Ensorcellment (735)
As far as we know Ensorcellment is not even in the discussion stage among staff. Supposedly it will use the Wizard spell Enchant Item code as a foundation, allowing sorcerers to provide TD rather than DS benefits to armor and shields. As far as we know weapons will not be able to be ensorcelled, but there have been suggestions by players to allow for certain small items to be ensorcelled instead.
Some sorcerers have recently questioned the use of such a spell, and proposed that an entirely new spell be created for the 735 slot.
Non-Weapon Ensorcellement Posts by Eredhen
The following information is my own idea about a possible ritual for use with the spell. It was originally posted on the Ensorcellment board, but I have changed some of it because there is no assurance that the spell will be elementally based as Romulus originally intended.
First of all, no potions.
Later on, when we have sorcerous teleportation we'll have to use runes, so why
not begin to use them now in ensorcellment?
The process:
We must study or somehow learn about certain runes. Where these are, how they
are found, etc. can be left up to your ideas, Altiron, GMs, whoever.
We need some type of item that we can buy -OR- buy or find the parts for and
create ourselves. Call it whatever - an il'graeth in this example. It will
essentially be a stylus that we use to trace the runes onto the item we wish to
ensorcell.
The il'graeth:
This item consists of at least two material parts. The quality of the parts
affects the etching of the runes. The first part is a form made of some type of
solid material (wood, stone, metal, etc). Wood and stone can be used for lesser
ensorcellments, magical metals used for greater ensorcellments. It is this form
that will determine the size and shape of the il'graeth. They are generally
small and cylindrical with one end coming to a sharpened point.
The next part is a gem. Any gem has a chance of working, but those of higher
quality/value will have a greater likelihood of working, thus requiring more
valuable gems for greater ensorcellments. Orb gems would provide a bonus.
These two ingredients are required for an il'graeth. To create the il'graeth the
sorcerer phases the gem into the form by holding the form in the right hand and
the gem in the left. Other ingredients can then be added (such as herbs, blood)
as desired by phasing them into the il'graeth. (If someone wants to think of a
reason for adding other things and what these things may do be my guest).
Once the structure is complete the elemental weapon (411) spell must be cast
into the il'graeth to activate it. This attunes it to the caster and powers it.
Once the il'greath is complete the sorcerer will use it to etch the
aforementioned runes onto the item to be ensorcelled. A personal rune must first
be etched, followed by additional runes. These runes will glow a certain color
depending on their attunement. The personal rune will glow depending on the
elemental attunement of the caster (Fire - red, Cold - white, Electricity -
blue, etc.)
There are runes of varying power. Runes used must correspond in power to the
level of the ensorcellment attempted. Five runes of that power level (and there
may be many runes of that level, but only five are needed), one for each element
(air, fire, water, earth) and the personal rune (which can represent spirit)
must be etched onto the item using the il'greath.
As each rune is etched some of the power of the il'greath is used up. The total
power of the il'graeth is determined by the quality of the ingredients
(determines the maximum power the il'graeth can hold) and by the level of the
caster and the number of Sorcerer spells known. The efficient use of that power
is determined by level, mana sharing, scroll reading and magic item use.
**Those who have not trained much in these skills can still ensorcell items with
no problems. The only difference is that their il'greath will not last quite as
long as someone who has trained in them, thus possibly requiring them to use a
higher quality il'greath, and/or be of a higher level and spell training (thus
able to push more power into the ilgraeth) to accomplish the same task.
(These limitations help to limit greater ensorcellments to those who are
more experienced.)
Once all of the runes have been etched into the il'graeth, the sorcerer casts
the Ensorcellment spell to bind their power to the item. Once again, success is
determined by a number of factors, the details of which can be left up to the
GMs.
While a workshop (or those special rooms in the guilds) is not needed, they do
add a small bonus to everything mentioned above.
As an advocate for cooperative magic I would like to see something that would
allow a number of sorcerers to work together in some manner to create other
items / empower other items (like that protective device I mentioned in another
post) using some of the same techniques.
I also like the idea of us being able to permanently add elemental and sorcerous
flares to items. I believe Kristin had an interesting
idea, but I would prefer to stay away from potions. I would think that if we are
to add an elemental flare it would be of whatever element we are attuned to
*most* of the time (with a chance to add another as Kristin said), but that we
could choose the type of Sorcerous flare if we wish to add one of those.
Thus TD ensorcellment for armor/shields and flares ensorcellment for weapons.
Add to, take away from, tear apart and agree with as you see fit.
Eredhens player
Runes:
The power of the runes need not be tied up in the runes themselves. Each could
vary in power depending on the ability of the user (how much power a person can
put into a rune), thus requiring only one rune for each element.
Another possibility is that runes vary in power, but not by such a harsh degree.
In this case only a few runes for each element are needed, each with certain
capacities... an example of the fire rune: Ranith of Fire can be used for
powering 1x to 4x ensorcellments. For 5x to 7x we need Anaz of Fire, etc.
All runes need not be difficult to find - a use for our guild libraries!
Personal runes can be individualized.
[Secret Magical Workshop]
Shhh.. its a secret!
You also see a dull crystal and a long wooden case.
>look crystal
>This crystal hangs from the ceiling by a long, thick chain. It swings
only inches from the floor.
You crack your knuckles.
You sift through your belongings and grab a weak puny sword of nothing.
>look in case
>In this case you see many tempering potions, varying from the very
insanely expensive to the weak-cheap-won't-work kind.
>You select a moderately expensive, but not too cheap tempering potion.
(potions and prices could vary, perhaps have a bonus for those that happen to
have Trading, could get them at a lower price?)
>glance
>You see a tempering potion in your right hand and a weak puny sword of
nothing in your left hand.
>pour potion on sword
>You pour the potion on the sword, which thankfully accepts the potion
and doesn't shatter into a million little pieces. No mages laughing at you this
time.
>You set the empty bottle aside.
(Enter a wait of an extremely long period of time.. which of course would
correspond with the enchanting wait time, which I've unfortunately never read..
and I've never enchanted, and never had a mage to that age--so don't set me on
fire here. At least finish reading first. Then you can.)
After your long period of time, you realize that your weak puny sword of nothing
has been properly tempered.
>You crack your knuckles and giggle insanely.
>You glances at a dull crystal.
>You switch the weak puny sword of nothing to your right hand and touch
the dull crystal with your left.
>The crystal flares with a bright flash of red, and flames engulf your
right arm, wrapping their way around the weak puny sword of nothing!
or..
>The crystal flares with a bright flash of blue, and ice slowly creeps up
your right arm, and seeps into the weak puny sword of nothing!
or..
>The crystal flares with a bright flash of gold, and lightning strikes
the weak puny sword of nothing, causing it to sizzle gleefully!
(The flare would depend on your eblade element, with about a 3% chance of being
totally random and getting one of the other two flares.)
>You prepare the wonderful spell of Ensorcellment.
>cast at weak puny sword of nothing
The sword flashes brightly, almost blinding you as waves of elemental energy
flow from the now bright crystal and into the sword.
You sense that the spell was successful.
-Kristin & her weak, no death involved, elemental ritual of ensorcell.
Posted by Eredhen, November 6, 2002
There is really no need to ensorcell weapons.
Sell something in our shops that has a limitation on the number that can be worn
- something like armbands or rings, limited to wearing two at a time. Allow us
to ensorcell them instead.
Optionally, have such items for sale, but do not use the same effect when they
are ensorcelled.
At this point I will remind you of my idea concerning the il'graeth and runes.
If we use runes to ensorcell armor and shields we can also use runes to
ensorcell these items.
Certain runes can be used to give certain bonuses/abilities. We would choose the
rune (or runes, depending on the method, the quality of the object, the power of
the runes, etc.), etch the item with the il'graeth in the same manner as with
armor and shields and ensorcell it.
For instance, we could use runes to give added protection from fire, to give a
slight bonus to our Intelligence bonus, to help us be somewhat more resistant to
disease or poison, etc. The possibilities are limitless.
This would also give us the chance to build up a dynamic library of knowledge
about runes and their magical properties in Elanthia. There could be backgrounds
(This is an ancient Dwarven rune that will enhance ones physical strength. It
was first used by the...)
Different runes and combinations of runes could have different effects. Not all
runes have to be about a certain thing... some could be protective, some for
enhancement, some for control, etc. In other words, some could represent
specific concepts while others could represent more general things.
In the end, we could tie a number of systems together nicely - demonology,
teleportation, ensorcellment and other future possible skills and abilities
(alchemy, powerful cooperatively created magical items, etc.) by creating a
solid foundation for this type of magic.
Eredhen
Non-Weapon Ensorcellment
Posted by Eredhen, November 8, 2002
>There are dozens of things that could be done with this
and it sounds much more fun than ensorcelling armor and weapons will ever be.
This is a way for us to get something out of the whole ensorcell thing. - Kithus
Norrak and his dragon
I think it would be a great deal of fun... figuring out what each rune
does, what different combinations do, finding the patterns in the runes, then
recording it all and expanding the library.
The uses are limitless... use this one for protection, and this one for
fire and we have a protection from fire. Substitute control for protection and
we have more power with fire. The power of the runes determines the power of the
bonus. The quality of the materials and the skills of the caster determine what
runes we can use.
>Some nice ideas on runes, Eredhen :) - Nilven
Thanks Nilven. It will take some time to really develop the idea though...
and I'm short on time right now.
Eredhen
Black Blade by Kimmurial, March 2, 2003
Hi, I was just reading my BG manual and looking over some of the
high level D&D spells available to wizards and came across something that
immediatly made me think Sorcerer! so anyway heres the D&D version of the
spell, read it and youll see what I mean.
Level 9th wizard spell - (Black blade of diaster)[Evocation]
Range 0, casting time 9, Duration 1 round/level, Saving throw None, Area of
effect Special
This spell enables the caster to create a black, blade-shaped planar rift, about
three feet long. It jumps into the casters hand and is used as a normal sword,
remaining there for the duration of the spell. The caster is considered to be
proficient in this weapon. The sword acts as a +5 weapon and deals 2-24 damage
to its victims. While using this weapon, the wizard uses the THACO of a fighter
of half his level. For example, if this is cast by an 18th level wizard, he
would use combat tables for a 9th level fighter and hence his base THACO would
be 12. Also, every time this hits a target, the victim must make a save vs.
death at +4 or be disintegrated.
I thought wow wouldnt it be cool if this idea could somehow be implemented into
GS for Sorcerers because I think the idea is very sorcerous. Then I thought
about how we wont be allowed to ensorcell weapons and no one has come up with a
good idea of what ensorcell should do to weapons, so I put the two together and
heres my spell suggestion:
My evil plan...
Self cast 725 would be 'black blade of diaster' this is a additional component
of the ensorcell spell which already includes the ability to ensorcell armour
and shields.
The right hand must be empty when this spell it cast and the planar blade should
start to form immeadiatly after casting..ie
prep 725
You begin drawing a faint, twisting symbol while softly intoning the words for
Ensorcell...
cast
You gesture.
The air crackles and spits as you summon forth a black blade-shaped planar rift
which erupts from your hand and slowly grows untill its about three feet in
lenth!
Blade stats.
The blade itelf has a variable enchant, which is sorcerer spells known/10
(rounded down) with a max enchant of x10 (+50). So if I have learnt upto 750 the
blade would be x5 if I have 100 ranks in sorcery then the blades enchant
increases to x10. It also has disintegrate flares which flare slighty more often
then the standard flares.
On top of this the blade is almost weightless and all sorcerers are considered
proficent in this weapon, this means as well as your normal weapon bonus..you
also gain +1 AS/2 levels while using this weapon, with a max bonus of +50 AS at
100 trains.
And lastly everytime the blade clashes with a non magical metal (ie critters
weapon armour ect) (if breakage/clashes ever come back) it has a 3% chance to
cause said item to disintegrate. Note that it only affects non magical metals/x0
gear. This should prevent abuse against other players. (apart from rat hunters).
The blade itself is a planar rift and hence unbreakable.
The blade will only exist as long as the sorcerer who casted the spell is
holding it, it can not be given away or put into any container, if you get
disarmed or otherwise lose contact with the blade then the blade will
dissipitate. Or you could choose to end the spell premeturely by simply dropping
the blade causing it to dissipitate.
A dispel could also casue the blade to dissiitate too. The spell's duration
should be something like 30 sec/per sorcery rank known and be refreshable.
Ok now for some FAQs :)
Q. How is this feature of ensorcell usefull to us?
A. Sorcerers might not swing weapons much and in some cases its never, but they
still need parry DS, plus the black blade is unbreakable and can eventually
reach x10 enchant,it has dinsintegrate flares and flares more often then normal
flares. Plus it has a 3% of disintegrating non magical metal items it clashes
with. (critter's armour weapon or shield). Sorcerers are also considered
naturally proficent with this weapon and gain an additional 1AS/2 trains when
using it. Oh and remember its practically weightless.
Q. Yes but how does it make sense to include this as a part of Ensorcell?
A. There are no plans to allow sorcerers to ensorcell weapons or what the effect
of doing so will be. The actual ability to ensorcell armour and shields isnt
inherently usefull to sorcerers making this spell a long drawn out cash cow
instead of a usefull spell. This addition, the ability to summon forth a
ensorcelled weapon so to speak would balance out the spells usefullness to
sorcerers. Oh and did I mention the idea is very sorcerish?
Q. Wait a minute! the blade gains +50 (x10)enchant at 100 sorcery ranks, and you
gain an additional 50 AS bonus at 100 trains! err thats a x20 weapon!!
A. Err not quite:) the +1AS/2 trains comes from sorcerers being naturally
proficent with the blade beucase its weightless and sorcerers know there
voids(its what the blade is basically). Even with these bonuses it would still
be very hard for the sorcerer to hit anything and swinging at anything around
100 trains is suidcide anyway.
Q. Hows is this idea balanced? its got no chance in hell if its not BALANCED!
A. Sure it is, for 25 mana we get a unbreakable, unloseable? blade thats mainly
used for parry DS that has a small 3% chance of disintegrating non magical
metals during clashes.
It can reach a high enchant and we can swing slighty better using this blade but
thats about it.
Sorry for the long post, I would really like to know what Nilven and Co think of
this idea. Thanks in advance.
Kimmurial.