Charms and Fetishes
The Appendix in Hex 17.23 touches briefly on the fashioning of magical items, and the following discusses the steps to create the most basic of magical items: charms – items of arcane origin – and fetishes – objects created by divine magic.
Charms and fetishes are objects imbued with a mild dweomer that typically have a limited number of uses, and a relatively short lifespan before the magical energy contained within begins to degrade. They are also the simplest magical items to craft, and the ones that spellcasters will most likely first attempt. Clerics and magic-users can attempt to craft charms and fetishes at 3rd level.
As a general rule, charms and fetishes replicate or approximate the effects of a 1st-level spell or less, of either arcane or divine nature. The cost to make a charm or fetish is between 100 and 500 gold. Magic-users or clerics of 3rd level or higher can create charms or fetishes (although there are some exceptions). One half of the cost of the item's construction will be in materials, the other half in labor.
It takes a minimum of one day per 100 gp value of the charm or fetish to enchant the item. A charm/fetish that recreates a 1st-level spell has the same cost as a potion or scroll that does the same. Imbuing the object with the desired magic requires the following:
1. Materials. One half the overall cost of the item is in the materials. Of these, the principal (the thing to be enchanted) must be worth a minimum of 1/4 of the overall material cost. Another 1/2 of the material cost, at minimum, must be made up with special components. The remaining material cost is in consumables: aromatic unguents, oils and incense, rare wood used to feed the forges of creation, etc., and in the cost to have the item fashioned. 2. Spells. If the item is to be imbued with properties that mimic a spell or spells, the creator of the item must be able to cast the required spells.
These two main requirements will be discussed in full further on, after determining the overall cost of an item.
Contents
Determining Cost[edit]
The cost of an item is really what drives all aspects of its creation. Unless otherwise stated the cost of a magical item is the cost of commissioning an NPC magic-user to make it. If a character is making an item for themself, obviously, they need only pay the material cost and not the cost of labor, although the labor cost can be used to determine how long it takes to craft the item, as follows:
As with all magical item creation, a roll of 86-100 is an automatic failure and a roll of 96-100 results in a mishap.
A 3rd-level magic-user, with an output of 16 gp per week, would take three weeks to craft a charm with a cost of 100 gp (50 gp labor cost, divided by 16 gp per week). Note that the minimum time to enchant a charm or fetish still applies if the spellcaster’s output is such that they could theoretically do it faster.
Rabanus is a 12th-level magic-user capable of producing 4,000 gp worth of work per week. That works out to roughly 570 gp per day. A charm worth 500 gp takes five days to create and requires 250 gp worth of actual labor. Rabanus could theoretically create two charms per day, but is physically limited to the required time.
A spellcaster whose labor output exceeds that which is needed has two options: 1. Speed up production. A spellcaster can attempt to craft a charm or a fetish more quickly than would otherwise be allowed. For each 50% reduction in time apply a –10% penalty to the chance of success and increase the chance of a mishap by 5%. No item can be crafted in less than one day. Rabanus needs that charm and he needs it now! If it costs 500 gp it takes five days to craft, but he decides to speed up the process. One 50% reduction takes the time down to 2 and 1/2 days, rounded up to 3, a second reduction down to 1 and 1/4 days (rounded up to 2), and a third takes it to a single day. The chance of success is reduced by 30% and a mishap occurs on a roll of 86-100.
2. Perform other tasks. The spellcaster need only devote time to the beginning and end days, and can perform other tasks in between.
Rabanus fails in his first attempt – some things simply can’t be rushed – so on his second attempt he decides to take the full five days, but spends only the 1st and 5th day working on the item. He can devote the middle three days to adventuring, working on other items or spells, or carousing.
The table below can be used to determine the overall cost of most charms and fetishes. Note that this cost includes both labor and materials.
1. If the item mimics the effect of a spell use the range of the spell. Otherwise, assume it affects the wielder *or* someone touched/struck by the wielder. Increasing the range of such an effect has a multiplier of 1.25 for every 10’ of range.
2. Applies only to items that mimic 1st-level spells. When normally enchanted, the effect is as if cast by a 3rd-level character. A charm enchanted with the light spell, for instance, would normally last for 9 turns (base caster level of 3, plus 6 turns). For each additional caster level add 10% to the cost multiplier, up to a maximum caster level of 7.
Note that doing so requires restricting the use of the item (see below), since the overall cost of a charm or fetish cannot exceed 500 gold.
3. Permanent until charges are spent. The charm or fetish does not degrade or lose potency over time. See below for more discussion on the duration of charms and fetishes.
4. The item is keyed to an individual. Reduce the cost by 25% if it can be used by others, but with a reduced effect, and by 50% if it can only be used by one person. A single person is designated as the wielder when the item is created. They may use the item as normal. There are two options for restricting the use of a charm or fetish:
1. Limited. Anyone can use the item, but the effects are diminished if not used by the designated wielder. This can take several forms, as determined by the Referee: reduced modifiers, reduced damage, reduced duration, etc. It is recommended to reduce the effects by one step (i.e. a modifier of +/– 1d4+1 is reduced to a straight modifier of +/– 1). 2. Restricted. Only the designated wielder can use the item.
In order to create an item tied to a wielder the designated individual must either be the creator of the item, have personally obtained the principal used in the creation of the item, or have invested something of themself in the creation. This “something” can be abstracted out as hit points: the designated individual must “contribute” a total number of hp equal to 1 hp/100 gp in cost each day it takes to make the item.
The sacrificed hit points are restored normally, except for 1 hit point, which remains as permanent damage until the item's charges have been expended. It is this hit point loss that ties the magical item to the wielder.
Magred the Magnificent, a 5th-level magic-user, is creating a charm. Being selfish, he doesn't want anyone else to be able to use it. The overall value of the item is 300 gold, so it takes three days to make. For each day during that period he must sacrifice 3 hp worth of damage. Said damage can be healed normally or via magic, all except for the final 1 hp of damage, which is a permanent expenditure until the item has no charges remaining.
Restricting the use of a charm or fetish is not without issues, however, beyond the requirement of blood and flesh! It makes crafting the item more difficult: a limited item imposes a penalty of –5% to the crafting roll, and restricting it to a single individual applies a –10% penalty.
Creation of the Item[edit]
The creation of a charm or fetish follows the rules presented in Hex 18.23.
Materials must be gathered, including a principal worth no less than 25% of the overall material cost, special components worth an additional 50%, and consumable components worth 25% of the cost. Any costs associated with fabricating the unenchanted item are included in the material cost. The spellcaster must spend the required time crafting the item. Upon successful completion the spellcaster has not only the finished items but detailed notes describing the process.
The following rules apply specifically to charms and fetishes:
If the spellcaster collected the principal used in the item add +5% to the chance of success and reduce the chance of automatic failure from 86-100 to 88-100. If the spellcaster collected at least 50% of the special components used in the creation add +2% to the chance of success. If the item is bound to an individual, and they personally collected the principal, add +3% to the chance of success and reduce the chance of automatic failure to 87-100. If the value of the principal is more than 50% of the overall material cost add +2% to the chance of success for every 10% in value it exceeds that amount (if the principal is 70% of the overall material cost add +4% to the chance of success), to a maximum of +10% to the overall chance. Charms and fetishes use their own mishap table (see below).
Lifespan of Charms and Fetishes[edit]
Unless created to be permanent most charms and fetishes have a limited lifespan during which they can be used; the magic contained within leeches out of the item, or the materials used cannot hold magical energy for more than a given amount of time.
As a general rule a charm or fetish created with a limited lifespan will remain potent for 6 months plus an additional month for every 10% the Magic Research roll exceeds the target number. When placing a charm or fetish as treasure assume that it lasts for 6 months plus 1d8–2 months (subtracting a negative result from the total.
For newly created charms and fetishes, if the result of the Magic Research roll is a natural 01-05 the resultant item is more potent than usual. Roll on the Boon table to determine what quality it possesses.
Examples[edit]
Gerso wants to make a lightstick to use while adventuring. It duplicates the 1st-level spell light, so has a base cost of 500 gold. It can only be used once, and has a limited duration. The lightstick requires materials worth 250 gold and labor worth 250 gold. It will take five days to enchant.
The principal has a minimum cost of 25% of the overall material cost, or 63 gp, and there must be an additional 125 gold in special components. The rest of the material cost will be in incidentals.
Gerso does some research, and reads about a certain cavern miles from civilization that contains a number of curious crystals that absorb light and store it, slowly radiating it back out over a period of days. “Aha!” he says to himself, “those sound like an excellent material to use for my purposes!” He gathers his companions and they set off for the caverns. Once inside they must fight off the strange, bat-like creatures that dwell within while harvesting a number of crystals to use.
For special components Gerso decides to use the light-producing glands of the fire beetle; each of these has a gold value of 15 gp, so he hires some lower-level adventurers to harvest 7 glands for a total value of 105 gp. He pays an alchemist to extract the desired compound, a process costing 50 gold.
Of the ten crystals Gerso manages to harvest there are six suitable for his purposes, and the Referee rules that each has a value of 120 gold. Upon returning to civilization Gerso draws up plans for his lightstick and commissions a master jeweler to craft it for him. The plans call for the crystal to be polished, shaped and inlaid with gold filigree. The Referee rules that it will take one week to fashion the item and cost 120 gold in total. The alchemical extract of the fire beetle gland is mixed in with the molten gold in preparation for producing the filigree.
All in all, Gerso has invested 395 gp in material for his lightstick, which is 145 gold more than he needed to spend. He's doing the enchanting himself, so doesn’t have to pay someone, but still uses his labor output to figure production times. Gerso is a 5th-level magic-user, producing 75 gp worth of work per week, or 11 gp per day. The lightstick requires 250 gp worth of labor, which will take him 3 and 1/2 weeks to enchant.
Gerso spends the time needed to craft the lightstick, with a base chance of 50% to successfully enchant the item, modified as follows:
• Gerso has an Intelligence of 16, resulting in a +2% modifier being applied to the roll. • He harvested the principal himself, gaining a +5% bonus to the chance of success. Since he hired someone to provide him with the fire beetle glands he doesn't gain a bonus here. • Gerso is Skilled in Magical Engineering, gaining a +4% bonus to the roll. • When the jeweler crafted the lightstick she scored a critical success with a roll of 18, applying a +5% bonus to the roll.
Gerso has a total modifier of +16, bringing his chance of success to 66% and the chance of automatic failure to 88-100. There is no modifier to the chance of failure.
Lightstick. Crafted from a single crystal roughly a foot long and two inches in diameter, and bound in a web of gold filigree, a lightstick glows upon command, radiating light as per the 1st-level magic-user spell of the same name. Once lit it cannot be extinguished, and once the duration expires the magic is exhausted and the crystal cracks, becoming valueless. The light radiated typically lasts for a period of 11 turns. This item weighs one pound.
Talisman of Bear's Strength.
Murgan the Mighty, a 9th-level fighter, has just slain a cave bear in single combat, and as a trophy took one of the beast's teeth. It's not worth enough on its own to create a “proper” magical item, so Murgan commissions Gerso to craft a talisman for him to wear around his neck.
“The bear was strong and mighty,” Murgan tells Gerso, “make me something that gives me some of its strength!” Gerso decides to make use of the formula he has recently discovered that increases the damage from a blow.
The formula replicates an effect with a base cost of 100 gold, and Gerso decides to give the item a full five charges, for a modified cost of 500 gold. He also decides to bind it to Murgan, reducing the cost by half, and increases the duration to permanent, meaning that the charm will never lose its dweomer unless the charges are spent. This increases the overall cost by a factor of two, bringing it back up to a total cost of 500 gold.
With an overall cost of 500 gold the minimum material cost is 250 gp, of which the principal needs to be worth at least 63 gold. The bear tooth is worth 300 gold, more than sufficient to make up the principal cost. In fact, since it is more than 1/2 of the overall material cost Gerso gains a +5% bonus to the chance of success. The principal is worth more than the entire material cost, so no more work is needed other than to tie it to a leather thong.
Since the item will be bound to a single individual, Murgan must participate in the crafting process, which takes an entire week. Murgan must spend 5 hp per day, which can be healed magically at the end of each day. As an experienced warrior he's not worried about a little bloodletting. However, the final hit point cannot be healed; it is a permanent reduction in Murgan's hp total until all charges have been expelled.
By now Gerso is a 7th-level magic-user and will succeed on a roll of 1-60. Because he can produce 300 gp worth of work per week it takes him just under a week (six days) to craft the necklace. His chance of success is modified as follows:
Gerso has an Intelligence of 16, resulting in a +2% modifier being applied to the roll. Murgan harvested the principal himself, increasing the chance of success by +3%. Gerso is Skilled in Magical Engineering, gaining a +4% bonus to the roll. The value of the principal is more than 1/2 the overall material cost of the item. Half the material cost is 125 gp, and the tooth is worth 300 gp, so it exceeds the value by more than the max, adding +10% to the chance of success. Restricting the item's use to a single individual imposes a penalty of –10%. The overall modifier is +9% to the base chance of success.
The chance of success is 1-69, with a range of automatic failure of 87-100. Gerso rolls a 75, a failure. However, the tooth is not ruined in the attempt, so he may try again. This time the result is a 25, a success.
Boons[edit]
On a natural roll of 1-5 the caster accidentally creates an item possessing more potency than they were attempting. If this occurs, roll on the table below to determine what bonus is added to the item.
1-15. The natural lifespan of the item is increased by 1d20 × 5%. 15-25. If the item possesses charges it gains an additional charge. If it does not have charges roll again. 26-35. The range of the item’s power increases by 1d10 × 5%. If the item does not have a range roll again. 36-45. The caster level at which the item functions (if it reproduces a spell) is increased by 1d4. If this does not apply roll again. 46-55. The bonus granted by the item is increased by one category (from +1 to +2, +2 to +3, etc.). If this does not apply roll again. 56-60. The natural lifespan of the item is increased by 1d20 × 10%. 61-65. The range of the item’s power increases by 1d10 × 10%. If this does not apply roll again. 66-70. The caster level at which the item functions (if it reproduces a spell) is increased by 1d4. If this does not apply roll again. 71-75. If the item possesses charges it gains an additional 1d4+1 charges. If it does not have charges roll again. 76-80. The item possesses a secondary power that is granted as long as the item retains charges. It will either be a static benefit with minimal mechanical effect or will consume a charge as per the primary power. 81-84. The range of the item’s power increases by 1d10%. If this does not apply roll again. 85-88. The caster level at which the item functions (if it reproduces a spell) is increased by 1d4. If this does not apply roll again. 89-92. The natural lifespan of the item is increased by 1d20 × 20%. 93-95. If the item possesses charges, it gains an additional 1d6+2 charges. If it does not have charges roll again. 96. The spellcaster gleans some deep insight into the nature of magic. The notes they generate during the enchantment process are worth an additional 4d6×5% their normal value. 97. The item will not lose its magical dweomer until it runs out of charges. 98. The item has a special purpose, as detailed on p. 277 of OSE Core. 99. The item has the basic number of charges, but when depleted the charges return at a rate of 1 per (1-3) week, (4-5) day, or (6) all at once following a specific deed or task. 00. The item is imbued with intelligence as per p. 242 of OSE Core. The item will always have the same alignment as either the spellcaster who created it or, if bound to an individual, that individual. Because these items are minor in power they will never have an Intelligence greater than 10 (roll 1d4+6 rather than 1d6+6) and roll 1d6, rather than 1d12, for their Ego score. Intelligent items recharge as per result 99, above, their intelligence laying dormant until recharged. For this reason the item will always try to prevent the last charge from being spent.
Mishaps[edit]
On a natural roll of 96-100 a mishap occurs. Roll on the table below to determine the exact nature of the mishap. Note that the effects of a mishap resulting from a failure creating a charm or fetish are not nearly as severe as those resulting from normal magical items. It is suggested that the Referee roll on this table in secret and not inform the player of the result.
If the result is a cursed item that seems to function as normal the notes produced during the magical research process have their normal value, but subsequent uses of them to reproduce the same item increase the chance of failure to 76-100 and the chance of a mishap to 91-100.
1-40. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. No overt penalties are applied, but the wearer will seek to use the item above all other similar items, even those that possess a greater puissance or purpose. 41-60. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. In addition to using it above all other items the (1-4) wielder or (5-6) creator suffers a penalty of 1d2 to (1-3) attack and damage rolls, (4-5) one category of saving throw, or (6) 1 ability score, so long as the item retains charges. 61-70. Something goes wrong. The enchantment causes an explosion that does 1d6 points of damage to all within 5’ and damages 1d8 × 50 gp worth of lab equipment. 71-75. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. In addition to using it above all other items the (1-4) wielder or (5-6) creator suffers the effects of a random baneful spell (usually the reverse of a beneficial spell). 76-80. Something goes wrong. The enchantment causes an explosion that does 2d6 points of damage to all within 10’ and damages 1d12 × 50 gp worth of lab equipment. 81-85. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. In addition to using it above all other items the (1-4) wielder or (5-6) creator suffers a penalty of 1d2+1 to (1-3) attack and damage rolls, (4-5) 1d3 categories of saving throws, or (6) 1d3 ability scores, so long as the item retains charges. 86-89. Something goes wrong. The enchantment causes an explosion that does 3d6 points of damage to all within 15’ and damages 1d20 × 50 gp worth of lab equipment. 90-92. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. In addition to using it above all other items the (1-4) wielder or (5-6) creator suffers a penalty of 1d3+2 to (1-3) attack and damage rolls, (4-5) 1d5 categories of saving throws, or (6) skill checks or other similar rolls, so long as the item retains charges. 93-95. The result seems to succeed but the item is cursed. The (1-4) wielder or (5-6) creator is targeted by a polymorph other spell, turning them into a random small, harmless animal. A save versus spell is allowed, albeit at Disadvantage. 96-98. The item functions, but not as intended. Chaos and mayhem ensue (think of the broom scene in Fantasia). In these cases the effects last for (1-3) 1d6 turns for every 100 gp in value of the item, (4-5) 1d6 hours for every 100 gp in value, or (6) 1d6 days for every 100 gp in value. 99-00. The item is imbued with intelligence. It will always be of inimical alignment to its creator or, if bound to an individual, that person. Because these items are minor in power they will never have an Intelligence greater than 10 (roll 1d4+6 rather than 1d6+6) and roll 1d6, rather than 1d12, for their Ego score. Intelligent items recharge as per result 99 on the Boon table, above, their intelligence laying dormant until recharged. For this reason the item will always try to prevent the last charge from being spent. Note that intelligent magical items may suppress their tendency to damage those of differing alignment (as per p. 273 of OSE Core) for subtle purpose: the conversion or subversion of the wielder to their ethos.
