# Weapon Augment Crystals are wrong and dirty



## Jason Opheim (Apr 26, 2007)

I recently bought the new magic item compendium. I really liked the Augmented Crystals for weapons until I noticed their fatal flaw. My 27th level character has his +10 sword but hes to cheap to make it epic. So this is my plan would it work? Buy crystal you can only have one. On page 288 of the DMG Under magic items there is a section (adding new abilities). So why not add the abilities of several other crystals to my one crystal for the extra 50% cost. They are cheap anyways. Another quick +10 so to say worth of cool abilities. I think ill just have to take that item familiar feat to so I can really have fun and make like a +25 weapon. Would that work with the crystals if so they need to be taken out of the game. Of course it does not actually say +1 on the crystals but if you read them you will get my drift.


----------



## Stalker0 (Apr 26, 2007)

Jason Opheim said:
			
		

> I recently bought the new magic item compendium. I really liked the Augmented Crystals for weapons until I noticed their fatal flaw. My 27th level character has his +10 sword but hes to cheap to make it epic. So this is my plan would it work? Buy crystal you can only have one. On page 288 of the DMG Under magic items there is a section (adding new abilities). So why not add the abilities of several other crystals to my one crystal for the extra 50% cost. They are cheap anyways. Another quick +10 so to say worth of cool abilities. I think ill just have to take that item familiar feat to so I can really have fun and make like a +25 weapon. Would that work with the crystals if so they need to be taken out of the game. Of course it does not actually say +1 on the crystals but if you read them you will get my drift.




As always, those pricing guidelines are....GUIDELINES!! I personally would not allow the crystals to be merged in such a way.


----------



## Jason Opheim (Apr 26, 2007)

But according to the rules you could do that correct?


----------



## glass (Apr 26, 2007)

Jason Opheim said:
			
		

> But according to the rules you could do that correct?



No, according to the rules, you have the items exactly as listed. There are (as Stalker0 notes) _guidelines_ for going beyond that, but the guidelines say that they can't cover everything.

Especially as the first guideline is 'compare with other items'. As all the existing crystals have limited sets of thematically linked abilities, I as a DM would rule that any proposed new crystals would have to do likewise, which effectively eilminates the sort of multi-crystal you envisage.


glass.


----------



## Jason Opheim (Apr 26, 2007)

Make for a good artifact though wouldnt it


----------



## blargney the second (Apr 26, 2007)

A neat idea, and it'd never fly in my games.


----------



## Mistwell (Apr 26, 2007)

Jason Opheim said:
			
		

> I recently bought the new magic item compendium. I really liked the Augmented Crystals for weapons until I noticed their fatal flaw. My 27th level character has his +10 sword but hes to cheap to make it epic. So this is my plan would it work? Buy crystal you can only have one. On page 288 of the DMG Under magic items there is a section (adding new abilities). So why not add the abilities of several other crystals to my one crystal for the extra 50% cost. They are cheap anyways. Another quick +10 so to say worth of cool abilities. I think ill just have to take that item familiar feat to so I can really have fun and make like a +25 weapon. Would that work with the crystals if so they need to be taken out of the game. Of course it does not actually say +1 on the crystals but if you read them you will get my drift.




The standard rule that you cannot add the same ability twice still applies.  And, I wouldn't allow mutiple abilities in a single crystal, as they don't seem to work that way.

There is a flaw with crystals though, I think (I have to read up on it again).  You should have to attune to a crystal for 24 hours, with it on your weapon (or armor for armor crystal) for that period of time, before it will function.  It might already require that (again, need to check) but if it doesn't it should.


----------



## IanB (Apr 26, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> The standard rule that you cannot add the same ability twice still applies.  And, I wouldn't allow mutiple abilities in a single crystal, as they don't seem to work that way.
> 
> There is a flaw with crystals though, I think (I have to read up on it again).  You should have to attune to a crystal for 24 hours, with it on your weapon (or armor for armor crystal) for that period of time, before it will function.  It might already require that (again, need to check) but if it doesn't it should.




One of the stated design goals with the crystals (called out in the Behind The Curtain section I think) was that you could swap them on the fly for a particular situation, though. "Hey, there are wraiths coming! Swap on the lesser truedeath crystal (or whatever it is called.)"


----------



## James McMurray (Apr 26, 2007)

This is one of the many instances where treating the DMG guidelines as hard and fast rules creates havoc. I couldn't allow it.


----------



## Eloi (Apr 26, 2007)

I think, IMHO, the "one-power-at-a-time" limitation keeps the power of the Weapon Augment Crystal under control, and that removing that restriction leads to chaos.

However..

Adding neat powers to a Weapon Augment Crystal, under *extremely* limited circumstances, might be fun and acceptable. The improvements that I'm thinking about here are the improvements that could be made to a magic weapon, in the WIC, that simply cost money, and don't count as adding a "plus-equivalent". Having a Weapon Augment Crystal, with its one power, that also made the weapon Sizable (for +5000 g.p.) might be ok, with strict GM approval.

Weapon Augment Crystals seem to beg to be filched, since they are:
A - Portable

B - Valuable

and

C - Useful.

So I wouldn't just load on extra, costly improvements to a given Crystal- it seems inherently dangerous.


----------



## Rashak Mani (Apr 27, 2007)

These crystals are way too good and cheap. They replicate some costly feats for dirt cheap prices... Quick draw is one of them.

The vampiric stone is so abusive. Just have a new one to swap once the current stone hits the 30 or 50hp limit. The vampiric sword ability cost +2 enhancement and is just 1d6...


----------



## Pickaxe (Apr 28, 2007)

Rashak Mani said:
			
		

> The vampiric stone is so abusive. Just have a new one to swap once the current stone hits the 30 or 50hp limit. The vampiric sword ability cost +2 enhancement and is just 1d6...




Which is why no one ever goes out of their way to get a vampiric sword. Part of the reason for crystals is to allow players to add some of the +X cost special abilities that never get chosen over adding a straight +X to your weapon, because the abilities are too weak/specialized/etc.

While I think 24 hour attunement defeats the purpose, I would probably agree with not allowing swapping out of the same crystal just to get around the limits.

--Axe


----------



## Blue (Apr 28, 2007)

They give up to three new magic item slots.  I tell you, I was going for an armored mage before MIC came out, and after it did and we had a chance to purchase / commission some low level magic items I picked up a shield one and would have also picked up an armor one.  Cheap extra abilities, and you don't don't break the bank.

As a side note, the weapon-less, shield-less, armor-less monk should feel left out.

Cheers,
=Blue(23)


----------



## tricky_bob (Apr 28, 2007)

MIC does comfirm that the Crystals ARE swappable. If you feel that is a bit too cheesy for you, you can make them need an hour to attune or something like that.


----------



## starwed (Apr 28, 2007)

> As a side note, the weapon-less, shield-less, armor-less monk should feel left out.



I think the armor ones can be applied to bracers of armor, actually.


----------



## shilsen (Apr 28, 2007)

Blue said:
			
		

> As a side note, the weapon-less, shield-less, armor-less monk should feel left out.




Play Eberron, turn them into Quori Embedded Shards, and stick them *in* the monk. You have to suffer for your art, right?


----------



## cignus_pfaccari (Apr 28, 2007)

shilsen said:
			
		

> Play Eberron, turn them into Quori Embedded Shards, and stick them *in* the monk. You have to suffer for your art, right?




It's not even really suffering.  Just stick them on one of the classic chakras and go from there.

BTW, the thread title is just wonderful.

Brad


----------



## MarkB (Apr 28, 2007)

Eloi said:
			
		

> I think, IMHO, the "one-power-at-a-time" limitation keeps the power of the Weapon Augment Crystal under control, and that removing that restriction leads to chaos.
> 
> However..
> 
> Adding neat powers to a Weapon Augment Crystal, under *extremely* limited circumstances, might be fun and acceptable. The improvements that I'm thinking about here are the improvements that could be made to a magic weapon, in the WIC, that simply cost money, and don't count as adding a "plus-equivalent". Having a Weapon Augment Crystal, with its one power, that also made the weapon Sizable (for +5000 g.p.) might be ok, with strict GM approval.



One thing I was thinking might be neat is an Intelligent augment crystal. One with decent special abilities, but also a fairly big Ego, that's always insisting upon being attached to the most impressive magic weapon in the party's possession.


----------



## Kunimatyu (Apr 28, 2007)

Blue said:
			
		

> They give up to three new magic item slots.  I tell you, I was going for an armored mage before MIC came out, and after it did and we had a chance to purchase / commission some low level magic items I picked up a shield one and would have also picked up an armor one.  Cheap extra abilities, and you don't don't break the bank.
> 
> As a side note, the weapon-less, shield-less, armor-less monk should feel left out.
> 
> ...




Maybe he could slot them into his bracers of armor and amulet of mighty fists?

On a completely unrelated note, my players will not stop talking about these things. Not that I really blame them, mind you, since they're more reasonably priced than normal weapons, but man.


----------



## gnfnrf (Apr 28, 2007)

Kunimatyu said:
			
		

> Maybe he could slot them into his bracers of armor and amulet of mighty fists?




Bracers of armor isn't a crazy idea.  In fact, it is specifically allowed under the rules.  MIC p 221.  It appears that an amulet of mighty fists would work as well.

--
gnfnrf


----------

