Ice Age Item Creation

[Tonguez]

But culturally, a world like that is traditionally alive with spirits, curses, etc. I want to capture that feel too. In D&D, all too often, there is a technology-magic equivalency which isn't always helpful.

I agree primitive worlds ought to be High Divine Magic and Rare Arcane Magic rather than Low Magic.
In primitive societies low level magic is in fact ubiquitous - and IMC I allow EVERYONE to take a feat that allows them to use 0-level divine spells (with a Wis check) and heroic figures can cause Earthquakes and summon Fire from the heavens.

The mediating factor however is the understanding that all this magic occurs through the agency of spirits/ancestors/gods whom the spellcaster is calling on for aid. Magic item creation ought tob be treated in the same way - magic items are Fetishes containing the power of a spirit - perhaps instead of a 'scroll' of bulls strength the caster must take the actual tail from a black bull which has been sacrificed to the god Bhut under a full moon and then dipped into the sacred pool. The Bulls tail is hen added to the users belt and must be bitten in order to activate - or something like that anyway.

A new idea I've just incorporated after learning about the Incan 'Khippu'
is using string figures (as per Cats Cradle) into which various components (hair, feathers, coloured string) has been woven. The string figure contains the spell (and components) and must be undone in a single pull in order to cast (the pull of course destroys the component peices but the string loop itself can be reused ...

 

[fusangite]

A new idea I've just incorporated after learning about the Incan 'Khippu'
is using string figures (as per Cats Cradle) into which various components (hair, feathers, coloured string) has been woven. The string figure contains the spell (and components) and must be undone in a single pull in order to cast (the pull of course destroys the component peices but the string loop itself can be reused ...

Thanks a bunch. On an unrelated note, there is still so much controversy and ambiguity around the function of the Qipu that there are still vastly different theories about their function, etc.

In the early 20th century, Marxist historians became quite convinced that the Qipu were storing numerical data; this is how people initially came to the idea that the Inca had a planned economy. Interestingly, the planned economy theory has largely stuck even though people have generally come to the conclusion that the Qipu vault in Cusco was primarily designed for the purpose of economic planning. An interesting theory I have become absolutely enchanted by is that the Inca were, in fact, storing data the way we are. After all, what I'm typing, although it is received phonetically is actually stored numerically; numeric information can easily be converted to phonetic information once you establish a clear system. The Qipu may, in fact, have been a compression/storage system for all types of data.

 

[fusangite]

Thanks everyone for all your help.

I incorporated most suggestions regarding item creation for shamans involving spirits, special items, tasks, ritual killings, etc. and made item creation for wizards contingent on finding materials from the ancient civilization. The entailed the party backtracking this episode and the wizard loading himself up with masses of cinnabar. It was quite funny.

 

[der_kluge]

I'm starting to sound a bit like a traveling salesman, but you really should consider at least looking through Mystic Eye Game's Artificer's Handbook. This book should help you with some answers. Plus, it has variations to provide for low-magic settings, if that's what you're playing in.
For creating things that are not masterwork, I would suggest increasing the chance for instability. So, I would allow it, but it would slightly increase the chance that some quirky thing happens to the item as a result.