Anyone using Artificer's Handbook in their game?

[Clint]

Hi.

I just got the Artificer's Handbook today, and I love it. I'd like to drop it in, but was hoping that I could tap y'all for some advice on how it actually plays.

The system provided, while beautiful and logical, is a bit more work. How does it actually run in game?

How do you like it when combined with other third-party stuff? For example, does your group look at Malhavoc magic items for things that you like and then recompute them?

We're afraid that mid-campaign is not the best time to replace the magic item system. We're in the Banewarrens right now, and my DM isn't thrilled with having to go through each NPC to recompute item values, never mind having to rebalance PC wealth. Have any other groups faced a similar task, and how did it work out?

Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks much.

 

[dagger]

Ive been thinking about picking this up since someone in the rules forum gave me an example of how to creat a Staff of Magi with it. My arch mage is hungry for a decent staff....

 

[BSF]

Clint,
If you haven't already seen it, check this thread also: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=60888

I do not know that you necessarily need to rework all the magic items. Sure, the costs will be a little off, but if you are introducing this into an established campaign, I think I would leave all book costs alone for the time being. Maybe use the spell slot rules for creation of book items, but leave the pricing the same ... initially.

Use the alternative rules for *new* items. Stuff that you won't find in the book. As an excercise that will relieve your DM of the burden, go through your magic items and convert prices. Then, go through the rest of the party's items. Once you are finished, give the list to your DM.

This removes the responsibility of the party's items from him and will give him some good ideas on how the Artificer's Handbook will affect overall pricing. The price comparison's in the back of the book are a great start for this already! Once all the players are converted, then the DM can convert when he has time on his hands.

Hey MEG_Hal, any chance of hosting a living list of converted "book" items on the Mystic Eye Games site? Any idea what would be involved in converting stuff from 3rd party publishers (Such as Malhavoc Press)?

 

[Crothian]

I use it, but I don't reconfigure items from other sources. Personally, I allow the PC to think of whatever they want and then we make it using the rules. Sometimes, the item is similiar to one in another product, but for the most part I don't go looking them up.

Great book by the way. Make sure all the comuting is done not on game day, as it can take a little while when you are starting out. I have the PCs send me an e-mail of any items they want made and then throughout the week we figure out how it will be made.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

I might use it, if I was running a game. I'm a bit wary though, since the prices are funky. Well-regulated, but funky.

For example, according to the chart at the back, a scroll with a 9th level spell costs 500 gp under their rules, and 3825 gp under the core rules. That's a HUGE discrepancy, and would dramatically change the balance of power. And for some reason, a wand costs LESS under the core rules. What the heck?

 

[Numion]

As always, first consider if the numbercrunching excercises add enough to your game to make it worthwhile. That would require that the prices in DMG were way off for the most part.

IMO this isn't the case, but YMMV and all that.

 

[Clint]

BardStephenFox, thanks much! That's great advice, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll post back afterwards and let you know how it went. And your converted document offering is a fantastic idea. Those six pages of appendix are incredibly useful. I would love to give the converted information to a compendium of magic items using this system.
And thanks for the link, too. I'll have to read through that thread after our session today.

Crothian, that's the ideal that we're looking for, it's the getting there that's tricky. Did you have a running campaign when you introduced these rules? It sounds like your group doesn't use prestatted third-party characters (who would have core items). Is that the case?

Meepo, that was my concern, too. But after reading the book, I'm sold: this system is internally consistant and balanced, and virtually any item can be made. Out concern was the difficulty of fitting it into an already running campaign. Not that retooling would is an alien concept; we converted to 3.5 in mid-stride, too.

Numion, this numbercrunching is exactly what I wanted; it's why I bought the book. I'm willing to pay a little time to know that the magic items are all part of a decent system. Actually, the shift to 3.5 is what got me interested in the book. The party thief's Slippers of Spider Climbing changed in price and ability by like 100%, and we all said, "Cripes, are they winging it or what?"

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

 

[Crothian]

Crothian, that's the ideal that we're looking for, it's the getting there that's tricky. Did you have a running campaign when you introduced these rules? It sounds like your group doesn't use prestatted third-party characters (who would have core items). Is that the case?

What do you mean by prestated third party characters? We do use rules from all over the place, not just Wizards. The campaign is new, but the campaign world is not. So, the rules started with this campaign, but so far we haven't had a different feel with the item creation.

 

[Crothian]

As always, first consider if the numbercrunching excercises add enough to your game to make it worthwhile. That would require that the prices in DMG were way off for the most part.

IMO this isn't the case, but YMMV and all that.

I'm not using because I think the prices are off in the DMG. I'm using it because I don't want to use many prestated items, I perfer creating unique items and the rules in the AH are better and more consistant then the rules in the DMG.

 

[Clint]

What do you mean by prestated third party characters? We do use rules from all over the place, not just Wizards. The campaign is new, but the campaign world is not. So, the rules started with this campaign, but so far we haven't had a different feel with the item creation.

I'm sorry, I was pretty unclear. What I meant was prestatted NPCs, in a world that's already working. I was just wondering how people have shoehorned this system into a world where dozens of NPCs already have core-balanced equipment sets.

It sounds like you created characters (PCs and NPCs) from scratch using AH, and didn't need to convert any characters. I'd do the same thing, if we were starting over.

My question was about people's experience with bringing AH into an already running campaign. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks.