Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 cowleymen Jan 06, 2015 13:23:44	As part of my homebrew campaign setting, Im looking at ways of making generic uncommon and common magic items out of special materials instead of being enchanted with spells. This would kind of be like Dragon Hide(or other creatures like a baskalik) or scale armor, shields made from creatures like a Fire Beetles carprice to get a shield that gives you fire reduction. THis would explain lesser magic items as just being exceptional materials forced with special tools (explaining cost and slightly longer craft times [which I modified to my taste anyways]). But A thought accured to me that these things aren't really magic items in the sense that Identify Magic would be able to revel what an item crafted like this would do?    So my question comes down too do you think that its unfair to do that? And instead require various knowledge checks to know what the propeties of extordinary materials give to items?   *Sidenote* Rare magic items will be almost always enchanted with magic, be it Arcane or Divine magic that makes it.  But by having the special materials for lesser magic items, it lets blacksmiths and other artisians with out any spellcasting to make magic items still, but being able to harvest the materials to make these items explain why buying magic items is fairly rare.
#2 Varden_Khol Jan 06, 2015 13:45:46	I like the idea, it makes lesser magical items slightly more common without making it seem like there are enchanters everywhere making equipment.   Because these materials are coming from creatures with a magical origin I would still have them react to a detect magic spell. Maybe with a weaker reaction to better match what you're going for without making those spells pointless. If they cast Detect Magic you could say something like, "the carapace shield glows softly, indicating that it might bear some extraordinary property." If they cast Identify you could tell them the creature it comes from, which would require follow up research but gets them a step of the way there.   Personally I would leave Detect Magic and Identify as they are, but add the possibility of using Nature skill checks to figure out the properties.
#3 cowleymen Jan 06, 2015 21:07:54	kewl thanks for the input