Poll

Of the options below, which would you prefer?  Why?

1. Contacts roll modified by Lore followed by Resources Roll.
2. Contacts roll followed by Resources Roll.
3. Resources roll restricted by Contacts.
4. Only with a stunt.

Author Topic: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items  (Read 2091 times)

Offline InFerrumVeritas

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Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« on: June 16, 2011, 12:42:23 PM »
Background:  After reading the short stories and thinking about the books, there are a number of instances where non-magical characters have a single use magic item on hand.  Three-eye was effectively a potion.  Marcone has a few (
(click to show/hide)
).  The Warrior has
(click to show/hide)
with an amulet.  They are minor instances.  They throw things off here and there, but they are very useful.  So I started trying to find a way to do this.

The first place I looked was in the SotC SRD (actually, it was in the DFRPG, but that was a bust).  They have cool rules for Gadgets and Gizmos.  While they don't limit characters to hard numbers, the equipment goes away after a single adventure unless payed for with refresh (as Personal Equipment).  I liked this in a lot of ways.  In that game, tinkerers are meant to be at least a little rare.  Extrapolating from and adapting those rules got me Option 1:

1.  To purchase a Magic Item, you must first know or get a hold of a practitioner capable of making it and willing to sell.  This requires a Contacts roll, restricted by Lore (you must know some supernatural channels).  The difficulty of this roll should be the Strength of the Item, or number of shifts required to make it.  Typically, this takes a day to do, although you may push this up the time chart by adding additional shifts to the difficulty.  Most wizards will not sell anything more than a potion or simple single use enchanted item.  Once you are able to get in touch with a seller, the cost of the item is equal to the strength of the item.  Typically, magic items will have to be made to order.  This means that it takes a few hours to make a potion or a few weeks to make an enchanted item (which is why potions are the only ones available for sale).  Because of the time required and cost involved, characters should be restricted to one magic item per session at most (often only one per scenario).   You may not make declarations related to having magic items because of their rarity and difficulty to obtain.

Now, this seemed clunky and over complicated.  It meant that three skills had their hands in the pot.  I figured the contacts roll wouldn't have to be modified by Lore.  So in Option 2, I stripped this out.  Otherwise, it is exactly the same as Option 1.

Still, I want things like this as simple as possible.  The less rolls the better.  So, in this case I considered just allowing Resources to be restricted by Contacts.  

3.  Buying magic items is possible, but costly.  The cost of the potion or simple enchanted item is equal to the item's strength.  Typically, it takes a day to contact the seller and a few hours at minimum to produce a potion (enchanted items can take much longer, up to a few weeks).  The time can be decreased by increasing the difficulty for each step up on the time chart, but never to less than an afternoon. Roll Resources, restricted by your Contacts skill.  Most practitioners, even those willing to sell, are not willing to sell anything more than a potion or simple single use item.  Because of the time required and cost involved, characters should be restricted to one magic item per session at most (often only one per scenario).  You may not make declarations related to having magic items because of their rarity and difficulty to obtain.

Now, some would say that this is a new trapping to the Resources skill and thus would require a stunt.  Hence Option 4.

Speaking of stunts, I was kicking around a couple and came up with these related to this idea.

Collector of Arcane Goods [-1]
Once per scene, for a fate point, you may declare that you have a potion or other single use magical trinket on hand.  It’s strength is equal to your Resources skill.

Arcane Connoisseur [-1]
Your Resources skill is treated as two steps higher when purchasing enchanted items or potions.

Thoughts, criticisms, and praise are welcome (especially criticisms).

Offline Belial666

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2011, 03:01:23 PM »
To buy magic items you only need to know this gal;
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,20589.msg903087.html#msg903087
She can make and sell at least 12 potionlike items per day, each one with 9 uses and at least 12 shifts of power, often with as much as 20 shifts of power. She also makes golems, stone guardians, assassin statues and the like, whose services she also sells. She charges more for weapons and wargolems than she does for defensive items since the White Council rather opposes the idea of, say, a magical crystal rod that could be used to level a hill-sized area several times before it runs out of power. Payment comes in favors as well as money. If a girl has to spend a half-hour to cook you a nice boomstick, you'd better be willing to give her a night of your time when she asks.



Generally speaking, you should get magic items for a Debt or an Oath - basically a future compel you can't refuse. (sort of like sponsor debt or the compels from making stronger potions)

Offline Haru

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2011, 04:34:03 PM »
To be honest, if you want to play a character that depends on using magic potions, I don't think the pure mortal template would still apply, even if you don't create the potions yourself. It is kind of an have your cake (+2 refresh) and eat it (have magical powers) too thing. At least make it a +1 magical power to get some potion slots along with a contact to fill them.

For a one time thing (which mostly should be a plot item anyway), a contacts or resources roll should be enough, maybe one modified by the other, if the item is particularly expensive or hard to get. Lore rolls could be used to create aspects for a tag on the purchase roll, because the better you know what you need, the easier it should be to get it. Or make it a side plot. By no means should it become something that is done on a regular basis, in my opinion.
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Offline devonapple

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2011, 04:58:21 PM »
Background:  After reading the short stories and thinking about the books, there are a number of instances where non-magical characters have a single use magic item on hand.  Three-eye was effectively a potion.  Marcone has a few (
(click to show/hide)
).  The Warrior has
(click to show/hide)
with an amulet.  They are minor instances.  They throw things off here and there, but they are very useful.  So I started trying to find a way to do this.

The two major examples are, of course, backed by the power of plot. They could also be explained by the "players" invoking key Aspects such as
(click to show/hide)
.

Which is not to say one shouldn't come up with a way to formalize this. But I do think there is weight to the comment about this being a potential way to have supernatural trappings while sidestepping the restrictions of the Pure Mortal template AND ideal.

When a spellcaster makes items that another person can use, they are still paying the Refresh and using their resources to make the item, and it is generally 1 shift lower (except for potions) for the privilege of allowing that loan. Formalizing this in a way that makes Ye Olde Magic Shoppe a plausible plot element seems likely to cheapen things.

Ultimately, invoking Aspects with Fate Points, or accepting Debt from a supernatural source, seems like the best way to do this without turning this into an AD&D 2nd edition game.
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Offline InFerrumVeritas

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2011, 05:19:07 PM »
I don't want a "Ye Olde Item Shoppe." 

I think anything short of a stunt should be a side plot and fully agree that the character should pay a price for the items.  Compels, debt, time, etc.  I'd want these to roleplay out, but to have guidelines for rolls that seem mechanically balanced.

The one stunt I have would, effectively, take away the character's Pure Mortal status (or at least the benefits of that status) if they used it.

-1 Refresh for stunt.
1 fate point per item (only one per scene, limited to single use items like potions, etc.)

As opposed to:
-2 refresh for 4 items and less limitations.

We see with the stunt you're looking at -1 refresh and 4 fate points for the 4 items.  This takes away the +2 refresh bonus a pure mortal has (even using it once does this, really) and pays a premium for being able to use Resources for strength instead of Lore.

I'm not looking for a character to have a bag full of potions to whip out, but rather to have a Pure Mortal that wants to prepare themselves to have a reasonable way to do so (in moderation).

Offline UmbraLux

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2011, 07:43:06 PM »
A recurrent theme in Dresden Files is the cost of power.  The RPG did a reasonably good job of replicating that.  I'd retain it - temporary powers cost fate points and permanent powers cost refresh. 
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Offline Arcane

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Re: Still Trying to Find a Good Way to Buy Magic Items
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2011, 09:21:48 PM »
It occurs to me that a mortal possessing regular access to magic items (or other magical services such as Ward Installation) is basically a form of Sponsored Magic, with the "Sponsor" basically being the wizard, sorceror, or talismonger that the mortal has an arrangement with, and the "Sponsor's Agenda" is basically to be paid with money and/or favors by the mortal.  One of the benefits of "I Know A Guy" Sponsored Magic could be to substitute another skill for Lore when determining the strength of an enchanted item, such as Resources or Contacts.  

Of course, mechanically the character of course would not be a Pure Mortal, but flavor-wise he'd just be a clued-in mortal who has the right money or friends.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2011, 09:30:24 PM by Arcane »
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