Augment Crystals - A Terrible Idea?

[Jefe Bergenstein]

How many people are as excited by a +3 weapon as a +1 with 2 +1 power weapons anymore.

Unless its Bane, me at least. Flaming, Frost etc are mediocre at a +1 value. You trade a +1 to hit and damage for an average of 3.5 elemental damage. If you have power attack and a 2 handed weapon, you can convert that +1 to hit and damage to +3 to damage. Roughly equal to elemental damage, but not resisted by everything and its fiendish dog. On top of that, if you score a crit, it gets increased, unlike the static dice of flaming. Sword of Subtlety? At 22000, it grants a +4 to hit in limited circumstances, and a +1 otherwise. I'll take a generic +3 weapon for 4000 less thanks. Ghost touch armor at a +3 value?

Lots of weapon/armor prices seem overcosted as "plusses". A flat cost, either in crystal form or added to creation would be better.

That said, its a tad too easy to swap the crystals IMO. A minute would be fair.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

So the question is, how long will it be before certain magical runes are introduced that bestow specific powers on a weapon when placed on them, and then create a superweapon when the proper runewords are assembled?

I'd guess 1991.

http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1463

 

[MerricB]

That said, its a tad too easy to swap the crystals IMO. A minute would be fair.

A minute means "these crystals are useless" - except in exceptional circumstances where you know what you're facing in advance.

At present, it takes a move action to detach and a move action to attach. Given that most D&D combats last 3-6 rounds, that's a significant amount of time you're fiddling with your weapon.

Cheers!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Sword of Subtlety? At 22000, it grants a +4 to hit in limited circumstances, and a +1 otherwise.

That's badly phrased... it either grants +5 to attack and damage in limited circumstances, and +1 otherwise... or else it grants +4 to attack and damage in limited circumstances, in addition to its normal +1. (Both of which say the same thing as each other, expressed in different ways.)

The unnamed bonus stacks with the enhancement bonus.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

A minute means "these crystals are useless" - except in exceptional circumstances where you know what you're facing in advance.

I wouldn't call them useless at all... and I wouldn't call 'knowing what you're facing in advance' exceptional circumstances.

Knowing exactly what the makeup of the next encounter would be? Sure, unlikely. Knowing that the mine seems to be mostly populated with undead and duergar, given that that's what you've run into three times so far? Not unusual at all. And time to bring out the Undead-Bane crystal before the next encounter.

I'd even support swapping crystals being a once-per-day event.

I've been playing the Diablo-clone Fate a bit recently, and they use a crystal-and-socket system. You can extract attached crystals in two ways - either destroy the item they're attached to (letting you reuse all its crystals), or destroy all the crystals attached to the item (letting you replace the item's crystals with new ones). And it means you think carefully before filling a socket.

I think chop-and-change as a move action removes any down-side to using crystals... and I don't like that. Permanent items should still be competitive somehow.

Sockets costing MPMs strikes me as a reasonable compromise, though I'd still like changeover to take significant time.

-Hyp.

 

[Felon]

You mean like magic weapons already are?

LOL, is that not exactly the attitude I addressed in my first post? You can say "it's already like this", but that doesn't mean adding a new aspect doesn't shift things farther in a certain direction.

I've used such things in the past, in my first 3e campaign (sword hilt wraps which conveyed a special additional benefit to the sword was one example).

I've had them in my game since 1992 or so. Them first was a Yin/Yang Symbol that could be Fitted onto the Pommel or a Sword to give a +3 Damage bonus against any LE/LG/CG/CE Foes.

Well, in point of fact the game has officially had items like these for quite a while now. You can apply silversheen to a weapon to make it silver, you can alchemically add ghost touch to a weapon to let it strike incorporeal beings (that's in Complete Adventurer IIRC). The augment crystals just allow for quick, permanent upgrades.

I wouldn't call them useless at all... and I wouldn't call 'knowing what you're facing in advance' exceptional circumstances.

Indeed, one of the greatest complications of high-level adventuring--if not the greatest--is the players having way too much information about what lies ahead due to the amount of magical resources on-hand.

 

[Zendragon]

I kinda like the idea, but will probably house rule it that only "socketed" items can use the crystals. This will help me limit it until I can see it in action. If I like it, I can use a quest to unlock the secret for all weapons. If I don't like it then only a few weapons will be out there.

 

[MerricB]

Indeed, one of the greatest complications of high-level adventuring--if not the greatest--is the players having way too much information about what lies ahead due to the amount of magical resources on-hand.

The things is... these items aren't for just high-level adventuring.

Having to take two move actions to change this over is a big opportunity cost. Instead of going "Charge, full attack" you are going "change + move, change + single attack". That's half the combat gone already.

Note that part of the reasoning behind the recosting of magic items isn't just about the GP cost of items; it's also the actions needed to activate them and the slots they use. It sounds great having five of these gems available to add to your weapon, but it's effectively the same as having five hats: you can only use one at a time. So, a certain portion (and generally a significant portion) of your money is going to be tied up in these very situational items.

(Not all crystals have this cost - see the restful crystal).

Cheers!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Tome of Leadership and Influence +5... 137,500 gp
5 Wish scrolls... 28,825 gp * 5 = 144,125 gp.

I think your maths is off.

Cheers!

Ah, that must have been my stupid evil twin who got at the keyboard while I was away having a cup of coffee.

Yes, that's it...

 

[hong]

One thing that you could do to make crystals less utilitarian in flavour, is to make attaching them to a weapon permanent. Once it's on, it's there forever... unless you break the weapon, or go through an expensive ritual sacrificing gp and XP to remove it.

This turns crystals from floating powerups into a more flexible form of weapon enchantment (you don't need to throw away an old weapon when you find a new one, or spend months upgrading).