[PnP] how virgin is virgin enough?

[Alex Koponen]

As both GM and player (with enchanter) I play that only the last stage 
of manufacture from raw materials is necessary for one to be able to 
enchant it. As GM I would give minor bonuses to those who competently do 
the earlier stages as well.

Example A: Enchanter cannot enchant boots that were made by another 
bootmaker or even from leather precut and marked by another bootmaker, 
but can enchant boots he makes even though copying another bootmaker's 
pattern and using leather bought from the tanner, butcher or 
slaughterhouse...he doesn't need to raise, kill, skin and tan the 
leather himself...though I would give minor bonuses if he did so. I 
would give slightly bigger bonuses for the closer stages, in this case 
tanning than for skinning, etc.

Example B: I would allow a minor bonus to an enchanter using raw ore to 
make the iron and steel of a weapon or armor. I would also allow the 
enchanter to roll with no bonus or penalty should he be working from 
pigs of iron bought from a source that was iron ore. I would impose a 
penalty of a small chance of automatic failure of enchantments if the 
item was made from scrap that might include some material that was 
either already enchanted by someone else or had previously failed being 
enchanted/enhanced/ensorcelled. If the scrap did include such then the 
final product would automatically fail when permanent magics were cast 
upon it. This failure might have an increased chance of an Abysmal. So 
using Detection, Perception or some other method of determining the 
'virgin' status of what you are about to work on or use permanent magics 
on is a wise precaution. Exception: If instead of just to a red  or 
white heat the scrap was fully melted to a liquid state then it would 
regain its 'virgin' status. Note that a forge melting iron is much 
hotter than the usual forge used for pounding out iron and steel.

This makes enchanting jewelry and gems problematical as unless you have 
dug up the gem yourself the odds are good that someone else has already 
tried to enhance, enchant or ensorcel it. Large flawless 'virgin' gems 
would have quite a premium over other gems due to the demand by magic 
users and their clients. Dwarves and most large mining operations likely 
have set traditions, rules and laws pertaining to who gets the chance to 
cast magic upon enhanceable gemstones. Restoring the 'virgin' status of 
gems is quite likely impossible for low MEL enchanters...perhaps 
possible for high MEL enchanters. To do so would at a minimum require 
high EL in Dispel and Regeneration spell variants.