III. Essence Values – The Approximate Value of Essences of Varying Potencies, by approximate Wholesale and Market Price.
Whole Sale Price – What one can get if selling an single essence directly to an established merchant or trading coaster in Sigil. When two prices are listed, one is the traditional maximum that any trader will pay for it, the second price is literally what the skilled alchemist/enchanter can get out of that essence by splitting it and selling the lesser potency essences for numerous less potent essences that are valued at close to 200. Hence, to an enchanter, they could either sell the essence to make this jink or must charge the second value to a customer, otherwise they are losing value and money when they give such an essence away for only 200 when much more can be made from proper sale . This also should be considered when selling to merchants and individuals willing to pay more than 200 gold for an individual item.
Market Price – What one can expect to pay to buy a single essence directly from an established merchant or trading coaster in Sigil.
@=Approximate value
Potency....Wholesale Price......Market Price
Faint...........@80-100.................@180
Weak.........@180-200................@420
Glowing.......200 or @400..........@1100
Radiant........200 or @800..........@2400
A Guide to Enchanting for Laymen and Cagers
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
IV.Essence Conversion – On the loss of value and increase in cost, when creating Elemental Essence from Power Essence.
The use of a ShaperÂ’s Decensor to create an elemental essence from a power essence is not something I advise.
When it must be done always start with the the most potent power essence you can spare, this is the most efficient approach, causing the least lost of value. Ideally this will be a Radiant Power Essence, though a Glowing one can suffice.
The valuation of a Radiant Power Essence is around 2300-2400 gold. It will split into four Glowing elemental essences, one each of Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Each of these will be valued at around 1100 a piece. On the surface this appears to be a net gain in value, from perhaps 2400 to 4400 gold. In truth, it is not a net gain at all. This is due to the cost of charges expended from the ShaperÂ’s Decensor to create those four weaker essences from the one more potent power essence.
When this same process is used on a Glowing Power Essence, valued at around 1100 gold on the Sigilian Market, four Weak elemental essences are created, valued at around 420 gold apiece. Again a seeming net gain in value, from 1100 to 1680 gold. Again, it is not, because the value in magical charges expended for this conversion process from the Shaper's Decensor erases any profit involved and increases the resource final cost to the client.
This loss of value is most clear when the Shaper's Decensor is used to create power essence from elemental essences - taking two elemental essences of the same potency, for example, two Glowing Fire Essences and converting them into one Glowing Power Essence. Two essences valued at 1100 gold apiece become a single essence also valued on the market at 1100 gold. That loss, fortunately is one that Sigilian Enchanters do not have to bear, given the availability of blood off the battle fields of the Abyss.
The use of a ShaperÂ’s Decensor to create an elemental essence from a power essence is not something I advise.
When it must be done always start with the the most potent power essence you can spare, this is the most efficient approach, causing the least lost of value. Ideally this will be a Radiant Power Essence, though a Glowing one can suffice.
The valuation of a Radiant Power Essence is around 2300-2400 gold. It will split into four Glowing elemental essences, one each of Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Each of these will be valued at around 1100 a piece. On the surface this appears to be a net gain in value, from perhaps 2400 to 4400 gold. In truth, it is not a net gain at all. This is due to the cost of charges expended from the ShaperÂ’s Decensor to create those four weaker essences from the one more potent power essence.
When this same process is used on a Glowing Power Essence, valued at around 1100 gold on the Sigilian Market, four Weak elemental essences are created, valued at around 420 gold apiece. Again a seeming net gain in value, from 1100 to 1680 gold. Again, it is not, because the value in magical charges expended for this conversion process from the Shaper's Decensor erases any profit involved and increases the resource final cost to the client.
This loss of value is most clear when the Shaper's Decensor is used to create power essence from elemental essences - taking two elemental essences of the same potency, for example, two Glowing Fire Essences and converting them into one Glowing Power Essence. Two essences valued at 1100 gold apiece become a single essence also valued on the market at 1100 gold. That loss, fortunately is one that Sigilian Enchanters do not have to bear, given the availability of blood off the battle fields of the Abyss.
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*MadPorthos
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- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
V. Electrifier Charging - Further economic impact on crafting from specialized tools necessary for Essence Conversion.
Because the convenience of having the correct essences created on the spot is greatly desired, enchanters often fall into a trap of relying on such devices as the ShaperÂ’s Decensor, but overall, they serve to make enchanting far more expensive than need be, even if the Enchanters themselves do not realize it.
When clients can actually provide disposable magic items for recharging, the Enchanter does not have to add the recharge cost to what they charge for essences, but regardless, the client tends to think of disposable magic items as part of the payment, valuing them far more than the enchanter. When the Enchanter then charges the appropriate prices for the base resources used, it can appear extortionate due to the value clients have attached to the items being handed over as 'Decensor fuel'.
A wise enchanter will make it very clear that such items are being destroyed to pay for the convenience of having the correct essences for the client and that the client is still responsible for the costs of the original essences being converted. Further, it may help to be transparent about the destruction process, taking the opportunity immediately after the conversion process to recharge the ShaperÂ’s Decensor, using an Electrifier. That way it is evident the amount of value that is needed to replace the magical charges used. This often encourages clients to obtain the correct essences for themselves in the future.
To methodically analyze what it costs to recharge a Shaper's Decensor is difficult, but it can be done in a rough sense by anyone who owns an Electrifier. I personally have not yet finished such an experiment to my satisfaction, but I can set down the methodology so that my fellow enchanters can experiment for themselves.
What should be done is that a magic item of a specific reasonably powerful magic item should be valued by checking itÂ’s price in the inventories of the Sigilian Merchants. This should give an approximate market value, which seems to be somewhat linked to the amount of magical energy one can expect to harvest from it.
That item, once valued, should be destroyed with the Electrifier and the number of charges created should be noted. The number of charges gained becomes your divisor, you can then determine, by dividing the market value of the item by the charges gained, a rough estimate of how much a single charge costs to replace.
Since a Decensor uses five charges per use, that shows you what the cost of creating an essence is. If value seems to be gained in the essences themselves, such as the creation of four glowing essences from a single radiant, the added value is subtracted from the charge cost, but I believe youÂ’ll find it is still prohibitively expensive when it comes to charging jink for essence conversion.
This also gives you a sense of what to charge for recharging services on wands, staves and other items when the client expects you to provide the consumed magical items and charges. Again, quite expensive when one considers that the creation of wands can be cheaper overall than the cost of refilling them. It is easier to create the magical deviceÂ’s magical reservoir than it is to refill it when it has nearly been expended.
Ideally, recharging services should be presented as exactly that, a service provided, for profit, allowing a client to dispose of unwanted magical items and recharge those they desire to keep.
Because the convenience of having the correct essences created on the spot is greatly desired, enchanters often fall into a trap of relying on such devices as the ShaperÂ’s Decensor, but overall, they serve to make enchanting far more expensive than need be, even if the Enchanters themselves do not realize it.
When clients can actually provide disposable magic items for recharging, the Enchanter does not have to add the recharge cost to what they charge for essences, but regardless, the client tends to think of disposable magic items as part of the payment, valuing them far more than the enchanter. When the Enchanter then charges the appropriate prices for the base resources used, it can appear extortionate due to the value clients have attached to the items being handed over as 'Decensor fuel'.
A wise enchanter will make it very clear that such items are being destroyed to pay for the convenience of having the correct essences for the client and that the client is still responsible for the costs of the original essences being converted. Further, it may help to be transparent about the destruction process, taking the opportunity immediately after the conversion process to recharge the ShaperÂ’s Decensor, using an Electrifier. That way it is evident the amount of value that is needed to replace the magical charges used. This often encourages clients to obtain the correct essences for themselves in the future.
To methodically analyze what it costs to recharge a Shaper's Decensor is difficult, but it can be done in a rough sense by anyone who owns an Electrifier. I personally have not yet finished such an experiment to my satisfaction, but I can set down the methodology so that my fellow enchanters can experiment for themselves.
What should be done is that a magic item of a specific reasonably powerful magic item should be valued by checking itÂ’s price in the inventories of the Sigilian Merchants. This should give an approximate market value, which seems to be somewhat linked to the amount of magical energy one can expect to harvest from it.
That item, once valued, should be destroyed with the Electrifier and the number of charges created should be noted. The number of charges gained becomes your divisor, you can then determine, by dividing the market value of the item by the charges gained, a rough estimate of how much a single charge costs to replace.
Since a Decensor uses five charges per use, that shows you what the cost of creating an essence is. If value seems to be gained in the essences themselves, such as the creation of four glowing essences from a single radiant, the added value is subtracted from the charge cost, but I believe youÂ’ll find it is still prohibitively expensive when it comes to charging jink for essence conversion.
This also gives you a sense of what to charge for recharging services on wands, staves and other items when the client expects you to provide the consumed magical items and charges. Again, quite expensive when one considers that the creation of wands can be cheaper overall than the cost of refilling them. It is easier to create the magical deviceÂ’s magical reservoir than it is to refill it when it has nearly been expended.
Ideally, recharging services should be presented as exactly that, a service provided, for profit, allowing a client to dispose of unwanted magical items and recharge those they desire to keep.
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*MadPorthos
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A Guide to Enchanting for Laymen and Cagers, Vol. I
By Samarra Moonshorn
The services of a good Enchanter can be the difference between a rich old retired planar traveler and a dead petitioner, mourning his life choices and hoping when he meets his god or maker that the power is in an agreeable mood.
When you find someone able to create permanent magical items, wands, weapons and armor, one would think you would want them on your side, lending you the benefit of their experience and knowledge in the making of the tools that will save your skin and give you the means to defeat your foes. Yet far too few laymen and cagers understand why enchanting is so expensive, instead continually insisting that they heard someone else made an item cheaper, or created a masterwork for a pittance. That is called low-balling. Save it for haggling over carpets and cattle.
When you negotiate for the services of the Enchanter, you may experience shock at the sums requested, quickly forgetting what most magical items of middling power and workmanship fetch when sold by established merchants, or trading coasters coming to Sigil from the Gate Towns and Primes. The fact that most any magical or rare item that is not unique or custom made is much less rare at the crossroads of the multiverse, Sigil – means that the most that any established merchant will pay to buy what they have already been able cheaply obtain elsewhere… will be about two hundred gold.
Yet because they have obtained such items where it is more common and cheap, then transported them to the bazaar, these merchants intend to sell it for much more, since that markup is their profit and reward for providing what is sought, without the client having to go out into the planes and locate it. In some instances they truly did have to pay a high price near the market value, in some Prime as well. The rationale is that they have done the work for you and that service is worth the jink they charge. For Primers that are capable of reaching Sigil at will, these prices are often not too outrageous, considering the convenience of all those rare items being located in one easy to find Baazar. Meanwhile, even to life-long Cagers and some adventurers, these costs are too extraordinary to bear.
In this environment, Enchanters do their work and must attempt to make a profit.
By Samarra Moonshorn
The services of a good Enchanter can be the difference between a rich old retired planar traveler and a dead petitioner, mourning his life choices and hoping when he meets his god or maker that the power is in an agreeable mood.
When you find someone able to create permanent magical items, wands, weapons and armor, one would think you would want them on your side, lending you the benefit of their experience and knowledge in the making of the tools that will save your skin and give you the means to defeat your foes. Yet far too few laymen and cagers understand why enchanting is so expensive, instead continually insisting that they heard someone else made an item cheaper, or created a masterwork for a pittance. That is called low-balling. Save it for haggling over carpets and cattle.
When you negotiate for the services of the Enchanter, you may experience shock at the sums requested, quickly forgetting what most magical items of middling power and workmanship fetch when sold by established merchants, or trading coasters coming to Sigil from the Gate Towns and Primes. The fact that most any magical or rare item that is not unique or custom made is much less rare at the crossroads of the multiverse, Sigil – means that the most that any established merchant will pay to buy what they have already been able cheaply obtain elsewhere… will be about two hundred gold.
Yet because they have obtained such items where it is more common and cheap, then transported them to the bazaar, these merchants intend to sell it for much more, since that markup is their profit and reward for providing what is sought, without the client having to go out into the planes and locate it. In some instances they truly did have to pay a high price near the market value, in some Prime as well. The rationale is that they have done the work for you and that service is worth the jink they charge. For Primers that are capable of reaching Sigil at will, these prices are often not too outrageous, considering the convenience of all those rare items being located in one easy to find Baazar. Meanwhile, even to life-long Cagers and some adventurers, these costs are too extraordinary to bear.
In this environment, Enchanters do their work and must attempt to make a profit.
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*MadPorthos
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- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Creation, not Acquisition
Unlike merchants, Enchanters create, rather than acquire. Their magical creations, even if worked into items that others already provide, take resources and riches that as a business person, the enchanter cannot afford to let go without charging appropriately to replace.
The argument that some uneducated attempt to make is that in a place where any item can only be sold for a maximum of two hundred gold to a merchant, the price of the work that an enchanter can do should be commensurately cheaper. This argument fails to take into account that if each item that an Enchanter expends in making an enchantment, whether it be an ultra-rare Roguestone, or middling glowing power essence, is not charged for according to itÂ’s rarity and value the enchanter would soon be unable to enchant, as they would have no gold and no enchanting resources left, cleared out by their overwhelming generosity.
There are no price savings for an Enchanter in such an environment where sales are limited to 200 gold. In fact, it becomes more important than ever that they conserve their rare resources and charge appropriately according to true value and rarity, otherwise they will not have the rarer resources needed when people approach them for the most difficult of enchantments, as they will have given them away far too cheaply to earlier customers who wanted these resources for a fraction of the price, or nothing at all.
Enchanters must often buy resources at the full prices of SigilÂ’s merchants, or purchase them from adventurers who wish to receive close to the full market sale price for their goods, or obtain them by means of adventure on the planes risking life and limb directly. Most Enchanters must do all three of these things and as such, should be charging for the costs of all the resources used, plus additional to make a profit. Naturally, the EnchanterÂ’s personal ability to deal and negotiate aids them a great deal in obtaining some of these resources for less than market value, but there come times when one must buy at market price, or when auction bidding drives prices up to well over market value.
Even when enchanters set up means of less expensive supply for these resources through hiring gatherers, or paying adventurers more than the 200 gold merchants will offer - but less than market value, they must defray these costs of gathering by charging appropriately for these resources and materials when using them up in a clientÂ’s enchantments.
Yet often, Enchanters take on reduced cost or even pro-bono work for their friends and allies. In these cases, their work is a gift, as are the materials and essences that are being expended, when their friends and allies do not have the correct ingredients on hand. The Enchanter loses profit and takes losses on these sort of favors regularly. This also unfortunately drives down the perceived market value and cost of Enchanting, when these fortunate few later claim, that so-and-so made them a high tier weapon for only a fraction of what the Enchanter over there is asking. Ignorance leads to it being near impossible to run a business due to the rise of low-balling. This needs to stop, otherwise Sigil will find itself in need of upper tier Enchanters, as the business becomes impossible to maintain.
Unlike merchants, Enchanters create, rather than acquire. Their magical creations, even if worked into items that others already provide, take resources and riches that as a business person, the enchanter cannot afford to let go without charging appropriately to replace.
The argument that some uneducated attempt to make is that in a place where any item can only be sold for a maximum of two hundred gold to a merchant, the price of the work that an enchanter can do should be commensurately cheaper. This argument fails to take into account that if each item that an Enchanter expends in making an enchantment, whether it be an ultra-rare Roguestone, or middling glowing power essence, is not charged for according to itÂ’s rarity and value the enchanter would soon be unable to enchant, as they would have no gold and no enchanting resources left, cleared out by their overwhelming generosity.
There are no price savings for an Enchanter in such an environment where sales are limited to 200 gold. In fact, it becomes more important than ever that they conserve their rare resources and charge appropriately according to true value and rarity, otherwise they will not have the rarer resources needed when people approach them for the most difficult of enchantments, as they will have given them away far too cheaply to earlier customers who wanted these resources for a fraction of the price, or nothing at all.
Enchanters must often buy resources at the full prices of SigilÂ’s merchants, or purchase them from adventurers who wish to receive close to the full market sale price for their goods, or obtain them by means of adventure on the planes risking life and limb directly. Most Enchanters must do all three of these things and as such, should be charging for the costs of all the resources used, plus additional to make a profit. Naturally, the EnchanterÂ’s personal ability to deal and negotiate aids them a great deal in obtaining some of these resources for less than market value, but there come times when one must buy at market price, or when auction bidding drives prices up to well over market value.
Even when enchanters set up means of less expensive supply for these resources through hiring gatherers, or paying adventurers more than the 200 gold merchants will offer - but less than market value, they must defray these costs of gathering by charging appropriately for these resources and materials when using them up in a clientÂ’s enchantments.
Yet often, Enchanters take on reduced cost or even pro-bono work for their friends and allies. In these cases, their work is a gift, as are the materials and essences that are being expended, when their friends and allies do not have the correct ingredients on hand. The Enchanter loses profit and takes losses on these sort of favors regularly. This also unfortunately drives down the perceived market value and cost of Enchanting, when these fortunate few later claim, that so-and-so made them a high tier weapon for only a fraction of what the Enchanter over there is asking. Ignorance leads to it being near impossible to run a business due to the rise of low-balling. This needs to stop, otherwise Sigil will find itself in need of upper tier Enchanters, as the business becomes impossible to maintain.
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
The Rule of Threes and Recipies
The number three comes up a lot in enchanting, perhaps because itÂ’s one of the mystical underpinnings of some existences. It happens to be the maximum number of individual enchantments that can be woven on most physical items, particularly in Sigil. For the purposes of this work, itÂ’s useful to keep in mind as well. When it comes to Enchanting, there are three pillars upon which the business of enchanting stands. Not mystical incantations, but three separate concerns in terms of resources and logistics. They are gems, essences and the gold cost.
In the business of Enchanting, Recipies are an essential guide and assistance in creating the reliable magical effects and properties imbued into enchanted objects. They serve as a guide to even the most experienced enchanter, helping them avoid bizarre errors, magical mishaps and unintended cursed items.
Most recipies in circulation around Sigil are formalized instructions which are written with a section for the Layman as well as extensive notes and magical formulae that are unintelligible to the average cutter. The LaymanÂ’s section basically states descriptively what the enchantment formulae will do, what resources it takes and a rough estimate of how powerful a caster is required to actually perform the work.
The three pillars are basically laid bare to the Layman in such an enchanting document because it states the particular gem required, which will be destroyed or made part of the enchanted item in the enchanting. The document also describes what types and potency of essences will be required in creating the enchantment, essences that likewise are lost in the process. Finally, the document declares what the gold cost in materials used up to create the enchantment will be. All three will be explained here after.
The number three comes up a lot in enchanting, perhaps because itÂ’s one of the mystical underpinnings of some existences. It happens to be the maximum number of individual enchantments that can be woven on most physical items, particularly in Sigil. For the purposes of this work, itÂ’s useful to keep in mind as well. When it comes to Enchanting, there are three pillars upon which the business of enchanting stands. Not mystical incantations, but three separate concerns in terms of resources and logistics. They are gems, essences and the gold cost.
In the business of Enchanting, Recipies are an essential guide and assistance in creating the reliable magical effects and properties imbued into enchanted objects. They serve as a guide to even the most experienced enchanter, helping them avoid bizarre errors, magical mishaps and unintended cursed items.
Most recipies in circulation around Sigil are formalized instructions which are written with a section for the Layman as well as extensive notes and magical formulae that are unintelligible to the average cutter. The LaymanÂ’s section basically states descriptively what the enchantment formulae will do, what resources it takes and a rough estimate of how powerful a caster is required to actually perform the work.
The three pillars are basically laid bare to the Layman in such an enchanting document because it states the particular gem required, which will be destroyed or made part of the enchanted item in the enchanting. The document also describes what types and potency of essences will be required in creating the enchantment, essences that likewise are lost in the process. Finally, the document declares what the gold cost in materials used up to create the enchantment will be. All three will be explained here after.
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Gems and Jewels
For gems, providing the most common ones are little bother for an enchanter, they can be bought for a few dozen jink. The problem comes from the fact that when people go to an enchanter, they don ‘t tend to go to them for low tier enchantments that use these common gems. Instead, they want fourth and fifth tier custom items requiring the likes of emeralds, sapphires, blue diamonds, kings’ tears and rogue stones. That is where rarity comes into play in this business.
Even the most rapacious, well travelled adventurer turned Bloodcrow could make dozens of sorties to scavenge abyss battlefields, skulk through corridors defiling Celestial Monasteries and battle fiends in the deepest swamps of Minauros – without running across a Blue Diamond, Roguestone or Kings’ Tear. While luck may favor another at a later time with the finding of one or two of these gems in short succession, their supply can seemingly dry up for long periods and they are always in demand for the highest tier enchantments.
Given this rarity, when an Enchanter is going to do an enchantment consuming one of these gems, they will want their full moneyÂ’s worth, whether they bought it from aforementioned Bloodcrow, or found it themselves in scavenging. Asking an Enchanter to provide such a gem, then quibbling over other prices and components of the enchantmentÂ’s resources is just plain rude, for this Enchanter is being asked to do you a favor by parting with the gem rather than using it on their own personal projects or selling it in auction to another for itÂ’s fair price.
On the other hand, if you provide such a required resource as the rare gem, you will save quite a bit and most likely be seen as a wise customer. But be aware, this is no reason to then expect you will be cut a break on the other components of the enchantment, they still have their own associated costs to the Enchanter which must be paid.
For gems, providing the most common ones are little bother for an enchanter, they can be bought for a few dozen jink. The problem comes from the fact that when people go to an enchanter, they don ‘t tend to go to them for low tier enchantments that use these common gems. Instead, they want fourth and fifth tier custom items requiring the likes of emeralds, sapphires, blue diamonds, kings’ tears and rogue stones. That is where rarity comes into play in this business.
Even the most rapacious, well travelled adventurer turned Bloodcrow could make dozens of sorties to scavenge abyss battlefields, skulk through corridors defiling Celestial Monasteries and battle fiends in the deepest swamps of Minauros – without running across a Blue Diamond, Roguestone or Kings’ Tear. While luck may favor another at a later time with the finding of one or two of these gems in short succession, their supply can seemingly dry up for long periods and they are always in demand for the highest tier enchantments.
Given this rarity, when an Enchanter is going to do an enchantment consuming one of these gems, they will want their full moneyÂ’s worth, whether they bought it from aforementioned Bloodcrow, or found it themselves in scavenging. Asking an Enchanter to provide such a gem, then quibbling over other prices and components of the enchantmentÂ’s resources is just plain rude, for this Enchanter is being asked to do you a favor by parting with the gem rather than using it on their own personal projects or selling it in auction to another for itÂ’s fair price.
On the other hand, if you provide such a required resource as the rare gem, you will save quite a bit and most likely be seen as a wise customer. But be aware, this is no reason to then expect you will be cut a break on the other components of the enchantment, they still have their own associated costs to the Enchanter which must be paid.
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Essences
When it comes to essences, the values that are assigned to a given extract, essence or essence bearing component can be hard to understand for the Layman or even to the average non-enchanting spell caster. Like gems, essences vary by rarity, but they also vary by potency and their method of acquisition.
In simplest terms, essences are the magic that fuels the powers of enchanted items, like wood to a fire. While a spell caster can harness and direct magic with their mind, will or faith, patterning it into spells – to make magical devices that can do so for potentially unlimited number of uses takes sources of concentrated magic that have become embodied in certain rare magical creatures, beasts and materials. These sources of concentrated magic require Alchemy to unlock and make usable to the Enchanter, hence many enchanters are by default, also Alchemists, using their skill to free the concentrated magic from the material remains and distill it into a substance that behaves with the properties of both a liquid and as magical spell energy. Essence.
Once refined into an essence, this energy is used in the creation of magical items, saving the Enchanter the trouble involved in the older, but still venerated tradition of incorporating the magical component holding the magic into the construction of the magic item itself. No more need for “Eye of Bat” and “Tongue of Fire Salamander” having to somehow be made part of your latest suit of armor, when one can simply use their refined essences.
The types of essences known to most enchanters are the four elemental essences and power essence. The elemental essences – Earth, Air, Fire and Water are well known to most Arcanists and even to divine casters and bardic loremasters, being found in sources running the gamut from the innocuous such as planar bats, the sinister such as undead, to the powerful and remote such as Frost Giants, even from artificial constructs such as Iron Golems, other planar such as Phase Spiders and Displacer Beasts. It is said that Power Essence is an admixture of all four elemental essences, in equal proportion that results in something greater than the whole. Some know Power Essence instead as Spirit Essence. The main sources of Sigilian Power essence tends to be devil and demon blood, from the raging conflict in the Abyss.
Essences do not tend to vary in value by type, but they do vary by rarity, potency and method of acquisition as mentioned before. Generally all essences are ranked by their level of potency per measurable unit or quantity. The levels of potency are referred to as Faint, Weak, Glowing and Radiant, in ascending power, value and rarity. The costs to buy a single essence from merchants in Sigil ranges from approximately 200 gold, on up to over 2500 gold.
These rates do not vary by type, but not all essences are available from the merchants of Sigil at any given time, so this fluctuating rarity may result in the Enchanter having to use Alchemical means to create badly needed elemental essences from power essences, which are an mixture of the four elemental essences. Such a splitting of Power Essence is very costly though, creating four weaker essences from the original single power essence. At times this must be done multiple times to create a single more powerful Elemental Essence, combining multiple weaker elemental essences of the right type that have been created.
This process of essence conversion takes charges out of a very valuable and costly piece of magical Alchemy equipment. This makes these “created” essences much more costly than they seem at face value, because their creation took valuable uses out of a magical device, which later must be recharged at a very costly rate, a cost that must be added to the value of the created essence.
Often, not knowing better, Bloodcrows and adventurers alike attempt to offer the commonly found power essence source of DevilÂ’s blood to enchanters, hoping to use it as a sort of essence currency to make their enchanting cheaper. This is far from ideal because what they donÂ’t realize is that it is far more expensive to create essences from these sources, because conversion techniques must be used, incurring prohibitive costs.
Hence, if you can provide the exact essences required in the enchantment of your own magical item, or even multiple lesser essences of the right type for your enchantment, you can save quite a bit of jink, as well as prove to the Enchanter that you are a serious client who values the services being offered.
When it comes to essences, the values that are assigned to a given extract, essence or essence bearing component can be hard to understand for the Layman or even to the average non-enchanting spell caster. Like gems, essences vary by rarity, but they also vary by potency and their method of acquisition.
In simplest terms, essences are the magic that fuels the powers of enchanted items, like wood to a fire. While a spell caster can harness and direct magic with their mind, will or faith, patterning it into spells – to make magical devices that can do so for potentially unlimited number of uses takes sources of concentrated magic that have become embodied in certain rare magical creatures, beasts and materials. These sources of concentrated magic require Alchemy to unlock and make usable to the Enchanter, hence many enchanters are by default, also Alchemists, using their skill to free the concentrated magic from the material remains and distill it into a substance that behaves with the properties of both a liquid and as magical spell energy. Essence.
Once refined into an essence, this energy is used in the creation of magical items, saving the Enchanter the trouble involved in the older, but still venerated tradition of incorporating the magical component holding the magic into the construction of the magic item itself. No more need for “Eye of Bat” and “Tongue of Fire Salamander” having to somehow be made part of your latest suit of armor, when one can simply use their refined essences.
The types of essences known to most enchanters are the four elemental essences and power essence. The elemental essences – Earth, Air, Fire and Water are well known to most Arcanists and even to divine casters and bardic loremasters, being found in sources running the gamut from the innocuous such as planar bats, the sinister such as undead, to the powerful and remote such as Frost Giants, even from artificial constructs such as Iron Golems, other planar such as Phase Spiders and Displacer Beasts. It is said that Power Essence is an admixture of all four elemental essences, in equal proportion that results in something greater than the whole. Some know Power Essence instead as Spirit Essence. The main sources of Sigilian Power essence tends to be devil and demon blood, from the raging conflict in the Abyss.
Essences do not tend to vary in value by type, but they do vary by rarity, potency and method of acquisition as mentioned before. Generally all essences are ranked by their level of potency per measurable unit or quantity. The levels of potency are referred to as Faint, Weak, Glowing and Radiant, in ascending power, value and rarity. The costs to buy a single essence from merchants in Sigil ranges from approximately 200 gold, on up to over 2500 gold.
These rates do not vary by type, but not all essences are available from the merchants of Sigil at any given time, so this fluctuating rarity may result in the Enchanter having to use Alchemical means to create badly needed elemental essences from power essences, which are an mixture of the four elemental essences. Such a splitting of Power Essence is very costly though, creating four weaker essences from the original single power essence. At times this must be done multiple times to create a single more powerful Elemental Essence, combining multiple weaker elemental essences of the right type that have been created.
This process of essence conversion takes charges out of a very valuable and costly piece of magical Alchemy equipment. This makes these “created” essences much more costly than they seem at face value, because their creation took valuable uses out of a magical device, which later must be recharged at a very costly rate, a cost that must be added to the value of the created essence.
Often, not knowing better, Bloodcrows and adventurers alike attempt to offer the commonly found power essence source of DevilÂ’s blood to enchanters, hoping to use it as a sort of essence currency to make their enchanting cheaper. This is far from ideal because what they donÂ’t realize is that it is far more expensive to create essences from these sources, because conversion techniques must be used, incurring prohibitive costs.
Hence, if you can provide the exact essences required in the enchantment of your own magical item, or even multiple lesser essences of the right type for your enchantment, you can save quite a bit of jink, as well as prove to the Enchanter that you are a serious client who values the services being offered.
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
The Gold Cost
Oddly, the cost in gold resources is one of the few stable constants in Sigilian enchanting. In any reasonably well supplied gate town, or Sigil proper, an Enchanter can buy the remaining supplies in terms of ritual components, herbs, powders, components, inks, scribes and related necessaries to prepare an item for enchantment, then work and seal the enchantment. The cost of these supplies that are expended in the enchantment remains the same for any given enchantment, no matter where you are, because while one individual minor component might run ten times the normal price in stingers, others will be dirt cheap or at least relatively cheaper. Hence this pillar of enchanting is so stable that enchanters commonly refer to it as the gold price, because they must ask at a minimum, that much gold to pay for the other consumed materials used in the enchanting.
This amount of gold may as well vaporize when the Enchanter performs the enchantment because each and every minor component paid for with that gold is either incorporated into the newly enchanted item, consumed or spoiled, offering no value to the caster.
Ignorant cutters who have picked up EnchanterÂ’s Recipes and only been able to read the LaymanÂ’s sections often believe the gold cost listed is the cost they should pay in gold to the Enchanter for the work being done, a 'fair price'. This is definitely NOT the case. The gold cost can however become a useful guide to an Enchanter doing business. This gold cost tends to scale approximately to the value of the gems and sometimes the essences needed to create the enchantment in the first place. If the enchanter is charging appropriately for the value of any provided gems and essences, using this cost as rough guide for fair cost of the enchanting labor can be helpful. If one follows this practice, they have a helpful formula to give the Layman a sense of what their enchantment may cost before the transaction.
For example, if a Layman wants to receive a fourth tier weapon enchantment, he can look up that enchantment at one of the archival sources of Enchanting Recipes, paying a scribe to read for him if he is not able to read. Learning that the enchantment will require a sapphire, a glowing air essence, a weak power essence and eight hundred gold, he can then go out and try to price what it costs to buy a sapphire (around 1100), possibly buying his own. He can also price the needed essences (Glowing air essence 1050, weak power essence 400) also buying his own if available. Finally, knowing the gold cost for the remaining enchanting materials that will be expended, he can realize that he will need to provide that gold cost (800), plus roughly the same amount (again another 800), to cover the cost of the enchanterÂ’s labor. Assuming he didnÂ’t get any bargains from fellow adventurers or independent merchants looking to move their merchandise quickly at less than market value, this client would know that it could run him 4150 in jink to have this particular enchantment put on his iron sword. At this point, we are talking a bargain, as not all enchanters are satisfied with such a slim profit margin.
Oddly, the cost in gold resources is one of the few stable constants in Sigilian enchanting. In any reasonably well supplied gate town, or Sigil proper, an Enchanter can buy the remaining supplies in terms of ritual components, herbs, powders, components, inks, scribes and related necessaries to prepare an item for enchantment, then work and seal the enchantment. The cost of these supplies that are expended in the enchantment remains the same for any given enchantment, no matter where you are, because while one individual minor component might run ten times the normal price in stingers, others will be dirt cheap or at least relatively cheaper. Hence this pillar of enchanting is so stable that enchanters commonly refer to it as the gold price, because they must ask at a minimum, that much gold to pay for the other consumed materials used in the enchanting.
This amount of gold may as well vaporize when the Enchanter performs the enchantment because each and every minor component paid for with that gold is either incorporated into the newly enchanted item, consumed or spoiled, offering no value to the caster.
Ignorant cutters who have picked up EnchanterÂ’s Recipes and only been able to read the LaymanÂ’s sections often believe the gold cost listed is the cost they should pay in gold to the Enchanter for the work being done, a 'fair price'. This is definitely NOT the case. The gold cost can however become a useful guide to an Enchanter doing business. This gold cost tends to scale approximately to the value of the gems and sometimes the essences needed to create the enchantment in the first place. If the enchanter is charging appropriately for the value of any provided gems and essences, using this cost as rough guide for fair cost of the enchanting labor can be helpful. If one follows this practice, they have a helpful formula to give the Layman a sense of what their enchantment may cost before the transaction.
For example, if a Layman wants to receive a fourth tier weapon enchantment, he can look up that enchantment at one of the archival sources of Enchanting Recipes, paying a scribe to read for him if he is not able to read. Learning that the enchantment will require a sapphire, a glowing air essence, a weak power essence and eight hundred gold, he can then go out and try to price what it costs to buy a sapphire (around 1100), possibly buying his own. He can also price the needed essences (Glowing air essence 1050, weak power essence 400) also buying his own if available. Finally, knowing the gold cost for the remaining enchanting materials that will be expended, he can realize that he will need to provide that gold cost (800), plus roughly the same amount (again another 800), to cover the cost of the enchanterÂ’s labor. Assuming he didnÂ’t get any bargains from fellow adventurers or independent merchants looking to move their merchandise quickly at less than market value, this client would know that it could run him 4150 in jink to have this particular enchantment put on his iron sword. At this point, we are talking a bargain, as not all enchanters are satisfied with such a slim profit margin.
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*MadPorthos
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
In Conclusion
Enchanting is expected to be cheaper in Sigil than it is any place else, making it a difficult place to run a business as an enchanter. However, the advantages of access to materials, commerce and clientele still make it an alluring place to try. In order to realistically get the best deal possible from an enchanter, do some leg work and find the exact components necessary for your desired magical effect. It wonÂ’t make your equipment free, but it will considerably reduce the costs necessary, because jink only goes so far in covering the true cost of resources you are asking be put into your new equipment or tool. Knowing the market will save you jink, even if it takes you time and effort.
(This section concludes the book but the Appendix are said to be written with a view more towards Enchanters and those involved in the Essence business.)
Enchanting is expected to be cheaper in Sigil than it is any place else, making it a difficult place to run a business as an enchanter. However, the advantages of access to materials, commerce and clientele still make it an alluring place to try. In order to realistically get the best deal possible from an enchanter, do some leg work and find the exact components necessary for your desired magical effect. It wonÂ’t make your equipment free, but it will considerably reduce the costs necessary, because jink only goes so far in covering the true cost of resources you are asking be put into your new equipment or tool. Knowing the market will save you jink, even if it takes you time and effort.
(This section concludes the book but the Appendix are said to be written with a view more towards Enchanters and those involved in the Essence business.)