Campaign of the Month: January 2015
Skies of Glass
Magical Item Descriptors
For all but the most novice adventurer, magical items are an integral part of their plans and often a vital part of their survival. However, not all items are made the same and knowing the occasionally subtle differences between the many types of magical items can often make a world of difference. Below is the list of all types of magical items currently known by the party.Magical Items
Regular magic items make up the core arsenal of many adventurers in the world. Made by enchanters using feats such as Craft Wondrous Items and Craft Arms and Armor, these items are made and function as noted here for the most part. Following are some important notes and some exceptions:
- Weapons, shields, and armor get 2 additional hardness and 10 additional hit points for each +1 enhancement on them (though not enchantments).
- Magic items always get saving throws even if an item would normally be denied one. A magic item’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 2 + half its caster level. An attended magic item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better.
- A single item may not bear two separate enchantments, this is something unique to Crafter items.
- Particularly unique enchantments may be ruled as being only available to other unique magics.
- Any dimensional storage item (such as as Bag of Holding) cost 3 times as much as the listed cost, unless made through any other unique magics.
Innately magical items are items exposed to powerful emotions or devastating magics, or play key roles in world shaping events. Though most commonly arms and armor, instances of all kinds of items have been found. Innately magical weapons, armors, and shields often benefit from at least one enchantment and always one or more unique abilities ranging wildly in power, though always connected to the event that imbued power into the item. Other innately magical items will often grant a continuous ward or enhancement to their bearer and, similar to arms and armor, always have one or more unique ability tied to their origin. Innately magical items otherwise function like regular magical items with the following exceptions:
- Inherently magical weapons, armors, and shields may be directly enchanted and benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but other inherently magical items cannot be further enchanted.
- The innately magical abilities of an item cannot be transferred to another item.
- Innately magical items gain +5 hardness and +20 hit points.
- An innately magical item cannot be reforged without permanently destroying the innate magics. Some mundane modifications may be made with GM approval.
Ranging from the mundane to the unbelievably complex and unique, Crafter items are made by the rare namesake Crafters of Creed. Items made by long dead Crafters are highly sought after and are often prized as family heirlooms or held by powerful heroes and adventurers, along with the wealthy, the royal, and their champions. Crafter items can only be wielded by someone skilled in using magical devices, though once achieved a bearer need never check against a particular item again. Crafter items function as noted here.Magical Artifacts
Magical artifacts (often referred to as Mixed or Matrix Artifacts are mechanisms made by artificers that utilize powered machinery mechanical super- and sub-structures designed to mimic unique spell matrices. Magical artifact items always have a power core of some kind, reinforced moxen gems being perhaps the most common, which allows the bearer to infuse their own mana into the item to power the spell matrix crafted within it. Magical artifact items can range wildly in power depending both on the quality of components and the skill and creativity of the artificer. Magical artifacts further function as follows:
- Artifacts count as magical items for all relevant purposes.
- An artifact’s saving throw bonus equals 4 + one-half its artificer level, unless the saving throw granted by an additional enchantment would be superior.
- Magical artifact weapons, armors, and shields benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but magical artifact items cannot be further enchanted.
- Repairing a destroyed artifact requires an artificer or a Make Whole cast by a mage with significant knowledge of artifice, though the magics in the item may require additional resources to repair (much like repairing a normal damaged magic item).
Among all Crafter items, none is prized more highly than one warped by an unexpected surge of power during its crafting, commonly known as ‘altered’. Altered items gain additional powers, manifesting in a fashion that ties to both the nature of the warped enchantment and the nature of the Crafter that made it. Altered items typically function as normal for a Crafter item unless otherwise noted in the individual item, with the following exceptions:
- The altered abilities of an item cannot be transferred to another item.
- An altered item cannot be reforged without destroying the innate magics. Some mundane modifications may be made with GM approval.
Wild and wild-warped items are made as a byproduct of wild magic. Wild and wild-warped items are often incredibly unique, though their strength is often highly variable. While the danger inherent in this variance causes some adventurers to shy away from these items, their unique abilities draw the attention of just as many. More information on these items can be found here. Wild and wild-warped items function as regular magical items (or Crafter items, if made by a Crafter).Dweomered Dragonscale
Drawing from the ancient power of their draconic creators, dweomered dragonscale items are a mystery to much of the world. Rumors abound that these magical items give dragons some measure of control over their carriers, or possibly worse. Despite these rumored risks, many heroes and champions find the power of these items to be well worth the risk. All that is known is that dragons give these powerful items as gifts to allies or as symbols of peace, though the wary point out that these gifts seem to be given suspiciously freely. Dweomered dragonscale items otherwise function like regular magical items with the following exceptions:
- Dweomered dragonscale weapons, armors, and shields may benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but dweomered dragonscale magical items cannot be further enchanted.
- The dweomered dragonscale abilities of an item cannot be transferred to another item.
- Dweomered dragonscale items gain +5 hardness and +10 hit points, though all dweomered dragonscale items are made of draconic scales, hide, bone, and/or horn (possibly in addition to other materials) and may further benefit from the qualities of these materials.
- A dweomered dragonscale item cannot be reforged. Some mundane modifications may be made with GM approval.
- Rumors abound that the most powerful of dweomered dragonscale items can rival even legendary items, and can be equally as difficult to destroy.
- There may yet be more the party has yet to discover about dweomered dragonscale items
Little is commonly known of blessed items, and the party has yet to have the time to investigate these unusual items. From Simon’s most basic research he believes them to be connected to the Kami in some fashion. Blessed items otherwise function like regular magical items with the following exceptions:
- Blessed weapons, armors, and shields may be directly enchanted and may benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but other blessed magical items cannot be further enchanted. Some blessed items may reject certain enchantments. Such rejection is immediately apparent, allowing a new enchantment to be halted before resources are lost or an alternate enchantment or enhancement to be shifted over.
- The blessed abilities of an item cannot be transferred to another item.
- Blessed items all have a certain time or triggering event during which they cannot be removed from their carrier, willingly or not, and become as difficult to destroy as a lesser item of legend.
- A blessed item cannot be reforged without destroying the innate magics. Some mundane modifications may be made with GM approval.
- There may yet be more the party has yet to discover about blessed items
Items of incredible power made by the mysterious Runethanes, runes relentlessly impose their creator’s will upon their environs, warping reality to accomplish this when necessary. Despite all their power, runes work within a set of very strict rules, and as such few runes are capable of anything terribly destructive. Because of this, runes have historically been used to forge peace more often than wage war. Runic items are creations forged from the power of a rune, typically by pressing a specific rune into an object during its creation or during a moment of great change for it. Runes and runic items function as follows:
- Runic weapons, armors, and shields may benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but runes and runic magical items cannot be further enchanted.
- Runes and runic items automatically succeed on any saving throw and receive saving throws like a magical item.
- Runes are virtually indestructible and when placed within an appropriate structure or object will grant this strength to much if not all of the material it is embedded into. Runethanes are capable of absorbing runes, destroying them in the process. A rune may be destroyed by smashing it with another identical rune, a process usually taking hours, an incredibly resilient bearer, and unleashing devastating energies, typically destroying everything nearby along with both runes. Legends speak of incredibly potent legendary weapons being able to destroy runes, though such an act supposedly had devastating effect on the weapon and its bearer, along with local environs.
- Runic items may be destroyed only by a sufficiently powerful legendary weapon, an effect that could destroy a lesser legendary item, or an appropriately destructive Rune.
The ability to warp the fabric of reality and change the course of history, all bound within a single item. Legendary items are a bastion of power and few objects can hold even a candle to their strength. Legendary items are rarely held by any but the greatest of heroes, though all nations (and all thieves) keep a close eye on such individuals. The most powerful of legendary items have been known to calm the most vicious of wars and cow even the most ancient of dragons. Wisely, many items of such power have been hidden away from the world to keep Creed safe until their presence is required once again. The origin of legendary items is a mystery, though many believe that it likely similar to innately magical items. Legendary items function as follows:
- Legendary weapons, armors, and shields may benefit from the bearer’s enhancements and enchantments, but legendary magical items cannot be further enchanted.
- Legendary items are incredibly difficult to destroy as most all legendary items may only be destroyed in a single specific fashion determined by their origin. However, a legendary item of lesser power may occasionally be destroyed or at least weakened by being subjected to in an intense natural disaster or uniquely potent and destructive magical effect.