The Eberron Campaign Setting for D&D 3.5e introduced the Artificer class that had the ability to create temporary magical items using Infusions. Mechanically, infusions were essentially spells that could only be cast on items or constructs (including warforged). Today’s post is inspired by the Artificer’s Infusions class feature, but I will not be replicating the ability precisely, nor will I be recreating particular infusions. Instead, I will demonstrate a few options to create a similar ability as a power in GURPS.

The Base Advantage

This power’s main advantage is Affliction with the Advantage enhancement and Accessibility, Only to build magical items, -40%. The next few limitations aren’t strictly necessary in general, but Magical, -10%, Melee Attack, Reach C, -30% and Requires IQ Roll, Time Based, -0% are solid, flavorful options to add. Also, add Fixed Duration, +0% since it simplifies non resisted buffs. It should also cost at least 1 FP, but see below. Depending on the specific implementation, the FP cost may not need to be in the base advantage.

Temporary Enchantment (Generic Version) [varies]

You can imbue items with magical abilities, thus creating temporary magical items. To enchant an item, you must touch if for 30 seconds and make an IQ roll. If you are successful, the item becomes enchanted with Some Enchantment. You may adjust your enchantment time by using the standard Time Spent modifiers (B345). The enchantment lasts for 3 minutes. This ability does not work on a sentient item that resists the enchantment.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Undefined Enhancement, +X%; Accessibility, Only to build magical items, -40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Magical, -10%, Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Requires IQ Roll, Time Based, -10%) Note: Undefined Enhancement is an enhancement yet to be defined [varies]. Defining it is the most difficult part of this post.

Note that this ability is inteded for temporary enchantment. It is important to impose a maximum duration. A character shouldn’t be able to add Extended Duration, Permanent, +150% or worse, Truely Permanent, +300% to grant free traits. The GM may decide to limit temporary enchantment to a day or even less.

New Modifier: Requires (Attribute), Time-Based

Using your ability takes 30x longer than normal and requires an attribute roll. You can use the Time Spent modifiers (B346) on your roll. This modifier is worth +10% more than Requires (Attribute) Roll and may result in a net positive modifier.

Artificer’s Other Abilities

“But,” you may ask, “Artificers have other abilities that can’t be represented as afflicting advantages. What about those other abilities?”

I am not trying to recreate the Artificer here, but you have given me an excuse to stall. I will give some quick ways to implement some of the other abilities. Details are left as an exercise for the reader.

Item Creation: Use something like Enchant from Thaumatology: Sorcery.
- No, I mean the feats! You know? The gate keeping ones!: Why bother? Charge an Unusual Background if you must.
- What about the emulated spell requirements? If you really need to represent this using similar mechanics, use something like Magery (or whatever) limited with Accessibility, Only to cast the spell from an item and Requires IQ Roll.
Offensive Infusions: Use Affliction or Innate Attack limited to nonliving things.
Object Repairing: Healing with nonliving only.
Craft Reserve: No! I am not touching D&D XP mechanics!
Retain Essence: Ignore the D&D XP nonsense. Make it a feature, use Gadgeteer or something else.
Metamagic Spell Completion/Trigger: Allow using Temporary Enhancements with scrolls and wands. This works best with scrolls/wands designed with powers.
Artificer Knowledge, Artisan Bonus, Disable Traps and Skill Mastery: Skills and Talents.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: You’re joking, right?

Defining the Undefined Enhancement

“But I thought the Undefined Enhancement was simply Advantage, Some Advantage. Why is it undefined?” Well, it would simply be Advantage, Some Advantage with Magical and an appropriate Gadget limitation provided the character could only make a single magical item. If a character can make multiple items, there are multiple options.

Alternative Abilities

Making the enchantments alternate abilities is simple. The main weakness is that alternative forms may be separate abilities. For example, Ring of Invisibility and Cloak of Invisibility would be two alternative abilities even though the only real difference between the two is the Gadget limitation.

Alternative Enhancements

This is also a simple option. It has the same weakness as the Alternative Abilities option, but it costs slightly less, and the specific enhancement can definitely be switched as a free action. Additionally, since Affliction has a base price of 10 points, you can treat each specific enchantment like a separate “advantage” on you character sheet with the same cost as if it were a normal advantage.

Modular Abilities

This one does solve the Gadget limitation problem automatically, but it is a little more complex than the Alternative Abilities/Enhancements solution. There is also not any real reason one couldn’t use both Modular Abilities (limited to Afflictions for creating temporary magical items) and Alternative Abilities like Sorcery, but I am not sure it is necessary. It is also expensive.

Temporary Enhancement

“Temporary Enchantments using Temporary Enhancements.” Doesn’t that roll off the tongue? It is another option to “fill in” the Advantage enhancement. It can be used to “improvise” enchantments or to make each enchantment a separate technique. This option may also run into the Gadget limitation problem, and some enchantments can have excessive penalties. There are a few, fairly simple ways of “solving” the difficulty problem.

Techniques

Simply treat each enchantment as a separate technique and buy off the penalty.

If the penalty is too high, simply reduce the skill penalty at a rate of 1 FP/+1 bonus (but never granting a net bonus).

Another option is to combine Godlike Extra-Effort with Temporary Enhancement to set the skill penalty to -1/(FP * 5%) worth of enhancements. I haven’t seen an example of doing that, but it follows from the logic given in Powers.

Also, don’t forget the Time Spent modifiers.

It may often still be more cost effective to buy the enchantment as an alternative ability.

Temporary Alternative Enhancements

This one is a bit sketchy. It combines Temporary Enhancements with Alternative Enhancements. Pay for the most expensive enchantment at full price and then use Temporary Enhancements with a penalty based on 1/5th the cost of any enchantment added as a temporary enhancement provided its full value would be no more the the one purchased at full price.

Variable Enhancement

This one is simple and solves the Gadget limitation problem, but it is expensive.

Abilities at Default

Either treat this like Hardcore Improvisation from Sorcery or as techniques like Psionic Powers. Either way, the maximum penalty is -8 because Affliction is always the same type of advantage as Affliction.

Addressing the Gadget Limitation

How would we best handle the same enchantment on different items? They could have different Gadget limitations. As with most things GURPS, there are multiple options.

Each Form a Separate Enchantment

This is certainly a simple solution. A cloak and ring of invisibility could operate under entirely different principles. It would then make sense for their enchantments to be separate. But, what about a flaming knife and sword? Are their enchantments different enough to be entirely separate abilities?

Choose the Least Discount Available

Either/or limitations might seem like a good option, but it really isn’t. Using the RAW, Preparation Required, 1 minute or Preparation Required, 10 minutes or Preparation Required, 1 hour or Preparation Required, 8 hours would be a -1.8% limitation, but it is obviously really a -20% limitation.

The same principle applies to Gadget limitations. Simply choose the smallest possible discounts for DR, SM and stealability. Temporary enchantments are never unique.

Ditch the Discount

Another option is to not give a discount. This is simple and isn’t far off the previous option provided enchantments can usually be placed on items with many different forms. The enchantments are also temporary and thus there is little cost if the items are broken or stolen. Finally, it allows using existing buff powers without recalculating their costs.

As a bonus, this strategy would allow enchanting “warforged” or “constructs” if you want to use the Temporary Enchantment ability for an Eberron Artificer.

Other Power Options

Temporary Enhancement is a power with a single ability, but it is still a power. A few options from GURPS Powers to make the power more interesting are listed below. Choose the ones you want, and try to balance positive and negative options as usual.

Skills for Everyone (p. 162)

Replace the IQ roll with an IQ based skill as a feature. If there is only one skill and there are no other abilities, there would be no real need for a talent. If each enchantment is a separate skill, a talent is still useful.

Multiple Feats (pp. 158-159)

If you want to limit the number of active enchantments, apply the Multiple Feats penalties.

Repeated Attempts (p. 159)

This is a great negative option.

Combining Powers (pp. 170-172)

If multiple enchanters can work together to on a single enchantment, this is a good option.

Temporary Enhancements (pp. 172-173)

I already mentioned this above. It is also a good choice for increasing the duration of the enchantment. Consider replacing skill penalties with FP cost (effectively buying off the skill penalty with FP) for that purpose.

Using Abilities at Default (pp. 173-174)

I mentioned this above. It is definitely an option if you want to be able to “improvise” enchantments.

Quirky Failures

Instead of failing outright, the enchantment gains 1d-3 side effects (minimum 1) on a failure by 1. See the Random Side Effects Table (B479) for ideas.

Deferred Critical Failures

On a critical failure, the enchantment appears to to be successful. When it is first used, roll on the Critical Spell Failure (B236) instead of using Crippled Abilities (Powers p. 156) and roll a Fright Check on a 17. Any references to the caster refer to the user instead.

This option may require the GM to roll in secret or the player to roll when the item is first used.

Examples

Below are a couple examples of Temporary Enchantment implementation. Sunbolt and Reverse Missiles are from Thaumatology: Sorcery p. 19 and 24 respectively.

Temporary Enchantment

You can spend an additional 4 FP to increase the duration to 9 minutes, 6 FP for 30 minutes, 8 FP for 90 minutes or 10 FP for 5 hours.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Amulet of Reverse Missiles 1 or Staff/Wand of Sunbolt 2, +465%; Accessibility, Only to build magical items, -40%; Costs 1 Fatigue, -5%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Magical, -10%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Requires IQ Roll, Time Based, -10%) [47]

Notes

For Amulet, I chose DR 3-5 and SM -7 to -8. For the Staff/Wand, I chose DR 2 and SM -6. If wands/staves could be smaller or made of more durable materials, the total cost might increase by a point.

It may be more convenient to make note of individual enchantments separately. Annotating a large number as alternative modifiers in the Affliction advantage would be cumbersome.

Temporary Enchantment

You can imbue items with magical abilities, thus creating temporary magical items. To enchant an item, you must touch if for 30 seconds and make an Will roll. If you are successful, the item becomes enchanted with Some Enchantment. You may adjust your enchantment time by using the standard Time Spent modifiers (B345). If the target does not attempt to resist, make an uncontested roll. The enchantment lasts for 1 minute * margin of success. If the target does attempt to resist, make a Quick Contest of Will vs your target’s HT. The enchantment lasts for 1 minute * the target’s margin of failure.

You can spend an additional 2, 4, 6 or 8 FP to increase the duration by 3x, 10x, 30x or 100x.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Placeholder Advantage, +0%; Accessibility, Unliving only, -20%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Requires Will Roll, Time Based, +10%) [15]

Reverse Missiles

Hard

Default: Will-11

Spend 12 FP and roll against Reverse Missiles. If you are successful, you enchant the item with Reverse Missiles 1. For every 12 additional FP you spend, add another level of Reverse Missiles.

Sunbolt

Hard

Default: Will-4

Spend 2 FP and roll against Sunbolt. If you succeed, you enchant the item with Sunbolt 1. For every additional 2 FP you spend, add another level of Sunbolt.

Notes

Costs Fatigue is not in the base ability. Using Temporary Enchantments costs plenty of FP without it. For this version, I assumed that the Gadget Limitation was not important for illustration purposes. I also modified the Accessibility limitation since the ability is intended to be able to enchant unliving characters as magical items.

High cost enchantments have incredibly high skill penalties without using Godlike Extra-Effort (-63/level for Reverse Missiles) and have high fatigue cost when using the option.

Designer Notes

Requires (Attribute) Roll, Time-Based is based on Requires (Attribute) Roll, Time-Limited (Pyramid #3/105 p. 13) + (Reliable 1, limited by Takes Extra Time 1, or Reliable 2, limited by Takes Extra Time 2 or Reliable 3, limited by Takes Extra Time 3 or Reliable 4, limited by Takes Extra Time 4) or Reliable 5, limited by Takes Extra Time 5), +20%. Although it is based on these modifiers, treat it as its own modifier.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.