| From: | Brian Moore <mooreb@****.FAC.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Talismongering |
| Date: | Thu, 7 May 1998 17:08:36 -0400 |
> Brian Moore wrote:
> >And yes it is a good way to make money. But there are even more abusive
> >ways to make money using Enchanting. A decent enchanter can make a Force
> >3 Power Focus in a week or two, worth around 300knY, or 90knY at 30%
> >"wholesale price". There really isn't a good way to handle PC
enchanters
> >given how easy it is to create IMHO significantly overpriced foci. IMC,
> >my mage is the only PC enchanter, and he only makes foci for the members
> >of his (PC) Initiatory group. He charges for the foci, but usually less
> >that 25% retail cost and time spent bodyguarding.
>
> I agree. there are several, make that dozens of ways to abuse the plain
> rules of shadowrun. That is why there is a GM so that there is "suspense",
> Continuity, and rules.
Agreed. And this area is definitely one that requires GM supervision.
There is simply too big of a difference between the cost to make focus and
the sale price.
> However, the example of making Orichalcum dosen't cost the mage/shaman any
> good karma, just 44,000 nuyen and 1 month. Making Foci takes time,
> materials, AND karma.
Making foci takes less time and materials, and it doesn't have to cost
Karma.
Making foci usually takes less time than Orichalcum. The absolute time
for Orichalcum is 28 days, no matter what. The base time for any focus
is 30 days, but that is devided by the number of enchanting successes.
(This is ignoring the one time cost for creating or purchasing the focus
design.) A decent enchanter making a reasonably low level focus will
usually take 1 to 2 weeks.
Making foci usually takes less materials. Orichalcum requires 4 specific
radicals (gold, silver, mercury, and copper). Availability and street
index don't exist for radicals (that's a big oversight), so the GM decides
what those numbers are. My mage ended up making half of the radicals from
refined materials because he couldn't find anyone willing to sell the
radicals. And some of those refined materials came from raw materials he
had to gather himself, because no one had any to sell. But a focus can be
made with just the material basis (a stick or a rock will do). Additional
materials (any herb, crystal, or metal radicals) help, and they are easier
to find, far cheaper, and can often be interchanged.
And the big one... Foci DO NOT require the enchanter to pay any karma. The
First Binding karma cost can be paid by the enchanter and/or the person to
receive the focus.
> So even though you can make more money by creating foci, it is a personal
> choice as to weather it is a better way.
True. The big question is whether or not the enchanter can find a steady
supply of customers interested in foci and available at a days notice
(to pay the karma cost RIGHT AFTER the item is finished). If not,
Orichalcum is a better money-maker. But find the right fixer/talismonger
with a large enough customer base, and an enchanter has it made.
--
Brian Moore, mooreb@***.com | I wrote up a nice script to truncate all News&
First Albany Corp. Sysadmin | Mail sigs that are greater than 4 lines long.
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