Thread Weaving & Pattern items
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:59 am
Ahoy, Mateys!
My group has been running a very fun pirate-style Air Ship campaign for the last half year. We're enjoying the new edition tremendously, however now I wanted to start looking into the way pattern items work in 4th edition and I am not sure whether I might be missing part of the picture as the Gamemaster books aren't out yet for 4th edition. So here's how I understood it:
Air Ships behave like places. Places can have between none to about five pattern items. With the power of the place, not only the number of items can changed but their power too: there now a minor, major and core pattern items.
Question 1: How do minor, major and core items relate to the old thread items / general treasures / legendary treasures listing?
Now, lets say we're creating core items for a very ancient, highly legendary Drakkar. Lets say the Drakkar used to have four officers: A captain, a Navigator, a Boatswain and a First Mate/Quartermaster. My first approach would be to create the story of the items to get the knowledges out of it. However, I then got confused and started wondering whether there is a difference between how 3rd and 4th edition handle boni from items. I read that in 4th edition, pattern items can boost a specific number of abilities. The rank of the thread attached to the item then determines the magnitude of the effect (e.g. rank 8 thread to a core item can boost up to 5 abilities by 8). However, that doesn't leave much room for, for instance, the classical description of a legendary sabre, granting a higher dmg step with each new thread rank. Lets take the classical Crystal Spear: After learning the first key knowledge (and weaving the first thread), the Damage step of the spear rises to 7. At Thread Rank Two, it grows to 8. At Thread Rank three it can be thrown further, at four it increases the initiative step by 1, at 5 it gives a special ability (for 2 strain, the wielder adds +2 to his phys. and spell defense for a limited titem), at 6 you can take strain to add +3 to your next damage test, at 7 you land armor defeating hits more easily, at 8 you can rally your troops and give them a bonus for 5 strain.
Q2: How does the "can boost up to 1 (minor) / 3 (major) / 5 (core) abilities" relate to the classical descriptions of magical items? Or are those two actually independent kind of items? Can then an item be both a general treasure as well as a major pattern item?
I'd be absolutely thrilled if somebody could actually write up a suggestion so that I can see what way it should work.
Q3: Are there any (house-)rules as to how to handle the growing power of a places pattern items as the place grows more legendary? (e.g. an existing air ship flag, the navigators magical map, the sabre of the captain, ...)
My group has been running a very fun pirate-style Air Ship campaign for the last half year. We're enjoying the new edition tremendously, however now I wanted to start looking into the way pattern items work in 4th edition and I am not sure whether I might be missing part of the picture as the Gamemaster books aren't out yet for 4th edition. So here's how I understood it:
Air Ships behave like places. Places can have between none to about five pattern items. With the power of the place, not only the number of items can changed but their power too: there now a minor, major and core pattern items.
Question 1: How do minor, major and core items relate to the old thread items / general treasures / legendary treasures listing?
Now, lets say we're creating core items for a very ancient, highly legendary Drakkar. Lets say the Drakkar used to have four officers: A captain, a Navigator, a Boatswain and a First Mate/Quartermaster. My first approach would be to create the story of the items to get the knowledges out of it. However, I then got confused and started wondering whether there is a difference between how 3rd and 4th edition handle boni from items. I read that in 4th edition, pattern items can boost a specific number of abilities. The rank of the thread attached to the item then determines the magnitude of the effect (e.g. rank 8 thread to a core item can boost up to 5 abilities by 8). However, that doesn't leave much room for, for instance, the classical description of a legendary sabre, granting a higher dmg step with each new thread rank. Lets take the classical Crystal Spear: After learning the first key knowledge (and weaving the first thread), the Damage step of the spear rises to 7. At Thread Rank Two, it grows to 8. At Thread Rank three it can be thrown further, at four it increases the initiative step by 1, at 5 it gives a special ability (for 2 strain, the wielder adds +2 to his phys. and spell defense for a limited titem), at 6 you can take strain to add +3 to your next damage test, at 7 you land armor defeating hits more easily, at 8 you can rally your troops and give them a bonus for 5 strain.
Q2: How does the "can boost up to 1 (minor) / 3 (major) / 5 (core) abilities" relate to the classical descriptions of magical items? Or are those two actually independent kind of items? Can then an item be both a general treasure as well as a major pattern item?
I'd be absolutely thrilled if somebody could actually write up a suggestion so that I can see what way it should work.
Q3: Are there any (house-)rules as to how to handle the growing power of a places pattern items as the place grows more legendary? (e.g. an existing air ship flag, the navigators magical map, the sabre of the captain, ...)