The Royal Artificery Society - OOC II: electric boogaloo

[DeTess]

Since I did a mistake and posted in the wrong OOC thread. @windstruck, mrabdiel said Auden would be playing as usual, so you can assume he is there.

@mrabdiel, no problem, hope you get better soon.

[DeTess]

@mrabdiel, you'd notice that there are some differences in the way the violin sounds. It's not really noticeable during quickly changing segments, but during more drawn out notes they tend to fade more quickly/ require more effort to maintain than they normally would. In general it feels like the sound is being dampened just a little.

[MrAbdiel]

@mrabdiel, you'd notice that there are some differences in the way the violin sounds. It's not really noticeable during quickly changing segments, but during more drawn out notes they tend to fade more quickly/ require more effort to maintain than they normally would. In general it feels like the sound is being dampened just a little.

Got it!

Oh, and Shandara is lying to the world's most credulous man, huh? I was gonna roll sense motive - he'll likely fail... But you know what? He has no reason in the world to imagine she would not be truthful! So I won't even roll.

[DeTess]

@windstruck, the man at the shop doesn't ask for any payment for the spell cast. He seems happy to be able to contribute just a little help another artificer along with their own project.

[MrAbdiel]

Aiden is positively moved by this act of charity and promises to refer relevant business this way.

[WindStruck]

Well, research was planned ahead, and so guess what, investigative mind is prepared. So to answer Shandara's question:

arcana: (1d20+17)[32] or (1d20+17)[37]

Reminder: trying to find that exception in Resist Energy (Sonic). How does it work? Can it be modified? How does this energy type differ from the other energy types?

I'll assume with a high enough roll here, she can figure out how to eliminate the dampening effect? And possibly, add a bonus effect, or have to compromise something else.

[DeTess]

Right, so the exception essentially holds a definition for frequency ranges and volume of the sound that are deemed safe, and lets them pass through the protection. Th small dampening that is happening is because the order of operations is more or less: apply protection -> check if sonic energy is within the exception's tolerances -> if yes, let through. This essentially results in the full protection applying for a very, very short amount of time on good sound, dampening it out. You could of course reverse the order, but that would result in the opposite problem of weakening the enchantment as it lets through harmful energy for a very short moment.

You can think of two elegant ways to solve this issue. One would be to, instead of applying the enchantment directly to the violin, instead adding an enchantment that creates a small field directly around the violin that only checks for energy coming in from the outside. This would leave the violin and the sound coming from it unaffected. It would also be easy to add any other protective enchantments to the same field, and even add a trigger to expand the field to encompass the violin's user and maybe other nearby humanoids as well. The larger field would be weaker though, or require extra energy to be supplied.

The other option would be to change the exception to instead simply check if the sonic energy is coming from the violin or from the outside. This check is simpler and far quicker, so could safely be done before the protection kicks in without risk of harmful energy coming through. You could also then easily piggyback onto this check if you wanted to add an enchantment that increases the sound of the violin.

[WindStruck]

Ah the first option reminds me of something interesting from an online game. It had a skill for bards+dancers that made a field that reduced elemental damage taken by everyone within it. I do think I like that idea, seeing as he also was asking for a way to support his other party members as well.

Okay, I'll select that then.

So Shandara will get to work planning out the enchantments on the mock-up violin, and also planning for the extra power source needed to expand the field out.

I wonder, do you think it's possible to tap into whatever arcane energies a bard has to help power it as well?

[DeTess]

I wonder, do you think it's possible to tap into whatever arcane energies a bard has to help power it as well?

Yes, definitely. You could have it require a spell slot from the bard to activate, for example.

[WindStruck]

Yes, it's a cool idea, although, how much power could I reasonably expect to get out of a bard? If this world is E6, then typically, I think the highest spell level a bard can cast is level 1, and they probably don't have too many spell slots to throw around?

Their spell level is what worries me the most though. I don't think a level 1 spell slot should be enough to cover what amounts to a mass version of a level 2 spell?

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea. Just want to make sure it is balanced?

[DeTess]

Yes, it's a cool idea, although, how much power could I reasonably expect to get out of a bard? If this world is E6, then typically, I think the highest spell level a bard can cast is level 1, and they probably don't have too many spell slots to throw around?

Their spell level is what worries me the most though. I don't think a level 1 spell slot should be enough to cover what amounts to a mass version of a level 2 spell?

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea. Just want to make sure it is balanced?

Yeah, just to add some numbers to it, a 1st level spell slot would allow him to expand the protection just to himself for a minute. It'd need a second level spell slot to get it out to a radius of 10 feet for 1 minute. Whether or not he has access to 2nd level spells lots is something you are unsure about. It's not impossible, he is a member of the ranger's guild after all, so that means he is probably fairly high level, but it's not guaranteed either.

[DeTess]

@mrabdiel, could you roll me a diplomacy for gathering information?

[MrAbdiel]

Nothing would please me more! DiplomacyByWayOfVersatilePerformance - (1d20+15)[26]!

[DeTess]

For your research into the Vilfaren family you find that their history is about as old as the empire itself is, and it has been very well documented. Back when the empire was a modest city state the person that would found the Vilfaren family was an adventurer leading a skilled band of companions that did many good deeds for the city. As a reward Vilfaren was granted a noble title and his house became a close ally of what would become the Imperial family. Throughout the long process of uniting what is now the empire the house of Vilfaren would always be the royal family's closest ally, assisting with their martial prowess and wealth.

Over the years their influence had waned quite a bit, remaining a close ally to the throne but with diminishing monetary resources and lands. However, this changed when the Archduchess rose to power. Her husband died shortly after their first child, a son, was born (now about 20 years ago). Lady Angeline Vilfaren, to use her full name, had not shown a great interest in the affairs of her house before and was expected to appoint a steward after her husband's passing, but instead she took control of her family's resources and used them to revitalize the ailing noble family, restoring the family's wealth through shrewd trading and expanding their influence as well. Thanks to her work there is little doubt nowt hat house Vilfaren is second only to the royal family in power and influence. In fact, if it hadn't been for the close ties between the two families there might have been worries that house Vilfaren might try to eclipse the royal family under the archduchess' guidance. However, the Archduchess has always made it clear that she considered herself a loyal servant to the emperor, and never made any move to oppose the imperial family.

I can elaborate more on anything you want more details on, of course.

As for looking into methods to work tundra wood, you spend some time playing around the shipyards and talking to the workers and you learn some things. First of all, you do indeed need tools made from hard metals to work tundra wood. Apparently the tools used at the shipyards are a hardened steel alloy, and need repairing and sharpening often when used on Tundra oak.

You also learn that Tundra oak becomes more pliable and easier to work with if it is submerged in very hot, but not boiling water for several hours. However, this is apparently a somewhat risky procedure. If the water gets too hot or the wood is submerged for too long then the Tundra oak could loose its peculiar strength permanently, and even if is is done correctly the wood's resistance to fire and flames is weakened, though apparently this loss can be countered by freezing the wood shortly after the treatment. Apparently, this treatment is done mostly if Tundra oak needs to be used in locations where the wood needs a significant curve, like near the bow of the ship.

[MrAbdiel]

This is all excellent information. I think Aiden is ready to proceed to his evening booking to experiment on some of his samples; he'll definately experiment with steaming the wood rather than boiling it, to see if that works. Steaming wood to bend it is common enough, and might not be relevent for large timbers for ships but still 'good enough' for small samples like for the violin. He won't think ahead to get something to rapidly chill the wood to test that part - he'll just have to try to make a friend with a mage who is working in one of the other workshops at the time!

What do we know about the archduchess's son? He's 20 years old now, presumably being groomed to one day run the family. Is he accomplished, or.. thought of poorly?

And are there any particular luminaries or shameful representatives in her family history (aside from Vilfaren specifically)? You don't need to make up and then give me all the deets, but Aiden would take notes because if he's planning a work that represents her family he needs to know where to draw attention and where to subtly de-emphasize elements of the lineage.

[DeTess]

What do we know about the archduchess's son? He's 20 years old now, presumably being groomed to one day run the family. Is he accomplished, or.. thought of poorly?

And are there any particular luminaries or shameful representatives in her family history (aside from Vilfaren specifically)? You don't need to make up and then give me all the deets, but Aiden would take notes because if he's planning a work that represents her family he needs to know where to draw attention and where to subtly de-emphasize elements of the lineage.

The son has not been in the public eye much. He has appeared during large social events (such as past midwinter festivities), but the mentions of him you find in the archives aren't particularly detailed. One article describes him as a 'thoughtful young man', but that's about it. You do find that he is currently accompanying a Vilfaren-sponsored expedition to the far West.

Regarding, other luminaries in the Vilfaren include the current Archduches' grandfather (now deceased), who was knows as the Iron Duke and served as one of the most renowned generals in the closing portion of the unification wars, and a great-great-grandmother of the current archduchess who was knows as the 'peacemaker' for her skill t negotiating treaties for the empire. You find little in the way of black sheep, which is remarkable given that over the many generations that have been documented there must have been some.

@windstruck, I presume you'll be working further on the enchantments the coming evening? Anything else you want to do?

[WindStruck]

Oh yes, Shandara has a lot on her plate. First she would have to finish working out the spell into a more paper or book form wizards are familiar with. And then she would have to figure out how to translate that into runes and such directly on the violin which are permanently enchanted. Then, finally, if she wanted to add more features, figure out how to cram those onto the violin as well, and how to power them...

And if she has any more free time, she'll be proofreading and finalizing the paper she was writing up.

[DeTess]

@windstruck, if you could give me a roll for your further research I'd appreciate it.

@mrabdiel, could you roll me a carpentry roll to see how much you figure out in your time in the lab?

[MrAbdiel]

Nothing would please me more! I'll throw the daily luck on this one, for sure.

Carpentry! - (1d20+30)[36]!

Edit: and I'm glad I did.

[WindStruck]

Well I guess it will just be more arcana then.

(1d20+19)[24] or (1d20+19)[26]

[DeTess]

@windstruck, you've done gem storage of energy before, including recharging them, so you can draw on that easily enough for this project.

Regarding expanding the field, there are two ways you could go about it.

First, you could define in the enchantment three different sizes (normal, personal and area) and simply set up triggers that move it from one size to another, at which point it would also draw more energy as needed from storage.

The other would be to not define the size at all, but have it scale based on the available energy. You could then add additional enchantments tot he storage medium to set a trigger to increase or decrease energy provided. This second option ahs the advantage that a spellcaster could feed in energy of their own to increase the field's size, and even fine-tune it a little based on requirements.

[WindStruck]

So can I not have a trigger that increases the size and need for energy, and only takes that energy from a caster that triggered it?

[DeTess]

So can I not have a trigger that increases the size and need for energy, and only takes that energy from a caster that triggered it?

That's also possible. Any mentions of storage in the previous post can also refer to a humanoid provider of magic energy (or draconic, or... well, you get the deal)

[DeTess]

Let me just roll to see how fast Aiden can find someone by randomly knocking on other workshop doors.

(1d20)[16]

[DeTess]

@windstruck, did you enchant that disk to last more than a few uses, or just as a quick experimental test object meant only to hold for a handful of uses? That'll significantly impact the cost involved.

[WindStruck]

@windstruck, did you enchant that disk to last more than a few uses, or just as a quick experimental test object meant only to hold for a handful of uses? That'll significantly impact the cost involved.

I did mean for it to be a "quick experimental test object" but by no means would I want to lower the quality of the experiment.

However, seeing as the energy comes from a subject that offers a lv 1 spell slot, I guess I'm having trouble seeing how it would only work a couple times.

Maybe it's just a legacy d&d cost calculating thing?

[DeTess]

However, seeing as the energy comes from a subject that offers a lv 1 spell slot, I guess I'm having trouble seeing how it would only work a couple times.

In world it'd mean you'd use less/cheaper materials to draw the magical runes) circuits and the like which would wear out after a few uses.

[WindStruck]

Well okay. For a temporary experiment like this, cheaper stuff is good.

[DeTess]

In that case it's only 25gp of reagents with (1d6)[4] uses left (you can tell how many uses it has left by studying it for a bit).

[WindStruck]

Alright. I'm not sure what else I need to have Shandara do...

I believe I have written out everything I can for her regarding the violin. So the mockup violin could in theory be worked by her and enchanted, however, she has essentially made it only a template without spending any magical reagents. All the runes and gems would need to be placed on the real violin made of Tundra Wood...

Which I believe starts off with base hardness 8, immune to cold, and with 25 fire resistance. Shandara would enchant it with a field similar to her wooden disk, but it protects from sonic, acid, and lightning. It can be expanded to the wielder by expending a 1st level spell slot (for a minute?) or be expanded to protect a 10' radius area by expending a charge from one of the rechargeable gems (thinking 2 gems, and this also lasts a minute?).

Also, the hardness of the violin would be magically increased by +10, or maybe +12? Which would cost 5000 gp or 7200 gp respectively. I think that would be the end price for the buyer, correct? So maybe +12 is too much, but it would be kinda nice to make it immune to admantine attacks.

Dang... If something were to happen to this bard and his party, the only thing left will be the violin! Which also makes me think... maybe a nice feature would be some kind of homing/distress beacon?

Or what if.. there was a spell that would shrink his entire party and hide them safely within the violin? Seems a bit silly though.