[Eberron] Can Artificers Drain Cursed Items?

[Torx]

As the title suggests, I'm wondering whether an artificer can/should be able to use their supernatural ability of Retain Essence to drain the XP from a cursed magic item to put in their craft reserve.

I don't see anything in the rules that would suggest this is not possible, but it seems to be against the spirit of cursed items. Even if there's not an artificer in the party (which my players do have one), the PCs could just travel to a local artificer who would be more than happy to add the cursed magic to his/her reserve.

Any thoughts?

 

[KarinsDad]

My thought is that this is what happens when the "bigger, badder, better" syndrome comes into the game system.

Every time you turn around, there are "bigger, badder, better" classes or prestige classes or feats or spells to accomplish something. Before you know it, it makes the standard classes and feats and spells somewhat obsolete.

You are just pointing out one example here. The Warlock is another example. He quite frankly is a better bowman than an archer (with regard to average damage dealt, at least within 60 feet, and he doesn't run out of attacks).

Now, we also have an Artificer who is a better magical craftsman than previous magical craftsmen and a class that is basically immune to cursed items (more or less unless the cursed item also has Intelligence and an Ego, or the cursed item does damage to certain characters if held). No surprise there.

And yes, I agree with you that as written, the Artificer is able to minimize the roleplaying and other problems that many cursed items can bring to the table. If you have easy access to a 5th or higher level Artificer, you might as well not bring a cursed item in the game as DM (unless it is cursed in such a manner as to make it difficult or impossible for the Artificer to gain free Craft Reserve points from it).

Maybe a future errata will make yet another exception to the rules so that cursed items regain their sting.

 

[Gez]

I'd say yes, but cursed magic is "tainted" and the item he would create with these drained XP will be cursed too.

And even if you don't use that little houserule, nothing prevents it from existing as a superstition, so the local artificer would give them the same look he would give a butcher trying to sell him worm-infested mad cow beef.

 

[KarinsDad]

I'd say yes, but cursed magic is "tainted" and the item he would create with these drained XP will be cursed too.

I think this is a bit over the top. Maybe upping the chances that any item created via these XP is also cursed from 5% to 10% or something, but not 100% chance. After all, some cursed items can just be a slight miscalculation in the original item creation and the only reason they are cursed is that they do not do what was originally intended. They still could have a "magical effect" and possibly a beneficial effect, just not the intended effect.

And even if you don't use that little houserule, nothing prevents it from existing as a superstition, so the local artificer would give them the same look he would give a butcher trying to sell him worm-infested mad cow beef.

Or, he might just pay them less money for a cursed item than it is worth for XP.

But, I tend to dislike cut and dry roleplaying solutions to game mechanics problems (e.g. you cannot find an artificer anywhere in the world willing to buy your cursed item). I prefer game mechanic house rule solutions (e.g. it slightly increases the chance that the next item made with those XP is cursed).