HEROFEST LARP Crafting
Note: Potions and Scrolls are now no longer available for purchase from the Azad-An.
About Crafting
Crafting at Herofest is valuable as both a primary profession and a side skill to give you the edge elsewhere. But it’s not just about that. By exploring the details of Alchemy, Enchanting and Scribing, you can unlock a world of in-game benefits. To realise the full potential that crafting has to offer, consider ranking up your skill to harness more incredible energy into your items.
Crafting is not just about puzzle solving, roleplay and economy. It’s a versatile activity that can be enjoyed by players of all physical and social abilities. Its diverse aspects make it a fascinating part of the game, waiting to be explored.
LARP Crafting Skills
Each skill has three ranks. Each successive rank in these skills allows for greater energies to be harnessed while being moderately certain of sucess
| Alchemist | Alchemists reconstitute the energies of the world into potions, salves, poisons, magical powders or imbued inks. |
| Scribe | Scribes capture the energies present in the world onto spell scrolls, attunement sigils and spell seals. |
| Enchanter | Enchanters use their skills to impress symbols into items so that the item can then manipulate the energies around itself. |
General Crafting Details
Find Out In Play (FOIP)
For crafting, much of the information is “Find Out In Play,” both during and between events, by sending in-character messages.
It can be used for many different things, and there is a lot of potential for new and exciting things, only limited by the player’s imagination.
Most successful crafters are proactive communicators and listeners.
Where you can craft
At each gathering of nations, the crafter’s guild should have a presence alongside the conclave or at the tavern. The guild will have a supervised station where you can work on your crafting most of the time.
A crafting session is deemed valid only when it is witnessed by a crafting guild representative, or a game referee. Their presence ensures the integrity of the game’s rules.
How to craft
The crafting process takes 30 (thirty) minutes of consistent, focused time. During this time, the player must roleplay the process of making the product using suitable props to represent the tasks the player is undertaking.
In the event of an interruption, regardless of the reason, the crafting process is considered a failure, and the commodities are lost. This underscores the need for the crafter or players to ensure the crafter’s safety during their session.
If the crafter can roleplay disengaging from the process (shutting down burners, capping inkwells or similar), then the process can be picked back up, but the 30 minutes will begin again; packing up will save you resources but not time.
N.B. Squires can also craft; however, the focus mechanic is different. For details, speak to a squire referee.
Out of Character requirements of crafting
As a minimum:
- A Scribe requires paper and writing implement.
- An Alchemist requires equipment to roleplay their known preparation techniques.
- An Enchanter requires a chisel/sculpting tool and a writing implement.
Also, physical representations of the finished products, such as potion bottles and scroll paper, will not be supplied.
The produced items
All items created by scribing or alchemy will expire at the end of the next event one year from their creation, e.g. an item crafted during the May event will expire at the end of the following May event. The date of creation should be marked on the item or it’s a label.
They should be banked along with the other faction resources.
Spell-sealed magical items can have this expiration date renewed/extended with additional work.
Recipes
All recipes used in all three crafting branches are global and persistent between events.
In any session where the player intends to use a new (to the character) recipe, a representative of the crafting guild must witness to record the produced item. (OOC: Only the game team can approve the output of a recipe)
Components
Commodities are the lifeblood of all crafting components, each one holding a significant role in the process. While gest is rarely used as a component itself, the other commodities are invaluable, underscoring their importance in the world of crafting.
The eight common commodities serve as the foundation for most standard effects, but it’s the uncommon and rare ones that truly ignite the thrill of advanced crafting. These components may be more challenging to acquire, adding to their value, but the journey to obtain them is filled with excitement and intrigue.
Aside from commodities, components can be items made by crafting. There is no requirement for you to have crafted the item yourself
Downtime
Players can learn new recipes or craft a number of items between events by submitting their chosen research to the game team at least 2 (two) weeks before the next event.
GAME MECHANICS
Common Alchemy / Scribe Mechanics
At the start of a crafting session, the crafter must declare the purpose of the session. A session can produce:
- A prepared or blank item.
This item is suitable for imbuing with other energies at a later time. To imbue a prepared item, the magic, power, or ritual is cast (cost as normal), but the energy is directed into the item.
N.B. If successfully contained, the item is then used as usual and, on activation, will instantly cast the effect imbued into it. However, if the magic, power, or ritual is too powerful for the scroll, the scroll will be lost and other unforeseen effects may occur. It’s crucial to seek the guidance of the game team when imbuing prepared items. - A random item. (Note: only possible at the crafting guild)
At the end of the session, the crafting guild rep will inform the crafter of the exciting effect of the item. - Combine components.
The crafter sets out with a specific set of components in mind. These components may be a known recipe or experimentation.
N.B. The session may result in an unsuccessful combination of components.
Alchemy Specific
With each skill rank, the alchemist gains a preparation technique. These techniques are the alchemist’s secret to creating a treasure trove of unique items. By combining the same components in different ways, you can craft a myriad of decoctions, tinctures, and infusions, each with its own special properties.
Scibe Specific
With each skill rank, the scribe gains knowledge of a construct. These constructs are not just frameworks for effects, but also the building blocks of your creativity. By combining them with the properties of different components, you can unleash a vast range of unique scrolls, limited only by your imagination and skill. The potential is limitless, and the only boundaries are the ones you set for yourself.
Enchanter Specific
As the enchanter gains skill ranks, they acquire knowledge of individual symbols. Additional symbols can be sought and found through research, trade, and exploration. While the standard language for enchanting is runes, many others are on this plane. Enchanters must understand the weight of their decisions as they carefully choose the right symbols of power and intricately weave them into an item’s pathways. Making a mistake in the symbol choice or integration can significantly reduce the impact of the enchantment, underscoring the importance of their choices and the depth of the game’s mechanics.
Magic Items
All magic items should be registered by the player that currently owns the item by informing the Artisan’s Guild administration of its location. If ownership changes then please ensure that you update the details with the Artisan’s Guild. Failure to do this could cause the item to fade out of existence.
Note: Most magic items will cease to function after 12 months unless ritually recharged.