Augment Crystals - A Terrible Idea?

[Grymar]

Put me in the against camp at the moment. Maybe I'll change my mind if I see them in action but I don't like the flavor or crunch of the cyrstals. If they were a full minute to swap out, I'd like them more, but still it takes the flavor away from the weapon.

Why not just have the Halberd of Golan Duur? This is an ancient weapon made for the hobgoblin champion in honor of his saving the daughter of the Empress. In order to be able to defend the empire against any foe, the halberd can alter its properties to suit its enemies. Concentrating on the weapon for a full round (which does provoke attacks of opportunities), the bearer can apply any of the following properties: flaming, frost, electricity, sonic, ghost touch, or keen.

You could even boil that down to a +2 property called elemental or flexible. You get the same concept but now it actually has some fun to it (my definition of fun, yours may be different).

 

[GreatLemur]

My only beef with them is the name is very much a psionic naming convention - psionics uses augmentation for its power system and has a direct tie to crystals - power stones, cognizance crystals, deep crystal, etc, yet these are magic items

Honestly, I think "magic crystals" are just plain tired and fluffy and obnoxious, anyway. I love the mechanics of augment crystals, but I'd rather rather represent them physically as all manner of charms, fetishes, ribbons, chains, scrolls, and runes that can be affixed to a weapon, instead of as glowing jewels that fit neatly into inexplicably-standardized sockets.

 

[brehobit]

I really don't understand this. Core fighters are weak. That's pretty much agreed. They are generally considered one of the weakest classes, probably just ahead of the bard, monk and possibly the paladin. So, if we boost up the fighter to the level of the cleric (say) how is that power creep? Isn't that simply correcting a previous imbalance that wasn't identified in the core rules?

I don't think it's agreed. Core "pure" fighters are weak past level 4. But as a class, Fighters are pretty good. Every warrior-type I've played has ended up with 1-4 levels of fighter.

And core clerics, while powerful, aren't all _that_ powerful (core only rules here with errata). Plus we've certainly seen clerics get huge boosts from the splat books (mainly spells).

My point is that we've seen serious power creep over the last few years, and in the last year (Bo9S, PHBII) we've seen "power walking" rather than creeping. This latest addition, which throws out traditional weapon/armor costs on their ear, is looking like power jogging.

Mark

 

[brehobit]

I don't think PHB2 fighters are weak, btw. (Seeing the fighter in my AoW group consistently doing 200+ damage a round vs particular opponents was eye-opening).

Cheers!

Right, but it is still an issue of these crystals being over-powered compared to core. Just as the Bo9S (and PHBII) are overpowered compared to core.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Honestly, I think "magic crystals" are just plain tired and fluffy and obnoxious, anyway. I love the mechanics of augment crystals, but I'd rather rather represent them physically as all manner of charms, fetishes, ribbons, chains, scrolls, and runes that can be affixed to a weapon, instead of as glowing jewels that fit neatly into inexplicably-standardized sockets.

Guildwars has property giving bow strings/grips, sword hilt and pommel, etc.

I think it'd work just fine if you remove the powers given to Augment crystals from the regular list and vice versa. Leave some things to only "integral" and have other things that can only be added via new Hilt and/or pommel. Give each weapon one slot with an extra slot as an incremental cost. Make one harder to change than the other.

So, a sword +1 can get an "augment pommel", a Sword +1 Heroic (or whatever you want to call it) can take a pommel and hilt. The pommel is a move (or standard) action to change, the hilt is a full round action (or full minute) to change. Pommel powers are more flighty (flame, ghost touch) and hilt more integral (keen, holy) or something.

More work, but it seems like a good way to be able to "unenchant" a property for a higher one. You can always add "plusses" to the sword later on, and you'd still have the same sword for most of your career if you wanted.

Heck, Sergei's Sunsword need the hilt before it worked, I could see plenty of uses for the Augment Crystals.

 

[Faraer]

They sound sensible if you like magic items as interchangeable mass-produced technology. To me this approach goes in completely the wrong direction, away from the outlook Ed Greenwood pioneered in Dragon of making each item unique and historied. What's exciting about these? They seem just more bonuses to be bookkeeped, like RuneQuest II magic crystals.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Honestly, I think "magic crystals" are just plain tired and fluffy and obnoxious, anyway. I love the mechanics of augment crystals, but I'd rather rather represent them physically as all manner of charms, fetishes, ribbons, chains, scrolls, and runes that can be affixed to a weapon, instead of as glowing jewels that fit neatly into inexplicably-standardized sockets.

I like that take on the fluff.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They sound sensible if you like magic items as interchangeable mass-produced technology. To me this approach goes in completely the wrong direction, away from the outlook Ed Greenwood pioneered in Dragon of making each item unique and historied. What's exciting about these? They seem just more bonuses to be bookkeeped, like RuneQuest II magic crystals.

Ed Greenwood was late to that particular party.

 

[Bardsandsages]

Geesh, here I thought this was a World of Warcraft thread and it's actually a WoTC one.

I haven't seen the actual rules yet, though if it involves potential twinking I can count on one of my players buying the book and begging me to let them use it. I have no problem with the theory, but unfortunately it seems the presentation is more geared to roll-playing, as opposed to role-playing. Call me old fashion, but I like characters to be, well, characters. Not just a collection of dots or stats on a piece of paper.

I just think there should be more to equipping a crystal to an item than a move equivalent action. It's not like weapons and armor come with pre-drilled holes for crystals. I would be more comfortable with the idea if it took a more concerted effort to apply one. Possibly requiring a skill check from the appropriate craft (i.e. weaponsmith to apply to a weapon, etc) and some time to it is done properly.

 

[GreatLemur]

They sound sensible if you like magic items as interchangeable mass-produced technology. To me this approach goes in completely the wrong direction, away from the outlook Ed Greenwood pioneered in Dragon of making each item unique and historied.

See, I don't really have a problem with this direction. The high fantasy approach where every magic item is several millenia old, was created by a god, and played a pivotal role in some epic historical conflict just doesn't ring true for me. I like to view magic as a human-exploitable resource rather than a mythological plot device, so it only makes sense to me that governments and other major organizations would mass-produce magic items by the hundreds. I can't really rationalize a world where it's possible for people to create things like that, but the folks in power somehow don't immediately leap for that advantage.