BRP Enchantments? The rules don't make sense to me. Help?

[USAFguy]

Thanks for reading.

I just can't wrap my head around the BRP rules for magic equipment vs. sorcery equipment. Permanent magic equipment/enchantments like 'protection' vs. 'sorcerors armor'. 'Protection' requires 5x Pow sacrifice vs 'sorcerors armor' only needing 2x Pow.

Hopefully, I am just not comprehending a simple issue. What/how do you do to deal with enchanting armor/weapons/wands/staves/rings/etc? Is there a link to errata or a better approach?

My best and thank you all,

Mark

[Conrad]

Thanks for reading.

I just can't wrap my head around the BRP rules for magic equipment vs. sorcery equipment. Permanent magic equipment/enchantments like 'protection' vs. 'sorcerors armor'. 'Protection' requires 5x Pow sacrifice vs 'sorcerors armor' only needing 2x Pow.

First of all happy Xmas and good gaming in the new year!

If you don't like those those rules quoted above ( from pages 245 and 246 of the BRP book I assume), then may I suggest that you change them. Its your game after all. Just be careful that you don't inadvertantly unbalance your game.

Hopefully, I am just not comprehending a simple issue. What/how do you do to deal with enchanting armor/weapons/wands/staves/rings/etc? Is there a link to errata or a better approach?

The rules for wizard's staffs, wands, rings are on page 91 of the BRP book, and the Equipment with Powers section (already mentioned above) has the rules on enchanting various items. If you don't like them then change them to suit your tastes.

Does that help?

Edited December 24, 2009 by Conrad

[NickMiddleton]

Thanks for reading.

I just can't wrap my head around the BRP rules for magic equipment vs. sorcery equipment. Permanent magic equipment/enchantments like 'protection' vs. 'sorcerors armor'. 'Protection' requires 5x Pow sacrifice vs 'sorcerors armor' only needing 2x Pow.

Protection increases protection by a flat amount, irrespective of whether you are using variable or fixed armour, and has no fixed upper limit. If you are using variable armour rolls Sorcerer's Armour "biases the roll" with variable armour, rather adding a flat amount of protection: and in any cases is explicitly limited to a maximum of 4 points.

And, in the end, they are separate magic systems that are meant to feel somewhat different and are not meant to be seamlessly compatible.

Hopefully, I am just not comprehending a simple issue. What/how do you do to deal with enchanting armor/weapons/wands/staves/rings/etc? Is there a link to errata or a better approach?

Read through each system's approach, treating it as a unique system. Pick the approach that best suits you setting, and, if you will be using BOTH Magic and Sorcery, adapt the system whose approach to items you are NOT using so that it fits the approach you ARE using.

Chers,

Nick

[USAFguy]

Actually, I had expected a bit more of a seamless system. My bad.

Having seen the 'grand unified enchantment system' of RQIII, I was rather expecting the same in BRP. Not the case.

Does anyone use BRP magic in their games? Do you have house rules on enchantments? (Does Classic Fantasy have specific rules or just use the Permancy spell) Any Artificer rules?

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Mark

Edited December 25, 2009 by USAFguy

[Conrad]

Actually, I had expected a bit more of a seemless system. My bad.

The magic and sorcery weren't really written specifically to fit together. One set of rules is from the old Worlds of Wonder game ( you can download it if you click on the link in my sig) and the other from the Elric! game.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Conrad

[threedeesix]

Actually, I had expected a bit more of a seemless system. My bad.

Having seen the 'grand unified enchantment system' of RQIII, I was rather expecting the same in BRP. Not the case.

Does anyone use BRP magic in their games? Do you have house rules on enchantments? (Does Classic Fantasy have specific rules or just use the Permancy spell) Any Artificer rules?

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Mark

Merry Christmas Mark,

As far as the first volume of Classic Fantasy, it's just the Permanency spell. I have the entire chapter written for magic items to be included in volume II, but it mostly just includes pre-done magic items (however 100s of them are possible through random tables).

I really didn't want to have players just make whatever item they wanted, part of the fun of the old dungeon delve is just seeing what you find. The problem I found with later editions of D&D is that people would just go to a shop and buy what they wanted so the excitement of discovering it was lost.

So while I believe a good system for enchanting magic items is important to most fantasy games, short of Permanency, I don't think you'll find them in Classic Fantasy, sorry.

Edit: I have reasons why you can sell magic items but not buy them build into the back story of The Realm. Also, most magic items are from a previous age where the magic levels were at an all-time high and enchanting them was easier and more cost effective.

Rod

Edited December 24, 2009 by threedeesix

[USAFguy]

it REALLY brings the feeling of early gaming. Very, Very tempted to run some of the ancient modules (Caverns of Thracia, Giant series, Temple of Elemental Evil)...you wrote a great game.

Looking forward to purchasing other games in that series.

My best,

Mark

[NickMiddleton]

Actually, I had expected a bit more of a seamless system. My bad.

Not to worry - Jason had originally intended to include a far more unified, single powers chapter that could be used to build setting specific powers, elaborated from the system in the stand alone BRP game Super World but the play testers (including myself) argued for more immediately accessible "off the shelf" systems, and that's the direction he finally went with.

You CAN mix the systems - it just requires careful thought.

Having seen the 'grand unified enchantment system' of RQIII, I was rather expecting the same in BRP. Not the case.

You can use the RQIII systems with BRP of course (they are available as the BRP Magic monograph as well), and I do hope that something like Jason's "unified" power system will be be officially released.

Does anyone use BRP magic in their games? Do you have house rules on enchantments?

My Ulfland campaign (as seen in Uncounted Worlds #1) uses BRP Magic and redresses BRP Sorcery as Divine Magic, so the Magic enchantment rules for Magic apply to crafted magical items - Divinely Blessed / Cursed Items generally can't be created by mortals, requiring the direct intervention of a deity (which is contingent on appropriate levels of Allegiance and successful rolls against such).

If you can track down a copy the old Elric! supplement the Bronze Grimoire it has a lot of a useful add ons for the Sorcery system - no specific enchanted item rules, but the stuff on Rune Magic and Necromancy would provide a good context for adapting / creating your own house rules and are useful additions in their own right. Plus it has a nice set of "pre-built" enchanted objects.

Cheers,

Nick

[HeadWound]

it REALLY brings the feeling of early gaming. Very, Very tempted to run some of the ancient modules (Caverns of Thracia, Giant series, Temple of Elemental Evil)...you wrote a great game.

Looking forward to purchasing other games in that series.

My best,

Mark

I am currently running ToEE, and it is going pretty well. Classic Fantasy definitely a fun way to revisit some classics, while retaining the BRP feeling.

[Tywyll]

I'm working on a Magic Monograph that will, aside from containing lots of new spells, feature many more enchantment effects for would be enchanters. Nothing akin to the 'make anything you'd like' approach of 3.X DnD, but certainly offering greater flexibility to enchanter/artificers.

[threedeesix]

I'm working on a Magic Monograph that will, aside from containing lots of new spells, feature many more enchantment effects for would be enchanters. Nothing akin to the 'make anything you'd like' approach of 3.X DnD, but certainly offering greater flexibility to enchanter/artificers.

Awesome, I look forward to getting my hands on it.

Rod