Idea for an Enchanted Item/Item of Power

[Smith]

As stated in the book, Conjuring kinda sucks. Yeah, you can get that sword, but it takes so long to whip up the spell, only to have the sword last for so long. It doesn't make much sense, when you can just go out and get that sword (or other item) cheaper and easier the old fashioned way.

So here's my idea.

The wizard creates in a safe place (home, laboratory, trunk of his car, etc.) a summoning circle (like the one in Harry's basement), this space is specifically set aside for one purpose... holding an item for later use. The circle is then linked through a lengthy thaumaturgical casting to a glove, which contains the spell. When activated, the glove summons whatever is in the circle to the open (gloved) hand of the wizard.

I could see this being extremely handy as it's not always convenient to carry around your Wizard's Staff, loaded gun, sword or what-have-you.

The way I'm thinking this would be accomplished is the glove acts as a once per session use Enchanted Item. The player would have to specify what item was in the prepared space, upon activation of the glove's enchantment, the prepared item is sent into the Nevernever to be pulled out again by the glove.

Any thoughts?

[sinker]

The one thought I have is that you might want a Demesne for that. If it's flying though random spaces in the Nevernever then a lot of interesting things could happen to it. For example it could come out molten hot, or covered in acid or pull something terrible through with it. Having a Demesne that is linked to you and the circle would solve that.

[Smith]

I'd actually like to drop the Nevernever aspect of the spell. Just have it so the glove calls the item from the prepared space, but I thought some people might require that kind of distinction.

[devonapple]

There are suggestions on how to handle Teleportation in the Thaumaturgy section, near Worldwalking. Distance/zone-crossing seems to be the primary concerns in DFRPG, and they suggest that teleportation be pretty difficult for anything other than short distances of a few zones. You may be looking at an incredibly complex spell if you want global availability.

[Smith]

Well, I'm not thinking Global Availability, more like... city wide. I notice one of the big concerns with out-and-out teleportation is the character covering X number of zones and overcoming Y number of Borders and the effects they will have on the caster. I'm thinking this could work with a number of stipulations applied to it, such as "Not across a Threshold" and "Inanimate Objects Only". I'm also thinking that the prepared space and the glove need to share a rather substantial thaumaturgical link, like "The gloves rivets are forged from the same metal that makes up the circle" or some-such.

[sinker]

Seems like one way to do teleportation in the dresdenverse is by transforming the target into something that travels faster and is impeded less (I.E. tiny particles on the wind, electricity, radiation, etc) then drawing it where you want it and transforming it back. This would be incredibly complex of course but I would think that you could do most of the work in advance and then essentially use the glove to trigger it.

Of course per usual I'm thinking thematically and not mechanically. Mechanically I'd say that regardless of how you do it you're "Solving an improbable or impossible problem," so I would figure out what the dificulty of a resource roll to have said Item would be, and if it's less then your lore then there's no problem with you making a enchanted item that summons said item.

[Sanctaphrax]

I don't think you need a fancy teleportation-based explanation for an item like that. Just stick a conjuration effect in an enchanted item and be done with it.

[devonapple]

Of course per usual I'm thinking thematically and not mechanically. Mechanically I'd say that regardless of how you do it you're "Solving an improbable or impossible problem," so I would figure out what the dificulty of a resource roll to have said Item would be, and if it's less then your lore then there's no problem with you making a enchanted item that summons said item.

Exactly. Imagine that you are trying to get a courier to bring it to you. Factor in the Resources check to get a courier (higher for larger items, presumably: a messenger bike to carry a dagger is cheaper than a moving crew to grab a piano) and then determine how long in the Time Scale it would take for said courier to leave your side, head to your Summoning Circle, pick up and then bring back that item. Then add Complexity to bring that time down to 1 exchange or so.

[bibliophile20]

... than a moving crew to grab a piano...

Does this mean I can legitimately summon a piano for a spontaneous music number?  And does it have to materialize in front of me, or can I have it appear around the second or third floors?

[devonapple]

Does this mean I can legitimately summon a piano for a spontaneous music number?  And does it have to materialize in front of me, or can I have it appear around the second or third floors?

Brilliant! I'm hesitant to respond with guidelines about doing such a thing in DFRPG, lest it was meant wholly in jest.

[bibliophile20]

It was meant in jest, but if you have ideas, go ahead! 

[devonapple]

It was meant in jest, but if you have ideas, go ahead!  

Well, the first one could just be a simple Conjuring from the Nevernever: ballpark would be about 12 shifts, maybe more due to the complexity. Unless you wanted a *particular* unique piano from someplace in the real world (like Roger's Piano from the bar down the street): that would be 20 or so, depending on distance.

The second one would simply be a Weapon:X effect and/or Maneuver to placed the "Pinned Under a Piano" Aspect on the target.

But we are skirting into off-topic territory.

You'd think it would be easier to summon a complex item from somewhere else rather than just craft it out of Ectoplasm, but the DFRPG setting seems to make teleport effects prohibitive to cast, and makes shaping ectoplasm a lot simpler than some might make it.

[bibliophile20]

the "Pinned Under a Piano" Aspect on the target.

Amend that; it should be "A-Flat Enemy"  

But we are skirting into off-topic territory.

True.  Sorry.  

I have one point on shaping Ectoplasm.  As the book points out in the conjuration section, unless you're very good and accept a high complexity, the item in question is not going to look quite right and probably won't work.  So, going off of the piano example, it probably would be easier just to summon a piano than it would be to try an conjure a working instrument.  Now, while that's an extreme example, given how complex pianos are, the point is, sooner or later, for just about all mundane conjurations, there comes a trade-off point, where it is easier to summon than it is to conjure.  

[Smith]

Been talking with my GM and we've agreed that the spell would have to turn the "summoned item" into another form (I've chosen Magnetic Force) in order to get it from the prepared space to the glove. How this will be explained thaumaturgically is... the circle for this spell would be made of rare-earth magnets... the glove would contain a smaller circle of the same magnets (procured from the exact same source). The item in the circle, when called, would be turned into pure magnetism and go rushing towards the glove, using the mystic link between the magnets to overpower any outside influence (i.e. getting stuck on someones refrigerator next to the preschooler's drawings).

We've also decided that it wouldn't work over a threshold that the wizard wasn't invited through and would also have a distance of maybe a few city-blocks, as such, we'll probably go with the "Car Trunk" option.

Thought you guys might like an update. When I have mechanics written down for it, I'll be sure to post those as well.
As always, feel free to leave comments, concerns and (especially) cash prizes.  ^_^

[devonapple]

Thought you guys might like an update. When I have mechanics written down for it, I'll be sure to post those as well.
As always, feel free to leave comments, concerns and (especially) cash prizes.  ^_^

Yes, please! Let us know how it turns out in your game.