Enchanting Acumen

The secret ingredient is... imagination!

Finding magical items is one of the definite highlights of any campaign. The boost in power and options that a magic item grants opens new experiences within game play, while the lore behind the item may offer the possibility of side adventures, new acquaintances, and the continuation of your character’s story. But even better than finding a magical item, is enchanting one yourself. RISE has a robust system of creation with enchanting being a substantial pillar of that system. Like all creation, enchanting places outcomes into the hands of the player. With the appropriate resources and the right skill, your character can create the exact piece he desires, be it a sword to slay a particular foe, boots to make travel faster, or a cup of that never drains of your favorite refreshing beverage. Enchanting is the most diverse of the creation options in RISE and hence it has a variety of skills that influence its use. In this post, we will explore how magic items are created by discussing the mechanics of enchantment through the acumen that govern it, namely Lore, Faith, and Survival.

The first and most common acumen used in enchanting is Lore, which is based upon your character’s Intelligence. It is the clearest method to make a magic item, representing a secret or ancient recipe, special tutelage under an artificer, or vigorous experimentation at your own peril. Lore represents understanding that is gain in unusual circumstances or discovered in wide weird world of your campaign. Often Lore reflects an Arcane origin, such as a wizard’s tome, but it need not always. Utilizing the life cycle of a unique bug to gather a particular residue lies in the realm of the Organic origin, while the secrets of the legendary philosopher’s stone may stem from the Enlightened or Artifice origins. Anything hidden and special belongs to Lore, making it a prime acumen for those interested in enchanting items never before seen.

When knowledge runs thin and your last treasure hoard failed to yield the necessary instructions to craft your magical item, enchanting can turn to belief. This is the realm of Faith, a Resilience-based acumen. Faith represents your character's ability to withstand stress and uncertainty, turning trials into experience and belief into fulfillment. It is the bulwark of the spirit and the reward of divine guidance. Unlike other systems, Faith is not simply a knowledge of religions; that would fall under Lore or Education, depending of the nature of the religion in question. Faith serves to enchant magical items through conviction. When the belief is strong enough, desires are met and prayers are answered. With such belief, your character can MELD NOT WARP the natural world with the unnatural to create things of wonder.

Without hope and understanding, there is need. Survival is the acumen of staying alive, thriving in adversity, and accomplishing what must be done to live. In this manner, Survival, another Resilience-based acumen, is used in enchanting that comes about as a consequence to events. A harrowing experience may grant special power and fortitude to the equipment that served in that situation. If all that can slay the beast is a blade of fire, then the will to survive may set that blade alight. Survival sits between Lore (Knowledge) and Faith (Belief), heralding the Will as the spark of creativity and enchantment.

With the various ways to go about enchanting, consider the flavor of each possibility and what it would mean to use a particular acumen versus another. This can drive adventures itself and develop your character’s personality through roleplaying. Do you rely upon understanding the eccentricities of magic or does your faith guide your hand in creation? If cataclysm was upon your world, could you fashion the weapon to stop it, even if that weapon was currently inconceivable? RISE and find what imbues your magic.