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Message: <blockquote data-quote="negativtoo" data-source="post: 447419" data-attributes="member: 1918">hmmm, while a nice idea, I flinch a bit at giving (my) players yet another reason to slay the monster - for its sheer magical value - now they can profit directly from the monster's demise ( in addition to a possible xp reward ) simply by dissecting its corpse and harvesting useful components - instead of putting  some brainpower online to find and carry off its treasure ( if any ).  And, conveniently reducing/shrinking  the valuable "essence" into something easily transported ("handsized" ) sounds like overkill - stormgiant bones for wands of lightning, ok, sounds "beliecable", but shrinking them to the size of chopsticks ? NAWHHHHHH  Even _IF_  I would allow it ( possibly basing identification of useful parts on a hefty spellcraft test - like DC15 + caster level to be replaced ( or even one half or twice the caster level ), I would only permit the replacement of the GP value part of the enchantment process. The one, single and reliable restraint to a "magic-item affluent" society is the fact, that the players/item-creators currently have to pay for getting the item with a comodity (XP ) irreplacable with mere gold, and hard to get back - you get xp only for challenging encounters, not "fireball-harvesting" pesky feys. Given that half an item's market value is its creation cost, a wizard could turn a tidy profit by sending out his lackeys (suitably equipped with magic arms and gear ) to harvest "rare" beast for item creation - and being guaranteed a nice monetary profit and having his precious level protected through the use of ingredients at the same time.  Or he simply could himeslf "nuke-to -pieces" lesser beasts sufficent for the creation of nice medium-range items - few CR-7 encounters are real challenges for a high level mage or cleric - like around level 15..... Sorry, not on my watch as GM. I am already wary enough of the "item made to specification"- method permissible by 3E rules as theyy stand - they seem (at times) like an invitation of getting down to some real "nifty-item-combo" for high level chars - without taking away the one _real_ deterrent there. To create something of high value, the caster should reasonably have to invest something of himself, some sacrifice, into it  - loosing XP fits the bill really well, IMHO. At the same time, I do allow someone else to WILLINGLY sacrifice the XP for an item - usually the guy who wants the item tailor-made to size for him - not necessarily the fixed amount, though (commonly more, in case you had to ask ). As a result, the group's "creator" does not have to foot the XP bill himself without an actual benefit.Likewise, while admitting the feasibility (if inherently flawed system ) of the proposed method for wizards ( and sorcerors ), I do not see it working "in style" for clerics - who can be pretty good at item creation (as well they should be, with several of the canon domains and a wide range of dedicated Dieties of Creation in several pantheons and settings ) - heart of a Behir etc. powering the mighty lightning staff crafted by the servant of the Stormgod ? The hair of dryads being ground to dust for the secret love potions of Aphrodite ? Does not even sound feasible if one does it with locks from a succubus or whatever...Usually the beings strongest in a certain aspect of magic (like creatures of Earth, Skydwellers, Merfolk, whatever.... ) are those commonly considered most sacred by a certain religion - or, sadly enough,  the most vile and despicable : I cannot honestly imagine Aphrodite or Sune Firehair, not even Hallani Cellanil (?) endorsing the use of a Succubus' parts/essences for items enchanted by their priesthood(s). So - should one shortshrift the clerics ? Have a religious debate about the feasabilty of using the ingredients from each and every enemy slain ? And creating some items with divine help through use of a creature totally insignificant to the diety ? Why would he grant his priests the powers to be invested in it ?It might work out, to again just lower the GP-cost charged for enchanting an item through the sacrifice of the essence from a despised foe of the diety, but that would still be easy to abuse by picking on creatures far below you in level. Also, striking down the enemy of one's god(s) should be a goal of and by itself for every properly played cleric/priest, and not be done to reap some material reward (like more items ) from.As for "distilling" other spellcasters, clerics and magical creatures (regardless of alignment and disposition ) for use and convenient reductions in item creation - this debate is one that would get truly evil and possibly very vile quickly - not that humankind (in RL-history ) has not debased itself to do things like that. Good subject for the Book of Vile Darkness - if you want that possibility explored by your players, I think it handles blood sacrifices etc... In the end, this "reagent"system _does_ add some flavour to the process of magical creations, but it screws up the established item creation rules in major ways -as well as turning up some serious ethical problems, Meta-game wise and in RL.  Too little gain for too many problems caused.  just my 0.02 cents</blockquote>

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