Crafting Suggestion Megathread

[ShadowCharlatan]

This post's original content has been deleted.

[zDark Shadowz]

Having played as an alchemist that learned 250+ recipes before being knocked out, I know there are a few things, but one I'd like to see kept:

Magical Charge item, it helps people reuse rare wands they may pick up, or implore people to seek out an alchemist for their recharging service for all sorts of items. It made playing an alchemist wizard actually feel like something other than a bunch of predetermined spells.

I know I spent hours just to make a few charges, its rather antisocial in that regard. Limited number of crafts per day, but a quicker way to craft would be ideal.

Not a fan of the new crafting systems costing XP. The cost is already in the risk, one bad craft and you're going to lose 1/3rd your total XP or retire your character.

Content Ideas

When I think alchemy, I think of forbidden magic. Everyone already has all those potions and wands and scrolls to cover so many magical effects that what's left for 'real' alchemy is extremely limited.

Power Word Alchemy.
We go back to the basics of magic, not all these perfected spells with cobbled conjunctions. Using different targeting-type rods as a base, you discover certain Words of Power through alchemy and then bind those words to the rod to create and customise your own spells in a very simplistic format.

Although someone might have a variety of rods, limit the number of times this unique power can be activated per day by a player and it won't become unbalanced to have lots.

Mutation Alchemy
Not the transmutation school in this case necessarily, this alchemy is for transforming your character. Unlocking Red Dragon Disciple / Palemaster, blood mage, society ritualist, whatever else is similar, rolling the dice on HP / attribute increase/decrease, skin colourations, wings & tail, horned head switch for the high end things. If you're putting in the effort then you best be reaping something genuinely unique to alchemy.

Of course, these will require rare reagents, possibly only DM or in legendarily difficult quests. Highly mutated characters quickly run the risk of becoming unplayable or outright hunted. Best avoid INT/WIS/CHA changes... INT definitely anyway so skillpoints aren't messed with on leveling/deleveling

Homonculi Alchemy
Design your own portable summoning creature through perpetual experimentation through enhancements! Limited to only one at a time, and needs to be put back in its bottle / cage or risk having to rebuild them from scratch if they die or are unsummoned without using the unique power on the item. Various skins can literally be donned on to them for aesthetic purposes only, though female and exotic skins may be highly sought after...

The key thing I'm going for with my alchemy ideas is a predefined format for players to make things that are unique instead of just 'more of the same, but more accessible'.

[Big Cook]

I love the idea of tinkering. I also love the idea that there should be subjects.

Maybe make it so you can gather some machine scrap and craft a 'Shock Scrambler' that confuses an animatron's friend or foe circuits, and makes it dominated for 30 minutes! You get a little ooc token to represent it in crafting that is lost when it undominates or dies, but you can bring the animatron to a tinkering bench and do all sorts of stuff.

Make it yours for the reset and start tinkering with it like necromancers with undead (pack up and let loose like a catapult pack maybe?), extract its power core safely for more experimenting, etc!

[VanillaPudding]

Briefly -

• Making crafting items cost XP. (consistent with other crafting in NWN)

This in itself removes the need for any "time limits". XP in a sense scales with itself because it becomes more and more valuable at higher levels, so I only suggest that it is kept at a low amount. You mention the other systems, and the other systems are heavily -avoided- due the requirements of a feat, but more notable because brewing potions at level 9 or 10 is a fairly harsh penalty in terms of our world's XP level. In short - Keep this XP cost low, and possibly look at using a "deficit" version of XP that would disappear on any death, but not actually "cost" XP out front.



As for items, I'll focus on Tinkering myself:
 
 

Generic:

 
Portable campsite - A pack-and-go campsite for any explorer, this lovely kit comes equipped with a tend, large bedroll, flint and steel, and dried rations for up to five. (5 uses, sets a "bedroll", tent, fire with rations, and a "pickup" option similar to grapples)
Underdark Trauma kit - A self-injecting tool that will reduce bleeding when most needed. (Bonus +25 one time on bleeding out)
Substance injector - Allows a target to be injected with certain fluids (Substance, other blood, etc etc - Touch attack, pvp rules)
Advanced Blood extractor - An odd device with a thin needle at the end, it might allow the extraction of blood from an unwilling target (no subdual required, touch attack, pvp rules)

 
 

Gnomish:

 Gnomish Jumpstarter - Raise Dead 1 charge. Has a small chance to shock the operator if it even works (some % chance to take XP from operator and give it to the previously dead character, if it works)
 
 

Goblin:

Fire bomb -  Fireball level 3, firewall remains behind for X rounds
Explosive charge - A specially delivery, sealed and ready to detonate after being disturbed (like an explosive barrel type thing but smaller)
Goblin Flea shooter - Launches a pile of Midges at the target


 

 

Spellguard (Svirfneblin):

 

Powersuits

Currently implemented engineer items

"Custom" weaponry" - Ability to attempt to add a property/spell/effect to a weapon or armor - Advances with "tiers", recharges with Baublium or possibly 1/day stuff if advanced in tier

Examples
Rogue Animatron Collector: Bonus1d6 vs racial type construct for turn / level
Eater Heart - Dispel magic 1 charge / 1/day / 2/day based upon tier
Miniature Vending Machine - 1/day spawn a vending machine that contains a small number or random potions.
Melinda's Kiss - Dominate Monster 1 charge, 3 charges, 1/day
Sojourner's Flight - Expeditious retreat - 5 charges, 10 charges, 5/day
Patriot figurines - (sent a PM)


(will continue on later when I get time)
 

[Certified Retrievals]

For Tinkering, it would be exceptionally gratifying to see something like modular weapons, especially crossbows.

A base crossbow, depending on quality of craftsmanship might have some number of slots that modules could be fitted into:
modules might be things like
a scope (with bonus to spot and search),
a repeater winch (granting rapid reload to the wielder)
a tenser spring (increasing mighty)
a longer draw (increasing massive criticals)
unstable power cells (conferring unlimited shots with elemental damage, but with a meltdown timer like that exterminator suit in that low level quest)
 

[Pentaxius]

Hmmm this is good.

Personally I would prefer a set amount of trials per time interval compared to XP drains (the latter scales very poorly...)

I propose that some of the more powerful tinkering items are powered by baublium or infused leystone. For alchemy I like the idea that some recipes should be powered by blood of sub-races or specific classes, or alignements. If blood would be to become a resources we should add a debilitating effect following blood extraction as to avoid farming (randomised between a temporary loss of con, disease, etc. Something which can't just be "purged" easily but requires time to offset). Finally Relics would also be interesting as a way to power alchemy. I like the idea of contested areas producing a token amount of resources used by these various crafting systems which may be traded, stolen, etc. Not sure how it would work but, the wild 'prefectures' are typically amongst the least preferred ones for obvious reasons. Add a spawn of resource to each of them. (e.g minerals, mushroom caps, etc). This could also be extended to the more 'valuable' political strongholds (Vaults, etc). The key is course that this system requires trading between players to lead to anything really valuable.

I think these three sources of ingredients (Baublium, Blood, and Politically-controllable 'mines') would go a long way to foster player stories rather than spastic farming...

Finally there should far less 'random' fails in these new crafting systems if 1. the ingredients are highly coveted and 2. there is a limited amount of trials per time interval. Rather than catastrophic failures being based on a roll failure+bad combination, a simple luck roll would be enough (say 1d20, 1 is a critical failure). In most other cases the formulae ought to lead to some material outcome.

Personally I'm in favour of a very, very simple system where :

1. Roll 1d20. Catastrophic failure if Roll Something awful happens and no item is created.
2. Roll 1d20+Tinkering/Alchemy/etc versus [some mildly exponential DC]. If fail, Empowerment=0.
2. Roll 1d20+Empowerment on the Theme(tier X) table. On a natural '20' add 5 to the result. The higher the result the better the item.

Empowerment would be calculated based on the additional power-sources added to the trial. The more diverse the better for politically-controllable 'mines'.

[A Concerned Citizen]

Perhaps I misunderstood what the dm was saying, sent in a pm.

[Vlaid]

This megathread is intended to be a place to suggest content for the new crafting systems.

By content, I mean ideas like items, crafting themes, and perhaps even lore, "secrets", or special opportunities to be found within crafting.

Please be clear about which crafting system(s) you are making suggestions for: Alchemy, Herbalism, Cooking, or Tinkering.

[/B]

I am open to other suggestions but would prefer they be sent to me via PM to avoid lengthy argument or derailment.

[/B]

Quoting this for emphasis. If your your post is not ideas for items, crafting themes - things which are created or discovered through the systems, send them to SC as a PM. Further posts ignoring this guideline will be deleted.

[Bacon_Cheese_Burger]

Tinkering: Svirfneblin Rocket boots.
Boots that lets the user climb cliffs with ease. (Gives the Jump spell x3. Baubilium grants extra use)

[Pentaxius]

Tinkering

Illusory Shroud of Imaskar
Apply to (non magic, default) cloak the following property:
Change item colour 1 (to the multicoloured hue)
3/charge apply on target to apply his skin (visual only) to you for one hour or until re-used on self (10% risk of duration permanent until next reset)
recharge with baublium

Will think of more as inspiration reaches me...

[Pentaxius]

Alchemy

Blood-soaked Quill
special power:
Initiate dialogue on PC:
"Sign Pact" "Refuse Pact"
If pact is signed:
grants devil summoning theme and "infernal powers" character-bound token (with a few perks...)
Skin acquires tag that marks PC as soulless:
If player choses respawn option in fugue or is raised and skin is tagged-
Subrace change to Lemur
Skin change to Lemur
Permanent.


 

[Pentaxius]

Cooking

Goblinoid Botfly pheromone spice-mix
'Yum yum, so delicious! Gobbo cannot resist!'
Used to 'poison' food.
1/day special power.
Victim attracts sewer botflies (no save) represented by the disgusting fly vfx (until next reset)

[Pentaxius]

Alchemy (ultimate goal)

Elixir of rejuvenation
Unique power
Age field set to 20
body type to slim.
head to one which is young and handsome.
regrowth of lost limb
slim chance of backfiring and permanently changing skin to elderly man and age field to 99.

[Pentaxius]

Alchemy (ultimate goal)

Homunculi Mutagen
Unique power
Initiate dialogue on target PC.
"Drink"/"Do not drink"
If "Drink" the target mutates and transforms into a grotesque homunculi bound to serve his master loyally...
Legs removed.
Black wings added.
Skin colour change (random)
surface changed to 'Alchemical mutant'
Homunculi perks character-bound item.
Head changed to something ugly...
Armour helmet and cloak slot disabled. Natural AC bonus set to whatever the maximum AC of heaviest armour allowed by the user's feats.

[Pentaxius]

Alchemy

Bottled Strangeling
If used on self
implosion vfx
Teleports self in one of the lower-dark areas.
if used on food
implosion vfx
poisons the food to teleport the consumer to a lower-dark areas.
If used on the ground
Spawns a hostile strangeling...