Enchanting BasicsEnchanting Basics
The information below is intended to quickly familiarize you with the concepts of Lunar Enchanting. It is from an 'Out Of Character' perspective and does not bother to explain anything that is not related to understanding HOW TO enchant.
If you would prefer to learn the basic idea behind Enchanting and HOW IT WORKS from an "In-Character" perspective, I strongly suggest that you read the book "Enchanting Researches, Book One". This is a copy of a book that does a nice job of explaining what Lunar Enchanting is all about. You can find this book in Xathvier's Enchanting Shop located in Old Throne City in the game.
Enchanting terms you should know:
Sigil(s) - Pictorial representations of the constellations, 'drawn' to such precise geometric exactness that they can be used to evoke the raw power of the constellation upon which they are based. (Note: A sigil that is not based off of a constellation is called a Celestial Sigil. See Below)
Enchanter's Burin - Similar to a mundane burin used in metal etching, The Enchanter's Burin, through the gem in its tip, allows a sigil to be drawn both upon a target object as well as in the space around it.
Celestial Sigil - Pictorial representations of heavenly bodies such as the three moons, the sun, or the thirteen planets. (Not Constellations)
Foundation Sigil - A sigil that represents a single constellation or other celestial body. (1 sigil)
Foundation Enchantment - Enchantments that are made using only one sigil, or 'foundation sigil' as they are called. Also referred to as 'Foundation-based Enchantments'.
Conjunctive Sigil - Any combination of 2 overlaying sigils or Celestial sigils. (2 sigils)
Trine - Any combination of 3 overlaying sigils or Celestial sigils. (3 sigils)
Grand Square - Any combination of 4 overlaying sigils or Celestial sigils. (4 sigils) *Note: Player Characters can't currently scribe these.
Scribing - The process of placing or 'drawing' a sigil on an item.
Activating (Activator Spell) - The process of powering or 'activating' a scribed sigil's latent properties by sending lunar mana into it. Currently there are THREE spells that function in this regard, they are: Shadows, Dazzle, and Unleash. These 'activator spells' work to varying degrees, with Shadows being the least effectivce, Dazzle being in the middle, and Unleash being the most effective. Unleash also slightly raises the magical quality of the enchantment.
Binding - The process of permantently sealing (or 'binding'
as we call it) a sigil into an object, by FOCUSing
your magical senses on the object until you feel the sigil become one with the
object.
Before you can enchant:
First and foremost,
there is a quest you must complete before you can learn to enchant. To start
on this quest you must talk to Xathvier, who is the NPC owner of the Enchanting
Shop in Old Throne City. As part of the quest, Xathvier will 'test' your knowledge
of magic. Your character must have enough ranks in certain skills in order to
pass this test. I am not sure what all skills are needed to pass the test, but
I do know that you will need a certain amount of rank in Astrology
and Magical Devices.
If you do manage to pass the test, Xathvier will teach you the STUDY command. This is important, because without knowledge of the STUDY
command, you CAN NOT enchant. Take heart though, even if you yourself can not enchant,
you may 'apprentice' to someone who does and aid them by casting Imbue for them (if they don't know the spell), of course you have to be 20th circle to learn Imbue.
In return for your help they will probably teach you any tips or tricks they
know about enchanting.
Be aware that some enchantments REQUIRE that you use an Imbued object. If that is the case, you will first have to cast the Imbue spell on the object TWICE, or get another Moon Mage to imbue it for you.
How to enchant:
Although there are unique steps for certain enchantments, there are 4 main concepts common to making every enchantment, they are:
1. STUDYING. Since Lunar Enchanting is powered by
sigils, the first thing you will need to do to make any enchantment is memorize
a sigil. This is done with the STUDY <OBJECT> command. For example, STUDY WOLF. If you fail to memorize the sigil,
you will get a 15 second Round Time, and have to wait 3 minutes before you can
successfully memorize it. You can try again before then, but you won't succeed
because your head will still be 'swimming' from your last attempt,
and you will get a 5 second Round Time. Example: Your head is still
swimming from your last attempts at comprehending the sigil behind the <CELESTIAL
BODY>.
If you successfully memorize the sigil you will get a message
telling you so. Your character can hold the knowledge of the
sigil in his/her head for 2 minutes before forgetting what they
have learned. Once your character forgets the knowledge, they
will have to re-study the object to learn it again. At any time
during those 2 minutes, you can study the object again to reset
the timer back to a full 2 minutes.
2. SCRIBING. Regardless of whether or not you have to Imbue an object to begin the process, you will have to SCRIBE a sigil onto it at some point. This is done by holding your Enchanter's Burin in your right hand, and the object you wish to enchant in your left. Then simply SCRIBE MY <OBJECT>. Once you scribe something, you have used the sigil knowledge you memorized with the study command. That means you only get 1 SCRIBE, per successful STUDY. You can immediately attempt to study again after you scribe a sigil. You can continue to do this until you fail to memorize the sigil when you study, at this point you have to wait 3 minutes until you can successfully memorize the sigil using the study command.
3. ACTIVATION. Once you scribe a sigil onto something, it will fade away in about 2 minutes unless you 'activate' it and then 'bind' it. To activate a sigil you simply have to cast 1 of 3 spells at the object until the sigil activates. There will be a message telling you whether you succeed or fail. The spells that work as activation spells are Shadows, Dazzle, and Unleash. Shadows is the hardest to achieve success with, but most Moon Mages already know this spell. Dazzle works much better than Shadows, but it requires that either the Sun, or a 'bright' moon is in the sky. Unleash offers the best results. There is no requirement on when and where you can cast it, and it has a better success rate than Dazzle. Unleash also has the added benefit of increasing the magical craftsmanship quality on some enchantments, such as Enchanter's Burins and Constellation Jewelry.
4. BINDING. Even an activated sigil will fade away unless you permanently 'bind' it to the object. To permanently bind the sigil to the object, you have to FOCUS on the object that has the activated sigil on it, TWICE. The best syntax would be FOCUS MY <OBJECT>. The first time you FOCUS on the object you will simply get a message telling you that you COULD bind it, IF you focus on it again. The second time you try, you will either succeed or fail. Continue trying until you succeed, or the sigil fades. If the sigil does fade away, you will have to go back and start over from the studying phase. Note: The spell you use to activate the sigil will determine how long you have to bind the sigil. Unleash granting you the longest time, and Shadows the shortest.
Factors that affect enchanting:
There are several skills and factors that affect your chances in performing any of the above actions. I will list the ones I am certain of, as well as the ones I think may help. I will note the ones I am uncertain of with an ?.
Successfully studying
and memorizing a sigil - Perception, Astrology, Scholarship, Cloud cover
Scribing a sigil onto an object - Magical Devices, Astrology, Quality of burin used, ?Injuries
Activating a sigil with
a spell - ?Primary Magic, ?Magical Devices, ?Astrology, Choice of spell
Any sort of physical action
- Mechanical Lore, Perception, Injuries
Binding a sigil to an object - Magical Devices, Mechanical Lore, ?Astrology, ?Injuries
In addition to those skills, the following spells are helpful in enchanting, in addition to their normal effects.
Clear Vision -
Helps in studying, also seems to help with physical actions. (like carving,
gem setting, oil dipping, etc...)
Piercing Gaze - Helps a lot with the scribing and binding stage.
Seer's Sense - Not conclusive,
but may slightly help overall. (it can't hurt, so you might as well)
Aura Sight - Seems to
help achieve higher quality in finished product.
Hopefully you now have a pretty good grasp on the basic concept of Lunar Enchanting, and are ready to attempt making your first enchantment.