Blademaster-style Bands for Forged Weapons/Armour

Tael

Now that forged weapons and armour have unique descriptors, could we get artefact bands similar to blademaster bands for forged weapons (and armour)?

These would cost the same as normal artefact weapons (similar to blademaster bands)/armour (whatever that ends up being), but would let you turn a forged weapon into an artefact and could be attached/detached like a blademaster band.

A few pros:

1. People with artefacts can take advantage of the new forging system to get neat weapons/armour.
2. Artefact weapons don't end up with such homogeneous appearance (this was fine when all rapiers otherwise looked the same, but seems disappointing now).
3. We reduce the degree to which there are a hundred people all running around with the same "legendary" weapons (exactly how many fangs does Thoth have?).
4. It creates a larger market for the very expensive descriptors. Right now, not many people are going to buy skull-festooned armour, and it's probably going to be even fewer once artefact armour comes out since the same people who can afford to buy and replace expensive forged goods are more likely to want and be able to buy artefact armour. If you could "band" skull-festooned armour, that creates some demand for the really expensive stuff, even if people only have to replace it when they feel like changing out the descriptors on their "banded" armour. So people with artefacts still participate in the forging economy.

Some cons:

1. It would lead to decreased demand for replacements for expensive weapon/armour descriptors. But the sense I get is that not many people are shelling out for the gold for these as is - and once people can buy artefact armour, I imagine demand is going to go even lower for the above-described reason. On the whole, I would be surprised if such "bands" didn't lead to a larger gold sink than current artefact weapons do (and artefact armour presumably will).
2. It would make it harder to see if someone is wielding an artefact versus a regular weapon. This one doesn't seem too bad since blademaster bands are already not visible anyway, but if it is a problem, the "band" could add a descriptor to whatever it's attached to indicating that it's an artefact (the descriptor could even indicate what level of artefact, could vary by weapon type, or even allow the person to choose from one of a few different descriptors).

Antonius

I suppose this is either a pro or a con depending on which side you're on (player or admin), but:

Allowing you to buy a band to increase the stats of a forged item to match an artefact weapon, and then detach it again, means you don't have to trade-in and then buy another artefact weapon if you switch class. If you currently have a level three banded longsword as a sword and shield knight, and you switch to Bard, you don't have to trade in your level three longsword and then pay the difference to buy a level three rapier. You just detach the band, switch class, buy a cheap rapier and stick your band back onto it.

Tael

Yeah - I forgot to put that in the cons (which, for the admin - the ones who matter here - I assume it would be).

Though that's a solveable problem: just have the bands be restricted to weapon types. You buy a "longsword band" similar to how a blademaster band only goes on blademaster swords.

Avto

you know, if you pay the same price as an artefact weapon, can't change it and only affects predefined list of sword type, why not just buy an artefact weapon and make it customized at additional cost of only 50cr.

Tael

The idea is that you can change it. You can swap out which longsword is in it and thusly change the appearance and descriptors whenever you want (assuming it does have to be bound to particular weapons - with multiclass incoming, the ability to actually swap weapon types seems more reasonable).

I'm not suggesting this because it's better than regular artefacts - it's the same value, it just lets people who want to use the neat new descriptors, but also want artefact stats have both, while also supporting the forging economy. It's very similar to the reason blademaster stuff happens via bands rather than via set items that you could customise for 50cr (before anyone points it out: yes I know blademaster swords have more unique names/descriptions, but the fact that they have unique or relatively appearances is similar to new forged weapons).