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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 3381309" data-attributes="member: 913">I just read the first <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20070209a" target="_blank">preview</a> for the Magic Item Compendium, which discusses Augment Crystals.As a brief summary, an Augment Crystal can be affixed to an item to grant it a certain quality.  It can be removed from one item and re-attached to another, if you so desire.It's an interesting idea, but has the potential to completely throw off the current system for magic item pricing.  Here's one example.A "ghost touch" Augment Crystal is worth 5000 gp.  It can be affixed to any weapon with an enchantment bonus of at least +1.  Placing this crystal on a +1 sword effectively gives you a weapon worth 8000 gp, meaning that the crystal is 1000 gp cheaper than the equivalent weapon.  The crystal also has the flexibility that it can be attached to any weapon, in the heat of the action (as a move action).The discrepancy gets more pronounced as weapons get more powerful.  A +5 Holy, Flaming Burst, Ghost Touch longsword costs 200,000 gp.  A +5 Holy, Flaming Burst longsword with the ghost touch Augment Cyrstal costs 167,000 gp, for a net savings of 33,000 gp!  Even at very high levels, that's not chump change.Augment Crystals effectively take a cost progression that was geometric for adding powers to items, and makes the cost progression linear.  IMO, this is a terrible idea that is just going to lead to the same sorts of problems as those introduced by Skills and Powers back in the days of 2nd Edition.  I don't like it.  Not one bit.</blockquote>

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