THE MANY USES OF GEMS

As a nod to the computer game Diablo™ we have developed a new line of magic items, called socketed items, which employ the inherent magical properties of gemstones as the fuel for their abilities.  It has been discovered recently that a gemstone carries an inherent sympathetic resonance, which can be tapped for varied effects if an item is properly “tuned” as a receiver.  This is the basic concept behind sockets, and only a few smiths and crafters of magic items have mastered the feat.  For game purposes, a new feat called “Craft Socketed Item” handles this unique skill.  It is an item creation feat that is attainable at 4^th level for any spellcaster.  This feat allows the tuning of any item containing up to four sockets, and in all respects follows the core rules for item creation feats.  An epic level feat, Craft Epic Socketed Item, allows the tuning of an item containing up to six sockets.

Socketed is a magical characteristic of weapons and armor—much like keen, holy, or brilliant.  It describes the presence of one or more actual impressions forged into the item’s surface as well as the ability of these sockets to accept gems and to channel the gem’s magical properties.  All socketed items are assumed to be of masterwork quality, but unlike other magical traits, the item need NOT have an enhancement bonus.  Thus, while it is impossible to have a keen masterwork weapon—it must be at least a keen +1 weapon—it is customary to craft socketed masterwork weapons with no other magical enhancements.  Socketed items will accept future magical enhancements just as any masterwork item would.

Creating a socketed item is a two-step process: a master craftsman actually creating the item, and a spellcaster infusing the newly created item with magic via the Craft Socketed Item feat.  Sockets must be forged into an item at the time of creation and cannot be added later.  A single weapon or suit of armor can hold up to six sockets, a helmet or shield can hold up to three sockets, a wand/rod/staff can hold up to two sockets, and other objects can hold only one.  Any socketed item must be made primarily of any type of metal; wood, stone, and other materials cannot hold sockets properly.  The process of adding each additional socket is increasingly more arduous than the first, both for the forger and for the spellcaster.  Forging a socketed item costs 100 gp times the square of the number of sockets to be forged (i.e. 1 socket: 1x1x100=100; 2 sockets: 2x2x100=400, etc.) in addition to the base cost of the item and the cost for a masterwork item (e.g. 150 gp for armor, 300 gp for a weapon, etc.).  This does not include the cost of any gemstones to be inserted later.  The cost for imbuing a socketed item equals the forge cost times the caster level of the spellcaster performing the task, and requires a procedure similar to any other Item Creation feat; that is, one day (8 hours) of time per 1,000 gp in market price, half market price in material cost, and 1/25 market price in XP.  Each socket on a single item requires a spellcaster with at least four times as many caster levels as the ordinal number of the socket (i.e. 4^th-level for the 1^st socket, 8^th-level for the 2^nd socket, etc.).  The following table summarizes this.

Once an item has been socketed, it is ready to accept any gemstone of one-carat size, regardless of the type.  Smaller or larger gems simply do not fit.  The simple act of placing a one-carat gem into the empty socket activates the magic, and the gem’s resonance harmonizes with and then fuses to the item, never to be removed.  No known process exists short of destroying the item to extract a gem once it has been placed into a socket.  As a caveat, not all gemstones have magical properties, and not all those with properties are beneficial; further, some gems will work in weapons but not armor, and vice versa, and some might work only in helmets or other items.  Knowledge of the magical properties of gems—and how to use them effectively in socketed items—is gained by having the Craft Socketed Item feat, or having at least 10 ranks in either Craft (gemcutting) or Knowledge (arcana), and this is just for the most common gems.  The DC for each gemstone will vary according to rarity and/or subtlety, and can range from 15 – 50 as the DM deems appropriate.  Market price for an active socketed item will vary according to the gems used, but in general will cost twice the value of the gems used, plus the market price of the empty item.  For example, a three-socketed medium shield containing three perfect diamonds has a market price of 57,720 (5000 (x2) per diamond = 30,000 + 27,720 “empty” price).

Detect magic aimed at a loose gemstone will reveal nothing, for the sympathetic resonances of the gem are not actually magical unless being channeled through a socketed item.  Detect magic aimed at an empty socketed item will reveal a faint transmutation, but a gemmed socketed item will reveal a strength and school of magic appropriate to the effect gained by the gem(s).

Items with multiple sockets may employ a single kind of gem, and the effect of each additional gem stacks with those before it, except for obvious instances, in which case the additional gem simply does not work.  For instance, a single ruby in a weapon gives d8 points of fire damage; 2 rubies gives 2d8 points, 3 rubies gives 3d8 points, etc.  Multiple sockets need not employ the same gems, however, and the effects of each gem are additive.  A four-socketed sword could have a ruby, a topaz, a diamond, and an emerald, giving the sword d8 points of fire damage, d6 points of electricity damage, d6 points of life stealing, and d8 points of poison damage.

(Note: the above paragraph contains examples only.  The actual effects of the named gems may be different once the list is complete.  And...once this list is completed, it will immediately follow.)