Item creation from horseback?

[Dinkeldog]

I think you take a -2 penalty to all skill checks and reflex and will saving throws when you are under the influence of the worst wedgie of all time, though.

 

[Pbartender]

Back to the original question for a moment...

*AHEM!*

Putting the logistics of creating a magic item aside for a moment, if it's just a question of creating an item in a less than perfectly calm environment (that is to say an environment with potential distractions), why require periodic Concentration checks?

CONCENTRATION (CON)
Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you might potentially be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while engaged in some action that requires your full attention...

DC 10 - Vigorous motion (on a moving mount, taking a bouncy wagon ride, in a small boat in rough water, belowdecks in a stormtossed ship).
DC 15 - Violent motion (on a galloping horse, taking a very rough wagon ride, in a small boat in rapids, on the deck of a storm-tossed ship).
DC 20 - Extraordinarily violent motion (earthquake).

If you really wanted to let characters do this, periodic Concentration checks seem perfectly suited to keep the situation in check. You could use DC similar to those for casting a spell in adverse situations, but I'd up the DCs a bit (double them maybe?) to reflect the relative difficulty and length of the task. Failure of the check by less than 5 means no progress is made. Failure by more than 5 means THE ITEM IS RUINED, half the material cost is lost and you must start over from the beginning. You cannot Take 10 or 20 on this check.

 

[Thanee]

Well, you could use it to Bull Rush yourself (including upwards, I presume), but the lifting and manipulating is objects only.

Ah, you're right (and Scion, too, of course), I was thinking about the first sentence and didn't really check the rest.

On the other hand, you could use Telekinesis to lift yourself up by the underwear, and deliberately fail your Will save to resist the Telekinesis of an object in your possession.

-Hyp.

Or some, uhh, disk-shaped object.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Wilphe]

Getting back to the matter in hand:

If you are a Hun, Mongol or similar type that lives on horseback then you could probably do it as per routine - given that several of these cultures did almost everything from the back of the horse. If it isn't possible at all then you need to explain how these cultures get their magic items (trade and warfare being the prime reasons, that is how they tended to get their metal)

This would however require the appropriate background (and maybe a regional feat) and you'd need to keep your ride skill maxed out at all times.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

If you are a Hun, Mongol or similar type that lives on horseback then you could probably do it as per routine - given that several of these cultures did almost everything from the back of the horse.

If your conceptualization of item creation involves nothing more than pure concentration, then sure. If it requires precise hand movements (such as writing runes,) then as a sometimes rider I disagree. It's just not possible to write flawless script while riding. You're doing good if its legible.

If it isn't possible at all then you need to explain how these cultures get their magic items (trade and warfare being the prime reasons, that is how they tended to get their metal)

Yes, though some of those cultures (I believe, not being a scholar on them,) still had members who did not always ride. The camp would be filled with those too old or too young to ride, women, etc. I imagine that in such a culture the magic items would be made by the elders of the clan while the able-bodied adults warred on their neighbors.

 

[babomb]

I don't think you can actually work on magic items while on horseback. However, consider that you can only ride 8 hours a day (if you don't use forced march). Then, you work on the item for 8 hours, and sleep for 8 hours. The only problem is that you need an hour to prepare your spells (or 15 minutes to "ready" for spontaneous casters.) It can't come out of the working or sleeping time, so it's got to come out of riding time.

So, if you prepare your spells for 1 hour, ride for 7, work for 8 (while the rest of the party prepares camp, etc.), and sleep for 8, it's doable. Of course, if your sleep gets interrupted (and it probably will), you'll need to spend more time resting and less riding. All of this is iffy in 3.0:

During rest periods, the character can engage in light activity such as talking or walking but cannot fight, cast spells, use magic items, conduct research, or perform any other physically or mentally demanding task.... The character cannot take a day off: Once the process has started, the character must see it through to the end or admit defeat. If the caster is disturbed while making the item, or spends less than 8 hours working in any period of 24 hours, the process is ruined. All materials used and XP spent are wasted.

In 3.5, however, it's perfectly legal:

The caster works for 8 hours each day. He cannot rush the process by working longer each day. But the days need not be consecutive, and the caster can use the rest of his time as he sees fit.

(emphasis mine)