Magic items exist as tools for the magician, or as magical tools to grant some level of magical power to a non-magical wielder. There are several ways to make magic items.
This is the simplest way of making a magic item and it is also the least permanent. You simply put the power into the item. In time this just leaks away. It does have the advantage that you need have no specific skill in making magic items. This is how limited magic items are made.
The procedure is to use your power as the basis for the attempt. The result can be used in one of two ways. A limited magic item uses the effect as history points to develop a permanent modifier when the item is officially consecrated as part of a spell. When there is no consecration, the item will appear to have a weak magical aura. For example, a magician creates a wand for a basic ritual; the magician uses basic ritual and modifies with two other abilities. The result is seen as a number of history points to purchase a basic power (2 HP per pip), and in this way a modifier is created that is active only when the wand is consecrated during a spell.
The second way for this to work is to expend the result as history points for the effect, and this reduces by one pip per day. For example, a magician creates a dagger that gives the wielder the ability to see in the dark; they use their level in basic ritual and modify with two other abilities. The result is seen as a number of history points to purchase a basic power (2 HP per pip), in this case the ability to see in the dark, that reduces by one pip per day until it is gone.
A slightly more sophisticated method is to put the power into the item repeatedly. Each time this layering takes place it increases the power level by a magical pip (basic for basic magic power, difficult for difficult magic powers, and extreme for extreme magic powers), the remainder of the effect goes into duration.
A variation of this is that with each layering of power the item gains another time it can be used, the remainder here goes into magic pips added to the level of the power. In this way an item will gain a total number of times it can be used before it becomes empty.
Yet another variation allows the item to be used a number of times within a time interval. With each layering of power the item gains another time it can be used within the interval, the remainder here goes into magic pips added to the level of the power. If you choose a day as your interval, you have created an item that can be used so many times a day until the duration wears off.
In any of these cases more layers can be added as you go.
These are explained under the power talismanic magic in Low Magic Powers -Enchantment, but they are spells that confer powers to whomever wields the talisman for as long as the talisman lasts, and as long as they continue to wield the item in a manner consistent with its purpose.
This is explained under the power True Enchantment in Construction Magic. This is one way to make a true magic item, not something that is the product of a spell.
As the name suggests these are items that are somehow limited.
There are the tools of the magician in their rituals. Normally they have only a slight magical presence. Only when a specific consecration ceremony is performed do they take on their magical significance, and that ends with the close of the ritual for which they are intended.
Some items are limited to the place where they can be used. Other items can only be used at specific times. Still others can only be used for specific tasks.
These are items with no limitation on when or where they can be used.
A common kind of item is to assist in power detriment recovery. Such items will add to the rate of detriment recovery their level of effect.
A related type of item is a power pool. When using such a pool you subtract from its reservoir before incurring a detriment onto yourself.
Another kind of device improves a power or skill. You may either use the item as the basis for a skill roll (with no power detriment) or you can use it as a modifier to a skill attempt.
A related type of magic item confers a magical power, even if you don't have any magical ability yourself.
Other items are designed to protect against certain things. Here the magician uses a power they already have to develop a protection from that power.
To return to the Borigon home page.