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jordanz
Senior Scribe
556 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 14:22:08
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I remember back in the day, the Staff of the Magi was just about the most powerful "non artifact" magic item your mage could wield. But these items are exceedingly rare.
Well that had me thinking. How does one craft such a powerful weapon? The requirements must be sky high. Perhaps the creator would need to be something more than Human, I mean it's just that powerful of an item.
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 15:23:44
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Every DM or player will probably approach magical item crafting in a different manner, especially considering which edition they are currently playing.
Personally I would require the magic user to be able to cast each spell for every spell effect going into the item. For example, a wizard wanting to make his own Wand of Lighting needs to be able to cast the Lightning Bolt spell. If you are making a stronger or more unique item you could make quests based on gathering materials. A good example of this would be seeking out some super rare tree to harvest the wood for a staff. Be creative with it and have fun.  |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
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Edited by - Artemas Entreri on 20 Jan 2012 15:24:00 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 17:54:19
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Ha jordanz, that's because "back in the day" magic items were ridiculously expensive and difficult to fashion, and a device like a staff of the magi was so multifunctional that it was almost an artifact - you could count all such staves in the Realms on your hands. Even obtaining the impossible components and secret recipes used to make magical items was often a series of quests and lengthy research. An accomplished archmage might fashion a mere handful of permanent magic items over the course of his career.
As opposed to the more modern approach of just spending some gold at Thay-Mart or just scribbling some numbers off your character sheet in exchange for quick access to any magic item you'd like, built to your custom specifications. Not a lot different from hitting that "respec" button and swapping out the gear loaded out on your computer RPG toon, the friendly blacksmith can sell you anything.
So sayeth the grumbling grognard within me. I've played both styles, I much prefer the former because it adds more of what I consider "real AD&D flavour", but the latter approach also offers many advantages, it basically just gives the players more of what they want so the gameplay for focus on other things. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 20 Jan 2012 17:59:22 |
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jordanz
Senior Scribe
556 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 18:24:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Ha jordanz, that's because "back in the day" magic items were ridiculously expensive and difficult to fashion, and a device like a staff of the magi was so multifunctional that it was almost an artifact - you could count all such staves in the Realms on your hands. Even obtaining the impossible components and secret recipes used to make magical items was often a series of quests and lengthy research. An accomplished archmage might fashion a mere handful of permanent magic items over the course of his career.
As opposed to the more modern approach of just spending some gold at Thay-Mart or just scribbling some numbers off your character sheet in exchange for quick access to any magic item you'd like, built to your custom specifications. Not a lot different from hitting that "respec" button and swapping out the gear loaded out on your computer RPG toon, the friendly blacksmith can sell you anything.
So sayeth the grumbling grognard within me. I've played both styles, I much prefer the former because it adds more of what I consider "real AD&D flavour", but the latter approach also offers many advantages, it basically just gives the players more of what they want so the gameplay for focus on other things.
Is it really that easy now? A Staff of the Magi should never be too easy to acquire and it should be exceedingly difficult to craft. Are there any noteworthy characters in the realms that currently wield one? |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 18:38:12
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| The Staff of the Magi are artifacts(though minor) in both the Pathfinder and 3.5e rules so a character cannot simply fork over cash or craft one him/herself with a few spells and the craft staff feat. If a character wanted to create one in my game(and was somewhere between level 15 and 19) I'd design a number of quests around discovering the formula, finding the exact, rare components, and actually discovering a location for some sort of ritual that would be highly dangerous as well as physically and mentally draining on the caster. |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4436 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 19:26:04
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| Staff of the Magi in 4E is a level 15+ Rare item (meaning it can't be easily forged). In addition to gaining a bonus to Arcana checks, it allows the wielder to disrupt/destroy zones and conjurations, regain powers, and create a swirling vortex that throws people all around. It's pretty cool but hard to obtain/create. |
Edited by - Diffan on 20 Jan 2012 19:29:00 |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 19:28:08
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quote:
Originally posted by jordanz
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Ha jordanz, that's because "back in the day" magic items were ridiculously expensive and difficult to fashion, and a device like a staff of the magi was so multifunctional that it was almost an artifact - you could count all such staves in the Realms on your hands. Even obtaining the impossible components and secret recipes used to make magical items was often a series of quests and lengthy research. An accomplished archmage might fashion a mere handful of permanent magic items over the course of his career.
As opposed to the more modern approach of just spending some gold at Thay-Mart or just scribbling some numbers off your character sheet in exchange for quick access to any magic item you'd like, built to your custom specifications. Not a lot different from hitting that "respec" button and swapping out the gear loaded out on your computer RPG toon, the friendly blacksmith can sell you anything.
So sayeth the grumbling grognard within me. I've played both styles, I much prefer the former because it adds more of what I consider "real AD&D flavour", but the latter approach also offers many advantages, it basically just gives the players more of what they want so the gameplay for focus on other things.
Is it really that easy now? A Staff of the Magi should never be too easy to acquire and it should be exceedingly difficult to craft. Are there any noteworthy characters in the realms that currently wield one?
I'm pretty sure Szass Tam has one, but wait for Dennis to chime in for it to be deemed "fact."  |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1281 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jan 2012 : 21:07:58
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| The use of one in The Pirate King was pretty awesome, I must say. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6662 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2012 : 04:53:17
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Malchor Harpell knows how to make them. Ask him. Of course the (possibly) easier option is to find the one lost in the lair of the dracolich Daurgothoth.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Staff of the Magi
