but I feel like there should be room for exceptional circumstances.

I think a solution to something like that would be for a DM to make a special un-tagged item as the event prize, and whomever is the winner gets the item, then the DM tags it to that person.  Such events should be overseen by a DM anyway, so the organizer of the event could make arrangements for the special prize item beforehand, and then the DM would be on hand to tag the item to the event winner.

[Tycat]

I have a question regarding the old gear being tied to the current possessor:

If I drop my enchanted sword and enchanted sheild, like say on death or over full inventory, how will that work being tied/bound to me?

[Arawn]

I approve. The only thing I'll miss is that fear that someone will kill you and steal your enchanted greatsword of everything slaying. But it makes sense still.

They could still steal it. Just not use it.

[Dusk]

I'm surprised this is just now being done.

As for rewards in events run by players, there are still plenty of items obtainable from dungeons that are near, sometimes even equal, to the level of enchanted gear. Furthermore, if you have the resources to have an item enchanted for use as reward, then you have the resources to get at least some of the aforementioned items of near or equal power.

[-Wing]

Some of my fondest memories revolve around this kind of unique, special gift. I'm very disappointed to see it go because it was being used in a way that was disapproved of (but still, as I understand it, legal).

I've loved all of the rp around the meaning of such a gift, the debate of what that might mean for Tabitha's soul - particularly when the sword she made was then used against an innocent.  A piece of -her- soul, doing that!  The depth of fondness for a piece of gear because it is part of a friend of hers in a very real way.  The plotting of wicked ways to use the machine.

Will it ruin things forever? Of course not.  But I am deeply disappointed to see all of that rp tossed out with the bathwater.  I would have preferred a less drastic answer, as to me what is gained by the change doesn't balance what is lost.

[FinalHeaven]

Wing's post is essentially what I was getting at, just much more in depth.  I suppose I'm just struggling to see how simply making one or two new rules to encompass the perceived issue wouldn't have been a better initial response.

I really hope that this new system doesn't come with a blanket assumption that all old enchanted items were made by the wearer, from an IC perspective.