Enchanting

**Enchanting** is the process of casting of various spells and arcane rituals as part of general craftsmanship to imbue an ordinary item with magical properties. In the broadest sense, the steps to create a magical or enchanted item are the design, experimentation, and refinement of a process that would create the desired results, typically imbuing the effects of an existing spell into it for reuse.

## Mechanics

The process of imbuing spells or magical effects into an object or person is usually tricky, and often takes a long period of careful, methodical work, which can easily go awry with the slightest slip up. Such failures can, in the most dramatic case, completely destroy all progress and ruin the item being crafted permanently.

In all cases, the process requires the use of *Arcanist's Tools (50 gp)*. These are a series of specially crafted lenses that allow the live inspection of minute magical auras, while also magnifying the physical view of objects to ease the often delicate work. Along with the lenses, such a toolset generally includes basic scribing materials, basic arcane conduits to divert magical energy during the process, and rune templates for faster inscription. All checks referred to in the following sections refer to *Arcanist's Tools (Int)* checks. Certain enhanced Arcanist's Tools exist that can both add to checks, and/or increase the likelihood of a critical success. Shoddier Arcanist's Tools may in reverse increase the likelihood of a critical failure or subtract from checks.

Note that, in order for the enchanter to be able to even begin the process, they require an intimate knowledge of the spell they are trying to reproduce. They must both know the spell and have experience casting it, detailing the ins and outs of the complex process, particularly when dealing with higher level magic. Attempting enchantment without knowing such details can lead to catastrophic results, and is generally not recommended.

## Materials

### Parchment

Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals - usually cows, goats, or sheep. It is a staple for any and all researchers of the arcane, since high quality parchment is often required for precise inscription of magical formulae. Standard *Parchment* is often quite cheap, and can be purchased from most places that produce such supplies. *Fine Parchment* is more expensive, and usually is produced from higher quality animal skin that has been bred for such purposes instead of simply re-used from other slaughtered beasts. *Vellum* is a particular type of parchment, prepared from the softer skin of calves or lambs, and like wise *Fine Vellum* is high quality versions of the former. *Runeskin* is vellum that has been pre-inscribed by a number of carefully placed glyphs that dampen chaotic magic and prevent the inscriptions from becoming too unstable during writing. This is usually necessary for higher level spells that are extraordinarily complex, and is quite expensive. Beyond that, *Dellian Runeskin* is runeskin that has been also treated with powdered Dellian glass, which gives it better magical retention properties.

### Arcane Ink

The second component to most spellcrafting is ink. There are not a lot of different types of ink, but usually the kind preferred by arcanists and researches is smooth and of fine quality, typically black or dark blue, and with small amounts of powdered Dellian glass in the liquid to help stabilise any magic during inscription. This type of ink is generally readily available in most major cities with a strong arcane presence.

### Metal Weave

Metal weave is a material consisting of thin, thread-like wires from particularly metals that are magically conductive. These metals are copper, silver, gold, electrum, mithral, and menethil. The production of metal weave requires a particularly talented craftsmen or blacksmith, since it is a difficult process that is easy to get wrong. Generally, the more high quality the metal, the more expensive it is, and the more difficult it is to turn into metal weave. Only the most adept craftsmen, masters of their craft, can profess to create mithral weave, and fewer still beyond that.

### Vitrified Metal

Vitrified metal is produced when a shock of directed arcane lightning passes through a metal that can undergo vitrification (mercury, selesta, or ethrim), requiring 15 points of damage per pound of material and also beating the Manipulation DC of the metal with a spell attack. The result is a brittle glass-like material that can be powdered and ingrained into other material during the enchantment process.

## Crafting

### Scrolls

A spell scroll bears the words of a single spell, written as a mystical cipher, allowing an arcane practitioner to cast the spell if it is of a form they are familiar with. Particularly learned individuals can even extract the knowledge of magical formulae that allow the spell to be cast from such scrolls, making them invaluable to scholars wishing to master fields of magic beyond their own.

Scrolls require a check at the end of every work session spent on creating them. The minimum length of a work session is 1 hour, and the collective maximum time spent on enchantment is 8 hours per day, with a cost of 10 gp per hour spent working. The DC for each check is 10 + the level of the spell. Modifiers to such checks (for example, the *guidance* spell) can only apply if the duration of the modifier lasts for the entire work session, otherwise the modifier is ignored.

On a successful check, progress is marked off on the amount of worktime required to finish the scroll. On a failure, the progress of that work session is wasted (i.e. the cost is spent but the progress in hours is not made). On a critical failure, the scroll is ruined, and both the time and cost spent thus far (including previous work sessions) are wasted. On a critical success, double the progress in hours is made for that work session, while still paying the same cost (i.e. 10 gp per 2 hours).

### Items

An enchanted item can be imbued with one or more enchantments, though each successive enchantment is more difficult to implement and causes the item to become more and more unstable. Like scrolls, such enchantments generally allow a user to cast the associated spell. However, in most cases, these enchantments are more permanent and recharge over time.

Items require a check at the end of every work session spent on creating them. The minimum length of a work session is 1 hour, and the collective maximum time spent on enchantment is 8 hours per day, with a cost of 10 gp per hour spent working. The DC for each check is 10 + the level of the spell + the combined level of any previous spells applied to the item. Modifiers to such checks (for example, the *guidance* spell) can only apply if the duration of the modifier lasts for the entire work session, otherwise the modifier is ignored.

Items crafted from scratch have completion milestones. Once the enchanter passes the milestone, they cannot lose progress below that milestone. That part of the item is considered completed, though it is not functional until all the separate parts and milestones are combined together. For simplicity, a milestone is reached at every 20 hours of progress. On a successful check, progress is marked off on the amount of worktime required to finish the item. On a failure, the progress of that work session is wasted (i.e. the cost is spent but the progress in hours is not made). On a critical failure, the time and cost spent since the previous milestone (including previous work sessions) are wasted. On a critical success, double the progress in hours is made for that work session, while still paying the same cost (i.e. 10 gp per 2 hours).

Items that already exist (even ones that already have enchantments applied) can have enchantments added to them, and this will typically require less work and cost than creating them from scratch. However, the danger is that a wrong move can completely destroy the item, rather than simply the sub-part of it. On a successful check, progress is marked off on the amount of worktime required to upgrade the item. On a failure, the progress of that work session is wasted (i.e. the cost is spent but the progress in hours is not made). On a critical failure, the item is permanently damaged, unless repaired by exceptionally skilled craftsmen, and the time and cost spent since thus far (including previous work sessions) are wasted. On a critical success, double the progress in hours is made for that work session, while still paying the same cost (i.e. 10 gp per 2 hours).

### Tattoos

Much like any other object, the body of a living creature can be imbued with enchantments in the form of tattoos. However, this brings with it a number of perils, specifically to do with the body being unable to handle the influx of arcane energy from too many tattoos of this form. Without the protection of an arcane focus or other object to channel the magical energy, the body itself becomes the conduit, which can lead to dangerous side effects. Like with objects, in most cases these enchantments are more permanent and recharge over time.

Due to the associated dangers, mortal bodies can only have tattoos inscribed into them of a combined spell level of 5 (cantrips count as spell level 1). The only exception to this are those certain individuals practicing the School of Warding that train and condition their bodies to tune perfectly with the magic involved. Even in such cases, the tattooing for extreme amounts of magic is incredibly dangerous. Magical tattoos can be "removed" by breaking the magical formula via careful modification. The cost of this is half that of applying the tattoo.

Tattoos require a check at the end of every work session spent on creating them. The minimum length of a work session is 1 hour, and the collective maximum time spent on enchantment is 8 hours per day, with a cost of 10 gp per hour spent working. The DC for each check is 10 + the level of the spell. Modifiers to such checks (for example, the *guidance* spell) can only apply if the duration of the modifier lasts for the entire work session, otherwise the modifier is ignored.

On a successful check, progress is marked off on the amount of worktime required to finish the tattoo. On a failure, the progress of that work session is wasted (i.e. the cost is spent but the progress in hours is not made). On a critical failure, the tattoo is irreparably marred, and both the time and cost spent thus far (including previous work sessions) are wasted. On a critical success, double the progress in hours is made for that work session, while still paying the same cost (i.e. 10 gp per 2 hours).