A matter of Faking magical items, ideas within |
A matter of Faking magical items, ideas within |
Mar 16 2013, 02:50 AM
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#1
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
As long as something has been valuable there has been someone willing to pass something lesser off to gain an illicit reward. In the big bucks world of the magical item this is hard but not impossible. Read below the latest scream sheet snagged from the Star DIPS, curtsy of yours truly, for a new trend in this lucrative field. Wizzers beware.
Jin (IMG:style_emoticons/default/vegm.gif) ...(Sotheby's) of London experts have confirmed that there is now a new criminal enterprise we have to prevent in combination with our Fraud division. The evidence piece 55111225 has proven to be a well crafted forgery. Not just a physical replica, or shell load stone for a illusion spell. This is a enchanted item with the express purpose of deception to gain profit and as yet no jurisdiction, outside of mega corp principalities, has a specific legal penalty for the crime. The process, designated as a Dwoemer for this report and technical classification, is a lesser enchantment masquerading as another. This creates a stable aura on the item of a true focus, which may be misinterpreted without practical testing or specific insight as an actual legitimate enchantment per section 16 of the Magical items and Vessels legislation UCAS 2016. All undercover DIPS detectives are to make inquires to determine the nature and specifics of procedure, as long as it does not endanger their undercover status. This is secondary to the MAD primary investigation. Research is to be conducted in .... files deleted. "Contact me if you'd like the rest." Jin Game states The Dweomer fake take third of the time, karma and cost of an actual focus of the correct type. It is half the TN to enchant. But it is not actually, in any way, including dual nature-ed- magical. It has a magical aura and thats it. A magical aura of a force four weapon focus for example that wont be discover until bonding unless...The assessor of the item beats the masking level of the Dweomered focus based on its actual force. Bonding cost are half the force x 1. One final thing, as a enchanted focus- abiet one with no practical power- IMPS can inhabit them. |
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Mar 16 2013, 03:21 AM
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#2
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
Sorry, just a quick spellcheck. The famous London auction house is Sotheby's, not Southerbies, and the word is spelled "dweomer," not "dwomer." Otherwise, neat idea, carry on.
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Mar 16 2013, 03:41 AM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
Ta. Edited as requested.
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Mar 16 2013, 02:02 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
Type A and Type B fakes.
Type A A physical trinket often sold to a mundane collector, as an actual magical focus. Type B An astral illusion spell sustained on a sustaining focus, covering the actual aura of the focus and spell to appear as something different. This is typically used to appear as an anchoring focus with hanging spell to lend to credibility. |
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Mar 16 2013, 07:52 PM
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#5
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,188 Joined: 9-February 08 From: Boiling Springs Member No.: 15,665 |
Type A and Type B fakes. Type A A physical trinket often sold to a mundane collector, as an actual magical focus. Type B An astral illusion spell sustained on a sustaining focus, covering the actual aura of the focus and spell to appear as something different. This is typically used to appear as an anchoring focus with hanging spell to lend to credibility. I hope the poor slot who sold these items has his life insurance paid up. You talking about defrauding someone who can cast a spell remotely using the item you just sold him. |
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Mar 16 2013, 08:22 PM
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#6
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
I hope the poor slot who sold these items has his life insurance paid up. You talking about defrauding someone who can cast a spell remotely using the item you just sold him. Debatable. The item would, at best, be an "Oft-Handled Object" for the purposes of a ritual, imposing a -4 penalty; depending on the amount of work that went into it, it might only be (GM's discretion) a "Recently-Handled Object," imposing a -6 penalty. Then there's the fact that the forger must himself be a magician, probably knows Counterspelling, and has access to at least one warded location (his Lodge). |
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Mar 16 2013, 10:58 PM
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#7
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Shooting Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,973 Joined: 4-June 10 Member No.: 18,659 |
Debatable. The item would, at best, be an "Oft-Handled Object" for the purposes of a ritual, imposing a -4 penalty; depending on the amount of work that went into it, it might only be (GM's discretion) a "Recently-Handled Object," imposing a -6 penalty. Then there's the fact that the forger must himself be a magician, probably knows Counterspelling, and has access to at least one warded location (his Lodge). He'd best be planning to stay in it for the forseeable future. Something high cred enough to go through Sotheby's is going to have serious money on it, not to mention the lengths the House will go to for the sake of their reputation. Shadowrunners work cheap, after all. |
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Mar 16 2013, 11:53 PM
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#8
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
Shadowrunners generally use more expeditious techniques than ritual magic.
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Mar 17 2013, 12:49 AM
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#9
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,389 Joined: 20-August 12 From: Bunbury, western australia Member No.: 53,300 |
They give counterfeit magic items a quick look in vice, if you're interested.
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Mar 17 2013, 06:45 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 221 Joined: 31-December 10 From: Tacoma, Washington Member No.: 19,262 |
Debatable. The item would, at best, be an "Oft-Handled Object" for the purposes of a ritual, imposing a -4 penalty; depending on the amount of work that went into it, it might only be (GM's discretion) a "Recently-Handled Object," imposing a -6 penalty. Then there's the fact that the forger must himself be a magician, probably knows Counterspelling, and has access to at least one warded location (his Lodge). If creation costs Karma wouldn't it act as more of a connection ritualistically speaking? Otherwise, I'd imagine the effect would be less permanent and fall apart shortly after being cast/set-up. |
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Mar 17 2013, 11:19 AM
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#11
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Old Man of the North Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 9,681 Joined: 14-August 03 From: Just north of the Centre of the Universe Member No.: 5,463 |
This sounds like a Quickened use of False Impression/Manascape.
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Mar 17 2013, 05:00 PM
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#12
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Shooting Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 1,973 Joined: 4-June 10 Member No.: 18,659 |
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Mar 17 2013, 05:59 PM
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#13
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,654 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
If creation costs Karma wouldn't it act as more of a connection ritualistically speaking? Otherwise, I'd imagine the effect would be less permanent and fall apart shortly after being cast/set-up. You are, as always, free to houserule that, but it appears nowhere in the RAW. |
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Mar 17 2013, 08:22 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
If creation costs Karma wouldn't it act as more of a connection ritualistically speaking? Otherwise, I'd imagine the effect would be less permanent and fall apart shortly after being cast/set-up. It is a point I considered. Especially as I play SR3 where the creators astral sig is still on the focus but ideally the fraud is not discovered until the focus is bound and so the connection lost. the new owner is then free to target themselves if they wish. In SR4 that is not a consideration I believe. |
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Mar 17 2013, 08:23 PM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 664 Joined: 26-September 11 Member No.: 39,030 |
So as another enchantment it can't be used to make an existing focus appear at a different power level?
Example 1. You couldn't take a force 1 weapon focus and use dweomer to make it appear as a force 4? And then when the person you sold it to tries to complain, claim that they just seriously messed up their assensing test? All merchandise sold as is, no refunds. Example 2. You couldn't use it to make a force 10 focus appear as a force 1 focus to keep away unwanted attention from spirits and other things that might want to steal it. I like the idea, I just want to know how far you're planning on taking it. |
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Mar 17 2013, 08:35 PM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
I personally wouldn't take it any further than outlined as its essentially a unique enchantment item with reductions.
Layering a Dweomer with another focus would be your ref call. In your examples I would see type B fakes with a dual focus sustaining/whatever to achieve your aim. With example 1, good form would be that you return the level of cred between the difference between the two foci or your rep would be hit? Counter productive to making cash long term. |
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Mar 18 2013, 05:11 PM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 18-August 08 From: Dear lord help me, Maryland Member No.: 16,254 |
I imagine that part of Sotheby's verification process includes a Mana-Dead zone test. Drop the item in a Magic-dead area or a high background count area. If the enchantment still exists after that, chances are it's an actual enchanted object, not just something with an illusion stuck on it.
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Mar 18 2013, 07:27 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 5-December 05 From: Crying in the wilderness Member No.: 8,047 |
Perhaps they just pass it through a ward?
Most fakes fail in the face of prolonged expert investigation but tha'ts not how a con goes down is it. Misdirection and speed. Especially on the get away. Its the talismonger mark you have to fool per sa not the customer runner. And by the time it shakes down there's something wrong you have vanished (hopefully) from harms way. |
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