Mastercraft/Masterwork levels for low magic game
- Thread starter Kheti sa-Menik
- Start date
ruleslawyer
Registered User
You, my friend, might like to check out Iron Heroes.Kheti sa-Menik said:
And, speaking of which...
http://www.iron-league.com/displaycontent.cfm?iCatId=4&iConID=88
That's a variant masterwork/mastercraft system based on, but a little less D&D-like, than the Black Company system.
As for the low magic/masterwork thing: I actually do understand this. Like it or not, having magic items provide an infinitely flexible level of flat bonuses *does* make them a bit less special. Relegating the +X bonuses to "exceptional craftsmanship" and including maybe two or three magical weapons in the entire campaign, each of which has a bunch of cool powers, IMHO has the effect of increasing the narrative impact of such weapons in the game.
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
Also, here are my own rules for "Masterwork Arms and Armor", but they are completely independent of any level/wealth guideline as I don't believe in them.
http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Masterwork+Weapons+and+Armor
http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Masterwork+Weapons+and+Armor
Spatzimaus
First Post
Also on the front page of this forum:
Read this.
Read this.
sniffles
First Post
While I understand the appeal of a low-magic game because it makes magic seem more fantastic, I've never understood wanting to take away magic because players get too reliant on it.Kheti sa-Menik said:
Naturally the PCs are going to get attached to their stuff. Aren't we all attached to our stuff in real life? If someone comes along and takes away my car and makes me walk everywhere I know I'm going to complain. What's wrong with the players complaining if they lose their stuff? They probably worked pretty hard for that +3 bastard sword of uberness.
And unless you give them extra feats, they're never going to be as powerful of themselves as they will be with a nice magic weapon or piece of armor in their possession.
I'd also like to comment that if I were a player in your game and you instituted any rules changing the availability of items after the game commenced, I'd be pretty annoyed. I hope you made clear up front that your game was going to be low-magic and you intended to alter the written rules.
Kheti sa-Menik
First Post
sniffles said:While I understand the appeal of a low-magic game because it makes magic seem more fantastic, I've never understood wanting to take away magic because players get too reliant on it.
Naturally the PCs are going to get attached to their stuff. Aren't we all attached to our stuff in real life? If someone comes along and takes away my car and makes me walk everywhere I know I'm going to complain. What's wrong with the players complaining if they lose their stuff? They probably worked pretty hard for that +3 bastard sword of uberness.
And unless you give them extra feats, they're never going to be as powerful of themselves as they will be with a nice magic weapon or piece of armor in their possession.
I'd also like to comment that if I were a player in your game and you instituted any rules changing the availability of items after the game commenced, I'd be pretty annoyed. I hope you made clear up front that your game was going to be low-magic and you intended to alter the written rules.
I made it clear and upfront before the game commenced that it was low magic. Nope, I'm not springing anything new on the players. But it might be nice to say after a lucrative mission, here are some better quality but not magical stuff you could buy.
I don't have to really worry about improved masterwork items being made magical.
The only craft feats that exist are scribe scroll and brew potion (which I call alchemy). the flavor of potions is slightly different: potions are alchemical creations, not magical brews. They don't radiate magic and you need some skill in craft alchemy to identify one if it is not labeled. Also, while it does mean you can take potions off dead enemies or buy them in larger cities' apothecaries'/alchemists' shops, you probably won't find any usuable potions in ancient treasure hordes since, being made of organic material and no magic, they eventually lose their potency.
Scrolls, along with potions, may be available for sale in larger cities. Very rarely are other magic items available...magic arms and armor, wands/staves/rods, rings, miscellaneous items are rare and the ancient art of magic item creation have been lost long ago.
Once in a while, a miscellaneous item will come up for auction in larger cities...an amulet of natural armor or maybe a bead of force, some cloak...and the rich will snap it up as a status symbol...if it's in good condition and not too gaudy. And they have someone on staff who can divine what it does.
My next campaign will probably be lower magic. I'm going to remove inherent bonuses to stats, and ability-enhancing items like Gauntlets of Ogre Power, and instead grant players a feat every odd level and a level bump to stats every even level. I think just taking stuff away from them isn't enough for a longterm satisfying game. You have to give them something back.
Kheti sa-Menik
First Post
Well, I did give them something, they're gestalt PCs. We all wanted to play with the gestalt rules from Unearthed Arcana so we gave it a go.
At some point I want to try the generic classes rules from UA...that's another kettle of fish I know.
Anyway, the gestalt-ness kicks their power level up a bit. Party consists of: Swashbuckler//Rogue 4, Fighter//Scout 4, Fighter//Rogue 4, and Bard//Cleric 4.
The Swashbuckler//Rogue is a noble adventuring in distant lands with his bodyguard and bearer (the Fighter//Rogue); the Fighter//Scout is running from a noble family that seeks to marry her off to a rival noble family, and the Bard//Cleric is on extended duty for the Church bringing religion to the savage desert people.
At some point I want to try the generic classes rules from UA...that's another kettle of fish I know.
Anyway, the gestalt-ness kicks their power level up a bit. Party consists of: Swashbuckler//Rogue 4, Fighter//Scout 4, Fighter//Rogue 4, and Bard//Cleric 4.
The Swashbuckler//Rogue is a noble adventuring in distant lands with his bodyguard and bearer (the Fighter//Rogue); the Fighter//Scout is running from a noble family that seeks to marry her off to a rival noble family, and the Bard//Cleric is on extended duty for the Church bringing religion to the savage desert people.
