Augment Crystals - A Terrible Idea?

[Schmoe]

How tough are they to make?

Pretty easy. The most powerful crystal I saw on the preview (Greater True Death - provides Ghost Touch, allows Sneak Attack and Critical Hits vs. Undead, +1d6 damage vs. Undead) cost 5000 gp and 400 xp to make, with pre-requisites of Craft Arms and Armor, ability to cast Consecrate.

 

[Schmoe]

Anyway, I don't know how much I'd use this specific element just for thematic reasons. But the idea that the cost is wrong presumes that prior costing was correct. I'm not sure that is a good presumption.

That's a good point, but I can't remember ever thinking that the prior costing of magic weapon qualities was a big problem.

 

[heirodule]

I think Monte cook pointed out that the geometric progression for weapon bonuses in 3.5 is all out of whack anyway, because 3.5 got rid of varying plusses of DR.

A +3 weapon is more valuable if it is 5% more likely to hit AND the only thing that can damage demon xyy.

Take that away, and the bonus progression should be more like armor progression.

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

 

[Engilbrand]

I like the idea and what I've seen. I always love new options. Especially nifty ones. For those of you who complain that it's too simple and "bag of augment crystals" and whatever, here's an easy fix that makes sense: A weapon can only be attuned to as many crystals equal to its bonus times 2 (or bonus +1 if it makes you feel better). This probably depends on the number of crystals there are for weapons. Now, that fighter has to decide if he always wants this weapon attuned to these crystals. If he finds a weapon that's already better, maybe it's attuned to a crystal that he doesn't want. Obviously, improving a weapon instead of discarding will make it feel special. It's worth improving because there's no question of its intrinsic value. OR, just allow a certain number of crystals to be attuned to characters based on level. 2 Crystals may be attuned to a character per 4 levels. By character class? How about a feat based on this way of doing things that allows you to attune more crystals. After all, if you can only use 4 crystals, you don't want to choose the wrong ones. Just a thought for those of you who don't like the current mechanic for it.

 

[Arkhandus]

Yeah, 3.5 sure messed it up. In that way, the augment crystals might not be so bad, but I still agree with Schmoe. I prefer magic items having a history and being interesting, at least primarily. I wouldn't mind some small bit of augment-crystal-like stuff for certain kinds of items in some small way (like as minor artifacts of a lost civilization, only found in a few ruins, or as some new magical invention that might not be as reliable and wonderful as it first seems...... "oh noes, our new magic doohickies emit magical beacons in the Far Realm! Pelor save us from the Great Old Ones!!").

 

[Bacris]

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

Other than that, I like the idea.

 

[frankthedm]

Hmm. Maybe I'm just an alarmist. I rather like the tradeoff with the existing system, it makes for interesting choices. Now, just get a bag full of Augment Crystals, and whip out the right one when combat comes. Furthermore, it makes magic weapons into even more of a "grocery list of abilities", rather than an interesting item around which stories might be made.

No, you are not an alarmist. Those augment stones are way too cheap. Now if it cost a +1 market modifier per 'socket' a weapon has, that might be just right.

 

[cthulhu_duck]

Only if you assume the augment crystals are easily purchased. They need not be, any more than the sword itself would have been.

Yes, but the expectations around ease of purchase I find often differ between GM and Player(s).

 

[Felon]

Hmm. Maybe I'm just an alarmist. I rather like the tradeoff with the existing system, it makes for interesting choices. Now, just get a bag full of Augment Crystals, and whip out the right one when combat comes. Furthermore, it makes magic weapons into even more of a "grocery list of abilities", rather than an interesting item around which stories might be made.

Gone are the days of Light Drinker, the +3 Longsword of Wounding and Subtlety, whose blade brought low the progeny of kings. Here are the days of Bob, with his +1 sword and bag of Augment Crystals, purchased from Magic Mart.

I don't think it's alarmist at all. Whenever someone posts in a thread that D&D is moving in a direction where the emphasis is on the utilitarian rather than the fantastic, there's always a buch of folks who chime in and insist that D&D isn't "moving" in that direction, that it was always like that.

The push towards mass-produced off-the-rack magic items is a good example of the utilitarian shift in D&D, and now we'll get blister packs of augment crystals hanging in the checkout counter isle with all the cheap stuff. There are plenty of gamers who would think getting a ghost touch weapon made them special and unique, hang the logistics of how often they'd be fighting incorporeal undead.

I'm all for new options, but they do need to be balanced against the old ones. Perhaps the augment crystals burn out eventually? Making them temporary items brings their costs in line.

 

[MadMaxim]

If you ask me it was about time. Magic weapons can become way too static and specific to prove effective against certain creatures, and since the weapons are the main offensive power that the martial classes posses, I think it's fair that they get able to customize their weapons. After all, Clerics, Wizards, Druids, etc. get to pick their spells and can come prepared for any fight after a good nights rest, but the Fighter just has to stick with the flaming/cold/ghost touch etc. weapon that he got Weapon Specialization in, whether or not the Fighter likes it.