Residuum: A Re-Fluffing

[Lurker37]

I'm wondering whether residuum will turn out to be an actual substance, or merely a collective noun for the various ritual materials that can be reclaimed from one item to be used in the ritual to enchant another.

 

[D.Shaffer]

At a guess? 'It's up to the DM as it's just fluff anyways'

 

[AllisterH]

Er, Residuum is an actual word...

What's wrong with using an actual word?

Geez...people HATE the compound names, people moan about using real names and I personally despise "random combination of letters" name....

WOTC really can't win.

 

[TheWyrd]

I feel that the thing people don't like about Residium is that they envision it as an object all its own. Some sort of fairy dust you scrape off. What if it was instead a term for a class of objects. Jewels, Pheonix Feathers, Basalisk Venom, and yes, Fairy dust.. that was used in the creation of magic items. By taking that stuff back you can use those rare components in the creation of new magic items and thus save yourself some of the cost of a new item. Otherwise you'd have to buy some more eye of newt and that can get expensive.

 

[hong]

Er, Residuum is an actual word...

What's wrong with using an actual word?

It's an anti-milieu thing.

 

[AllisterH]

It's an anti-milieu thing.

Hmm?

1. I think I've about residuum in old 70s fantasy novels...I definitely knew about residuum before the mid 80s...

2. Looking at the dictionary, the origin is traced back to 1660s...Isn't this still considered the proper milieu?

3. Is this like Supernal where people don't realize it's an actual word. Just because D&D hasn't been using a word doesn't mean it doesn't eist

 

[hong]

As in, you know, 4E has no business trying to expand people's vocabulary.

Apparently.

 

[Dausuul]

Defender: (looking at the jury) You've just heard from an expert that the name Residuum could apply to the matter of which we are discussing.

Prosecutor: Your Honor, I object. As established in 4E v. Vancian Casting and Mearls v. Sacred Cow, the existence of a particular concept in previous editions has no bearing whatsoever on the question of whether that concept is a good one.

Judge: It's well established that earlier editions are admissible evidence under certain circumstances.

Prosecutor: But none of those circumstances apply. This court is addressing the question of whether residuum is a good concept in and of itself, not how it compares to the systems used in previous editions. Nor has defense counsel put forward any claim as to whether residuum-like mechanics worked well or poorly in those editions. This whole line of questioning seems intended merely to establish that residuum existed in previous editions, and as such, I move that it be stricken from the record.

Judge: Hmm. I'm inclined to agree. Does the defense have any argument for why the existence of a residuum-like mechanic in previous editions has any bearing on 4th Edition?

 

[Mort_Q]

WOTC really can't win.

This.

 

[Revinor]

I'm wondering whether residuum will turn out to be an actual substance, or merely a collective noun for the various ritual materials that can be reclaimed from one item to be used in the ritual to enchant another.

It will look like tiny blue ponies.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=226392