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Magic Items
This chart levels the playing field between the haves and have nots in terms of magic items. All characters receive these bonuses as they level, in addition to normal stat bonuses and feats.
All bonuses on this chart are called, “Skill Bonuses.” They stack with armor, shield, resistance, enhancement and deflection bonuses normally.
Level Bonus Provided
1 Nothing
2 AC +1, Saving Throws +1
3 Strike and Damage +1
4 AC+1
5 Attribute +2
6 AC +1, Saving Throws +1
Magic Item Creation
The creation of permanent magical items is only possible on the four most holy days of the year: the solstices and the equinoxes. While the preparations to create the magic item can be completed in advance, (including all necessary gold, component and time requirements) an additional 10 hours must be spent on the holy day to complete the item. Only a single item can be created by a wizard or priest on that day, so magical item factories are not possible.
Magic items are often fragile things. Belts, cloaks, vials, jewelry, and gear are subject to most of the same wear and tear and should be considered impermanent creations. Even swords can be broken. The bonuses provided to characters as they level are sufficient to replace the vast majority of bonuses they would ordinarily obtain through magic items. For that reason, if a character loses their magical equipment because: they drop it when put to sleep, they drop it when stunned, they drop it when under the effects of a fear effect, they are disarmed, they are robbed, they are set on fire, burned with acid, or carried into the air, do not be surprised or badly discouraged. It is just a part of the game.
Alchemy
While magical items can be crafted on just a few special days of the year, potions can be brewed at any time. The relative ease with which a wizard can brew a potion compared to creating a magical item means that they will be prolific. Alchemy, like magic, is not an exact science and the brewing of potions can be dangerous for both the alchemist and the potion’s imbiber.
Potions of all kinds have dozens of different recipes. Each wizard will likely have his own way of doing things, his own ancient variations, and his own modifications based on local availability of ingredients (honey instead of cane sugar). Often, a wizard will have to improvise at least one ingredient, even for a low level spell, even when in a major city. These variations make potions difficult to predict and difficult to analyze. Without talking to the original alchemist or having his notes, it is almost impossible to tell exactly what a potion is.
Magical potions transfer the energy of a spell from the caster, to the vial, to the imbiber. This process makes the imbiber the caster. For a potion to work flawlessly, the alchemist must make it for the specific individual, brewing it with a bit of their blood or hair.
To use a potion of unknown composition by a subject for whom it wasn’t intended, often requires specific timing, speed of consumption, visualization and the recitation of magical words (dependent on the location of celestial bodies and the time of day). Not taking the potion in exactly the right way may spoil its magic or create an unwanted effect.
To use a potion safely, someone must instruct the imbiber by making a Craft – Alchemy skill check. The difficulty of the check is equal to 10 + Spell Level + Caster Level. If the brewer used a different primary casting attribute than the identifier, add +4 to the DC (or if the identifier is not a caster at all). If the identifier has access to the brewers notes or knows him personally, having worked with him in the past, subtract 4 from the difficulty.
The roll to identify the substance isn’t actually made until the imbiber begins to drink the potion. It is only then that the reliability of instruction is confirmed. While the actual roll isn’t made until the critical moment, the alchemist can make a roll (of equal difficulty) to simply determine the difficulty of determining proper instruction. This knowledge may guide his confidence.
Drinking the potion after having received improper instruction results in a roll on the following table:
Percentile Effect
1-25 No effect -- the potion does nothing.
26-40 The potion function at half the brewer’s level with an accompanying fever.
41-50 The potion functions normally though there is an accompanying fever.
51-60 The imbiber becomes intoxicated and delirious, unable to take meaningful action.
61-70 The potion causes a heightened state of awareness – Owl’s Wisdom by the brewer’s caster level.
71-80 The potion causes the condition – Nauseated for 1d4 hours.
81-90 The potion causes Nausea and a 2d6 penalty to a random attribute.
91-97 The potion puts the imbiber into a coma state.
98-100 The potion puts the victim into a coma state. The victim must make a DC 16 Fort save or die.
Drinking a magical potion without an expectation of magical effect results in a roll on the following table:
Percentile Effect
1-55 No Effect
56-70 Imbiber becomes intoxicated and delirious, unable to take meaningful action.
71-80 The potion causes a heightened state of awareness – Owl’s Wisdom by the brewer’s caster level.
81-90 The potion causes the condition – Nauseated for 1d4 hours.
91-97 The potion puts the imbiber into a coma state.
98-100 The potion puts the victim into a coma state. The victim must make a DC 16 Fort save or die.
Mixing Potions
Drinking multiple potions is dangerous. Each addition potion imbibed by a character increases the difficulty of the identifier’s roll by 4. If the brewer is overseeing the administration of several potions he brewed himself, he must roll as if someone brewed them, however the initial 4 point penalty is waved.
Healing Potions
Holy water and healing potions created by priests are exempt from the above rules.