Re: Re: (TFT) Wizards at War

[srydzews@ix.netcom.com]

> Well, first I think it's only fair to assume that 
> the +3 swords mentioned was a sligth exaggeration. 
> +3 is a VERY powerful sword - worth of a baron 
> at least, rather than lowly men-at arms. 

In AW, it takes 4 wizards working for two weeks
to enchant a +3 sword.  In the same amount of time,
and for the same cost, they could have instead made 
four +1 swords.  This makes a +3 weapon basically 
four times as valuable, or four times as rare, as a 
+1 weapon.  So it isn't really that big of a difference.  
In a world where a veteran man-at-arms might be able
to afford a +1 weapon, the weapon of a baron should be 
a good deal more powerful than simply a +3 weapon.  

Conversely, in a world so wizard/magic poor that all a 
baron could afford is a +3 sword, the man-at-arms 
would never in his life have even a chance at a +1 sword.  

> But say someone (probaby a former player character 
> king) was going to  outfit an army of men-at-arms 
> with +3 swords. 

Okay.  Remember, this wasn't my idea.

> Also assume that the men-at-arms will for some reaons 
> NOT take the sword and run to the next kingdom and sell 
> it for a lifetimes worth of gold! 

Well I largely agree with this sentiment, but why don't
soldiers today just sell their weapons?  Sometimes it 
happens, but it's not enough of a problem to prevent the
govt. from giving every grunt thousands of dollars worth
of stuff.  I'm sure these swords would be made HIGHLY
distinctive, so that it was obvious to all who they are
the rightful property of.  

(Hm, this could be interesting--"okay, in the Ogre's lair
you find a magical sword, but it has the distinctive 
dragon's-head pommel of King X's armory, and runes engraved 
along the side stating Property of King X of Y".)

> How long would it take to make all these swords and how 
> much would it cost the king? 

Well, it takes eight wizard-weeks of work to make one +3
weapon.  You can have one wizard work for eight weeks, or 
two of them work for four weeks, or three of them for two 
weeks.  You can't make them any faster than that.

So figure how many swords you want, and multiply.  

The materials cost is trivial - 160 sp per weapon.  The
real cost is paying the wizards.  The magic item creation
table gives 8000 sp as the cost of having such a weapon
made.  

It would not be easy to make hundreds of such things.
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