Postby Kasbak » Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:48 pm
I use Named spells a lot in the campaign where I play and in the ones I have run. First let me address that, as we have run it, spells can be Named on to items IF AND ONLY IF they symbolically fit the intent of the spell. For example, you cannot name Dodge Boost on to a sword, because the intent for Dodge Boost is to evade and avoid, and the intent for a sword is to attack and do damage. Rings kind of fit with everything, so you can only get the benefit from two rings at a time, one on each ring finger, again fitting with the symbolism of actually wearing it. Finally, the rule of symbolism, the rule of three, and the rules on higher enchantments apply to the item itself; you can only Name up to three spells on a single item, the spells and the item must fit together symbolically, and each subsequent Naming becomes more difficult. So for example, you could make a Ring of Defense and Name on Dodge Boost, Counter Spell, and Mage Armor, as all three of those fit the symbolism of protection. You could not make Joey's Ring of Stuff, and Name on Counterspell, Mental Library, and Bedazzling Display of Logical Analysis.
Not only does symbolism play a heavy role in spellcasting, but also balance. The universe wants to achieve an overall state of balance and harmony, and will do so with other effects. In the example of Naming an Improve Karma, you could do it, however your luck will need to balance out in the end. So you may be able to get that Karma boost when using your Talents, but you'll never win at a dice game again, and if you ever get stuck in a Russian Roulette scenario, you're pretty much screwed. The rule of three also comes in to effect for balancing out benefits.
As for the crafting of the item, Named spell items are not Thread items, and thus don't have to conform to all of those standards. After all, spells that would be cast on to items normally don't specify that the item has to have True Elements or Orichalcum. They also wouldn't take a Thread slot, as the magic is fueled by the spell, and does not need a Thread to activate.
Finally, with many spells, there are issues with control. For a spellcaster that is Naming a spell for themselves, this isn't a problem, as they still maintain control of the spell when it is cast. My Wizard Named a Vines spell on to his fernweave armor, as it is living plant armor, and can control the tendrils for different obscure effects (he did have to practice quite a bit in order to get an accurate level of control). He could not, however, do the same thing on another set and give it to someone else, as they would not be in control of the spell. For giving control of spells to other people, we use the mechanic for command words, but these are very limiting. The spell will only work as specified by the command, and the command must be given exactly as it was established, including language. Another item my Wizard made were Levitation boots. He Named a Levitate spell on to each boot, and could then daisy chain the spells so that he could walk around above the ground (which again took him practice to do mentally), useful for him as he was doing a lot of stargazing. For him to do this for another person, he'd have to include command words different for each boot for on, rise, lower, stop, off, and the person would have to speak them each time they made a change.
Again, these are all mechanics and examples that have been used in the games I've been part of. Use them as you will.
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