Crafting Research

Researching proprietary magic or construction techniques is a delicate and time consuming but often rewarding venture. Some goals are easier to achieve than others so the time and component requirements for them may be more affordable. More difficult tasks may take an individual a year or more of study and calculation and recalculation but with patience, persistence and the ability to adapt from mistakes, individuals have made great contributions to the magical and crafting world. Some proprietary magics such as the Silver Circle Tubes and Brothers by Trade bags have even impacted communication and business across the entire verse.

What Can Be Attempted
Different crafts may attempt different kinds of research. A smith may find a new type of ore he/she wishes to try and find a use for or he/she may want to try and design a special type of weapon that most smiths cannot create. An enchanter may try and replicate the magic of other crafts and turn them into enchantment rituals or he/she may try to expand the power of a current enchantment.

The common components used in one type of craft may be able to be used in another or they may not. Some rare components may be able to be discovered through research or roleplay that can help craft new and unique rituals, schematics, and recipes. However, not every magical effect in the world may be duplicated through crafting and not every effect produced by crafting is something that can typically be produced without time, components and concentration. Characters should be creative, inventive and willing to explore new facets of their craft if they wish to discover new and wonderful expansions of their knowledge and power.

How It Works
A character must first define a goal. If he/she wishes to generate a tattoo that can heal the bearer when activated or if he/she wishes to craft a trap that uses adamite spikes instead of iron, the details of the desired goal must be listed in the first journal entry. The process then starts with investigation and study so an individual can familiarize him/herself with the basic magic necessary to perform an effect, what work has been done with that magic in the past and what components may be useful when generating, distilling, or channeling magic of that type. Details about where the individual is performing his/her research, who may be guiding him/her and what resources he/she may be using will effect the outcome of the investigation. All investigation methods should be noted in the character's Research Journal. This step in the research project usually takes at least a month but could be longer if the individual does not locate the information he/she is looking for in the initial locations he/she searches. The staff will note the results in the character's research journal. Research and experimentation results offer guidance and assistance. They may help a character determine the difficulty level of the task he/she is attempting and decide whether it is a task worth undertaking or if the time and effort may not be enough to extend the common boundaries of magical law and produce the desired effect.

The second stage of research is designing and conducting experiments with the materials an individual believes could be used to generate the desired effect. The details of the experiment must be noted in the character's Research Journal. After each month of experimentation, a staff member will note the results of the experiment in the character's research journal. If the character has not reached the desired solution, he/she can make adjustments to the experimentation process based on what was learned and continue with the research. It is also entirely possible to stumble upon some unexpected results that may redirect an experiment entirely.

This process is so labor and time intensive that a character may only research one new recipe, schematic or ritual per month regardless of how many skills he/she has the Grand Master level for. A character may choose to suspend his/her work on one research project to begin a new one or to finish an old one however, research can only ever be done with a player's active character.

The cost of the research is rolled into the "downtime" economy and works on a similar system to the Monetary Milestones. If you are a Grand Master level craftsman, the expectation is that you are making and selling goods/services to other individuals fairly consistently. These proceeds in turn pay for research. What you sell during events is pure profit. The only exception is that if you are working with Rare materials, you must show that you have a supply or a method of attaining those resources, like a gathering skill or connections with your local merchant or mine/woodsman. Once the supply method is established, only the resources used for final products must be expended directly.

Examples
There are two examples of individuals using Crafting Research to create new recipes and schematics, the examples follow the monthly entries and progress for the following Research Projects:

Example 1
Project Name: Healing Cocktails

Project Goals: Afermae is working to combine the Heal 10 recipe and Cure All recipe into one solution that will provide both results when applied or poured.

Example 2
Project Name: Enhanced Weapon Bonus

Project Goal: Khazad will be working to combine the natural honing of Mithril weapons with the weapon bonus ritual so it increases the base effects of the weapon.

Through previous projects, Khazad has established connections in Symprath and has gained access to the library of one of the higher Dwarven families. So he begins his investigations.