Enchanting
Enchanting
Many would-be adventurers are only as good as their magic items. Even other Casters can become dependent on an Enchanter’s merchandise. Despite how rare it is for a powerful Caster to emerge it is rarer still for an accomplished enchanter to establish themselves. Enchanters are those that have an extraordinary understanding of Rigen for the sake of binding it permanently to a non-living item.
After The Change Days, Rigen never naturally bound itself to non-living materials as it did on Anore. It is not impossible though. An Enchanter utilizes several tools to collect the ambient unbonded Rigen and flood it into an item. As they pack it full of raw power, they guide and form its purpose with their own Personal Rigen. Much of the unbonded Rigen seeps out of the intended creation which requires the Enchanter to flood more periodically, but after weeks of saturation the item is permanently changed. While it is not necessary for an Enchanter’s lab to be used when creating a magic item, it reduces the risk exceptionally. It is impossible for all but the most experienced to create an item without a lab and not receive permanent injuries from the process.
The best Enchanters have an understanding of whatever it is that the magic item is intended for. When the Enchanter has levels in a secondary skill or spell that the magic item is meant to augment, or boost, they are able to better hone the magic for that purpose. For example, an Enchanter who is an experienced swordsman understands there are different ways to make a sword better. It could be lighter, cut faster, have a sharper edge, or be more durable without extra weight. If they were a Pyromancer, they’d understand what could help in harnessing Rigen or for aiming their spell, as well as how to create a magic staff to help the Caster do that. If they are a Journeyman in the skill or spell that the intended magic item is meant to be used for then the maximum bonus that can be applied to the item increases by +1. If they’re an expert in the skill or spell the bonus is +2, and if they’re masters the bonus becomes a +3. These bonuses that scale with the secondary skill are referred to as the affinity bonus.
Magic items are not inherently indestructible, though at a certain point they become very resistant to damage. There is also a limit to how much Rigen can be imbued to an item. No magic item can possess more than four different slots for magical enchantments, nor any bonus that is greater than +20. Creating a magic item is also very taxing to the Enchanter and the Atmopool. Thus, an enchanter is only able to perform three enchanting tasks appropriate to the limits of their skill per season.
Enchanter’s Lab
An Enchanter’s lab requires a lot of space, regardless of the tools an Enchanter elects to use. Whether it’s the Enchanting room, or the entire building, the Enchanter requires private access to 100ft by 100ft by 30ft to limit the possibility of other Casters accessing the Atmopool. Inside the lab there is a Dalivars Table. There are many variations of this table which mostly caters to an Enchanter’s preference and focus. The base form is a four foot tall altar with at least three curved prongs that reach up a minimum of ten feet into the air and are at least one foot thick in diameter. Each of the prongs have connectors that generate a spiral towards the altar. A Dalivars Table is made of dense stone or hard metals and completely engraved in Runistics.
Variations in a Dalivars Table include the size, which determines how large of an item can be placed on the table. Enchanters that enjoy making magical furniture require some of the largest tables ever made. Some Enchanters have made tables that are inclined to function like a podium. Others have more than three prongs or longer prongs. These changes do not alter the magic item’s capabilities but serve the Enchanter’s personal preference for harnessing the Atmopool, and personal comfort during the enchanting process.
An Enchanter uses their Personal Rigen to attract unbonded Rigen from the Atmopool. It flows through the Runistic engraved prongs and connectors to the altar. Most altars have a divot in them where the item is placed. A Runistic engraved glass canister or cover, known as a Paciona, is used to keep the Rigen from seeping out of the item when an Enchanter steps away for the day. Rigen floods the Paciona, and as it does so the Enchanter uses one or two Taucor to align and direct the Rigen as needed to generate the desired magical effect. A Taucor is a foot and a half long, stone or metal, very narrow pipe etched with Runistics with a very fine point on one end. The Taucor is also able to siphon Rigen out of the item and back into the Atmopool in the event that too much Rigen has been flooded into the Paciona too quickly.
More advanced Dalivars Tables have indented slots for Vaslitor Crystals which assist in controlling the flow of Rigen into the item. Vaslitor Crystals are large and shaped like geometric diamonds with Runistic engravings. When inserted into the slots they can alter the unbonded Rigen’s flow by simply rotating it. The crystal will glow and, depending on the style of Runistics it is engraved with, the brightness of the glow indicates how much flow is permitted or the glow will change color to indicate how much flow is permitted. The best designs that permit Vaslitor Crystals allow for a crystal to completely sever the flow or redirect it into an endless loop when all the crystals are positioned correctly.
Another addition to more advanced Dalivars Tables is the Otolzan Couplers, an engraved extension to each of the three base prongs that connect to a table. The Otolzan Couplers are used when an Enchanter wishes to draw the Rigen, abilities, or even the aesthetics from other magic items or even living creatures into the focus of the enchantment. The process almost always destroys or kills the subject attached to the Otolzan Couplers. Some of the boldest Enchanters have attempted to draw power from known artifacts, though none have ever done so successfully.
One of the last tools available in an Enchanter’s lab is the Gnoscalus Lense, a large cabinet made entirely out of magically hardened and Runistically engraved glass. This tool allows an Enchanter to ascertain the exact properties of a magic item, or creature should one ever be placed in it. The engravings are nearly invisible until the Caster places their hands on a specific location and powers it with their Personal Rigen. Then all the engravings illuminate as it analyzes the Rigen of the subject. The engravings begin to illuminate in specific patterns and colors to reveal the subject’s properties.
Prerequisites
Establishing permanent effects require extensive knowledge. Before any ranks can be gained in Enchanting, the character must be a Master of Rigenology, as well as a Journeyman in Runistics. An Enchanter must also be at least Journeyman in a secondary skill in order to create Journeyman level enchanted items related to the secondary skill. Expert enchanted items but be created by an Expert in the related Secondary skill, and master items with masters in the skill.
Initial Learning
Enchanting cannot be self-taught and requires an instructor that is at least an Expert enchanter.
Skill Levels
Apprentice
The Caster requires constant supervision from their instructor. They are learning how to properly use the tools of an enchanting lab as well as the precise techniques required to safely saturate the intended magic item with Rigen. When creating their own magic item, the instructor must be present to avoid an incident. Apprentices gain most of their experience by assisting their instructors on projects. An Apprentice is only capable of creating magic items that would grant a +2 bonus to a skill, not counting the affinity bonus.
Journeyman
Now the Caster is able to work with some level of independence. They understand how to use the enchanting lab without supervision of their instructor. But they do not understand yet the nuances for creating better magic items. At this stage the Enchanter is capable of making more powerful items and adding a second effect to a preexisting magic item. A Journeyman can make an item that provides a +7 bonus to any one skill or spell, not counting the affinity bonus. They can also create magic items that have abilities that do not add a bonus to any skill or spell. These abilities can replicate some spell qualities or have more universally useful effects like, for example, a metal shield that never rusts. A Journeyman is also able to identify the abilities of a magic item not created by them.
Expert
Upon becoming an Expert, an Enchanter is now capable of creating magic items beyond the limitation of adding a bonus to skills or spells. Moreso, they can create a new magic item that possesses up to three of its ability slots. The Enchanter is now able to create magic items without the use of an Enchanter’s lab, but the item will only have one-fourth of the power it could have possessed if made in a lab. An expert is able to make magic items that provide a +12 bonus to any skill or spell, this does not include the affinity bonus. Experts also begin to learn how to drain other magic items to imbue new ones. The existing magic item is completely drained and destroyed in the process. Not all of its magic is successfully transferred either. Magic items that are made by Experts, or reach expert quality, can now only be damaged by other magic items of expert quality or better, or by spells cast by a Master.
Master
There are few that the Enchanter would consider to be their peers at this stage. A Master is now able to make a non-artifact using all their ability slots and with a +17 bonus to any skill or spell, this does not include the affinity bonus. The Master Enchanter can now make magic items without an enchanter’s lab with one-third the power. When draining the magic from an old item to create a new one, they can now transfer one or more effects directly from the old one to the new one.
Level 100
Enchanters who have reached Level 100 in the skill have acquired many of the secrets required to create items worthy enough to be considered Artifacts. An Artifact is an item with a bonus greater than +20, more than four abilities, or a combination of the two. To create an Artifact the Master must use at least three master quality magic items with three master enchantments each, or seven expert quality items that each have three expert quality enchantments, to power an Artifact’s creation. This allows for an artifact to possess abilities greater than +20, and/or more than four abilities. Artifacts cannot be made without an enchanter’s lab. They can only be damaged by another Artifact or by a being that is at least semi-divine. Artifacts take a ridiculous amount of time to create, and even the fastest of Enchanters can only manage to create one Artifact a year.
Costs
Personal Rigen is required to direct the energies being harnessed from the Atmopool to create the desired magical effects. The base cost for enchanting is 50 points from the Enchanter’s spellpool. This reflects all the Personal Rigen that the Enchanter uses during a day’s effort. As they get more experienced an Enchanter requires less Personal Rigen to direct the unbonded Rigen during the enchanting process. The amount of Rigen taken from the Atmopool is difficult to quantify due to all the variables involved with the enchanting procedure. Because of this, Enchanters strongly prefer dedicating large areas to their labs, so that way they know that they’re the only ones utilizing the atmopool in that area. The table below shows the spellpool cost of creating enchanted items per day.
Regardless of skill level, an enchanter always dedicates 20 points from their spellpool when using a Gnoscalus to determine a magic item or creature’s magical properties.
| Enchanter Ability | Apprentice | Journeyman | Expert | Master | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Item Quality | |||||
| Apprentice | 50 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 4 |
| Journeyman | 50 | 25 | 13 | 7 | |
| Expert | 50 | 25 | 13 | ||
| Master | 50 | 25 | |||
| Artifact | 50 |
An Enchanter’s lab experiences a lot of wear and tear due to the unbonded Rigen that is channeled through it. In addition to rare materials that are consumed during an enchantment, the equipment must be regularly repaired. These are reflected in the market value of an item. What it costs to create the item, and repair the equipment after its creation, is equal to half of the market value. To calculate the market value use the following formula:
The Bonus to Skill/Spell x The Bonus to Skill/Spell x 1 Gold
If an item has more than one slot used simply add the market value of each individual slot together to determine the final market value of the magic item. When an Expert or Master Enchanter creates a magic item without an enchanter’s lab they are not required to pay for materials used since they are not using any. Abilities that do not give numeric bonuses require discussion with a spirit moderator, and the World Spirit’s direct approval. Below is the list of preapproved abilities. More examples of magic items can be found on the Nano Wrimo Prizes page.
Approved Abilities
| Ability | Market Value | Slots Used | Required Enchanting Skill | Skill/Spell Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skill Increase: Provides a specified bonus to the rolls a specific Skill, Spell, or Weapon. This ability can be applied to all four of a magic item’s slots. However; each slot must be dedicated to different Skills, Spells, or Weapons. (Enchanting is not a spell that can be improved by magic items) | Bonus Squared x 1G | 1 | Varies | |
| Direction: The owner is constantly aware of the direction to a specific place or specific direction like North. | 20 G | 1 | Journeyman | |
| Long-lasting: The metal pieces of the item never rust, leather never cracks naturally, fabrics never fray. | 36 G | 1 | Journeyman | |
| Sensing: The owner can sense when a specific thing or type of thing is within 100ft. | 20 G | 1 | Journeyman | |
| Reinforcement, Light: Increase the Armor Bonus provided by a piece of armor by +5. (Applies directly to the item and not the wearer’s overall armor for combat defense.) | 25 G | 1 | Journeyman | Journeyman Warding |
| Spell Focus: The wielder is able to cast spells through the item more efficiently. Spellpool costs are reduced by 5 (Minimum cost of 5) and Atmopool costs are reduced by 8 (Minimum cost of 5). | 75 G | 1 | Journeyman | Journeyman Runistics |
| Bound: Anyone that is not related by blood to the owner that uses the item feels severe pains until they discontinue using it in the form of a -50 Penalty on all rolls. (Requires owner’s blood during enchanting) | 100 G | 1 | Expert | |
| Protection: Aids the wearer against harm by improving the armor value over the wearer’s entire body by +10. (Enchantment can be applied to wearable items besides Armor.) | 150 G | 1 | Expert | Expert Masking |
| Reinforcement, Moderate: Increase the Armor Bonus provided by a piece of armor by +10. (Applies directly to the item and not the wearer’s overall armor for combat defense.) | 100 G | 1 | Expert | Expert Warding |
| Disguise: The item is able to take on a different appearance to avoid detection. Must still appear like an item of the base item’s form. | 180 G | 1 | Expert | Expert Deceptics |
| Reinforcement, Heavy: Increase the Armor Bonus provided by a piece of armor by +15. (Applies directly to the item and not the wearer’s overall armor for combat defense.) | 225 G | 1 | Master | Master Warding |
| Spellpower: The owner gains a 25 point increase to their spellpool. (Can be applied more than once to a single item.) | 230 G | 1 | Master | Master Rigenology |
| Nigh Invulnerable: The item can only be destroyed by artifacts or beings that are at least semi-divine. | 320 G | 2 | Master | Master Rigenology |
Costs for Artifacts
Artifacts are often more expensive than people’s mansions. In addition to sacrificing powerful magic items, they require more resources and more advanced enchanter tools. The costs are as following when making an artifact from scratch:
- 500 Gold
- 3 Master quality magic items with at least three filled master slots each.
Or
- 500 Gold
- 7 Expert quality magic items with 3 slots used on each to expert levels.
This allows for an item to possess four slots, three of which are at +25 value, or five slots with two slots at +25 value.
When attempting to improve an existing magic item to become an Artifact it must have at least two enchantments at Master quality. The enchanter uses 100 Gold in costs and materials as well as 3 Master quality magic items with three used slots each. Artifacts can be improved upon by an Enchanter with 100 points. See the table below for costs to improve Artifacts.
| Applied Improvement | Magic Items to Sacrifice | Time Required before any other Artifact Improvements can be made again* |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Enchantment Slot (+20) | 1 Master Item w/ 2 Master Enchantments | Once per Season |
| Additional Artifact Slot (+25) | 1 Master Item w/ 3 Master Enchantments | Once per Two Seasons |
| Increase 1 Enchantment to +25 | 1 Master Item w/ 2 Master Enchantments | Once per Season |
| Increase 1 Slot from +25 to +35 | 1 Master Item w/ 3 Master Enchantments | Once per Two Seasons |
| Increase 1 Slot from +35 to +45 | 2 Master Items w/ 2 Master Enchantments each | Once per Three Seasons |
| Increase 1 Slot from +45 to +50 | 2 Master Items w/ 3 Master Enchantments each | Once per Year |
| Increase 3 Artifact Slots by +10 (To a Maximum of +50) | 3 Master Items w/ 4 Master Enchantments each | Once per Year |
| Additional Two Artifact Slots (+25 to each) | 2 Master Items w/ 4 Master Enchantments each | Once per Year |
Artifact Enchantments
| Ability | Skill/Spell Required* |
|---|---|
| Reinforcement, Mythic: Increase the Armor Bonus provided by a piece of armor by +25. (Applies directly to the item and not the wearer’s overall armor for combat defense.) | Warding |
| Protection, Mythic: Aids the wearer against harm by improving the armor value over the wearer’s entire body by +20. (Enchantment can be applied to wearable items besides Armor.) | Masking |
| Spellpower, Mythic: The owner gains a 40 point increase to their spellpool. (Can be applied more than twice to a single Artifact.) | Rigenology |
| Juggernaut: When the wearer suffers a wound, the wound’s severity is reduced by two tiers. | Advanced Medicine |
| Spell Immunity: The wearer/wielder of the Artifact is immune to the effects of one specific spell that has been cast by someone else. This ability can be suppressed by the wearer/wielder. (Can be applied more than twice to a single Artifact. Occupies 2 Artifact Slots.) | The Designated Spell |
Artifact creation or alteration must be approved by the A Spirit Moderator.
Risks
Forcing Rigen to do something it wouldn’t otherwise do can be very hazardous. Without an enchanter’s lab the enchanter is subject to second if not third degree burns from channeling unbonded Rigen into an item. Too much Rigen can be imbued into an object and cause it to explode resulting in injury or possibly death to the Enchanter. Less dangerous failures included the intended item melting or warping into a useless shape. When using an enchanter’s lab the risk of burns is removed as the equipment takes the brunt of the danger.
Damaging and Destroying Magic Items
After an item has been infused with enough rigen, it becomes resistant to being damaged or destroyed by normal means. Magic Items that are only Apprentice or Journeyman in quality do not have any additional resistance when compared to a mundane item. Expert quality magic items can only damaged or destroyed by skills/spells used by a person that is an Expert or better in those skills/spells, or by extreme environmental effects such as being struck by lightning, crushed in an avalanche, or submerged in lava. Master quality magic items can only be damaged or destroyed by someone using a skill/spell of master level, or by extreme environmental effects such as lightning and lava.
Artifacts have so much rigen infused in them that it requires something of greater power to damage or destroy them. Only unique environmental dangers can damage artifacts (Tolkien’s Fires of Mount Doom for example). Otherwise, it requires another artifact of equal or greater power to damage an artifact, a skill/spell that is at 100 through non-magical means, or by a divine entity. Artifacts that have the Nigh-Invulnerable enchantment are so reinforced that only skills/spells with a total of 150 or greater, or full-fledged gods can destroy them.
When a magic item is destroyed, all the infused rigen rapidly returns to the atmopool. None of it is stable anymore, and can cause hazardous effects in the surrounding area. Apprentice quality items can cause rigenic poisoning to anyone holding the item when it is destroyed. Journeyman quality items scorch everything in a ten foot radius and cause rigenic poisoning to anyone in that radius. Expert quality items destabilize the atmopool and will initiate random magical effects. Everyone within a hundred foot radius would experience rigenic burns and rigenic poisoning. Master quality items cause instant ardentation in the atmopool as well as extreme rigenic burns, poisoning, and possibly instant death to everyone with a thousand foot radius.
Artifacts that are destroyed can permanently change the landscape, slay immortal beings, and severely wound divine beings. Spirit Moderators must be made aware of an artifact’s destruction immediately, and the thread must be paused until the Spirit Moderator completes their Intervention.
Magic Item Limitations
The longer a PC is active on Siliren the more likely they are to accumulate magic items. While magic items are not easy to come by, there are limitations to the benefits that a PC can gain from them. Unless either a Spirit Moderator or an enchantment’s descriptions says otherwise, a specific enchantment can only be applied to an item once. If a PC has multiple magic items that provide a bonus to the same skill/spell, or another characteristic of the PC, only the two with the highest bonus count.
Artifact Limitations
An Artifact cannot provide more than a +50 bonus to a skill/spell with a single enchantment. Because of their power level, a bonus to a specific skill/spell can be applied to two of its slots, allowing for a maximum of +100 to a single skill/spell. The total number of enchantment slots an Artifact can have, regardless of the quality of the enchantment slots, is ten. Artifacts are highly treasured by more than just the playable races. Any instance of an artifact making a physical appearance in a thread requires approval from a Spirit Moderator.
Skills/Spells beyond 100
100 is the limit for a typical Mortal being. Humans used to think anything beyond that was impossible while the Anorians considered it only possibly when blessed by the gods. Once a skill has exceeded 100, by magic or other means, the character is able to perform or understand that skill at an ability beyond Mortal comprehension. The mechanical aspects for most skills relates to nothing more than a higher numeric value to the skill. Depending on the source, the bonus given by magical items can impact a PC’s wages. Speak to a Spirit Moderator if one of your Job Skills has a magical bonus that could permit you to earn higher wages. Be warned, a loss of wages and reputation could occur if the source of the PC’s magical bonus is removed in-character.
Special Note: The Enchanting Spell cannot exceed 100 with the use of magical items.
When a Spell is beyond 100 points it can effect a variety of aspects about that spell. Every Spell has the maximum range, area of effect, and/or duration mentioned in its Master (or 100) description increase by 10%. If the Spell is beyond 125, the increase is 20%. The following Spells have their base spellpool cost reduced by half even when casting at their highest capacity:
Certain Spells augment other Skills/Spells, and are therefore less straightforward on what they might gain beyond 100. Below describes how specific spells are improved by exceeding 100.
| Spell | Beyond 100 | Beyond 125 |
|---|---|---|
| Chimerics | Reduce 4 Hostile Spells by 2 Levels, Reduce 2 Hostile Spells by 3 Levels | Reduce 5 Hostile Spells by 2 Levels, Reduce 3 Hostile Spells by 3 Levels |
| Delugism | +50 bonus to Physical rolls | +60 bonus to Physical Rolls |
| Enchanting | Reduce all Artifact Improvement periods by 1 Season. | Reduce all Artifact Improvement periods by 2 Seasons. |
| Paramancy | All “secondary” spell costs are at 25%, Provides +35 bonus to “primary” spell per spell fusion. | Provides +45 bonus to “primary” spell per spell fusion. |
| Runistics | -10 to Spellpool costs (Min 5), -12 to Atmopool costs (Min 5), Can store 30 spellpool into a Medium. | -12 to Spellpool costs (Min 5), -14 to Atmopool costs (Min 5), Can store 35 spellpool into a Medium. |
| Siphonics | Absorb 70 points from each Target, Absorb 60 points from Atmopool. | Absorb 80 points from each Target, Absorb 70 points from Atmopool. |
| Summoning | Personal Cost is Reduced to 20 | Personal Cost is Reduced to 15 |
| Telekinesis | Can manipulate 3,000 lbs, Full concentration at 1,500 lbs, Maximum load at 15,000 lbs. | Can manipulate 4,000 lbs, Full concentration at 2,000 lbs, Maximum load at 20,000 lbs. |
| Telepathy | Base Spell Cost reduced to 10, Target’s Spellpool reduced to 5. | Base Spell Cost reduced to 5, Target’s Spellpool reduced to 0. |
Article Credit to Abraxas