Weapon Customization

[oldgrayrogue]

I love the BG clothing and armor customizer. How about a weapon customizer? I know a system is available similar to what we have for armor and clothing.

I asked Paazin about this and he said the decision not to implement one for weapons was because "special" looking weapons should not be available just for anyone. How about a system then where you have a few different mundane looking base models to choose from for each weapon, along with colored hilts, guards etc? Seems silly to me that every sword or axe would be made exactly the same and this allows for variety without silliness.

[puny]

and perhaps something similar for different (mundane) looking shields.

[CloudDancing]

Case in point, Trapper was able to change her bow to that leafy glowing number. And she changed her boring Kukuri to a more carved one like the description read. And she made her MW Silver sword look much better.

This was before they disabled the Weapon Customization option on BG. But a few days later, poof! it was gone and no more fun. So it is there and done. It's just not enabled.

I have to comment here. On another server I know the HDM locks out purposely certain clothes, armor, and weapons so only HIS friends can access them. This server also runs like a high school clique. I find this reprehensible in an environment of the creative commons.

I believe IC you should PAY for your weapons and armor customization and pay well. But I am sick of this "you can't use these armor/weapons parts because..." mentality.

It is elitist and it means that people who can't access a DM's free time OR cannot manage the technical patience for toolsetting their own items and lobbying to get them in game are discriminated against.

So my proposal, turn the option back on. Instead of going through every fancy weapon piece and removing it (thus excluding people), make it just cost 500 gold more as it would naturally cost IC for such elaborate custom work.

[Blindhamsterman]

equally... a lot of appearances really should be left for cool unique artifacts and special magic items - otherwise they all just look crap and mundane

[Matti]

I would gladly have a few options available as I choose my characters weapon. No need to have the epic and most awesome options with fire/brimstone/holy/acid or such, but a few subtle differences so that one can match the weapon to ones character a bit.

So basically as oldgrayrogue said.

[Darkmystic]

Well, why not just make a smithing requirement? Then it gives more rp to us that do armor crafting and weapoing crafting. I would love getting to see more rp of it since I roleplay a dwarven smith thats pretty good at it.

[oldgrayrogue]

Just so the intent of what I propose is clear, I am suggesting that the really intricate, scrollworked flashy weapon models (and certainly those with elemental or other effects) be locked out. These IMO should be reserved for magical or special weapons awarded with DM involvement. However, if someone likes one style hilt over another, or a slightly heavier (or more slender) blade for their sword, or even a black or gold colored pommel over a standanrd steel colored one, I don't see how there is any harm in allowing a bit of customization of weapons like we do armors and clothing. Smiths would get bored making the same old sword over and over =) Same goes for bows, axes etc. Just have a few different styles people can choose from in the customizer -- along with color customization. It just adds flavor to RP to have visual variety of PCs IMO. I really applaud the armor customizor which I have advocated for ALFA for a very long time. These things also have the added benefit of freeing up DMs to create stories, build etc rather than mule in items simply because players want a bit of a customized look.

[paazin]

equally... a lot of appearances really should be left for cool unique artifacts and special magic items - otherwise they all just look crap and mundane

This is precisely why I disabled them.

If we have someone who is tech-y and would like to re-write it to have "mundane" and "cool" versions of each, I would be most glad for the assistance.

[ElCadaver]

+1 to having mundane weapon customisation

-1 to having it crafting/RP based.

I for one would like to change my weapons appearance, but RPing I find lame and tedious in the extreme. RP something meaningful. If you are contracting Elminster to make you the Uber Longsword of Triple Happiness then fine, but "does my bog standard dagger look good in blue to you?"..meh

[Blindhamsterman]

ElCad, what Darkmystic was getting at - was making it something based off of the crafting skill (which DOES make some sense i guess) basically allowing folk that invest in the relevant skills - to make use of them to modify the relevant items. Kind of like the idea to be honest, perhaps a system where non craftsman pay the cost of the item again to change appearance? While ones with crafting ranks, make a crafting roll and can do it for free.

[t-ice]

What's so wrong with mundane items actually looking like, I don't know ... mundane?

It's certainly a pet peeve of mine that you can spot a PC from a crowd a mile away. Perhaps this should be so for high levels with all their fancy magixxs (although it does border on ridiculous when supposedly uber stealthy and cunning high level rogue-types can be immediately spotted as such for their "in-your-face uber sleeky hide-y" (black) gear). But if we're really about hardcore rp, as opposed to dressup, lvl1 PCs really shouldn't carry stuffs that make them shine out from a crowd like a xmas tree.

Also It's hardly "discriminating" if people who can't be arsed to learn the toolset can't get custom-looks toolsetted items.

So, for what it's worth, my strong opinion is that things ICly looking special also being special. Think it in terms of the gameworld and how everyone sees it, not just you and your toon.

That said, ordering customized masterwork gear from craftsmen should be ICly possible, and if tech means to make it flow smoothly exists, then certainly. But ICly such custom work should also carry a hefty premium over buying a masterwork item from the market. Oh, and ICly a usual magic item looks just like a masterwork item, so mw should also be enough for "special". And yes, this could certainly tie to craft skills / shop ownership for making it yourself.

Better yet would be (generic) item blueprints that roll for their apperance when spawned (probably from a table of sane models / combinations of parts). And player ability to pick and choose from the table when they shop for such an item (like with an appearance changer).

The general point underlining my view is that while you can get some reasons to RP around by providing "automated candies" like customized gear, to PCs, you're also taking away DMs ability to use those candies for plot goodness. And you are taking away reasons for the players/PCs to initiate something that stems from their need. (The smith will work for your custom stuff if you help him get X. And it's expected to be dangerous, take some help (in terms of other PCs).)

[Darkmystic]

Well, ALFA aims to be as much as Dungeons and Dragons the 3.5 edition as possible. We make plenty of things to fix that, in dnd 3.5 smiths can make a weapon and make it look like they want. Shouldnt we aim for it here then? Or do we only follow 3.5 when we see fit? Thats the feeling I get from you T-ice.

If you need a feat to make magical things, well then I guess you need to at least have the skill to change mundane things. You can go to a npc or you can go to a pc smith. One got automatic answers, the other you can rp fully with without a dm. I know what I would pick any day.

[t-ice]

in dnd 3.5 smiths can make a weapon and make it look like they want.

Yes they can. They also need to be ICly motivated to do your bidding. Fancy items are ICly more time-consuming and probably costly to make, too. Something not touched here at all, since measuring "fancyness" from nwn2 item models is a no-go. The pricing guidelines of base price of items don't, in my interpretation, cover customized smithwork at the behest of every dude that enters through the shop door, PC or not.

DnD, in my interpretation, is generally quite clear in that something having a base price in the books doesn't mean it is at the PCs disposal at that price at any moment. Or that every "longsword" has to be of same price in FR. The one that really looks cool is the one with some gem insets...

[kid]

I say keep mundane stuff mundane.

have an options for some cool modification to MW/simple magic weapons.

And keep the real crazy looking stuff for well... the crazy weapons.

As to crafting skill... Im not sure how you wanna go about it.
But any implimation of any skill in game is fun.
maybe pay full without skill, pay half if you can do it yourself and pass a check.
you still need to pay to use a forge after all.
make it like... DC 15 and a fail would mean you paid in vain.
seems fun and fair. (fairly easy DC, right?)

Question is who is gonna make that system and are there enough
special designs that are not insane looking to make it worth the work?

[I-KP]

Mundane items should look mundane. Making something look fancy, mundane or otherwise, should incur significant cost.