+1 Swords:
I'm vague on where I saw it, and I'm not sure if it still exists in RQ3,
but there used to be "powered" matrices. You stuffed a crystal, a new
matrix and a DI into an object and *poof* the object then had the spell
form the matrix, permanently powered with no cost to you. Granted, you
lost a magic crystal and a lot of POW doing it.
This'd be pretty rare, though.
> Good quality items of any sort which improve certain skills are, I
> think, ok. Would they be relatively common I wonder?
> 1) a human/dwarven army all equipped with superior quality axes,
> hammers, whatever.
All-iron dwarven armies have probably roamed the land. Human armies might
have all-iron (or all-iron weapon) units, or regiments. Depends if your
leader wants to concentrate all your superior quality items in one command,
or if you want to spread them around to leaders and champions throughout
the realm. And if the leader has the power to enforce it.
For that matter, there's the question of whether a crafter should make one nifty item or two (or five, or ten, or whatever) normal items for the rank and file. And whether, to outfit several thousand soldiers, the land's crafters are _not_ making the good quality plows, cooking pots, fishing poles, or whatever, that other segments of society might want or need. Concentrating magic into your army may risk agricultural or economic disaster (or worse).
> 2) an elven army with superior quality bows and arrows
What, magic-storing, forest-useful, big-damage-doing Elfbows in
every elf's hand isn't good enough for you? Trollhater.
> 3) mass produced elven rope
Sure. Just set the forest to "vine production," or grow a lot of hemp.
Handy thing, being a forest shaman.
> 4) a Chalan Arroy temple choc-a-block with something resembling Savlon
> antisceptic cream.
IMO, no. If the healers are making the cream, then they're not spending
enough time healing, darn it! "Gee, sorry, no one here sacrificed for
Regrow Limb. But this cream will keep the wound clean!" :)
> This question could be translated into one of the relative distribution
> of superior craftsmen, and whether they are employed by rulers and
> noblemen and forced to churn out stuff for their armies, friends, what
> have you.
Yup. For trolls, I like to play that truly exceptional smiths of Gadblad
tend to be cranky rogues. What the smith _really_ wants to do is make
nifty stuff, and all this bother from the Ruling Powers is highly
annoying. (Said ruling powers being rather concerned with all this
un-trollish mucking about with fire and such, and wanting some control
over it.)
At some point in their lives, many Gadblad smiths get fed up with the whole business, and retire to a cave somewhere, where they cheerfully create bizarre and fantastic items. Few would mass produce, because the interesting thing (for them) is figuring out how to make the first one. Every so often, they (or an apprentice, or a slavey, or whatever) will drag a random lot of it into the nearest troll town, where they'll sell it and buy metals and materials.
Elves (Barksist as they are), on the other hand, are probably all for communal effort to produce large numbers of magical items (like elf bows, and copper armor trees, and magical plants, and what have you).
Jamuz Frusetta
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #496
Powered by hypermail