Are there any bonuses (or benefits) to a mage crafting the item to be enchanted versus using a "found" item? If not, any house rules?
For example, a Verditius weaver makes cloth into items and that she invests as magic items (Cloak of Invisibility, red cap of piercing the faerie veil, girdle of strength, stocking of a seven-league stride, etc...). Is there an advantage of her weaving the cloak herself? Can she prepare for enchantment expending Vis while she weaves it? It appears that a mage who crafts an item and then prepares it and then invests the spell loses more seasons due to the crafting phase then a person who buys the item ready made for preparation and enchantment.
As Yan said, a Verditius mage gets to had his Craft score to any Lab total to invest power in the item; he also deduces his Craft score from the vis cost to open the item for enchantment, and can create the item as part of the season spent opening it.
Those are special Verditius bonus, they are the only ones who get them
Thanks. I had forgotton about those bonuses. The craft score vs vis is a great bonus, especially with cloth which has lower vis costs then many other materials. This allows a Verditius weaver to make enchated items on the cheap.
If someone spends an extra season making the "base item" i think it would be totally fine to use their relevant craft score(or average of scores) as a straight bonus to lab total for anyone.
I would think a magnus doing that would be quickly approached by House Vertiditus with a soft ( We can show you how to do that better and faster, and save Vis to boot) and hard (you are coming very close to infringing on our guild...) offer. Good story either way, and a chance for a player to "fix" his character "in game", for those who have found out a little late how important items are to them.
If I understand your question, the main advantage is knowing what the item can actually do, and how.
Otherwise you have to investigate, which can be kinda tricky.
Meh. Wouldn't this approach the Verditius' special abilities to the point of undermining it? I know it's a full season, but still.
Anyhow, IIRC C&G rules thet Item Quality is added to Lab Totals. So if you weave a really good cloak, which would get +2 to any roll to impress (IIRC this is the example from the book), it'd also add to Lab Total for instilling some 'impress people' effect.
Oh hardly, as the Verditius could also do it. And you might well rule that they could do it without needing an extra season... It would make the value of a Verditius craft score very high.
Read and understand, dont interpret freely. I meant exactly what i said. Which means the craft score would apply as a bonus ONCE EXTRA for the Verditius which is why i said it would become very valuable.
While giving OTHER magi a good reason for having a craft score at all, which also feels like a good idea. Its boring to force anyone who wants to make use of a craft skill to make items to be a Verdi.
I see you point, but disagree that you were being sufficiently specific in your original post.
That you suggested that verditius magi could add the craft score twice was not obvious (to me at least).
That is true. Since time is a valuable resource among magi, the non-Verditius needing to spend an entire season is at a significant disadvangate compared to the Verdi. So when I think about it, it allows him to do the same thing, but at a cost in time. And that season is most likely spent better. So I don't think it'll be used much. It is a concept thing, not an optimization thing. Unless you are a Master of a craft, adding in a handfull of bonus points to the lab total for an entire season is worse than simply spending the extra season on the enchantment. OTOH if you just need +5 to enable you to make it into a lesser device rather than spread it over two seasons as an invested (which also requires you to spend a season filling the gizmo with vis). So perhaps not such a no-brainer after all.
In 4th ed WGRE there was a 'Mage Smith' virtue allowing yoy to add in Craft abilities. I liked that. But I also like the way the magi from different houses are different now, so it's ok that only the Verdi can do what this old virtue did.
I'm all for giving players bonuses to help get them where they want to be, but I think this is too close to the Verditius bonus for my level of comfort.
I'd play upon the City & Guild Superior/Excellent item bonus, but you don't necessarily need to make that yourself.
But the bottom line is, does your troupe mind? If they're up for the idea then go ahead. It's not a competition and you won't be putting another player out of a job... unless they are playing a Verditius, in which case I'd leave it and let them have all the crafting glory they can get.
