item crafting, - expanding the possibilities Options

[Lemernis]

Baronius, I think you're really onto something with the Herbs & Potions component, which can be broadened considerably. Rather than overposting within a tight-knit modding community I'll just provide the link to the discussion elsewhere:

http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=7575

I'm very curious to see your thoughts either here or in the linked thread.

[Keldor]

This is a great idea. It's good fun to think about even if the thread is ancient.

I don't think much of the idea of normal NPCs bartering or making requests for components though. Most would be terrified of even a first level mage appearing on their doorstep (since they can't tell anyone's level by sight). Indeed, if a commoner has such a component, it'd either be easily available or something unique and obscure the true nature of which is unknown to them e.g. a stuffed bird curio which is actually a cockatrice with body parts potentially useful to a mage. In the latter case, the NPC would instantly become intrigued/suspicious but still too scared to risk pushing the mage (and his friends) for very much reward.

I think it'd be better to have 'mundane' item ingredients randomly dispersed about the game world or as treasure e.g. if the mage of the party deals the death blow to a particular monster (designated as one from which ingredients can be acquired) e.g. an umber hulk, it drops an ingredient e.g. its eyes, or a tusk, which can be taken and stored until such time as its potential use becomes known. The mage guild idea, or maybe a curio and components shop, would be great if this route is taken since in the meantime such items can be sold rather than left in a container somewhere. [Items left somewhere have a chance of not being there upon return, the chance being dependent on its type and likelihood of being stolen e.g. fancy feathers would be highly likely to get taken for hats and hair adornment, an umber hulk's tusk would be likely to be taken for carving or sale as 'ivory', decaying eye balls might be eaten by carrion but would otherwise be unlikely to disappear, etc. Just give the item a % figure and check each time the area is revisited.] Items sold to the guild would be likely to be unavailable to buy back later depending on their rarity and potential usefulness. Each enchanted item could have a rarity value assigned to it which denotes the likelihood of other mages to know its applications. Thus, a rare and powerful item which requires at least one difficult-to-acquire ingredient, say, the tooth of a spirit troll, would have a low sale price but will be highly unlikely to have been bought by another mage in the meantime, perhaps only a 5% chance each return visit. If an ingredient is only useable in one 'recipe' then, again, it will have a low % chance of being sold on. Body parts of monsters that can be encountered in several places in the game e.g. winter wolves, can have a fairly high sell-on factor (but a poor sale price). Items that can be used in numerous recipes e.g. a mould found in crypts and graveyards (new item added as treasure in such places) would have a high sell-on factor and could even also have quite a good sale price depending on its rarity in the game.

If a mage doesn't deal the death blow to a monster that can yield ingredients then no such ingredient is dropped i.e. it's assumed that the ingredient was spoiled in some way. This proviso would prevent non-mages from collecting things they wouldn't even know had value and which would demand they visit places (to sell the ingredients) which they couldn't reasonably be expected to know about or want to visit ordinarily.

Ingredients/components that can be found in a container or dropped by a monster (that isn't a body part) e.g. an obscure book (which might be hidden amongst many common books), a strange figurine, a small jar labelled 'squid ink', etc. can be taken (or not) as the player feels inclined. If left behind these items should only have a 1% chance of not being there should the PC ever return since they are unique or extremely rare even though they are likely to have a very low sale price due to obscurity.

The key to these components would be the recipe, which itself can either be discovered as treasure or even bought somewhere e.g. a particular NPC (not necessarily a mage); an additional line of dialogue after a minor quest is completed might be, "Oh, and you might have a use for this." Certain recipes could be dependent on mage level i.e. not available at all until a certain level has been reached (although the ingredients are).

In line with the P&P rules for enchanting items, the best items could require an ingredient which is extremely difficult to acquire, such as the 'stealth of a thief'. Such an ingredient might require the PC mage to accompany a thief on a burglary! A lot of fun could be had with this mission since the mage will likely 'blow the gaff' repeatedly and so ruin the acquisition of the component.

In my opinion, no powerful item a mage makes should be available by any other means.
No mage below level 9 can make any permanent item.
The mage who successfully constructs an item should be rewarded with XP. Cursed items subtract 90% of this experience upon discovery (even constructing a cursed item teaches the mage something).

To disincline players from simply re-loading the game until they succeed at making a magic item, the chance for success could be determined at the ingredient acquisition point adjusted for the level of the PC (if the PC is a mage) or the highest level mage in the party e.g. if an item requires five components (and any powerful item should require at least 3) five rolls for success would have been made; the success or failure result would be flagged to that particular ingredient. Thus the enchantment of an item will not succeed if a 'failure' ingredient is used in its manufacture. In P&P the base chance of success is 60% +1% per mage level, -1% per ingredient or process. I would alter this thusly: Base chance 60%, +1 per mage level, +1% per point of intelligence above 15, +1% for a rare ingredient, +2% for a very rare ingredient, and +3% for a unique ingredient, -1% for a common ingredient.

It'll never happen. *Sigh*