Blood Magic

NOTE: This system is a work in progress. Play testing and a great deal of thought are still needed prior to it being in a final version. As I do not allow evil pc's in my game, playtesting opportunities are limited for the system in my campaign. Any other players and DM's who want to use this and give me feedback would be greatly appreciated. Email me at Bloodmagic@stormkeep.net

It is a given that making magic items within 3E requires the creator to spend some of his hard-won experience points to do so. Many people seem to find this idea confusing or even down-right illogical. The main reason people feel this way, I believe, is because in prior editions of D&D one EARNED xp just by creating magic items, and now it actually COSTs xp instead.

The other element contributing to the confusion is the fact that the core books totally fail to explain any reasoning behind WHY it costs experience points to create magic items. Obviously, there is the balance reasons. In prior AD&D, the spell required to make items permanent was a darn costly one to cast; this was removed in D&D 3E, so obviously there needs to to a balancing factor other than just gold cost.

But game balance justification just isn't enough, for some people. I tend to think as much myself. But how about if we justify why it costs xp to create magic items. Ready? Here goes.

Premises behind the creation of these feats:
Creating magic items requires the material to be of very fine quality and workmanship. Then all of the necessary rites and/or rituals must be performed to the object. Lastly, the creator must perform the ritual which siphons off a part of his life-force into the item, in order to seal the magic as well as allow it to be activated later. Magic is a force of nature, which emanates from and surrounds all life. It is not, however, very strong in inanimate or dead objects, thus it is necessary to place a certain amount of life force within an object in order for it to properly hold and utilize magical enchantments.

The greater and more powerful the enchantment, the more life force needed in order to hold the enchantment within and trigger it when needed.

As character levels are a measure of 'life force' (after all, what is a level drain other than a life-force drain?), we can extrapolate that xp is a good measure of life force. Thus, creating magic items costs xp.

Blood Magic, the basic concept

After their most recent defeat by the forces of good, some evil and nefarious spellcasters in the service of Iuz have researched and discovered the secrets to creating magic items, not by using their own life force to bind the magic within, but by forcing the life force of others into the creation process. In order to accomplish this, however, it is necessary to kill the being from whom one is 'stealing' the life force.

The rites and rituals to properly bind the life force of the sacrifices to the item requires the sacrificial victims to be near at hand (within several hundred feet) of the objects being enchanted during the entire creation process. It also requires that personal effects of the victims be forged or crafted directly into the item (i.e. hair, nail clippings, etc.). Obviously then, the crafter has to have access to the intended sacrificial victims, and keep them alive, during the entire creation process.

Lastly, when all is said and done, the crafter must spend one extra day than what it would normally take to craft and make the item, to stage the final "Blood rituals." After the ritual is complete, the victims are sacrificed and their blood is spilled upon the item while the crafter performs the final "Binding Ritual" which steals some of the sacrifices' fleeing life force and siphons it into the object to finalize the creation.

This is an incredibly inefficient process, and most of the victims' life force escapes, and his soul ascends to whatever plane of existence it would go to had he suffered a normal death....in most cases.

Beyond the obvious risks (holding onto the captives long enough to complete the entire process, not getting vanquished by heroes not happy with your methods, etc.), there is one additional risk to this process. In some rare cases, the will of the victims is stronger than expected, and the soul(s) of the victim(s) follow the channel made for their stolen life force and possess the created item. This, obviously, is not likely to be a good thing for the creator of the item...as the soul is not likely to think too kindly of him.

Metagame Details of Blood Magic

Creating an item using Blood magic requires the appropriate Blood Magic feat (described below).

Additionally, the cost in gp to create the item is increased by 10% to reflect the additional cost of caring for the sacrificial victims held prisoner. This is in addition to any costs which the creator must spend to properly secure these prisoners (hiring of guards, paying for cell-construction etc.), it is only taking into consideration the cost of food and the like.

Creating an item this way takes one day longer than normal, due to the last day being used for the necessary blood and binding rituals.

The process is incredibly inefficient, taking only a small percentage of the life force from each victim to bind and quicken the item. The amount of xp towards creation cost that each creature provides is determined using the table below, and is based on the CR of the sacrifice.

CR 1	CR 2	CR 3	CR 4	CR 5	CR 6	CR 7	CR 8	CR 9	CR 10
100	300	600	1000	1500	2100	2800	3600	4500	5500
CR 11	CR 12	CR 13	CR 14	CR 15	CR 16	CR 17	CR 18	CR 19	CR 20
6600	7800	9100	10500	12000	13600	15300	17100	19000	21000

The risk of an angry soul possessing an item is minor, but always something that a caster using this method of creation must be wary of. Each sacrifice gets a Willpower save vs. DC 15 + the casters prerequisite ability modifier (i.e. Int for wizards, wis for clerics, etc.) + [1/2 minimum required creator level for item].

Obviously, for this reason, the risk is greater when sacrificing more powerful victims. Yet, on the other hand, the number of lesser sacrifices needed is much greater for item completion. The shear number of sacrificial victims needed can be a logistical nightmare when crafting more powerful items. Combined with the fact that a natural 20 is always a successful saving throw, practitioners of this horrible atrocity must always be balancing the risks between using many weaker sacrifices or a handful of more powerful ones.

For any sacrifice which succeeds on their save, they have the option of forcing their spirit into the item rather than going on to their after-life. It is always the choice of the victim, and only particularly vengeful, evil or misled victims are likely to take this option without good reason. (obviously, a heroic victim may also chose this option in order to thwart the vile practitioner of blood magic)

The exact effects of an item being so possessed are left up to the DM. Possible effects are that the item will behave as if cursed, will possess intelligence (as detailed in the DM) with the personality and stats of the one possessing it, or have some other bad side-effect that the DM desires.

The possibility of two or more victims succeeding in a save and BOTH choosing to possess the item also exists. In this case, over time, the item is very likely to go insane, as the many minds and personalities merged within it combine and overwhelm one another. Again, the exact effects are left up to the DM; the idea of insane magic items aught to give most DM's many gleeful giggles of ideas. muhahahaha

Blood Magic Feats

Blood Magic Arms and Armor [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of any magic weapon, armor, or shield whose prerequisites the character meets. Enhancing a weapon, suit of armor, or shield takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in the price of its magical features, plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. To enhance a weapon, suit of armor, or shield, the character must sacrifice 1/25 of its features’ total price in XP (see Blood magic table) and use up raw materials costing half of this total price.

The character can also mend a broken magic weapon, suit of armor, or shield if it is one that the character could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to enchant that item in the first place.

The weapon, armor, or shield to be enhanced must be a masterwork item that the character must provide. (Its cost is not included in the above cost.)

Blood Magic Ring [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of any ring whose prerequisites the character meets. Crafting a ring takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. To craft a ring, the character must spend 1/25 of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of its base price.

The character can also mend a broken ring if it is a ring that the character could make. Doing so requires a sacrifice of half the XP (see Blood magic table), half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to craft that ring in the first place.

Some magic rings incur extra costs in material components or XP as noted in their descriptions.

Blood Magic Rod [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of any rod whose prerequisites the character meets. Crafting a rod takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. To craft a rod, the character must sacrifice 1/25 of its base price in XP (see Blood magic table) and use up raw materials costing half of its base price.

Some rods incur extra costs in material components or XP as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the rod’s base price.

Blood Magic Staff [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of any staff whose prerequisites the character meets. Crafting a staff takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. To craft a staff, the character must sacrifice 1/25 (see Blood magic table) of its base price in XP and use up raw materials costing half of its base price.

Some staffs incur extra costs in material components or XP as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the staff’s base price.

Blood Magic Wand [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of a wand of any spell of 4th level or lower that the character knows. Crafting a wand takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its base price plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. The base price of a wand is its caster level multiplied by the spell level multiplied by 750 gp. To craft a wand, the character must sacrifice 1/25 of this base price in XP (see Blood magic table) and use up raw materials costing half of this base price.

Any wand that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the cost derived from the base cost, the character must expend fifty copies of the material component or pay fifty times the XP cost.

Blood Magic Wondrous Item [Item Creation]

Benefit: The character can use Blood Magic to aid in the creation of any miscellaneous magic item whose prerequisites the character meet. Enchanting a miscellaneous magic item takes 1 day for each 1,000 gp in its price plus 1 day for the blood and binding rituals. To enchant a miscellaneous magic item, the spellcaster must sacrifice 1/25 of the item’s price in XP (see Blood magic table) and use up raw materials costing half of this price.

The character can also mend a broken miscellaneous magic item if it is one that the character could make. Doing so costs half the XP, half the raw materials, and half the time it would take to enchant that item in the first place.

Some wondrous items incur extra costs in material components or XP as noted in their descriptions. These costs are in addition to those derived from the item’s base price. The character must pay such a cost to create an item or to mend a broken one.