> > I'm a big fan of the whole 'just say yes' philosophy so I'd try to
> make it work. One thing to keep in mind is that the item would still
> start with a rating of 13 so wouldn't work every time.
>
> Is this necessarily true? If the PCs find a mighty item, should their
> ability with it automatically start at 13? I wouldn't do it in this
> case, but if I wanted to, could I have them find, say, a Bag of Winds
> that has the ability Trap Sylph 5W2? And would they then be able to
> cement it for one hero point?
Ultimately it's up to the narrator to decide. If you feel that they need to "learn how to best use the MacGuffin" then start them at 13. If the MacGuffin is supposed to be user-friendly ("Step 1: Point mouth of bag at sylph, Step 2: Open bag, Step 3: Close bag tightly") then you might let them start with a higher score. If you don't want to let them have a 5w2 ability for a mere 1 HP, you might want to use the "Gain Charm or Fetish" table on 141 to determine the HP required.
Another way to do it is to treat the MacGuffin like a Follower. The Bag of Winds may have "Trap Sylph 5w2", but the hero only has a relationship with the bag of 13. Use the follower reluctance table (page 86) to determine what sort of resistance he faces when he uses the bag. Under normal circumstances it's a 14 or automatic success. But asking it to trap a big wind daimone might have a 20w. Once the Bag's "reluctance" is overcome, it uses it's 5w2 to actually trap the sylph. I'm not a fan of two die rolls to determine the outcome of a contest, however. For most sylphs I might just say "okay, it's captured" (kind of like "spirits return to fetishes between adventures").
RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has
done what he has done.
- Richelieu
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