Earthdawn 4E: Rules Variant 15 - Thread Item Guidelines

This is the fifteenth Rules Variant, part of an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

I’ve had a lot more experience with creating thread items over the past seven years since I started working on Earthdawn 4E. Many thread items were carried into 3E with few to no changes from their original incarnation, which is the place I put most of my focus for the thread item revision. Ensuring things were aligned with the guidelines presented in that chapter was the priority.

The implied mistake there wasn’t I put my attention in the wrong place, it’s that I didn’t put enough attention to evaluating the effects lists starting on p. 204 of the Gamemaster’s Guide. They were carried over without enough scrutiny or clarification in some cases. There were some revisions, whether to the table or directly to affected items. However, some classic effects were also carried forward without enough scrutiny to the effects due to both the overall goal of making fewer changes and “it wasn’t a problem for me in the past.” Which isn’t great, but here we are.

Clearly the first isn’t much of an issue for this particular series which is based around trying to find corrections to problems or a new way of doing things. Frequently, both. Based on all that accumulated experience, let’s see about putting together a new set of guidelines that (hopefully) creates fewer problems overall.

To be clear: there are corrections of offenders on this list which I was responsible for bringing into the world. In particular are overly broad bonuses, even if small. It diminishes very similar, but more specific benefits which are also more appropriate.

As a case study: +1 to Attack tests made with this weapon v. +1 to close combat Attack tests. An argument can be made the former also applies to Throwing Weapons tests with the weapon, while the later does not. This is true, but it’s not a good argument since that crossover is significantly less common than having Second Weapon, Shield Bash, Swift Kick, and various flavors of additional tail attacks. The latter is simply too broad in the benefits it applies and clearly outshines a direct bonus to either Melee Weapons or Unarmed Combat.

Unarmed Attack and Damage tests are both more restrictive and get around it a little because they don’t have specific weapons to tie the bonuses to. My suggestion in these instances is to limit the number of items that have this broad (but still less broad) benefit for unarmed combatants. Spellcasters are somewhat similar in this regard, though bonuses to a test when using the spell in the matrix of a specific thread item are fair game, as those are roughly equivalent to tying the bonus to a specific weapon.

Effects including healing should be met with strict scrutiny as access to healing is limited by design. Nearly all previously published thread items with healing effects were removed. Those remaining are few and far between (because who doesn’t love the Butterspider Box?). This is for much the same reasons why creating healing aids through alchemy is significantly more limited than the other functions. Earthdawn is a dangerous place. This ensures there is still some danger to it and there are limits to healing.

When looking at existing thread items, it’s best to not see them as an a la carte buffet of options. Many unique effects are built on previous effects or to compensate for “negative synergy.” For example, a thread item that encourages both close combat and spellcasting strategies (which don’t currently go together well) may have a higher rank effect to offset that negative synergy. There’s a reasonable chance those types of effects aren’t suitable on their own, but are part of a larger whole. Be careful when harvesting effects without taking the entirety of the thread item’s effects into account.

If an effect similar to a spell is being applied to a thread item, care should be taken to ensure it isn’t completely busted. Casting a spell requires quite a bit of investment and infrastructure (multiple talents), while doing the same through a thread item removes much of that and replaces it with a Strain cost. The Strain cost should be commensurate with the spell’s impact on the game and the effect should never be better than what could be achieved through typical thread item effects. For example, providing the benefits of a binding spell or Bedazzling Display of Logical Analysis. This may entail reduced or modified effects and/or increased Strain, even a Strain cost over each round the effect is used. Some spells may not be appropriate at all; though with the number of spells, a comprehensive list is hardly practical and everyone must use their best judgment.

Some effects are best suited for thread items with only one thread allowed. This goes somewhat against convention, but solves a lot of headaches regarding “what if,” that are unlikely to actually arise in game. Anything that increases Attribute Values, Durability, Karma Points, Recovery Tests, etc. These are all prime candidates for this kind of restriction.

With regard to blood magic charms and common magic items: These can be further enchanted into a thread item, but the effects generated by the standard item must be incorporated into the thread item’s effects. Treat the existing effects as required effects when building the thread item effects. There’s no guarantee they’ll show up right away—thread items can be funny and poorly understood. If enchanting an already enchanted item, the previous enchantments probably interfere with the new True pattern being created.

Disposable items, or items that require reattaching aren’t good choices for thread items. Not in the sense it isn’t possible, but in the sense the headache isn’t worth it and this is probably an attempt to generate some perceived huge benefit for minimal cost. Not every fancy and fantasy should be entertained just to get bigger numbers.

Special thanks to Brett Bowen for helping with this.

Effects Available for All Thread Ranks:

• Add +1 to a weapon’s Damage Step.
• Add +1 to Physical or Mystic Armor Rating.
• Reduce Initiative Penalty by 1. This cannot reduce the Initiative Penalty of armor or a shield below half, rounded down.
• Add +1 to Physical, Mystic, or Social Defense.
• Add a +1 rank to a talent. This can never give ranks to a Thread Weaving talent. File this under, “wishing for more wishes.”
• Add a +1 bonus to a test type (e.g., unarmed Damage tests, Climbing tests, Initiative tests, Thread Weaving tests, etc.). These should not be overly broad, such as “close combat Attack tests.”
• Increase short range and long range by 25% each.
• A Standard Matrix of rank equal to the thread rank (only one spell matrix per item and not recommended for Novice tier items). This is required for an Enhanced Matrix to be included at a higher rank.
• A special effect affecting the item’s usability, visual appearance, or other properties not directly related to another effect option (a magically collapsible quarterstaff, an anvil weighing only 3 pounds, a piece of clothing perfectly fitting any wearer). Inconsequential abilities may be part of another effect.
• A special ability similar to a spell up to Second Circle that costs at least 1 Strain to use as Standard action. This is not actually a spell. If this replicates an ability associated with a higher rank effect or is strictly better than a presented effect (e.g., Air Armor), adjust it to the appropriate rank and bonuses. "Similar" is the keyword here and this is a catchall, rather than a strict requirement.

Effects Available from Rank Five Upwards:

• Add +1 Recovery test per day. Only once per item.
• Add +1 Circle to a Discipline of their choice for the purpose of determining Durability.
• Add +1 Circle for the purpose of determining maximum Karma.
• Add a +3 bonus to a test type (unarmed damage, Climbing tests, Initiative tests, etc.) for 1 Strain per use. This can be used once per round.
• Store Karma Points up to the thread item’s rank. These Karma Points can only be transferred into the thread item during the owner’s Karma Ritual, and they cannot be transferred out of the thread item. They can also only be spent for specific purposes, rather than being an extension of the character’s Karma Pool.
• Add a +2 bonus to a characteristic (Defense, Wound Threshold) until the end of the round or end of the next round—depending on the benefit—as a Simple action. I’ve been experimenting with these effects a great deal lately and placed numerous at Rank Three for testing. How these play out in terms of effectiveness is still being evaluated and some examples I’ve written are likely too powerful.
• Add a +2 bonus to a test type against a very specific type of target or for a very specific type of action.
• An Enhanced Matrix with significant limitations (only one spell matrix per item). A Standard Matrix is required (and replaced) before this can be added. For example, the spell matrix can only hold spells with a particular elemental keyword. This means spells with any other elemental keyword cannot be held in the spell matrix. Limiting to only one Discipline is not a significant limitation.
• A special ability similar to a spell of up to Fourth Circle that costs at least 2 Strain to use as a Standard action. This is not actually a spell. If this replicates an ability associated with a higher rank effect or is strictly better than a presented effect, adjust it to the appropriate rank and bonuses. "Similar: is the keyword here and this is a catchall, rather than a strict requirement.

Effects Available from Rank Seven Upwards:

• Two effects available at all ranks, or one effect available at all ranks with double the bonus.
• Add +1 to an Attribute Value. Only once per item.
• A special ability similar to a spell of up to Sixth Circle that costs at least 3 Strain to use as a Standard action. This is not actually a spell. If this replicates an ability associated with a higher rank effect or is strictly better than a presented effect, adjust it to the appropriate rank and bonuses. "Similar" is the keyword here and this is a catchall, rather than a strict requirement.
• An Enhanced Matrix with no restrictions (only one spell matrix per item). A Standard Matrix is required (and replaced) before this can be added.