Livesteam Happening Now + Revamped Crafting Times
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Sep 25, 2020 at 03:32:23 AM
We are live! Chatting about our updated preview to The Ultimate Guide to Alchemy, Crafting, and Enchanting! Tune in now and get all your questions answered plus there may be a raffle at the end for some Nord products!
https://www.twitch.tv/nordgamesllc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y48tSwJSjHg
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=4437205029686049&ref=notif¬if_id=1600970496099675¬if_t=live_video
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Hey All!
I wanted to drop by this morning and let you all know that I've spent this last week combing over the recipes and revamping the crafting times (and values, where needed). The results have yielded recipes that feel much more reasonable for what they require.
All recipe times have been significantly reduced. There are no longer any recipes that require more than a year of work (and those are for the very powerful items). If the GM wants things to take longer, it is certainly within their rights to do so, but for this book, that's as long as it gets.
Enchanting recipes generally take the longest, alchemy recipes are quicker than that, and crafting recipes tend to be very quick. What's nice about this is that while enchanting and alchemy have some obvious draws, crafting does as well in that it can yield some nice returns very quickly, especially as the craftsperson ranks up. Often times a nicer version of something can be made in the same amount of time (or just a bit longer) than a lesser version, assuming the craftsperson is of sufficient rank. There are still some items that take a very substantial amount of time (things that are equivalent to full-on magic items, such as an Apparatus of the Crab), but there aren't many of those.
So, we have a new version of the PDF with these changes implemented (it will be distributed via Backerkit just like the last one). Please test out the changes and see how everything feels. Thank you all for your feedback thus far, it's been very helpful and we really appreciate your participation in the development process. And, as always, if you want to talk with us about this or anything else, be sure to hit up the discord! :)
~Andrew
Big Update: Progress + PDF Preview
over 3 years ago
– Sat, Sep 12, 2020 at 09:39:12 PM
Hello everyone!
I know it's been some time since you've heard from us regarding this project, but I promise that we've been hard at work and I've got some very, very good news:
The writing of the book content is done, and we got our editor on the book. Well, we just got word back from him that, apart from some small touch-ups, the book is looking really good.
Now that the editing is largely complete, we're able to put the book into layout and get an idea of page count. This, in turn, will let us talk to our printer to get a clear idea of book size and printing timelines.
We wanted to make sure that whatever we gave you all for testing had gone through an editing pass so you could all focus on the gameplay elements and not on grammatical and typographical issues. Check the end of this update for more details.
--
Now, I want to give you all a rundown of literally everything in the book, but that list would be incredibly long so I won't break your mouse wheels with that. That having been said, here's some general breakdowns of the important things, as well as a list of every item in the Magic Item Compendium. Get ready:
The Alchemy, Crafting, and Enchanting chapters
These chapters cover the association itself, and the principles to which they adhere. The chapters also look at the abilities granted to practitioners once they attain expert rank in their chosen specialization. Finally, these chapters close with all the quests related to their respective discipline (alchemy, crafting, or enchanting).
Also, related to the enchanting chapter specifically, this is where you can find the enchanting source tables. The sources are arcane, natural, and divine. Enchanters will need to engage with these sources when enchanting any item.
Recipes
The recipe section contains a preliminary section breaking down the different factors that go into the recipes. After that section are the recipes lists by discipline and rank. Following that are the recipes themselves. The recipes found in this book are either from the 5e SRD, or the Magic Item Compendium of this book. Each recipe has page numbers (the stats/descriptions for any SRD/core 5e items will not be found in this book, but they should be easily found in your actual 5e materials or by looking them up in the SRD; this book simply contains the recipes in order to make those things).
Magic Item Compendium
Armor & Weapons
- Armor of Evasion
- Armor of Immunity
- Armor of Instinct
- Arrow of Hesitation
- Basilisk Fang
- Blade of Mutability
- Blight Sickle
- Blood Arrow
- Blood Drinker
- Bolt Thrower
- Brooch Pin
- Club of Rot
- Duelist’s Blade
- Crossbow of Swift Death
- Doom Hammer
- Extending Weapon
- Featherweight Weapon
- Fiend Cleaver
- Fire Pipe
- Firststrike Lance
- Flare
- Frostveil Armor
- Gravespike
- Horizon Bow
- Infernal Pitchfork
- Intercepting Shield
- Last Stand Armor
- Magnetic Shield
- Martyr’s Armor
- Mycelial Plate
- Nevermiss Dagger
- Oscillanium Armor
- Passwall Arrow
- Plagiarist’s Pen
- Portable Cover
- Razor Lash
- Sanctuary Blade
- Scythe of Undeath
- Shield of Retribution
- Spirit Armor
- Star Thrower
- Suit of Many Limbs
- Sword of Weakening
- Tamer’s Whip
- Tentacle Lash
- Vest of Fortitude
- Vitriolic Web
- Wingtaker
- Unhappy Dagger
- Unraveling Chain
Rings & Wondrous Items
- Administrator's Quipu
- Amulet of Expedient Reaction
- Antikythera
- Badmouth’s Mug
- Barrister’s Wig
- Boom Box
- Boots of Trembling
- Broom of Revealing Steps
- Cap of Arcane Recall
- Cat’s Paw
- Cement Boots
- Charms
- Contortionist’s Cloak
- Coward’s Boots
- Cup of Fury
- Door Knocker of Unwelcoming
- Emperor’s Toga
- Eyes of True Vision
- Fossilized Egg
- Gambler’s Dice
- Gloves of Fire
- Gloves of Hurling
- Grunge Guitar
- Hexes
- Horns of Power
- Illusionist’s Palette
- Instant Solid
- Jester’s Skull
- Judge’s Gavel
- Lead Balloon
- Mask of Refreshing Sleep
- Minstrel’s Hat
- Mob Torch
- Necromancer’s Mask
- Off Switch
- Red Letter
- Ring of Fidelity
- Ring of Life
- Ring of Retribution
- Robe of Beneficence
- Sculptor’s Clay
- Spectacles of Peripheral Vision
- Spiritualist’s Board
- Tactician’s Chess Set
- Tankard of Detoxification
- Tiara of Psychic Stability
- Tongue of Lies
- Trowel of Instant Construction
- Wards
- Yoke of Brawn
Rods, Staffs & Wands
- Decoy Wand
- Dowsing Rod
- Fairy Wand
- Hot Rod
- Phonic Rod
- Rainbow Rod
- Rod of Communication
- Rod of Echolocation
- Rod of Entrapment
- Rod of Excavation
- Rod of Fishing
- Rod of Lightning
- Rod of Order
- Rod of Petrification
- Rod of Reduction
- Rod of the Moon
- Rod of the Sun
- Rod of Stewart the Romantic™
- Rod of Translocation
- Staff of Acid
- Staff of Accompaniment
- Staff of Illusion
- Staff of Infection
- Staff of Shielding
- Staff of Silver
- Staff of the Dragon
- Staff of the Grave
- Staff of The Natural Born Mage
- Staff of The Stoic Mind
- Staff of the Swamp
- Staff of Time
- Staff of Vision
- Staff of Vaulting
- Starter Staff
- Walking Staff
- Wand of Charm Person
- Wand of Color Spray
- Wand of Cure Wounds
- Wand of Disguise Self
- Wand of Dispelling
- Wand of Entanglement
- Wand of Faerie Fire
- Wand of Grease
- Wand of Identification
- Wand of Magic Eating
- Wand of Nondetection
- Wand of Removal
- Wand of Sleep
- Wand of Temperate Control
- Wand of Wishful Thinking
Potions, Poultices & Powders
- Alchemist’s Frost
- Alkahest’s Flame
- Alkahest’s Ice
- Blessed Brew
- Bottled Lightning
- Burrowing Brew
- Concealing Concoction
- Ear Tonic
- Eyebright Essence
- Expeditious Elixir
- Explosive Ointment
- Fibster’s Fluid
- Flash Bottle
- Flesheater
- Frogleg Fluid
- Gloop
- Healing Draught
- Liquid Fatigue
- Medusa’s Essence
- Potion of Absorption
- Potion of Barkskin
- Potion of Bear’s Endurance
- Potion of Bull’s Strength
- Potion of Blurring
- Potion of Cat’s Grace
- Potion of Coagulation
- Potion of Eagle’s Splendour
- Potion of Energy
- Potion of Fox’s Cunning
- Potion of Health
- Potion of Health, Greater
- Potion of Intuition
- Potion of Owl’s Wisdom
- Potion of Luck
- Potion of Motion
- Potion of Peace
- Potion of Replenishment
- Potion of Stoneskin
- Potion of Swimming
- Potion of Vigour
- Potion of the Green Fairy
- Powdered Tongue
- Purifying Potion
- Regenerative Ointment
- Regenerative Ointment, Greater
- Silvertongue Sauce
- Slipsap
- Thunder Flask
- Tonguetie Tincture
- Troll Blood
--
This gives you a good idea of the main things in the book and what to expect. For those backers that have purchased the book in either hardcover or PDF, we have a preview available to view right now! We have sent out the download directly to you via Backerkit.
Any discussions about the preview can be made here on our Discord: https://discord.gg/BGpRs5u
-Andrew and Greg
Quest Design Update!
almost 4 years ago
– Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 11:57:26 PM
Hey everyone!
Today, I wanted to give you all an update about the Association Quests. I've been plugging away on this for a while now and since the beginning of the campaign there have been some changes to the methodology after I had some realizations. Let's jump right in!
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So, initially (and per the campaign goals), we were going to have quest hooks for each rank in the associations. This amounted to 1 general quest for be allowed into an association and granted the rank of Novice, and then 1 for each rank in a specialization thereafter (Apprentice, Expert, Artisan, Master).
One thing about the quests is that they have a very clear purpose, and that is to be used by the associations as teaching-tools/tests to determine the fitness of the applicant (the individual who is looking to gain rank) for the rank they are trying to reach.
To that end, I landed on the idea of "principles." Each association has a main foundational principle that is of vital importance to them. After that, the specializations have further principles that are of great importance as well. This informed two main changes:
1) Each quest/hook will revolve around a principle. Apart from the general association principle, they can be done in any order, just so long as to reach Master rank, they've shown an understanding for all their specialization's principles.
2) The quests/hooks will not be tied to rank (however there will still be as many hooks as if they were, so the content amount will not change).
The quests are written in such a way as to address the principle in such a way where the GM is open to using it in many ways. They do not dictate what monsters are used, what environment it takes place in, or even specific items or named characters that are involved.
Instead, the quests give a description of the general situation, and what the ranking member of the association (the one who will give the applicant the task) needs to have done.
One of my favorite additions to the presentation of these quests are failure options. The idea is that in any RPG, no matter what happens, the story must go on. We've all seen GMs who design a quest, plot hook, or other narrative thread, and don't anticipate failure, only to have things invariably go sideways, and then the GM is stumped on where the story can go, or what should happen now. The failure options address this in a neat way.
After the quest is presented, there will be a paragraph (sometimes multiple) that is preceded by Failure 1 (and Failure 2, Failure 3, etc. if there are more). The paragraph will state the cause of the failure, elaborate on it a bit, and address what (if anything) can be done about it. Usually (because these quests are meant to be teaching tools) the applicant will be asked to undergo certain additional training in order to help them deal with similar situations in the future.
If that sort of training is recommended, a line will follow the failure paragraph, stating how long the training will take (the standard right now is 2 weeks of downtime), and then the applicant is allowed to use their proficiency bonus on skill checks when used toward a very specific situation related to the original quest/failure. If the character is already proficient in a certain skill, they would be able to double their proficiency for these purposes. This means that failure is no longer a dead end, but instead an opportunity for learning and character growth.
Also, one last note, when a quest refers to applicant, it is assumed that they may have party members, companions, or hirelings they may have along with them. So when a quest refers to the applicant, there is an inferred "and their team/party" connected to it.
Alright, here is an example of what we're talking about:
Alkahest Quest 1
This would be a quest undertaken once someone is working to attain rank within the Alkahest specialization of the Alchemist's Association. The Alkahests specialize in destructive or entropic alchemical creations.
Principle: Paranoia with purpose.
The applicant is tasked with arranging the delivery of volatile supplies headed from one branch of the association to another. The supplies need to be transported in a special cart, designed specifically to keep the ingredients cool and safe so that they don’t explode. The applicant is given a budget with which to purchase the parts for this and arrange for it to be appropriately guarded or escorted. The applicant is warned about threats (goblins, bandits, etc.) lurking along the way the transport must travel.
If the applicant accompanies the transport, another challenge could be that it is attacked by the threats they were warned about. Unless the transport is protected, it could be hit by projectiles or other impacts that trigger some sort of reaction, such as steam to start pouring out. This could create an area of lightly obscured terrain around the caravan. Although this would afford temporary solace from the assailants, the applicant must work quickly to keep the supplies cool or prevent further damage, and also assist the caravan leader in repairing the transport. If they cannot do so, the whole thing might explode.
Failure 1. The alchemical supplies are compromised, either due to attack or poorly arranged transport, and explode. Such a serious loss must be made up for by the applicant with gold or free labor in the service of a higher-ranking alkahest. The applicant is directed to undergo specific training in the packing and handling of dangerous substances.
This training will require two weeks of downtime, but once complete, will allow the applicant to use their proficiency bonus (or double it, if they’re trained already) for skill checks used when creating or arranging transport of chemically dangerous substances.
Failure 2. The alchemical supplies never reach their destination due to theft. Spending an inadequate quantity of the budget (GM discretion) on guarding the caravan results in it being stolen. The thieves might be rogue alkahests, the potential attackers that the applicant was warned about, or another party. What the applicant does in relation to this theft will have a bearing on whether the association views this as a success, a failure, or a serious problem. Barring any serious issues, the applicant is directed to undergo instruction in the secure transport of sensitive cargo for a client.
This training will require two weeks of downtime, but once complete, will allow the applicant to use their proficiency bonus (or double it, if they’re trained already) for skill checks used when arranging the secure transport of sensitive cargo for a client.
Failure 3. A hazard prevents the supplies from reaching their destination. Some natural hazard blocks the progress of the caravan (or damages the caravan itself) and the supplies become stranded. The applicant is asked to handle the situation and get the caravan back on its way. If the caravan is abandoned, the association will have a serious problem with this. If the hazard is overcome and the mission proceeds as planned, it is considered a success. If efforts are expended to no avail, and the applicant reports back to the association, a team of specialists is sent to help, and the applicant is directed to undergo instruction in travel hazards, and how to best deal with them.
This training will require two weeks of downtime, but once complete, will allow the applicant to use their proficiency bonus (or double it, if they’re trained already) for skill checks used when dealing with natural hazards while traveling.
--
This gives a clear idea of what must be done (design safe transport for volatile substances, and do what you feel necessary to get it where it needs to go safely), as well as the various ways in which things could go wrong (and what would follow after). Either way, once the quest is concluded (successful or not) the applicant understands the principle of Paranoia with purpose, and why the alkahests work very hard to prepare for every eventuality.
It can also be seen that this could be presented as a low, mid, or high tier scenario, depending on the cargo being transported, the destination, and the potential threats involved. This could be used for someone looking to reach Apprentice rank, or just as easily, Master rank.
--
I'm very happy with the flexibility this offers, and the way it helps get the players to start thinking the way the association does. It really gets them to feel like they're becoming part of a serious organization with a real agenda, method, and protocols. It also presents the GM with enough of a road map to know just what blanks they need to fill in to fit it neatly into their world and story.
I hope you all enjoyed this rundown and that it gets you excited. Feel free to test this scenario and see what you think!
In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy out there, and be good to one another!
Happy Gaming,
Andrew
