Think of the Enchantments as worked clay. If the sculptor is not finished setting his work, it could be damaged. If the Enchantments where to come into contact with other Magical forces, the Enchantments would be damaged/altered. So using your Kukri to hit non-magical things, probably would have little effect on the Enchantments. But using it on something that has any spells on it would damage it. How much would be up to the DM. This could be a good way to justify it being a cursed item.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The rules do not address this, you'll have to wing it. Dr Styx gives one way. If you want to be more player-friendly let the crafter spend a day "wrapping up" the current sub-step of the project so that it will be durable against use, then spend an extra day unwrapping when it's brought back. If you want to be even more player-friendly just decree that crafters do this automatically at the start and end of every work day, meaning It Just Works with no extra time or difficulties. All up to you.
On a side note, if the crafter is an NPC whose business is crafting they're going to want to be compensated for all that time they can't work on anything else because the kukri is paused... in advance, in case the adventurer doesn't make it back.
Why?
Well, as to "why," many if not most processes in the real world take a certain amount of time and there's a window where the materials are ready for the next step. If you are making toast, trying to rush the process gives you warm bread, but leaving it in the toaster too long gives you cinders. And trying to heat the bread part way, then coming back and heating it over again will be very tricky to balance (try it yourself if you don't believe me).
That said, the process of magic item creation is (by the book) naturally interruptable into four hour chunks as per the magic creation rules. ("If the caster is out adventuring, he can devote 4 hours each day to item creation, although he nets only 2 hours' worth of work. This time is not spent in one continuous period, but rather during lunch, morning preparation, and during watches at night.") And a masterwork sword presumably remains a masterwork sword during the enchantment process.
Absent more details about how magic item creation actually works, it could go either way. If the way I enchant a sword is by carving mystic runes spelling out the nine zillion names of Torag into the blade, I don't see how it would be a problem if I were to hit somebody when I had only managed to carve the name "Tora" into the blade (and was still waiting on the "g"). On the other hand, if the the glue hasn't yet set on the magical inlay and all the unobtainium dust falls out, that could be a problem.
The rules are silent on the issue, so it would seem to be a GM call - for what it's worth, my interpretation is that since the rules don't explicitly say anything about being unable to use a magic item while it is being enchanted, then it's able to be used while it's being enchanted.
I'm just wondering what in the rules would support such a ruling, because I can see nothing.
Well, normally the rules say what you can do, not what you can't, so the default assumption is that if the rules don't explicitly permit it, either you can't do it at all, or you can only do it by the GM's special permission. The absence of anything in the rules therefore suggests it's not allowed.
But of course, rule how you like at your table.
On the other hand, the rules say you can use your weapon, and nothing in the rules for magic item creation specifies an exception to that rule while adding enchantments. So YMMV.
On the other hand, the rules say you can use your weapon, and nothing in the rules for magic item creation specifies an exception to that rule while adding enchantments. So YMMV.
This is my reasoning as well.
The Dynamic Magic Item Creation rules Describe imbuing the magic through challenges. I could see this going either way.
Waaaaay back in D&D 1st edition, enchanting, once started cannot be interrupted. Magic Users needed the Enchant an Item spell, and all effects had to be added while the spell was going. If you needed more time, you could risk a second casting. Illusionists had a similar method. Clerics had to place the item on an alter and pray day after day until enchanted. Can't use it while on an alter, and can't adventure if stuck praying.
Legacy would lean towards cannot use while enchanting, but the current rules have no listed downsides for using while creating.
/cevah
|
"Crafting while adventuring" was added to remove some of the time limits on crafting. If you add "but while you enchant the magic item you can't use it" you are bringing back those limits and add more.
While new powers are being added the item still has its older powers. I see nothing saying the opposite. Kobold Cleaver is right, as you guys are adding a new limitation, you should find a rule supporting that, the onus of finding proof is on you, not on people saying "you can use the item".