Mortals with enchanted items?

[Ghsdkgb]

Just curious if there's a way to stat this up. I've got an idea for a mortal who's spent his life hunting the supernatural and was thinking he'd have picked up a few magical trinkets along the way.

I know most enchanted items fade after a few sunrises without a Wizard there to empower them, and there are a few (albeit limited) cases in the books where Harry gives a magic item over to someone (the charm he gave to Lydia, the face-change doll he gave to Thomas, or the bullet Gard made for Marcone, etc.).

I don't want to do it as an Item of Power, mostly because I'd rather go with the idea that they're one-shot items that produce a minor effect, which doesn't seem to fit the IoP template. Other than that, though, near as I can tell, there's nothing in the rules that allows for this one way or the other.

So any ideas?

[sinker]

I'd just give him ritual:crafting and flavor it as "Oh hey, look what I found" instead of "Oh hey, look what I made."

However I think there may be a power for this in the custom powers thread. Sancta or Umbra will know more.

[YPU]

I'd just give him ritual:crafting and flavor it as "Oh hey, look what I found" instead of "Oh hey, look what I made."

However I think there may be a power for this in the custom powers thread. Sancta or Umbra will know more.

Of course that would mean that his items are effected by his lore skill, but in this case I doubt that will be a problem. If the guy has been hunting the supernatural then having a high lore skill is rather likely.

[Haru]

I've got a character like that in a campaign I'm running, and we are started modeling this with refinement. The character takes refinement for the enchanted item slots (4 slots per refresh spent), and their power is based on his contacts skill instead of lore (without a stunt). They can model a wide range of effects, though some limits can be enforced by compelling the corresponding aspect.

As an upgrade, the character got Modular Abilities linked to an item of power (or in this case a collection of items of power), to offset the 2 refresh charge for being able to change his powers. So he has a [-1] "collection of magic artifacts", which allows him to take up any (well, within reason and if the GM, me, agrees) power worth 1 refresh. So far, it has been used for a magnifying glass with the Psychometry power and a phoenix shell amulet with supernatural recovery (the catch brought it down to a cost of 1 refresh) to safe an npc from dying.

[sinker]

As an upgrade, the character got Modular Abilities linked to an item of power (or in this case a collection of items of power), to offset the 2 refresh charge for being able to change his powers. So he has a [-1] "collection of magic artifacts", which allows him to take up any (well, within reason and if the GM, me, agrees) power worth 1 refresh. So far, it has been used for a magnifying glass with the Psychometry power and a phoenix shell amulet with supernatural recovery (the catch brought it down to a cost of 1 refresh) to safe an npc from dying.

This I really like. Seems clever and interesting.

I've got a character like that in a campaign I'm running, and we are started modeling this with refinement. The character takes refinement for the enchanted item slots (4 slots per refresh spent), and their power is based on his contacts skill instead of lore (without a stunt). They can model a wide range of effects, though some limits can be enforced by compelling the corresponding aspect.

This? Not so much. Allowing the player to take Refinement with absolutely no prerequisite and altering it? That's a bit much for my tastes. I think were I in the same boat I would require a -1 refresh stunt/power for that (at the very least it's worth a stunt if you're moving trappings around).

[Haru]

It's actually not as powerful as it might sound. It's (up to) 4 specific actions over the course of 1 session per refresh. As a weapon they can get a bit powerful, but so can grenades, and you don't even need to pay refresh for those. And of course, since the character is no caster, the "1 mental stress for a reuse" does not apply. I kind of see it as the small brother of the other option, and I think they complement each other pretty good.

And I don't see moving the trapping as that big of a deal in a case like this. I kind of see the skills attached to the casting powers as suggestions or "most commonly used" if you will. I would not charge someone extra refresh for changing those skills, if it fits the character concept. Call it a new power instead of changing the old one, if that makes you feel better. I would probably argue differently, if it was a standard wizard who wants to change his trappings around just for enchanted items. Or maybe not, if it makes sense and still keeps the balance (an artificer swapping craftsmanship for lore for example).

[Sanctaphrax]

There's an Item Of Power Collection Power on the Custom Power list. I'm using it in an upcoming game.

Mortals with enchanted items have been discussed previously here. And in other places, which I linked to in that thread.

Oh, and here.

Haru, if I can get 4 enchanted item slots with Refinement, why would I ever buy Ritual (Crafting)?

Also, versatility is power. Let people use whatever skills they want for Powers and the power of every optimized character goes up. Keep that in mind.

[GryMor]

Haru, if I can get 4 enchanted item slots with Refinement, why would I ever buy Ritual (Crafting)?

Because without Ritual (Crafting) (or some other "I'm a practitioner!" Power), you can't spend mental stress for charges and without Ritual (Crafting), you don't have a mechanism for increasing the power of your enchanted items beyond your skill cap. One use per session of four power 3-4 static effects isn't exactly earth shattering (though I'll admit it's nice).

[Sanctaphrax]

What if I already had Channelling and wasn't planning on buying Crafting foci?

Also, I'd expect the items to be power 4-5. If said character doesn't have peaked Contacts, I will be very surprised.

[Haru]

He does have contacts at 4, but again, it is not really that powerful. It is basically a stunt letting you use contacts for 4 actions it would not otherwise be suitable for. A stunt would let you do so infinitively for 1 specific action, this lets you do it 4 times for various actions. And like GryMor said, without some casting power, you have no way of boosting their power in any way, which can be a huge disadvantage.

[GryMor]

I said 3-4 as my presumption was this was intended as a stunt but that they were still actual enchanted items and thus, to be used by the recipient, would be burning one power on being usable by people other than their creator/maintainer.

If it is intended as a full up power, allowing the user to bond and maintain enchanted items, then they also lose their mortal bonus but may not need ti burn a point of power on usable by others.

[sinker]

And like GryMor said, without some casting power, you have no way of boosting their power in any way, which can be a huge disadvantage.

You guys keep saying this, but I don't see any RAW support. If someone has enchanted items then I don't see any reason in the rules that they can't use those items in every way possible. I guess I understand if that's just a further part of your houserules, but it seems odd that you would expect us to know that.

[GryMor]

You guys keep saying this, but I don't see any RAW support. If someone has enchanted items then I don't see any reason in the rules that they can't use those items in every way possible. I guess I understand if that's just a further part of your houserules, but it seems odd that you would expect us to know that.

Letting non practitioners power enchanted items beyond their inherent charge is a house rule.

YS 280 "If an enchanted item runs out of uses in a session, if wielded by a practitioner, he may make additional uses anyway by taking one point of mental stress per use."

[sinker]

Yeah, that's not the issue. The issue I see is that, if you allow people to take refinement for item slots with no prerequisite what stops them from using some of those slots for Foci? What stops them from invoking aspects to increase the item's power? You keep saying that they are static 4 shift items, and I'm wondering what in the RAW supports that?

[Haru]

The character concept clearly indicates, that the character does not create the items himself, so any focus item would in no way affect his enchanted items. Without a casting power, focus items are extremely useless, so the only thing that remains are enchanted items. Usually a non-caster can't even take refinement, but in a case of a character concept like this, I as a GM am willing to make an exception (or a new power if you will) to accommodate the player's idea.

It is by its very origin a matter of agreement between the player and the GM, which includes any matter of game-breaking you might worry about. Yes, I'm invoking "the GM decides" again, for one, because I don't think it is a bad thing, and two, because a character that uses magical items like this is not covered under the RAW, so you'll have to make it up as you go anyway.