AVB - Quick-Change Craftsman

[Thokk_Smash]

Rand nods, a small frown of thought on his face. Of course, inspecting it further would be beneficial, he says, gaze dropping for a moment to the gem's green glint. So I'll get started on that soon as I can. It just never seems like there's enough hours in the day, even with my ring. Adventuring takes away from shopkeeping, which takes away from crafting, which takes away from tinkering...

His eyes sweep the workstations of the shop before returning to Hagan. He's got a smile now, small and wistful. Then again, no one said it'd be easy, right? he asks, standing straighter. His smile becomes more confident, obviously over that small bout of melancholy.

[Rizban]

"Hmm... I assume you've already tried to identify it. What other research methods do you intend to attempt? What are you able to try? "

Your successful Sense Motive roll reveals that Hagan is very interested in the item but trying to hide it by making it seem like he's clumsily trying to indirectly pin down your personal abilities.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler

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It's 2:30am, so I can't think straight to post a reply, but I can't sleep. So, some questions: Just to clarify, the Artificer's Monocle only told him that it controls a guardian? No inkling of how to activate it, what the target was, etc? What other methods of identifying a magic item's properties aside from Identify would Rand have at his disposal? Like, I imagine a trip to the psion to switch his skill points into Know (Arcana), then a trip to the library or mage's college would help--anything else? (I know Analyze Dweomer would be more powerful, but he doesn't have that--he could pay someone to cast it, naturally, but that's less personal).

He's had enough time with the gem to get a feel for how much it could cost, but I kept forgetting to roll an Appraise check. If I can retroactively roll for that to see if he can ballpark the gem's inherent value, this is the roll: (1d20+8)[9]

Ah, two natural 1's in a row. Classic thread.

[Rizban]

Spoiler

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You know what it does and how to activate it (wear it and issue a command to the guardian). However, the guardian itself is not part of the magic item, so you know nothing about it, neither what nor where it is. You suspect, but can't confirm, that the item will not function properly without actually knowing the guardian and having a proper mental image of it.

You do not know the means by which the item was created nor the spells needed to recreate it.

Though you've examined it several times, you have absolutely no idea how to measure what it would be worth shy of simply retaining its essence to see how much you get, but that's a fairly final method of appraising something.

[Thokk_Smash]

Spoiler

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Sorry this isn't a proper IC post. It's been hectic these past few days, and I've kinda been burning the candle at both ends. I'm still definitely interested in this, and I'll get a post up tomorrow. I'm so sorry for the silence.

[Thokk_Smash]

Rand blinks as Hagan somewhat clumsily makes his inquiries. Hagan wants the gem, that much is certain. The question is, how much does he want it?

With a flourished hand on his chin, Rand tries to mask his "fluster" with a thoughtful "hmm". I've got another trick up my sleeve I can try, he muses, purposefully leaving out that the "trick" is just the bog standard Identify that wouldn't reveal much more than what he already knows. The library or mage's college must have tomes on this kind of relic--a few nights in there and I could definitely find a lead. He looks at Hagan with a grin and determined glint in his eye, as if the thought of asking for help had never even occurred to him.

[Rizban]

He half shrugs and says "It's up to you. If you need help though, I may be able to figure out some stuff. I do have a pretty good research library."