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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sir Brennen" data-source="post: 2891703" data-attributes="member: 553">(Kid C - this is a dupe post from Crystalmarch, so you don't have to re-read it <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />  )Why not take the fashioning of magical weapons and armor out of the hands of magic users entirely? Let them focus on wands, staves and the One Ring.This is harkening back to the older editions with suggestions of special, rare components which were pretty much up to the DM's whim, but a slightly more systematic approach could be applied for 3E.To get a magical property added, you need material which has been exposed to a particular environment or circumstance. The DM should be fairly flexible about the type of properties that can be added, focusing on the flavor over the mechanic. It doesn't always have to be the base metal either, but could be other substances which serve as coking or fluxes during the creation process of the alloy the weapon or armor will be made from. Some examples:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A cave which has been used as a lair by a line of red dragons for generations, literally thousands of years. Legend holds that there is a vein of mithril running through the caves which, when forged into a weapon, properties like Flaming, Wounding or Elf Bane (the favorite snack of these dragons) can be coaxed from it. Also, weapons found in the depths of the cave, appearing to be in the style of the empire some three hundred years ago, have been reforged into other items with these properties. Some even developed them spontaneously.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The axe which once belonged to a knight who fought in the wars against the Black-Foot goblins, killing hundreds, was crafted into a Bane weapon against all goblin races. The breastplate of a ranger who dedicated his life to battling the frost giants in the mountain passes of his homeland armor used in campaigns against specific races or creatures, or just used by a dedicated for of such creatures over a lifetime, could be reused for Bane properties.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Infernal limestone has been used as a flux to impart a whole host of abilities - Flaming, Unholy, Vicious, even Axiomatic. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Armoury using the waters from the well at the god of storms' temple during heavy gales are often made into shocking, thundering or lightning-proof.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A celestial emissary of the god of winter once granted the king its mace, which was melted down and reshaped into a cold demon-bane sword to battle against firey infernals that had invaded his kingdom.</li> </ul>I'm thinking that properties aren't just added like they are in the current system - it actually has to be re-forged. However, as the more magical materials are introduced, the item's metal acquires a "memory", and to a large extent, re-shapes itself to its original form. So if you are trying to add Frost to your mithril sword, when you melt it down, it still wants to be a sword, and it would actually be difficult to reshape it into an axe, for instance. (This tendency is flavor to explain why, when adding new properties, you don't pay the time and cost of the original properties over again.)I'm also thinking that existing magic armory could be melted down and their properties added to a target item that's being reforged. This isn't always terribly efficient, especially if there are properties which the character can't afford to add, or can't use (like Unholy), which get changed into worthless slag during the process.The thing about this is, you can make the materials be as much or as little of the item creation process as you want. You can assume the craftsman has the materials from somewhere (though in some cases it's probably wise not to ask), and the PCs just pay the guy like you would a magic user in the standard rules. Or, the craftsman tells the PCs that he's out of any material to create Angel Bane at the moment, but he has a wizard friend mounting an expedition to the 4th Layer of Hell, if the PCs want to accompany him and pick up a bearded devil's glaive while they're there...A couple of other thoughts on this sort of setup: Normal weapons and armor might pick up the energy to impart some of the magical properties, even though they'll never manifest them. For instance, while on an arctic adventure, the PCs come across the frozen corpse of a white dragon with a sword thrust in its heart. While masterwork, it is only normal steel, and can't be enchanted. However, having been the object of such a heroic act and remaining in the dragon for who knows how long, if a PC were to have a craftsman melt it down, they could add cold based or even dragon bane properties to their own +3 adamantium sword. The ordinary metal would become slag in the process, with the magical essence retained.Such items wouldn't be too uncommon in ancient ruins, tombs and caves - at least not to the sort who typically risk life and limb to find them. Craft checks, Knowledge (History), Bardic Lore, etc. could all be used to determine if such an item might possess any such latent power - or detect magic could also find such objects radiate magic of an untyped school and power level "latent".Another nice fit for this is the "growing item" idea. A meteoric iron sword might have an interesting history giving it some of these latent abilities, which the PC can unlock as he gains levels. The concept of an item's history is a core concept from Weapons of Legacy, which could be used for inspiration. Or, the additional rules in the DMG II regarding bound weapons, where adding properties requires performing a certain action, could work too, especially if the PC performs the action without realizing the potential result. "Defeating the last of the dozen bugbears single handedly, you realize your sword could let you Cleave, all on it's own!"So, there's lots of flavor and ideas... I do also have more mechanical stuff related to all this brewing in my head.</blockquote>

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