Material synergy

[czak808]

Would you allow the use of synergetic (is that a word?) materials to reduce the costs of crafting magic items?

For instance, you slay the huge black dragon. The fighter crafts some masterwork full plate (or hide, that's for another post I guess...). The caster enchants it to +1 and wants to add acid resistance to it.

Fools are made to suffer, not to be suffered

 

[kelson]

I'm not sure what you are getting at here... Are you proposing that he should use the dragon scales to create the acid proof armor? couldnt he do that regardless? I'm confused.

 

[jaker2003]

He's asking if the magic item creator should get a break on the cost of crafting an item out of a material related to the item's abilities.

He listed +1 dragon hide full plate of acid resistance as an example (because the black dragon the hide came from is immune to acid and wields that breath weapon).

Another is a Cloak of Displacement fashioned from the hide of a Displacer Beast.

I think YES, but I don't know what kind of discount they should get. I figure that the cost of such material would be extreme, unless the creator went out and collected/slew it himself.

 

[DiceGolem]

I think YES, but I don't know what kind of discount they should get. I figure that the cost of such material would be extreme, unless the creator went out and collected/slew it himself.

If you didn't go out and slay it yourself, then I think it'd be at the normal cost. You could simply cut the material cost down to 3/4 or 1/2 normal, depending on how valuable the material is.

 

[Cbas_10]

Would you allow the use of synergetic (is that a word?) materials to reduce the costs of crafting magic items?

For instance, you slay the huge black dragon. The fighter crafts some masterwork full plate (or hide, that's for another post I guess...). The caster enchants it to +1 and wants to add acid resistance to it.

This would be a prime example, in my opinion, of using a special material as a power component. It would not really reduce the cost (might increase it if you had to pay for crafting the dragonhide into armor), but it could at least partially alleviate the XP costs of enchantment.

 

[Notmousse]

For instance, you slay the huge black dragon. The fighter crafts some masterwork full plate (or hide, that's for another post I guess...). The caster enchants it to +1 and wants to add acid resistance to it.

Actually I'd rule that black dragon scales are naturally acid resistant and give resistance of 2/5/10 for ligbht medium and heavy armors respectively.

If memory serves there are already non-magical mantles that do the same thing, though I forget the amount of resistance they endow.