Uses for Orichalcum aside from expediting Enchanting? Options

[zeborazor]

From what I've read orichalcum is basically only used to hurry a long the creation of a foci. Is there any other added benefit? Anything to make that 50k more reasonable, or, let's say, a reason for my Enchanting chummer to KEEP the orichalcum he finds, instead of just selling it for a fortune?

[Mantis]

Not really. It used to help lower the karma cost in 3rd edition but they did away with that in 4th ed. Maybe it will make a comeback in 5th ed. For the most part I find just buying or taking the foci off defeated magicians is more economical that making them myself.
Unless you have a stupidly high enchanting skill though, if you have a bunch of orichalcum just sitting around you are better off using it to enchant than selling it. This is assuming of course you need the thing you are enchanting rather just making stuff to sell.
If you have the PDF parageology, there are metal alloys you can make with orichalcum that can be useful. The tricky bit is getting the other materials that need to be mixed into the alloy.

[Umidori]

A +2 DP modifier per unit on an enchantment test can make or break a high power enchantment. This is especially true if you enforce the limits on how many times you can roll for an extended test, as should indeed be done.

~Umi

[zeborazor]

"High power enchantment" implies the test it adds dice on is effected by the force of the enchantment, but to my knowledge the test it adds dice on is 16+object resistance, making the power of my enchantment irrelevant.

And, as you brought up, we normally don't have time restrictions on extended tests for things like this. With that being the case I really don't see the point of me actually using any orichalcum we find, as opposed to just selling it, and my magician is primarily an enchanter. Just seemed like orichalcum was a bit tacked on, and serves little purpose outside of fluff.

[Umidori]

So you choose to houserule in such a way that you ignore a core rule whose presence makes Orichalcum valuable, then complain that Orichalcum has no value?

Do you also ignore Availability, and then feel that guns are equipment are too easy to acquire?

~Umi

Addendum: Orichalcum is also used as a rare reagent, being a required component of certain enchantments.

[CanRay]

You can keep chunks of it in your sock drawer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Aaron]

Makes a very effective paper weight. Good conversation piece.

Oh, and wait until you see the wireless bonus for orichalcum. You'll love it!

[Umidori]

You can keep chunks of it in your sock drawer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Yet another entry for the "Time To Retire Your Character" thread...

X. - It becomes increasingly difficult to tell your personal exploits from those of Dunkelzhan.

~Umi

[zeborazor]

So you choose to houserule in such a way that you ignore a core rule whose presence makes Orichalcum valuable, then complain that Orichalcum has no value?

Do you also ignore Availability, and then feel that guns are equipment are too easy to acquire?

~Umi

Addendum: Orichalcum is also used as a rare reagent, being a required component of certain enchantments.

And I assume you mean the part under extended tests which says "may" a lot?

The character may have a limited timeframe
in which to accomplish the task, so she may run out of time before she
finishes the job. The gamemaster can also limit the number of rolls
under the assumption that if the character can’t finish it with a certain
amount of effort, she simply doesn’t have the skills to complete it.

That makes it kinda valuable but I could still complete the enchantment without Orichalcum quite easily. Certainly it's not worth 50k, and all this rule does is make orichalcum LESS useful to an experienced enchanter and more useful to a novice. Which is a bit counter-intuitive, considering it's supposed to be one of the most valuable enchanting materials, what with Atlantis and all.

Thanks for the attitude though.

[SpellBinder]

"High power enchantment" implies the test it adds dice on is effected by the force of the enchantment, but to my knowledge the test it adds dice on is 16+object resistance, making the power of my enchantment irrelevant.

And, as you brought up, we normally don't have time restrictions on extended tests for things like this. With that being the case I really don't see the point of me actually using any orichalcum we find, as opposed to just selling it, and my magician is primarily an enchanter. Just seemed like orichalcum was a bit tacked on, and serves little purpose outside of fluff.

Force of the enchantment is a factor. Street Magic, page 84, where it says Orichalcum gives a +2 DP bonus per unit (per gram, IIRC), it also says you have a DP penalty equal to the Force of the focus you're trying to make.

[Falconer]

"High power enchantment" implies the test it adds dice on is effected by the force of the enchantment, but to my knowledge the test it adds dice on is 16+object resistance, making the power of my enchantment irrelevant.

It helps if you actually read the rules in question before denigrating others.
The power of your enchantment is directly relevant to the test at hand.


There is a table at the top of the enchanting listing the modifiers.
The very first line reads "Force of Focus, -Force" dice.
The next is Mundane Telesma... -4. If the object has high OR it is most likely mundane.

Right there to do a force 6 focus into something mundane (like say a mono-sword) that's -10 dice. 5 units of orichalchum will keep your enchanting pool intact.

So everything he said is perfectly true.

Also, I haven't played at any tables anywhere which haven't used the decreasing dice pools for extended tests. I'd rate that as probably one of the most common options presented in the core rulebook.

[zeborazor]

Force of the enchantment is a factor. Street Magic, page 84, where it says Orichalcum gives a +2 DP bonus per unit (per gram, IIRC), it also says you have a DP penalty equal to the Force of the focus you're trying to make.

Now THAT does make orichalcum rather more important than just an expedition, for more powerful enchantments. Odd that I overlooked something like that. Now I may think twice about selling it as opposed to creating a foci. Now to get an ally to make my brew while I'm out and about.

[Ruby]

You can keep chunks of it in your sock drawer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I was going to suggest making "pretty pretty jewelry to sell on etsy"

[zeborazor]

I was going to suggest making "pretty pretty jewelry to sell on etsy"

Oh lord, haha.

[CanRay]

I was going to suggest making "pretty pretty jewelry to sell on etsy"

IIRC, one character in a novel was going to get it made into a new piercing...

[O'Ryan]

I was going to suggest making "pretty pretty jewelry to sell on etsy"

There have been a lot of really wonderful ideas in Shadowrun, and some really terrible ones. Somehow, this tops both lists. I'm not sure how yet, but this will become central to a future game...

[binarywraith]

Bone lacing.

[Cain]

I've always allowed it to count as non-normal for the purposes of bypassing ITNW. So you can have "magic bullets" that can harm spirits, without needing them to be active foci. Of course, at the cost per bullet, I've never had a player actually take me up on that offer.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/vegm.gif)

[SpellBinder]

In the Denver missions there's a non-awakened NPC who wears a ring of orichalcum.

[Irion]

Yes, if you go after uses Orichalcum is worthless. There are cheaper ways to get boni for enchanting foci.
They really should have put some thought into it and how it should be used...

[Umidori]

I kind of disagree. If you harvest and process the reagents yourself, it's actually quite useful. I wouldn't buy it just to enchant stuff, but if you're already making an enchanter, might as well make them able to harvest the goods personally, cut out the middle man.

Also, orichalcum is vitally important for things like Unique Enchantments, which is where enchanting really starts to become useful (and possibly messy, depending on your GM, players, and general game style).

~Umi

[Ryu]

Selling or using Orichalcum? Sell any you don´t for making your own foci. Easier that way. You will not be allowed to go undercover economist on the market system of SR, much less on the magic portion of that.


Why?
Note that the actual step of creating orichalcum is high profit, high risk. You want 5 hits on that one. Very obvious build, too. The GM will threaten to hit you with The Precious. (Should you ever get 28 days of continuous out-time, try refining gold reagents. Much money, low requirements.)


- The threshold for enchanting will usually be 18.
- By all means craft the telesma yourself, mundane items are totally fine at that point. Highest modifier counts.
- Always get yourself that +4 to dp for using all kinds of radicals. Think iron tempered by a mixture of animal blood and tree sap, decorated with crystals.

Now look at the time taken to create a focus with and without orichalcum. My group uses the diminishing dice pools rule, and my char has magic 4 + enchanting 3 + spec (sustaining foci) + totem 2 = 9(11) dice. Spending 3200¥ on radicals and some more on the actual telesma, assume 4k¥. I can make a force 4 sustaining focus in seven days. Three times a month seems reasonable. Monthly income (price mod)*120k¥-12¥. Think 50k¥. If I could sell those foci, it would be hard to justify running. And we are not even talking the pricier power foci.

[KarmaInferno]

You should totally be able to stick a few chunks into a sock and go to town on spirits with it.



-k

[CanRay]

Orichalcum Tipped Hollowpoints. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Ryu]

You should totally be able to stick a few chunks into a sock and go to town on spirits with it.



-k

Wear a hat with the word "Wizard" embroidered on it.