Creating Magic Items

[Austin]

On p.201 of the Bestiary the entry for windberry trees has a description of how to make a Staff of Flight from one of its boughs and a sidebar describing such a staff's functions. This really caught my imagination. I love the idea of adventurers being able to learn how to create magic items in this way in addition to casting enchantments from Rune and spirit magic or from sorcery. It's definitely more flavorful than comparable systems of item creation I've read. Does anyone know of other examples of magic item creation in this way from older RQ material? From what I remember of Plunder there's a lot of cool items, but the general trend was more "cool/terrifying artifact from the Godtime" rather than "here's something your adventurer can learn or set as a goal."

Also, has anyone made up an item creation process like this themselves? How have players reacted to it?

[gochie]

I feel like if you want to still somewhat follow the rules, crafting magic items that don't follow spell matrices would have to be created during heroquests. I would probably make these instances very unique, requiring special ingredients and procedures only found in the god/hero realm. 

[Joerg]

4 hours ago, gochie said:

I feel like if you want to still somewhat follow the rules, crafting magic items that don't follow spell matrices would have to be created during heroquests. I would probably make these instances very unique, requiring special ingredients and procedures only found in the god/hero realm. 

I don't think that a magical ritual creating an imbued item from magical ingredients is really distinguishable from a "this world" heroquest tagging along an item made of suitable ingredients and imbued with the quest magic. Neither requires pedestrian matrix enchantments.

[BalazarLightson]

Spell Matrices are one thing, but special ingredients are the purview of Alchemists. I promote the promulgation of secret recipes for folk items, from Herbal Remedies, to Flying Staffs. I allowed Alchemy as a skill for , healers, shamans and cunningfolk in my old campaign and often had them offer elixirs and medicine pouches for particular purposes. Certain Cults or Cultures knew of certain magics in the world. So a Windberry Wood Staff is a secret know the Storm folk, Kolating Hermits and such. 

Introducing regional and specialized magic and enchantments to the world can add a lot to play. Want a Colymar Cider to have a special batch with magical powers? Sure, tie in Tarndisi for plant blessing magic and she'll be apples. It is said the folk in Alone use special stone fragments in the best of their houses, said to be fragments of Hard Earth itself... very resistant to both Giant Kicking and Chaos attacks. The Aldryami of the Redwoods have a magical resin they coat their weapons with to make them especially effective at penetrating magical defenses... said to be made with natural plant resins mixed with a powdered Spell Strengthening Crystal... 

Have a bit of fun with things too. An Eurmal invisibility potion made with Skunk Musk... you're invisible for the duration but stink for a week after it wears off. 

 

[Austin]

On 5/2/2019 at 7:08 PM, BalazarLightson said:

So a Windberry Wood Staff is a secret know the Storm folk, Kolating Hermits and such.

Would that be something that comes under a Cult Lore skill, or something more specific?

Also, thanks for all the ideas. Much appreciated  especially the Eurmali invisibility!

On 5/2/2019 at 2:25 PM, Joerg said:

I don't think that a magical ritual creating an imbued item from magical ingredients is really distinguishable from a "this world" heroquest

What do you mean by a "this world" heroquest? It doesn't ring a bell for me.

[Joerg]

16 minutes ago, Crel said:

What do you mean by a "this world" heroquest? It doesn't ring a bell for me. 

Basically, it is ritual re-enactment of Godtime events without actually entering Godtime. The simple form of this is holy day worship where your cycle of linear Time coincides with the Godtime cycles, and where your activities resonate with the Godtime, bringing the magic of the gods into the world. (In RuneQuest terms, you gain or regenerate rune points.) The mythic re-enactment often is limited to sanctified proxies like masks whose bearers just "dance" the Godtime activities of the deities represented by the mask. Other deities may be represented entirely by statuary only that may be moved on a dais or similar, e.g. in processions.

Then there are considerably more lengthy such ritual activities. One example are pilgrimages where the people use the magic of both temporal alignment and location alignment with the Godtime events. This may still be limited to masks, or just bearing symbolic regalia of the deities and presenting them at the locations. These activities go significantly beyond the normal worship services. They are undertaken to gain magical aid beyond the normal annual blessings, too. Rewards may include the cure of a lingering ailment (think Lourdes), battle luck (all the way to the Carmanian Seven Year Build-up sacrifice of an entire army led by the brother of the Shah in order to overcome Dara Happa), or some form of relief from a disaster (either already happened, or prophecied to come).

When it comes to magical crafting, this is in itself a process that re-creates the deeds of the Maker deity (or deities) in Godtime, and with suitable preparation and accompanying ritual deeds, the crafting process becomes walking in the steps of the original maker of that kind of implement, and the result may be a copy or perhaps rather an instance of that mythical implement made in Godtime.

Of course, going to the Other Side and performing these activities there will make them a lot more real, but that will also increase the risks of something unexpected to happen, with unintended consequences for the questers and their communities.

The material investment (sacrifices, time away from productive work while doing the ritual activities) may be similar to those expended when entering Godtime's Other Side. And (at least in my way of playing in Glorantha) part of the time the activity occurs both in the mundane world and in Godtime.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Joerg

[soltakss]

On 5/2/2019 at 8:49 AM, Crel said:

From what I remember of Plunder there's a lot of cool items, but the general trend was more "cool/terrifying artifact from the Godtime" rather than "here's something your adventurer can learn or set as a goal."

There are some things that PCs can make in Plunder. A Ball of Tails is the best example. 

I have a very relaxed attitude to Magic Items and making them. If the players can give me a good explanation of how they made the Magical Item then I might allow it.

In theory, you'd need a spell or skill to be able to make the Magical Item, but there used to be a Rune Matrix Enchantment written up somewhere and I'd allow that to be used.