Creating Magical Items

This is partly house rules, partly a summary of canon rules.

General

• These are general limits that apply in addition to canon rules:
  • How many items can a character create and still get other things done?
  • How many items can a character use and not have anything backfire?
• These apply to items that work permanently (until/unless somehow destroyed or otherwise ruined).
• These do not apply to items that work only once (e.g. talens, alchemical products), nor items whose sole effect is to ICly justify an XP spend (e.g. Acute Vision).
• Also, some items are not important enough to be worth tracking. Staff is not worried about every single tool in your toolshed, making your grandmother's favorite vase unbreakable, etc. If in doubt, ask.

For building/carrying limits, Occult may be interchanged with:

• Rituals (typically shifters)
• Gremayre (typically changelings)
• Hypertech (typically Technocrats)
• Science or Technology (Sorcerer-psychics using extraordinary science or techno-sorcery)
• Crafts (Malefactor demons)

Types of items

• Items must be spelled out in a book (e.g. a specific fetish) or emulate a specific power (or combination of powers)
• Items may require conversion (e.g. if a gift costs Gnosis, then a treasure emulating that gift may cost Glamour instead)
• To emulate a power from a different game line, the creator must have at least 3 dots in the relevant Lore (or Hypertech if relevant)

Level and genre

• The level of an item emulating one or more powers is the sum of the levels of those powers
• The genre of an item is based on its creator's race/subrace

Edge cases

• Mage spheres can only be emulated by mage items (too broad otherwise).
• Possessed/bygone powers can't be emulated (don't follow usual 1-5 scale).
• If a level N power doesn't directly produce an effect, but only creates an item that produces an effect (e.g. Enchantment numina, Enchant Talisman), then it only contributes N-2 (minimum 1) to the item's level.
• Multiple powers producing essentially same effect with different targets (e.g. Thaumaturgy wards) only contribute once, not multiple times.

Examples

• A magical item that captures Potence:2 is a level 2 item.
• A magical item that captures Celerity:1 and has Ward vs Ghouls (level 2) and any number of other Thaumaturgy wards on it is a level 2 item.

Creation

• Each creator gets (Occult * 2) tokens per month
• Successfully creating an item uses a number of tokens equal to its level
• Tokens do not roll over from one month to the next
  • Exception: Creating a single item that would use up to two months worth of tokens
  • Exception: If staff takes several weeks to process a request, tokens may be taken from any month within that time

Carrying/use

• Characters are limited by how many items they can use in a scene
  • Characters can have/use an unlimited number of items at home
• The limit is compared to the sum of the item levels
• To use an out-of-genre item, a character must have at least as many dots in Occult as the item's level
  • You may substitute Rituals, Gremayre, or (if relevant to the item) Hypertech
  • If the item requires spending something (e.g. Gnosis), then the character must also have that thing
  • All items are considered out-of-genre for the 'Other' group below
• Receiving an item made by another PC does not require buying background dots

Character	Carrying limit	Notes
Vampire	(Highest discipline + Occult) x 2
Shifter	(Rank + Rituals) x 2
Mage	(Arete + Occult) x 2	Technocrats can use Hypertech instead of Occult for relevant items Technocrats with Soulless flaw use Hypertech x 4 instead
Sorcerer/Psychic	(Highest Numina + Occult) x 2
Changeling	(Highest Art + Gremayre) x 2
Wraith/Risen	(Highest Arcanos + Occult) x 2
Demon	(Faith, max 5 + Occult) x 2
Other	Occult x 2	Includes Mortal, Ghoul, Subrace:Kinfolk, Subrace:Kinain, Possessed, Bygone

Discrepancies

• Need to decide on in-between limits for items that work for a fixed duration (e.g. one month) but are reusable within that time

Vampire

Not an exhaustive list. For methods found in canon but not listed here, please check with staff.

Entrap Ephemera (Spirit Manipulation 4)

• Guide to the Camarilla 107
• Requires relevant Lore (+rules magical items)
• Creation: Willpower vs 7, must get at least as many successes as the level of the item to be created
  • Botching this roll reduces permanent Willpower by 1 (VtM 178)
• Activation: Willpower vs (item's level + 3)
  • Botching this roll destroys the fetish and releases an angry spirit

Enchant Talisman (level 5 ritual)

• Guide to the Camarilla 113-114
• Requires 6 hours and 1 blood point per night for 1 month, starting and ending on the new moon
• Roll Intelligence + Occult vs 8 four times and accumulate at least 20 successes

Splinter Servant (level 4 ritual)

• Guide to the Camarilla 113
• Roll Intelligence + Occult vs 7
• Requires (12 - successes) hours to cast
• Once released, lasts for (5 * successes) turns

Chanjelin Ward (Mytherceria 4)

• Guide to the Sabbat 106
• Roll Intelligence + Security vs (inanimate object: 7; living subject: subject's Willpower + 2)

Werewolf

Fetishes

Hammer and Klaive chapter 2 (pages 41-59)

Note: Some rites do not use the usual dice pool for their type (WtA 155, "Rites Chart" at upper right)

Step 1: Decide what your fetish will do

• Must be in a book or emulate a power from a book
• Level 1 to 5 (H+K 46-47)
• Gnosis 4 to 8 (H+K 46)

Step 2: Optional modifiers to Rite of the Fetish difficulty

Activity	Dice Roll	Difficulty Modifier	Notes
Research	Mentor or Kinfolk vs 8, or Allies or Contacts vs 9 (requires justification)	-1 per success	Takes one week per die rolled (you can choose to roll only part of your pool)
Rite of Cleansing	Charisma + Rituals vs 7 (6 if performed at dawn) (WtA 157)	-1 per success over the fetish's level

Step 3: Decide what type of spirit to summon (WtA 298-301, Axis Mundi)

• Some optional modifiers depend on the spirit's Willpower
• Cite the book and page number to staff, not just the name of the type

Step 4: Perform Rite of Summoning (WtA 161)

• Pierce or enter the Gauntlet (generally handwaved)
• Summon a spirit (generally handwaved that you spend a couple hours working on it; roll your Gnosis, difficulty = 3)
  • If you get less than 3 successes, the spirit is initially hostile (+1 difficulty to Rite of the Fetish)

Step 5: More optional modifiers to Rite of the Fetish difficulty

Activity	Dice Roll	Difficulty Modifier	Notes
Call to Duty gift (WtA 140)	Charisma + Leadership vs spirit's Willpower	-1	Requires spending 2 Gnosis or knowing a specific spirit's name
Clever persuasion	Charisma + (Expression or Performance or Leadership) vs spirit's Willpower	-1 if you get at least as many successes as the fetish level
Spend permanent Gnosis		-2 per dot spent
Taboo		-1 to -3
Direct threat		Up to -4 or automatic failure
Indirect threat	(Charisma or Manipulation) + Intimidation vs spirit's Willpower	-1
Activated using Willpower instead of Gnosis		+2	Allows fetish to be used by characters without Gnosis, e.g. kinfolk
Assistants		-1 per 5	WtA 155, can't reduce difficulty below 3 WtA 155, 160: mystic rites are usually performed alone House rule: only PCs count toward this, staff discretion (don't claim the entire caern)

Step 6: Perform Rite of the Fetish (WtA 161)

• Wits + Rituals vs 10 (taking any optional modifiers into account)

Using a fetish (WtA 240-241)

• Attunement is generally handwaved
• Counts as dedicated without using up a Rite of Talisman Dedication slot
• Activation: Roll your Gnosis (difficulty = fetish's Gnosis), or spend a Gnosis

Multiple spirits per fetish (H+K 57)

• Black Furies can perform Rite of Summoning multiple times, or use Call of Duty to attract multiple spirits
• Glass Walkers can perform Rite of Summoning multiple times
• Grand klaives and other fetishes with multiple effects (any tribe can attempt this):
  • Perform Rite of the Fetish an additional time for the additional effect; if it fails, stop and try again later
  • Roll the fetish's old Gnosis vs (new level * 2)
    • Success = existing spirit(s) get angry; fetish ruined, ritualist takes 1 (potentially soakable) agg per success
    • Number of dice can be reduced using same methods as reducing difficulty of Rite of the Fetish

Talens

• Same as fetishes, except Rite of the Fetish is replaced with Rite of Binding
  • Spend 1 or more Gnosis
  • Roll Willpower vs (spirit's Gnosis - amount of Gnosis spent)
    • -1 if creator has created that type of talen before and performs Renewing the Talen
    • House rule: If level is not stated, use Gnosis - 3 (for things like Rite of Cleansing bonus); this also means that a talen emulating a gift will generally be Gnosis (gift level + 3)
  • 1 talen per success, plus 2 to 3 more if a greater spirit is bound

Mage

Artifacts/Inventions

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 15-20, examples 20-25
• Crafting
  • Artifacts: Dexterity + Crafts
  • Inventions: Intelligence + (Technology or Computer, or Hypertech but it's more prone to Paradox Earth-side)
  • One roll = one IC hour
  • Accumulate 30+ successes
• Purification (optional)
  • Prime 2
  • Get 3 successful rolls in a row; if you do, Quickening is -2 difficulty
• Quickening
  • Prime 4 (3 with Tass with appropriate resonance, 4 lets you create your own Tass from Quintessence), vulgar
    • Living artifact: need Prime 5 (4 with appropriate Tass)
    • Paradox handling other than mitigating: need Prime 5
  • Must have sphere level(s) sufficient to create the desired effect
  • One roll = one IC hour
  • Item's point value equals sum of sphere levels to create its effect
    • Flaws can reduce point value by up to 3
    • Item is continuously active: double point value (however, this does not increase the item's level for '+rules magical items' purposes)
  • Accumulate 2 successes per point
    • Extent of item's power is limited to what you could do with same number of successes on a normal effect (without worrying about casting time or duration of effect)
    • Item is continuously active: half the successes are allocated to keeping it continuously active, other half determine how powerful it is
    • Point value may be increased to create a more powerful item
  • Spend 1 Quintessence/Tass per success required (does not reduce difficulty)
    • Cannot cast an effect mid-Quickening to gain more (because you can only cast one effect at a time)
• Usage
  • Must activate each time: roll Arete vs (3 + highest sphere level emulated) and get at least one success
  • This does not apply if the item is continuously active

Charms/Gadgets

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 25-28, examples 28-31
• Single-use items
• Crafting and purification works the same as artifacts/inventions
• Quickening
  • Requires one less dot of Prime
  • Paradox handling is limited to mitigating
  • Point value is half the highest sphere level (round up) + 1 per additional sphere (regardless of levels)
  • Can create (Arete x 2) instances at once
• Does not require an Arete roll to activate
• Shelf life:
  • Default = 3 months
  • 1 extra success = 1 year
  • 2 extra successes = 5 years
  • 3 extra successes = 10 years
  • 4 extra successes = 25 years
  • 5 extra successes = 100 years
  • 6 extra successes = never goes bad

Fetishes

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 31-36, examples 36-39
• Preparation: Spirit must be coerced, beaten in combat, or given chiminage
• Binding
  • Spirit 4
  • One roll = one IC hour
  • Point value is 1 to 5 at ST discretion
  • Accumulate four successes per point
  • Paradox handling is limited to mitigating or absorbing
• Usage
  • Must attune once: roll Willpower vs fetish's Gnosis, fail = must placate spirit before trying again
  • Must activate each time: roll Willpower vs fetish's Gnosis and get at least one success

Talens

• House rule: Spirit 3, accumulate two successes per instance, max (Arete x 2) instances per casting

Periapts

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 39-42, examples 42-43
• Quickening
  • Usable only by creator: Prime 4 (5 if living)
  • Usable by anyone: Matter 5 (Life 5 if living)
  • Accumulate 2 successes per level
  • Spend 10 points of Tass per level (does not reduce difficulty)
  • Holds up to 5 points of Quintessence per level
  • Leave it full for (level) months to avoid flaws
• Usage: transfer its Quintessence to yourself
  • Physical contact: auto-succeeds, but takes a full turn
  • Line of sight: Prime 2
  • Outside line of sight: Prime 2 Corr 2
• Recharging: transfer Quintessence to it
  • Leave it at a node: (level) points per day
  • Prime 3: from a node, Tass, another periapt with same type of resonance (dynamic/static/entropic)
  • Prime 4: from an inanimate object, unweaving and possibly destroying it
  • Prime 5: from a living (or undead) creature
• Fused periapts
  • Worn by mage or familiar continuously for (10 - level) weeks
    • If removed, it's reduced to a normal periapt until it has time to re-fuse
  • Can spend/recharge its Quintessence as if it was your own
  • Also increases your maximum possible Paradox

Talismans/Devices

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 45-51, examples 51-65
• Has its own Arete
  • Mage and talisman can cast effects during same turn
  • Can be used by sleepers
• Crafting works the same as artifacts/inventions
• Imbue Arete (required, replaces purification)
  • Prime 3, vulgar
  • Spend one Tass per roll (does not reduce difficulty)
  • Successful roll: item gains one dot of Arete (regardless of number of successes)
  • Failure: take a one-point flaw and keep going, or accept the item's current Arete and go to Imbue Powers
  • Botch: item useless, if you already took flaws then take 1 aggravated damage per flaw
  • One roll = one IC hour
• Imbue Powers (similar to Quickening)
  • Accumulate 1 success per point
  • Can include Quintessence storage (talisman is a periapt in addition to other effects)
  • Paradox handling can include nullification
• Bind the Will: spend 1 permanent Willpower
• Adding powers to an existing talisman:
  • Just perform the Imbue Powers step
  • Original creator is -2 difficulty, anyone else is +2 difficulty

Grimoires/Principiae

• Forged by Dragon's Fire 65-71, examples 71-75

Creating Grimoire/Principia

• If it teaches Arete, the wonder can only teach Arete up to two less than their own (e.g. a mage with Arete 4 can create a grimoire that teaches up to Arete 2).
  • Exception: Teaching Arete 1 is covered under 'Creating Primers' below.
• If teaching a Sphere, the mage must have a Sphere rating of one higher than that being taught (e.g. a mage with Spirit 4 can create a grimoire that teaches up to Spirit 3).
• Grimoire may teach both Arete and spheres in the same text (this increases the point value).
• Grimoire generally come in the form of a bound book, but can take other forms at staff discretion (passive experiences like movies/TV are generally unsuitable). Grimoire are usually made from exquisite, sturdy materials with extra effects to increase durability or usefulness.
• The mage must inscribe the text as part of an extended ritual. While this is being done, the mage can do nothing else but eat or sleep for 1 week per point level of the grimoire.
• A grimoire's point rating = the Arete ranking it teaches + 1 for each additional sphere it facilitates (e.g. a grimoire that teaches Arete 2 and nothing else is a 2-point wonder; one that teaches Arete 2 plus Prime and Spirit is a 4-point wonder).
• The mage must cast a Mind 3 / Prime 4 effect. (If they have Expression 4+, then this is reduced to Mind 2 / Prime 4.)
  • Minimum successes = (2 * level of Arete taught, if any) + (levels of spheres taught, if any).
  • Example: A grimoire that teaches Arete 2 + Forces 2 + Matter 2 would require 4+2+2 = 8 successes.
• The mage must invest 1 permanent Willpower at the end of the writing process.

Creating Primers

• These teach Arete 1 only and are designed to spark Awakening
• Creator must have Arete 5+
• Creation is similar to above but also requires:
  • Mind 5 / Prime 5 / Spirit 5
  • Success in a number of "writing and knowledge rolls" (5 assorted writing/knowledge rolls per day of preparation) that may involve Expression, Crafts, Linguistics, Technology, Cosmology, Enigmas, Performance, and/or Subterfuge at staff discretion.
• Invest two points of permanent Willpower once completed.

Using Grimoire

• Reader must be fluent in the language it is written in.
• Grimoire's creator may require other competencies to use (e.g. ability scores at a certain level, physical activities or states of mind, minimum intelligence score).
• If it teaches Arete, then the reader may purchase the level of Arete taught, disregarding the usual time limit (which normally stands in for a Seeking).
• If it teaches spheres, then the reader may subtract the Grimoire's level from the total XP cost.
• If a Primer, the reader must at least be somewhat open to being Awakened.

Sorcerer

Enchantment and Alchemy (see these links for further details):

• Determine level needed
• Work out the ritual
  • Enchantment requires buying it (3 XP per dot)
  • Alchemy allows buying it (3 XP per dot) for faster and easier casting
• Cast the ritual (can be reused)
  • Enchantment: Intelligence + (Occult / Science) vs (3 + level of ritual)
  • Alchemy: Intelligence + (Alchemy / Herbalism / Science) vs (3 + level of ritual)
• Level of item created:
  • Enchantment 1-3 typically creates a level 1 item
  • Enchantment 4 typically creates a level 2 item
  • Enchantment 5 typically creates a level 3 item
  • Alchemy is similar, but creates a single-use item

Changeling

Dreams and Nightmares pages 119-122

• Volume
• Amount, scarcity, location
• Harvesting
  • Dexterity + Kenning vs 7 (6 for nockers/boggans/nunnehi)
• Crafting/forging
  • Extended Dexterity + Crafts vs 7
  • Accumulate 6 to 28 successes
  • After 8+ successes (if you're not finished already), replace Dexterity with Stamina
• Tempering
  • Future owner (if not yourself) should be present at this point
  • Dexterity + Kenning vs 8
• Testing
  • Intelligence + Enigmas vs (N/5, maximum 9)
  • N = amount of Glamour invested

(to be filled out: Nocker-specific stuff)

House rules

How many chimera points do you need?

• Redes: 1 per dot
• Banes: 1 or -1 per dot at staff discretion
• Effects based on an art: 2 per dot
  • Crafter must have that art at that level or higher
• Glamour: 1 per dot
  • Only required if a rede or effect requires spending Glamour
  • Holder cannot spend their own Glamour, it must come from the item
  • Recharge as normal, e.g. leave it in a freehold
• Treasure: 5 extra chimera points
  • This cost is based on the Wyrd rede
• '+rules magical items' level:
  • Includes (redes - banes)/2, rounded up
  • Includes art effects
  • Not affected by the size of the item's Glamour pool, or whether it's a Treasure

How do you acquire the materials to provide these chimera points?

• Buy them with Dross (+rules Dross)
  • Each dot of Dross pays for 4 chimera points per month
  • Cannot be stockpiled except by declaring it up front for a specific item
• Harvest them yourself
  • Find an area of the Dreaming with appropriate material
  • Once per type per month
  • Dexterity + Kenning vs 6 (nockers/boggans/nunnehi) or 7 (others), fail = try again next day, botch = try again next month
  • Staff will roll privately to check for motherlodes, etc.

How do chimera points affect your rolls?

• Crafting successes: 3 per chimera point, minimum 6, maximum 28
• Testing difficulty: Based on N = number of chimera points

Chimerical armor or (non-firearms) weapons with no special effects (i.e. the only thing magical about them is that they're chimerical):

• If you have the Dross background, you can use it to ICly justify buying the Chimera background (CtD 146, 288)
• If you want to create them yourself:
  • Armor requires one chimera point per soak level
  • Weapon that does Str+N damage requires N+1 chimera points
  • Extended Dexterity + Crafting vs 6 (nockers/boggans) or 7 (others), accumulate at least one success per chimera point

Wraith

(to be filled out)

Demon

Enhance Object (Forge 1)

Demon Player Guide 142-148

• What can you enhance?
  • Must be manufactured (Crafts or Technology)
  • Must have a physical game mechanic
  • Must not have been previously modified with any level of Forge
• Perception + Crafts
  • Base difficulty is 5 to 10, depending on size and complexity of item
  • Ravage thralls (DtF 251) for more dice (up to your Faith)
  • Spend Faith and/or Willpower for one automatic success each
  • Take extra time for more dice (up to 2)
  • Use resonant tools (DPG 68-71) for -1 difficulty
  • Apocalyptic form:
    • Reduced difficulty on Crafts applies
    • Reduced difficulty on Perception does not apply
    • Increased Perception applies
  • +1 or +2 difficulty if unfamiliar with the item (can perform a separate Enhance Object evocation to become familiar)
• Allocate successes:
  • Reduce a difficulty (-1 per success, minimum 3)
  • Increase a difficulty of bypassing a defense/prevention (e.g. bicycle lock but not armor) (+1 per success, maximum 10)
  • Increase an effect (e.g. damage dice, soak dice) (1 die per success, maximum double original)
    • For Strength-based damage dice, only the non-Strength part can be doubled
  • Increase durability (1 health level per success, maximum double original)
  • Improve another factor (e.g. car's top speed, pistol's range, computer's memory and speed) (20% per success, maximum double original)
• Duration:
  • Lasts for the scene
  • Spend a Willpower to make it permanent
  • Gift it to a thrall and have them spend a permanent Willpower to make it permanent; they must then activate it per use in some fashion (e.g. succeed at Willpower vs 8, spend Willpower, take 1 unsoakable bashing)

Enchant Object (Forge 4)

Demon Player Guide 148-159

• What can you enchant?
  • Can be mechanical, but not technological (unless broken)
  • Must not have been previously modified with any level of Forge
• Need at least one dot in the Lore(s) to be emulated (or work with a collaborator who has it)
  • Can also emulate an aspect of the apocalyptic form associated with the Lore
• If you create the item from raw materials:
  • (Dexterity or Wits or Intelligence) + (Crafts or Technology), extended (one roll per day)
  • Up to +2 difficulty if fine work or special tools are needed (e.g. intricate clockwork, engraving)
  • Successes are capped at 3 * background (e.g. Resources) used to get the raw materials
• Performing the evocation:
  • Dexterity + Crafts, extended
  • If you created the item from raw materials:
    • Base difficulty = 6 (7 if working with one or more collaborators)
    • Successes are capped at the number of successes you got when creating the item
  • Otherwise:
    • Base difficulty = 8 (9 if working with one or more collaborators)
    • Successes are capped at 3 * background used to get the item
• Allocate successes:
  • Minimum = 2 * highest level of Lore emulated
    • +2 per collaborator
    • Up to -2 for requiring onerous/severe sacrifice to activate
    • Up to -2 for significant/drastic limitation (e.g. more limited target than usual)
    • Up to +2 for bonuses (e.g. longer range)
    • For aspects of an apocalyptic form, the 'level' is the aspect's point value
  • Power: Item's dice pool = creator's dice pool for the Lore being emulated; 1 success = 2 more dice
  • Frequency: One use per scene; 1 success = 1 more use per scene, or 5 successes = unlimited uses per scene
  • Ravage thralls (DtF 251) for more dice (up to your Faith) (on one roll, affecting another roll requires ravaging again)
  • Spend Faith and/or Willpower for one automatic success each (on one roll, affecting another roll requires spending again)
  • Use resonant tools and/or enchant a resonant item for -1 difficulty (does not stack if you do both)
  • Make the item produce resonant side effects for -1 difficulty
  • Apocalyptic form: Bonuses to Crafts and/or Dexterity apply
• Spend Faith equal to highest Lore emulated (+1 or -1 at ST discretion, minimum 1)
  • This is increased from DtF 191 which just requires spending 1 Faith
• Activating it (per use, not per scene):
  • Demons must roll Faith vs 6 or spend Faith (botch = lose 1 Faith)
  • Others must roll Willpower vs 8 or spend Willpower (botch = lose 1 Willpower)
  • If the creator evoked the high-torment version of Forge 4:
    • Demons must gain 1 Torment to activate
    • Others must spend Willpower to activate
    • Item botches more often (2s count as 1s)
  • Can attune yourself to an item:
    • Demons spend 1 permanent Faith
    • Others spend 1 permanent Willpower
    • This eliminates the requirement to roll/spend Faith/Willpower or gain Torment
    • If the relic has additional activation requirements, those are not eliminated
    • If the relic was created with high-torment Forge 4, it still botches more often
    • Multiple characters can be attuned to the same item

Demonic Relics

Demon Player Guide 159-166

(to be filled out)