[PnP] Enhancement

[J Hooten]

Does it need restrictions at all?
1) Natural Magic Materials are generally rare items
2) Most require the finder to be the enhancer or they are worthless!
3) Shamans depend on them as they provide a major part of the 
protections and cures needed for many people
4) Any failure in enhancing destroys material!!!! There are few second 
chances!

So economics of Natural magic is?
1) How easy is it to find a seller?
2) How much is it worth?
3) How easy is it to find in the wild?
4) How easy is it to enhance yourself?

So what occurs if you make it harder to do?
The finder does not know how so throws it away or stores it til later 
and maybe it is never enhanced and wasted?
Remember most require the finder to enhance them!
If that person cant do it then that material is lost!
So the mage studies and eventually casts the enhancement, what is his 
chances to succeed?
For most, not much over 70%, so 30% chance its destroyed.
Oh No! My Perfect Diamond was just ruined! Oh well I got a drawer full, 
NOT!
Well it just has to be Large Flawless not perfect clarity too....

Ooops I cannot verify anything says it had to be enhanced by the finder?
There is a document on natural magics that does say that but the actual 
books do not appear to do so?
Book 4 implies unenhanced can be purchased for most everything and the 
locations imply they should not be all that expensive!

Well that opens up things again as to what the rules actually start at?

But what I said is still mostly correct, the points are valid.

As a GM, you decide how rare is rare and whether the material needs to 
be virgin or not.
Thats the first 2 limits on its use.
If you decide the mage can get the material in some manner, then the 
next step is... Knowledge of how to enhance it
And even if he knows how he may still fail the casting!
Player mages are usually low to moderate levels so have a poor chance here
He will need to use purification at high El for a better chance
He could use Luck on top of that! But skip it as rare Sidh magic?
He could use a Staff or Wand....which is also a controlled substance!
He could even have some skill in enhancement to assist!

So whats the chance?
Say Mel 8, thats 56%
Pure El4 thats +10%
Staff Mel 8 is +8%
Enhance El4 is +8%
Total 82% Not too bad! At only 28+ mana for a 18% chance it destroys it
Of course its not likely to have El4 enhancement if you have not been 
using it?
The staff is a major gift too
Pure should be at a good level if the mage is smart!
So 68-70% is more likely

So 1/3rd of material is wasted?
Well that is not very acceptable if things are too hard to get
If you paid many gold for a gem, would you risk that high of failure?

But Wait! We forgot to include random factors and other modifications?
Are the gods upset with this person and applied a large penalty?
Did the familiar trip and fall on top the gem during the casting?
Oooops is a very bad word!

The basic rules already include plenty of limits
Add more only if you think the WORLD is abusing things
As you just decided the enhanced materials are much rarer than they were 
or less effective.

Are people afraid to walk in the wild?
Poison! is a word that terrifies!
Basic rules had NO CURES for poison except for Natural Magics
All death poisons will kill a person very fast, the slow one may take a 
few minutes if its very weak
Yet poison is not uncommon

New rules:
Mage's Healing Mist can negate poison if the spell is high enough El
Priest's Negate Poison can take it out a little easier
Yet many new spells add more poison attacks!

Looks like you still have a better chance with Natural Magics?

More rules?
Looks like they intended healers to be able to treat poisons but failed 
to add the rules.
Tools exist to increase poison resistance, but thats already too late!
Scalpel # Used for Poison extraction. If used in time, increase Poison 
Resistance by the Healer’s EL*2 or 2, whichever is higher.

So maybe they gave a second chance to make the resistance check?
The rules imply 'help' can save the poisoned person, they just do not 
say how and still dont!


Sorry I went a bit off topic...sort of...its 3am
But you get the idea, its all a balance of costs

Do not just look at how the players use the items but how the WORLD uses 
them
Look at the creatures the items work against and how important that item 
can be.
What happens if that item does not exist?

Is Magic rare?
Are Mages rare?
Are Priests rare?
Are Shamans rare?
Can the few that exist treat the people who need help?
Herbalists and Healers are what treat the most people, can they handle 
the problems?
Note: Herbalist rules assume many plants can be readily found and are 
often the same Natural Magics used unenhanced

So the question becomes... Is it enhancement in general that you need to 
adjust or just a few particular materials?

Likely the real problem is not enhancement but Natural Magic Materials!
But the same rules apply, make sure to keep the basic functions or you 
shift the balance!

And El should be the factor not Mel in general?
El is skill in the spell, Mel is skill in magic
Which makes more sense for that aspect of the material?

ooops brain melted....time to stop typinggggggggggg