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RE: (TFT) Suggestion: Break Weapon item and immunity.

New Enchantment:
    'Everyone else, comments solicited and appreciated'
             -Mark Tapely
This years award for most original magic item goes to Mark Tapley. Finding a spell that specifically mentions a magic item. An item that doesn't exist anywhere in the game, is a little bit more than correcting a typo. Like the enchantment itself, the addition of this magic item grants the TFT system more immunity to break weapon. 

How I decided the IQ:
As Mark pointed out the Break Weapon magic item is specifically mentioned under the Break Weapon spell. So, for the first time ever a new magic item has it's IQ defined by AW itself. Of course it is IQ 12. 


Mark posted these two versions if the Break/Immunity enchantment...


Break Weapon:  Gives user ability to use Break Weapon per the
 spell table, including ST cost. User suffers -4 DX if he has
 iron about his person.
      $4000 4 weeks      100 ST/day $352 / week
      ingredients 1 Live Silver Slime ($150),
      1 Live Rust Slime ($150),
      + $52 common ing./week
      Must start with a Silver Melee Weapon.



Immunity to Break Weapon:  Weapon will not break accidentally or
 as a result of any Break Weapon spell or item. Weapon may still
be broken intentionally (with effort). $4000 4 weeks 100 ST/day $352 / week 
      ingredients 1 Silver Slime ($150),
      2 Scorched Troll Ribs ($150),
      + $52 common ing./week Must start with any non-Missile Weapon.


Analysis of the numbers:
For a $4,000 magic item that takes 4 weeks it should be 100 ST/day but only $302 a week in ingredients. The rest of the break down into components and common ingredients is right on. Except it should only be $2 common a week. But I think the price for the whole item is a little low. It should cost a little more in money and ST/day. The 4 weeks you chose seems right, but even a magic rainstorm (same IQ) costs $4,500 for ten drops. I would price it at $5,000 ($1,000 less than mage sight, same IQ). This changes the numbers. Leaving your specific ingredients in place (slime, troll ribs) we get... 
    $5,000 200 ST/day $740 /week
    live silver slime ($150)
    2 scorched troll ribs (150)
    $40 common ingredients

How I weigh the limitations:
Break weapon the spell has never been used in my campaign. Not a single player has ever learned it. The reason given is 'why break their weapon when you can trip them' or 'when I kill them I want their weapon.' It always struck my players of too intermediate a step. One is neither immobilizing or wounding the enemy. They can still punch you or jump you in HTH. Normally I look for game mechanic pro's and con's at this point. Fortunately Mark has already written a nice paragraph doing the same. Here it is... 


  Tactical Analysis: Break Weapon: Basically gives the
user a chance to stand off for one turn and disarm his
opponent. In this, it's reasonably similar to having a
Quarterstaff and very similar to having a wizard buddy
with the Break Weapon spell (except that it takes up
an action and fST of your own). The requirement for no
Iron will give your opponents a clue that you have
something up your sleeve, and if they figure it out,
they may change to less valuable weapons rather than
risking their best weapons. Probably of the greatest
value against very strong opponents with Battle Axes,
big clubs, etc. or against opponents with powerful
Peculiar Weapons or Fine/Magic Weapons. Will be very
frustrating if NPC's use it against PC's with Fine or
heavily enchanted weapons, so the GM planning to
incorporate it should give the players a bit of a
heads-up and perhaps a chance to get Immunity put on
their favorite weapons.


In conclusion:
I find this enchantment to be a necessary addition to the official enchantment tables. I recomend it appear on the Lesser Magic Item Table between Mage Sight and Magic Rainstorm. Well done Mr Tapley. I got a chuckle out of the '2 scorched troll ribs' component. 

    David Michael Grouchy II





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