I had debated simply saying, "Enchanting is live -- enjoy" but due to the complexity of the system, I realized that would be woefully unfair. <g> There's a lot of information that must be said for the release of what I dare think is a milestone system for not only the Moon Mage Guild, but for the game itself.

First, surprise! The system is indeed live.

The most important thing to realize about this system is that it's tough. I mean... really tough. It was designed with the 50th+ circle crowd in mind, as well as the devoted Moon Mage gamer. The techniques for making specific enchantments are very tricky, and will require effort to discover what they are, and further effort to create them. I have purposely err'd on the side of "very difficult" during the design of this system, so it's possible that some aspects will later become easier and some failsafes removed.

Since the system is so tough, you're free to discuss in game or on the boards what you discover about Enchanting with one caveat -- please do not discuss the specific processes here on the boards. In game, I don't care, just not on the boards. Everything else is fair game on the boards.

Key points of this new system:

1) Quest -- There is a quest involved before you can enchant, and a large amount of information to be gathered on each enchantment. I suggest taking notes as you go along.

2) Books -- There are some important library books involved in enchanting. Ask around, check out the shelves in known libraries.

3) Enchantments -- There are five enchantments in the basic system. Flagship enchantments, such as Permanent Moonblades, Divination Bones and Gwethdesuans, are not included in this base system until we determine how well the existing enchantments perform. New enchantments can be expected much like new spell releases. Each enchantment process can vary wildly, with some distinctly easier than others. This system is nearly as complex as the magic system and has the potential to include over 166,000 different enchantments.

4) Shops -- There is a shop for your enchanting needs. Nuff said. However, the system was designed to be flexible enough to use items found via forging, foraging, skinning, questing, etc.

5) Skills -- The system's different enchantments will teach various skills, with Astrology being a key factor. Now it should be clear why we required Astrology grandfathering before releasing the system. Other skills involved include Mechanical Lore, Scholarship, Magic Devices, and Primary Magic and Harness (since spells are a part of the system). Having good Climbing, Swimming, and Skinning probably won't hurt either depending on the enchantment and how you get the raw materials.

6) Spells -- There is one spell being released with enchanting at this time: Imbue -- "The Imbue spell energizes an object with an intense level of Lunar mana, readying any useless item into something that an enchanter can use. Listen carefully, for it takes TWO castings of this spell to fully prepare an item, and any previous functions the item may have had are likely to be lost forever. Some Moon Mages who can't enchant still take this spell to help those that can as apprentices." -- Requirements are Focus Moonbeam and 20th circle. You'll have to experiement to see what will and what won't work with Imbue. There are plans for at least one more enchanting oriented spell.

7) Tweaks -- I fully expect to make a lot of tweaks to this system, particularly in the realm of reward vs difficulty. Thus, if an enchantment is just too hard to make, don't despair as it may not remain that way.

9) Player Co-op -- The system was design with the expectation that players would rely on other players to make an enchantment. It is certainly a Moon Mage only system, but there are numerous hooks where it would be beneficial to work with another Moon Mage, or a character from another Guild. Also remember your prediction capablities, as this system was designed to take that into account.

I chuckle to myself when I read back over this and realize how summarized this is; there's so much more to the system than what I've outlined. I encourage everyone capable to dive in and see what they can do. Feedback on this system is more than just welcomed; it's almost a necessity.

Enjoy

Rigby