Re: (TFT) Breakdown numbers for magic items.

[PvK <pvk@oz.net>]

Hi Rick,

I went digging in my chaotic old TFT files and found the main breakdown tables and notes, but they don't say much about how to make superior items. Most new items had a breakdown number of 18, but as I recall, a wizard could make items with higher numbers if their IQ was over 18, but it also took more of their time, and of course high-IQ wizards didn't usually want to spend a lot of time making magic items unless they had a really good reason, with the result being that "Stradivarius" items were rare, so most new items started at 18, and old, overused and abused items had numbers under 18.

The breakdown tables have increasing results numbered 0-31+, and you rolled on it a number of dice equal to the amount you exceeded the breakdown number. Rolling a 17 on an item with BD 18 meant you rolled 1d6, but most of the low results meant the item worked that time, but more than one was added to the Turns of Consecutive Use (TCU) which also modified the roll. The result was you would want to not just use all your items at all times because it could tend to have them burn out (by either adding to their TCU or permanently reducing their BD number). If an item got up to a high TCU, it might burn out or do something odd even after you turned it off, because the GM would still roll every period with a -9 adjustment when off).

PvK


--- rsmith@lightspeed.ca wrote:

From: Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>
To: tft@brainiac.com
Subject: (TFT) Breakdown numbers for magic items.
Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:52:07 -0700

Hi Peter,
I think this is cool.

How did you decide what the breakdown number was?

Warm regards, Rick.

On Mon, 2011-03-10 at 08:32 -0700, PvK wrote:
> Our house rules decided to nerf magic items a bit by requiring them to make a "breakdown check" when they were activated, rolling 3 dice versus the "breakdown number" of the item, which was based on the creators and how they made it. Failures would mean you'd need to try again, at a penalty if you kept trying immediately, with some unfortunate high-level failure results possible (much more possible for shoddy enchantments). So yes it could make a big difference both who made it and how good care you took of it.
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Margaret Tapley
> ... Are magic items made
> by one particular wizard sought out and prized (like Stradivarius
> violins), or are they all pretty much equivalent?
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