Monday, October 28, 2013

Everyday Items Part 1: Antiques (Part B)




Last time I covered the who and where of antiques. This time I'll cover the what, when, why, and how of antiques.

What is this supposed to be? Is it a weapon from before the cataclysm? Is it a piece of technology from a long forgotten era? Is it a ceramic bowl for summoning water elementals, so dust covered with grime that the PCs ignore it?

When is it supposed to have been made? Was it before the age of Dragons? Was it after the age of Elves? When it was made can help determine several things including:
  • What technology/ magic/ divine spells should have been available then (unless it was innovative for its time) to make the item. How the use of said technology or magic allowed the item to be made. If they didn't have the technology, or the spell had not been formulated, the dating is wrong.
  • What materials it should be made of. If an element had not been discovered yet, it shouldn't be available unless it was discovered before it was previously thought
How was it created? Was it a ring forged in Mount Doom? Was it water from the elemental plane of water permanently frozen into a bowl shape? Is the generations-old bondfire at the Mage's guild a permanent gate to the plane of fire? Is the painting an illusion or something else? Is the ceramic bowl double fired with a sturdy glaze and that's why it's nigh impossible to break

How much did it cost to make- both in terms of time and in terms of money and experience (for systems that use experience to create items). How much did the owner sell it for? How much is it actually worth?

Pulling all these pieces together next time.

 

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