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So my Sorcerer has decided he would like to make some items that are a bit more permanent, and so I have been reading the rules for named spells. I also took a look at the rules for enchanting by creating a permanent spell pattern (chapter 21, Player's Companion).

The rules for Named Spells are quite straightforward, but the rules for enchanting by creating a spell Pattern are a bit confusing. I know i would need to make an enchanting test, but am not sure how to set the EDN. I imagine it should be based on the spell being used but can't find any guidelines anywhere in the enchanting section of the PC.

In our last gaming session my character agreed to fight a sword duel against an NPC Weaponsmith, his major rival. He has a year and a day to prepare. My character not only needs to win the duel, he needs to humiliate him, for reasons that are too involved to get into here, but are mainly political. Beating the weaponsmith using a weapon he created himself should do the trick.

His weapon will be a sword that he has made from a slender piece of willow, a symbol that represents the NPC's political opposition. My initial thought is to enchant the Willow using Ironwood and Makeshift Weapon, and i want it to retain its original appearance.

Spell Patterns as an Enchantment Method (basically, to "template" the spell effect into an item) is an odd one, as it can be used to make "common" magical items and with higher Circle spells it can serve to template Thread Items.

Existing Common Magical Items (& Blood Charms) have their Enchanting Difficulty Number listed in the various Goods&Services chapters (along with cost, weight, etc).

Effects which have not already been given a template Common Magical Item use the base rule on p155:

"Enchanting Tests for common items default to a Difficulty Number of 13, if not given in... [Player's Guide] and are made using the Create Common Magic Item Thread Weaving knack..."

Then follow the guidelines on p.158, specifically that the enchanter must know the spell themselves, and that they must "power" the spell pattern with anything that will hold a mana charge (Orichalcum, True Element(s), Rare Magical Ingredients). One of the key differences noted is that some-one could make a Bedroll of Comfort if they knew the secret recipe _and_ had a kernel of True Air...... OR, any Elementalist who knows the Air Mattress spell could whip one up with simply the tiniest pinch of Orichalcum (or a bunch of rare down feathers from a magical bird... OR yes, a Kernel of Air).

These are parallel ways of achieving this effect, which is possible because many "elemental based effects" can be purely designed in abstract and then enchanted via the Imbuing True Elements process.

So, to sum up: Make sure you (or the enchanter) knows the spell, find out what will be powering the Spell Pattern. Use that method as described in the book, defaulting to an EDN of 13 if no others are mentioned.

Thanks for the help Telarus and Arma!

I talked it over with my GM and he suggested the enchanted item route, and then reminded me that I knew of a specific Willow Tree that might be useful to get material. All we have to do now is sneak onto an island where no Namegiver has set foot since before the Scourge and convince the Named Wood Spirit tasked to guard the Tree by Luung to let us cut a branch from it. Piece of cake.

I second that love.

I agree, Earthdawn does magic items really well. It is one of the things that I like best about the game. ED magic items have stories of their own to tell.