Augment Crystals - A Terrible Idea?

[Schmoe]

I just read the first preview for the Magic Item Compendium, which discusses Augment Crystals.

As a brief summary, an Augment Crystal can be affixed to an item to grant it a certain quality. It can be removed from one item and re-attached to another, if you so desire.

It's an interesting idea, but has the potential to completely throw off the current system for magic item pricing. Here's one example.

A "ghost touch" Augment Crystal is worth 5000 gp. It can be affixed to any weapon with an enchantment bonus of at least +1. Placing this crystal on a +1 sword effectively gives you a weapon worth 8000 gp, meaning that the crystal is 1000 gp cheaper than the equivalent weapon. The crystal also has the flexibility that it can be attached to any weapon, in the heat of the action (as a move action).

The discrepancy gets more pronounced as weapons get more powerful. A +5 Holy, Flaming Burst, Ghost Touch longsword costs 200,000 gp. A +5 Holy, Flaming Burst longsword with the ghost touch Augment Cyrstal costs 167,000 gp, for a net savings of 33,000 gp! Even at very high levels, that's not chump change.

Augment Crystals effectively take a cost progression that was geometric for adding powers to items, and makes the cost progression linear. IMO, this is a terrible idea that is just going to lead to the same sorts of problems as those introduced by Skills and Powers back in the days of 2nd Edition. I don't like it. Not one bit.

 

[wayne62682]

I think the augment crystals are a great idea. Most weapon properties aren't worth the cost as they fill very specific roles, not to mention that the way the price scales is utterly ridiculous and relegates most properties to the "not worth it" category unless it's for a very specific niche. It's stupid to waste money on a Ghost Touch weapon if undead are going to be a minor focus in the campaign; it would be much better to buy an augment crystal for less and use it as needed, rather than invest at least 8,000 in a weapon that's only useful half the time and that you lose if you come across a better weapon. I hope that there are also Augment Crystals for flame/frost/shock/acid as well.

In fact, I hope that 4e goes the way of using augment crystals INSTEAD of the current model. That way I can invest money in a +5 weapon, say, and get augment crystals to deal with situations as they arise.. not a case of "Sorry, Joe, but you bought a +2 Frost Longsword last game and tonight we're facing ice creatures. Guess you're going to suck for the next few adventures". That's bad design, plain and simple, that you are PUNISHED for making certain choices. Augment Crystals are a step in the right direction, IMO.

 

[blargney the second]

They're awesome. I intend to use them fully in my game.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

The crystals are a good idea and as soon as I get the book they are being introduced.

 

[Schmoe]

Hmm. Maybe I'm just an alarmist. I rather like the tradeoff with the existing system, it makes for interesting choices. Now, just get a bag full of Augment Crystals, and whip out the right one when combat comes. Furthermore, it makes magic weapons into even more of a "grocery list of abilities", rather than an interesting item around which stories might be made.

Gone are the days of Light Drinker, the +3 Longsword of Wounding and Subtlety, whose blade brought low the progeny of kings. Here are the days of Bob, with his +1 sword and bag of Augment Crystals, purchased from Magic Mart.

 

[Greg K]

Its fine to have as an option for those that want it. I personally will never use it-well not as written as I don't like the idea of them being exchangeable. However, I like the idea of having unique items that might require unique crystals that a character might have to recover.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Gone are the days of Light Drinker, the +3 Longsword of Wounding and Subtlety, whose blade brought low the progeny of kings. Here are the days of Bob, with his +1 sword and bag of Augment Crystals, purchased from Magic Mart.

Only if you assume the augment crystals are easily purchased. They need not be, any more than the sword itself would have been.

 

[Voadam]

Only if you assume the augment crystals are easily purchased. They need not be, any more than the sword itself would have been.

How tough are they to make?

 

[BryonD]

Gone are the days of Light Drinker, the +3 Longsword of Wounding and Subtlety, whose blade brought low the progeny of kings. Here are the days of Bob, with his +1 sword and bag of Augment Crystals, purchased from Magic Mart.

Or perhaps that is just a comparison between a false glamorized past with a false vilified future.....



Anyway, I don't know how much I'd use this specific element just for thematic reasons. But the idea that the cost is wrong presumes that prior costing was correct. I'm not sure that is a good presumption.

 

[Shade]

I love the idea of these things (and loved 'em in Diablo II) and can't wait to use 'em. My only issue with them is the ease at swapping them out during battle. IIRC, they don't even draw an attack of opportunity. This didn't sit well with one of my friends who plays a spellcasters, whose reaction was "Now wait a minute, my spellcasting provokes an AoO, but the fighter dismantling and reassembling his weapon doesn't?" I'd say that's a valid point.