System Mechanics: Items Revisited

With the overhaul of the ability creation system, one of the two largest hurdles of mechanics seems to have been nicely handled.  Now we look on to the other, items.  As with the abilities, we want to have a narrative focus, so we're going to start with that as the core, and simplify the old mechanics while dealing with updating them a bit.

Item Name Proficiency:
    *(Base Value, Quality, Rarity, Perceived Value)
    *(Up to 4 Item Flavor Domains)
    *(Weight, Complexity, Source)
    *(Base Stability, Current Stability)
    *(Archetype/Reloaded/Refueled)
          Description text.
               *Up to 3 Ability Slots.
                     Prerequisites.

First and foremost, the item name may be either the type of item that it is if it has not yet been named, or it may be a more personal name given to it by its creator or owner.  The proficiency specifically deals with how adept the user is with that particular item, and as with leveling abilities, proficiency may be leveled through experience only on items used within a particular session.  If the item remains in the group's domicile storage, in a backpack, or otherwise not used, they may not increase their proficiency with it.  At a base of I proficiency, any failure associated with an attempt to use it will result in a negative consequence tied to the statistics used during the attempt.  For example, using strength and failing when using an axe could have the potential to have it merely miss the mark, to drop it or have it fly out of the character's grip, or even to have the handle or blade break if its stability has been reduced to 20% or less before a failure.  More on that further below.

The base value remains much as it was, with the quality and rarity multiplying with it to give the perceived value.  At bare minimum, a player should expect that an item with 20% stability or more will fetch its base value when sold.  To some individuals who recognize its quality, rarity or both, it may reach upwards of its perceived value, or even higher if the individual has a personal reason for wanting it badly enough to pay more, such as it being necessary to their studies, being a lost family heirloom, being charmed by the seller, and so forth.  Market value will also cause adjustments to what people are willing to pay for items, but the perceived value will stay the same.  Only those who are skilled in appraising would be able to quickly judge how the market value of the item has changed, and only in areas where they have frequent interaction or have done a fair bit of investigation, eavesdropping and research.

The flavor domains in this particular case with items do not necessarily go into what abilities it may have slotted, but rather how others or the user may be able to manipulate the item as needed for narrative.  A steel sword, for example, would have the Metal flavor domain, and those who can bend metal could choose to alter its structure either to weaken it if facing someone using one, or to constantly hone its edge and aid in repairing cracks.

The weight and complexity remain the same, with weight affecting how many items a character may carry, and complexity affecting how easily another individual may utilize the item from their pre-existing knowledge prior to adding it to their increasing proficiency.  The source affects how it may be wielded effectively, for example, a bow with a sporestone infused grip would not only make it have a chaotic effect applied to the arrows fired from it, but also make it usable as a held sporestone medium to utilize additional abilities with it.

The stability is somewhat different from the stability of an ability, but similar in function.  When an item is created, the total EP and toughness of the materials are multiplied together and averaged by the amount of material types utilized.  This number is divided by the number of abilities it has slotted to it, and finally averaged with the base stability of those abilities.  Each failure with an item decreases its current stability by 5%.  Different repair attempts and failures may net an increase in current stability, up to its base stability amount.  Attempts to craft with other materials and items to try increasing its stability further results in prerequisite knowledge to maintain any abilities it may have, as well as to decrease the chances of failure and damaging the item even further.

The archetype, reloaded and refueled remain mostly as they were, with a colon being used with reloaded and refueled to indicate what material or item is used to reload or refuel it.  Archetypes should also have a colon simply to designate the type of item it is, such as 'longsword' or 'shield'.

The description text details what is known about the item itself, with the abilities it has listed beneath that, and finally, the prerequisites needed in order to utilize the item.