Original Link - http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=510:a-guide-to-gearcrafting&catid=39:articles&Itemid=53


A Guide to Gearcrafting


There are many changes and additions coming to Asheron's Call for our 10th Anniversary. One of these additions is Gearcrafting. In order to give everyone a heads up on how this new skill works, we are giving everyone a sneak peek at the in-game guide. This is a comprehensive rundown of everything you will need to know about this new skill. Enjoy!

A Comprehensive Guide to Gearcrafting:
In the wake of the Gearknight's appearance in Dereth comes an opportunity for great advancement. The balance of magical means with that of technology can only increase our understanding of the world and offer new solutions we can use to cope with our challenges. This guide intends to describe the practice of Gearcrafting in its state of inception.

The Trinket:
Trinkets are a classification of item that can possess magic but requires no specific form the only common thread is they all possess some level of technology. We Derethians are familiar with a large variety of magical items but none before this technical. A trinket can be worn in a great variety of ways, as a simple broach clipped to your amuli coat, a small gadget stored in the pocket or any other number of possible placements. What we do know that is, to date, you can only activate the magic of a single trinket at a time.

(These items occupy a trinket slot on your character; this slot is displayed below the necklace slot)

Gearcrafting and Trinkets:
The most advanced form of Gearcrafting includes the way it interacts with trinkets. All trinkets possessing magic seem to have further innate magics that can be tapped into. The closest analog to the process of activating these magics is that of Tinkering and Imbuing items as has long been the practice of a variety of crafters around Dereth. However Gearcrafting trinkets have a set of differences and some very specific rules.

Gearcrafting Committee

  1. Rule 1 - There are only three possible upgrades to any Trinket
  2. Rule 2 - Each upgrade has a specific power rating
    • Sub 1 - Minor
    • Sub 2 - Moderate
    • Sub 3 - Major
  3. Rule 3 - Every spell is available at every power rating
  4. Rule 4 - A higher power spell will always override a lower power spell of the same type
    • Sub 1 - We urge caution in tinkering. Using the same upgrade in more than one slot will offer absolutely no bonus outside of that of the highest tier spell.
  5. Rule 5 - The Minor and Moderate upgrades can be completed with no chance of failure by a Gearcrafter of the appropriate skill level.
    • Sub 1 - Minor and Moderate application difficulty is based on Material Type, Material Quality and Trinket Quality in the same way it is in normal tinkering.
  6. Rule 6 - Major upgrades have a significant chance of failure. This failure rate is the same as that of Imbues.
  7. Rule 7 - Gearcrafting Materials must always be prepared for use with a special armature before any of the before mentioned upgrades may be made.
    • Sub 1 - Minor Spells are activated with a Minor Armature
    • Sub 2 - Moderate Spells are activated with a Moderate Armature
    • Sub 3 - Majors Spells are activated with a Major Armature As it is with normal tinkering you will need vast quantities (a bag containing 100 units of a specific material) of salvage. The types of salvage you will be using are very specific to Gearcrafting.

Salvage Types:

  • Amber
  • Diamond
  • Gromnie Hide
  • Pyreal
  • Ruby
  • Sapphire

Each of these salvages on its own is completely inert. Only when applied to the correct armature is your salvage ready for use on a trinket. This armature facilitates the application of the material to the trinket as well as activating the magical reagents available in the material itself.

Armatures:

  • Minor Gearcrafting Armature - Available with any Shopkeeper
  • Moderate Gearcrafting Armature - Available with any Shopkeeper
  • Major Gearcrafting Armature - Available at only the most prestigious of shops

Once activated each salvaged material will trigger a specific type of magic in the trinket.

Salvage Type and Magic Activated:

  • Ruby - Additional Health
  • Amber - Additional Stamina
  • Sapphire - Additional Mana
  • Diamond - Damage Boost
  • Gromnie Hide - Damage Reduction Boost
  • Pyreal - Understanding (increase earned experience)

Each of these salvage types will have a different level of effect based on the type of armature it is applied to.

Salvage Type and Power Level:

  • Ruby - Minor 5 Health, Moderate 10 Health, Major 15 Health
  • Amber - Minor 10 Stamina, Moderate 20 Stamina, Major 30 Stamina
  • Sapphire - Minor 10 Mana, Moderate 20 Mana, Major 30 Mana
  • Diamond - Minor 1 Damage Rating, Moderate 2 Damage Rating, Major 3 Damage Rating
  • Gromnie Hide - Minor 1 Damage Reduction Rating, Moderate 2 Damage Reduction Rating, Major 3 Damage Reduction Rating
  • Pyreal - Minor 2% Experience Gain, Moderate 4% Experience Gain, Major 6% Experience Gain

The process of preparing an armature is simple and has no risk of failure.

  1. Step 1 - Purchase the armature that corresponds to the tier of spell you wish to apply.
  2. Step 2 - Gather a complete bag of salvage that activates the spell you desire.
  3. Step 3 - Apply the complete bag of salvage to the armature.
    • Sub 1 - This will result in the production of a material prepared armature matching the type of material and the level of armature.
    • Sub 2 - The material will not be expended, this process only uses trace amounts of the material and there is no effect on the bag of salvage itself.
  4. Step 4 - Apply a bag of the same type of salvage, or the same bag of salvage to the prepared armature.
    • Sub 1 - This will expend the bag of salvage and you will be left with an armature that can now be used on a trinket.
  5. Step 5 - Apply the armature to a magical trinket of your choice (this will only work on loot generated trinkets).
    • Sub 1 - This will expend the armature and all of the material applied to it.
    • Sub 2 - Remember the difficulty of success depends on a number of variables. Minor and Moderate tinkers may be applied with certainty by skilled Gearcrafters but Major imbues will always have a significant chance to destroy both the armature and the trinket.

Activating the innate abilities of trinkets is not the only use of Gearcrafting. We have managed to refine our understanding of Gearcrafting to the extent that it allows us to make devices of great power from a variety of base components. This process has been used in the invention of a variety of devices that can be used to amplify the power of a variety of skills.

To date the devices we have invented are:

  • Horns of Leadership
  • Medals of Loyalty
  • Examination Lenses
  • Tapped Virindi Essences

Each of these devices contains its own unique ability to tap into specific magics on a variety of levels. We have conceived 5-9 tiers of each of these items. The tier of the device is completely dependant on the materials it is made from and in some cases the craftsmanship of the components.

Effect of Devices:

  • Horn of Leadership - Allows those with sufficient abilities as a leader to enhance the health of their party.
  • Medals of Loyalty - Allows those with sufficient loyalty to enhance the stamina and/or mana of their party.
  • Examination Lenses - Allows those with sufficient Creature Assessment skill to make creatures more vulnerable to physical attacks.
  • Trapped Virindi Essences - Allows those with sufficient Deception to trick the Virindi essence into amplifying their knowledge of Arcane Lore.

Level of Effect of Devices:

Horns of Leadership:

  • Copper – Adds 2 to Health of Fellowship
  • Silver – Adds 4 to Health of Fellowship
  • Gold – Adds 6 to Health of Fellowship
  • Pyreal – Adds 8 to Health of Fellowship
  • Platinum – Adds 10 to Health of Fellowship

Medals of Loyalty:

  • Copper (Stamina) – Adds 2 to Stamina of Fellowship
  • Copper (Mana) – Adds 2 to Mana of Fellowship
  • Silver (Stamina) – Adds 4 to Stamina of Fellowship
  • Silver (Mana) – Adds 4 to Mana of Fellowship
  • Gold (Stamina) – Adds 6 to Stamina of Fellowship
  • Gold (Mana) – Adds 6 to Mana of Fellowship
  • Pyreal (Stamina) – Adds 8 to Stamina of Fellowship
  • Pyreal (Mana) – Adds 8 to Mana of Fellowship
  • Platinum (Stamina) – Adds 10 to Stamina of Fellowship
  • Platinum (Mana) – Adds 10 to Mana of Fellowship


Examination Lenses:

  • Poor Lense – Lead – Similar to Imperil Other I
  • Well Crafted Lense – Iron – Similar to Imperil Other II
  • Finely Crafted Lense – Copper – Similar to Imperil Other III
  • Exquisite Lense – Silver – Similar to Imperil Other IV
  • Magnificent Lense – Gold – Similar to Imperil Other V
  • Nearly Flawless Lense – Pyreal – Similar to Imperil Other VI
  • Flawless Lense – Carved Pyreal – Similar to Imperil Other VI
  • Utterly Flawless Lense – Ornate Pyreal – Similar to Imperil Other VI
  • Incomparable Lense – Flawless Pyreal – Similar to Imperil Other VII


Trapped Virindi Essences:

  • Yellow Gem and Copper – Adds 8 to Arcane Lore
  • White Gem and Silver – Adds 16 to Arcane Lore
  • Blue Gem and Gold – Adds 24 to Arcane Lore
  • Red Gem and Pyreal – Adds 32 to Arcane Lore
  • Purple Gem and Platinum – Adds 40 to Arcane Lore


These devices are crafted into their complete forms using Gearcrafting and a variety of base components. The most basic of components are already familiar to Derethians but the specific nature of Gearcrafting has lead to the creation of a variety of highly specialized tools. These tools can be found at Jewelers, Shopkeepers and Archmages around Dereth depending on the nature of the tool.

Prev - Next >>