Overview
Enchanting is the process of imbuing items with magical effects often fueled by an individual's
Quintessence via a bond called Attunement. While initially developed for warfare, enchantments have since expanded over the centuries to include objects imbued with the power to carry out mundane tasks as well. In addition, the discovery of transportable Quintessence in the modern age has allowed for enchanted items to be created which do not require attunement or are attunable at much less cost to the user.
Types of Magic Items
Magical items must use Quintessence as a source of power for their effects and come primarily in two types: Resonant, Charged and Aeviternal. Given the wide variety of cultures that have created magical items, their effects and use vary widely, but all follow a few fundamental rules.
Resonant Items
Resonant items require a portion of a creature's
Quintessence in order to fuel their magic through a process called Attunement; this amount is referred to as an Attunement Score. Each item also has an Attunement Time, which refers to the period of time the creature attempting to attune must spend to complete the attunement. As a general rule of thumb, a larger Attunement Score correlates to a more powerful item and a longer period of attunement.
How to Attune
To attune to an item, a creature must spend focused, uninterrupted, focused time (i.e. not resting) equal to the Attunement Time of the item. When this time is complete, the creature lowers its Quintessence points by the item's Resonance Score. These Quintessence points are not lost, rather they are referred to as "allocated" to the item. For example, a player with a Quintessence score of 10 and full points could attune to an item with an Attunement score of 7. Once attuned, that player's Quintessence points would be lowered to 3. The total points still add up to 10 (the player's Quintessence score) so the player may not gain any more than 3 points for thier personal defense. If this player were to suddenly lose 3 Quintessence points due to a magical effect, they would have to use their reaction to break attunement (see below) in order to recoup the allocated points or else die as they would be at 0.
Clarifications
- A creature may not attune to an item that would lower its score to 0 or below.
- There is otherwise no limit to the amount items a creature may attune to.
- If a player's Quintessence score (not their points) is lowered by an effect that would then cause them to no longer have enough points to allocate to all their items, they must first reduce points in their personal pool until they have 1 remaining. If they still have more points allocated than they possess, they may attempt to break attunement with each item in any order they choose until all points are accounted for.
How to Break Attunement
Breaking attunement to an item requires effort and is not always guaranteed. As a free action once per turn or as a reaction to any effect that would cause a loss of Quintessence points, a creature may attempt to break attunement with any number of attuned items by making a d20 test and adding their spellcasting modifier (if they have any). The DC is the sum of the Attunement Score of each item a creature is breaking attunement with. On a success, the attunement ends and the allocated Quintessence points are returned to the creature. On a failure, nothing happens.
Harmonic Items
Harmonic items are a subset of Resonant items that allow multiple creatures to attune at once. The combined Quintessence allows far more to be accomplished than a single individual could. Usually reserved for large vehicles, large structures, and machinery, these types of items are new and experimental on Halor.
Charged Items
Charged items use Quintessence stored in
ayriglass containers to power their magic, usually embedded into the item. As such, they eventually run out and may or may not be able to be replenished depending on the item. Often, these items are referred to as having "charges" which are the number of uses they contain before needed to be replenished. Other items that produce minimal magical effects can be used for years before running out of Quintessence.
Aeviternal Items
Aeviternal items are legendary artifacts from great wars that tore the planes of existence asunder. Their power draws upon the infinite reservoir of power of an Aeiviternal to fuel its magic if part of one's soul is permanently pledged to that being. This is a bond far deeper than attunement with consequences in the afterlife for the wielder and a divine obligation on the part of Aeviternal. These weapons are rare, often, though not always, sentient, and capable of equipping the user with the power to level nations.
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