I ask because I plan on building a mechanikal replacement leg for my bard skycaptain. Her ship recently blew up due to stupid and mean Iron Elves and their mecha cannons. However, I managed to salvage the khyber shards (and the fire elemental) that powered the ship. 2/3 of the shard is used as a barely sufficient vessel for the recaptured elemental. I have several smaller shards though, useless.
After a recent bout with a unique, multi-eyed, Argos-like Titan, my character had her left leg cut off due to gangrene (both legs were broken from a 200 ft. fall). Now a cripple, I am permanently slowed (speed 2) unless I am flying by the grace of Zephyr Wind.
Anywho, I've come up with an idea to power Iron Kingdoms' "steampunk" tech with Eberron's elemental ingenuity. With an elemental bound khyber shard, I could make a perpetual energy source for mechanikal items.
If you were to make mechanikal versions of magic items from PHB/AV etc, what sized elemental and khybershard would be ideal to be used for the power source?
Also, by the DM converted Iron Kingdoms rules, mechanikal limbs are magical and take up the appropriate body slots, regardless if it was just one limb replacement. Ie, my one mechanikal leg would take up both the feet slots. Any suggestions as to what magical enhancements I should put on the mecha leg? Our current level is 14, and the boots I was previously using was the boots of eagerness (which I might transfer over to the leg itself).
Any help and advice is appreciated. EXEUNT FLOURISH ... or try to with one leg.
I mean, there aren't any rules for losing limbs either, so your DM is already houseruling; you're probably stuck in his terroritory.
That said; I'd probably allow mechanical limbs as a story point (find someone who knows about this stuff, probably either House Jorasco's medics or House Cannith's maker (or maybe on of both)) and put them to work on the shards you got.
The Self-Forged PP (EPG p.65) Battlefist can give you some direction.
You could say that an artificial leg is just a fluffed magical feet item, take something like the "Boots of Striding and Springing" (PHB): it will give you a bonus to speed and Athletics, it will cost 21,000 gp to make (the khyber shards can be the component cost in the Enchant Magic Item ritual used).
Talk to your DM about how to integrate all of this into the story. As was suggested above, the final result will probably get rid of the slowed condition and you could enchant the leg to function like a feet slot item.
As to component costs, again, this depends on how much the DM wants to set you back monetarily (if at all).
As to the shard questions:
I'd say that a fist-sized dragonshard, bound with a small elemental, would be sufficiently powerful to serve as a Device (to use some Pratchett parlance) or perpetual energy machine that could power a leg. I'd be wary, story wise, of introducing such an item, because it might make you a huge target (if it's unique) or totally mess with the way the world works (imagine if we had a device that could generate infinite, specific levels of energy. It would change EVERYTHING). Honestly, I'd say that instead of creating an perpetual energy device, the Khyber shard (with it's bound elemental) acts as a focus that allows your mind to communicate with/manipulate your new limb.
You will also need to locate someone who can sculpt the new limb, unless it's some kind of solid force or energy.
-J