# Magic Crafting
In Ratbags!, PCs can make create magical stuff. For the purposes of these rules, they are called Crafts.
# Requirements
Creating a Craft requires:
- A captured soul or spirit (the Element)
- Something to enchant (the Target)
- A wizard's enchanting lab & expertise
- Two weeks of time, to allow the enchantment to take
The Target can be any object small enough to hold. Wands are traditional.
The Target can also be a person's body part (including a PC's). The upside is that a PC can get new powers without carrying an item around. The downsides are that the powers can't be loaned to anyone else, and if something goes wrong, the PC is stuck with the changes.
# Costs
A wizard will typically charge 300g to create a Craft in their lab.
A PC will need to supply their own Target and Element- wizards are unlikely to give up their personal supply of spirits.
A Soul Catcher (1 slot, 120g) can be used to trap adjacent spirits. It looks like a leaden coffee press, with a hatch on the bottom and a gold-plated rod.
# Procedure
When a Craft is made, the Referee and the PC's player- the Crafter- go down the following list.
- The Referee and the Crafter agree on what the Element and the Target are.
- The Referee asks the Crafter- "What new Power does the Target gain?" The Referee can veto.
- The Crafter asks the Referee: "What's the Catch? A cost, a drawback, or a complication?"
- The Referee asks the Crafter- "How does the Target's appearance change?"
- Check for a twist. The Crafter rolls a d6 and consults the following table.
| d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Element was more powerful than anyone anticipated. The Referee makes both the Power and the Catch greater. |
| 2 | The Craft also gains a desire, appropriate to the Element used to enchant it, and not trivial to satisfy. While the Craft's wielder is pursuing that desire, the Power is greater. While the Craft is denied its desire, the Catch is greater. |
| 3 | The Element was contaminated. The player to the Crafter's left names the last weird thing the PCs encountered. This is a second Element of the Craft. The Referee asks the player to the Crafter's right- "What also happens when the Craft's Power is activated?" The Referee makes the Catch greater. |
| 4-6 | Nothing. It turned out just the way you thought it would! |
A Power should be a notch or two weaker than the Element it's sourced from.
A Catch should make using the Power interesting to use, by having a meaningful cost or by making its user jump through hoops to get the full value from it.
See example below.
Expand For Example
Alice has decided to enchant a pair of boots with the soul of a vampire. Bob, the Referee, goes down the list.
Bob: "So, first up, what's the Element and what's the Target?
Alice: "The vampire is the Element and the boots are the Target, right?"
Bob: "Right. Next on the list, I ask you this- What new Power does the Target gain?"
Alice: "Ok, radical idea- what if anyone who wears the boots turns into a vampire?"
Bob: "Hmm, the Power is meant to be weaker than the Element is. Sorry, I think I should veto that."
Alice: "Haha, I was expecting that. I have a serious idea. Vampires can walk on walls and ceilings and stuff, right? What if the boots let the wearer do that?"
Bob: "That sounds reasonable. Ok, Alice, you ask me the next question."
Alice: "Oh right! Bob, what's the Catch? A cost, a drawback, or a complication?"
Bob: "Well, boots that let you walk on walls and ceilings sound pretty powerful to me... Ah! Here's a drawback- they only work in the dark. Since they're vampire boots, after all."
Alice: "Drat. That does make them harder to use..."
Bob: "I'm sure you'll find a good use for them. Next question- How does the Target's appearance change?"
Alice: "The boots turn black and get bat wings, obviously!"
Bob: "Haha, obviously! Ok, last step- roll a d6 for me."
Alice: "... I got a 2. So that means the boots have a desire."
Bob: "Oooh! Well obviously, the boots have a desire to drink human blood."
Alice: "Sure. What does that mean for the Power and the Catch?"
Bob: "Hmmmm, when the boots are thirsty the Catch needs to be greater... in this case I think that means they only work in absolute darkness. But other times, they work in places that are just fairly dark."
Alice: "Ok, let's work out the details on that later. What about the Power?"
Bob: "I'm not sure about a straighforward way to make the Power better. But I was thinking- these boots could be kinda dangerous to use, right? What if you were standing upside-down on a tall ceiling and got yanked down?"
Alice: "Yeah, I hadn't thought about that..."
Bob: "So what if, when you're pursuing the boots' desire for blood, you can also fall from heights safely? I think that qualifies as making the Power greater."
Alice: "Works for me."
# Relics
A Relic is a special type of Craft. The main difference is how it's made- where other Craft are made in a wizarding lab, a Relic ia made by beseeching a powerful spirit.
The requirements for creating a Relic are:
- Something to enchant (the Target)
- A shrine dedicated to a particular spirit
- A convincing argument as to why the spirit should give you this boon
All other requirements for ordinary Crafts are waived.
If a spirit chooses to grant you the boon of a Relic, the spirit itself is the Element. The spirit will be weakened while the Relic is away from the shrine; for this reason, the spirit will expect the Relic to be returned eventually.
To create a Relic, follow the normal procedure for creating a Craft. Instead of rolling for a twist, treat it as if the Crafter had rolled a 2- thus, a Relic always has a desire.
# Monsters
Wizards are able to create monsters, using a similar process to creating Crafts.
No procedure for making a monster is outlined here. Not because they're incapable of it, but because it's less-than-ideal for PCs.
- Living creatures are necessarily more complex than inert magic items. As such, the procedure for creating monsters would be more complex.
- Created monsters can die, risking the player loses their investment.
- Managing a monster NPC entails extra logisitcal complexity at the table.