Artefacts, Customization and RP

Penwize

I've come up against this sort of situation quite a bit, and I wonder what the rest of the RPing community does:  someone sees a bit of custom work you've had done, thinks it's swell and asks about it.  You respond with whatever RP you happen to have behind it, and their response is just "but what is it?"  Or perhaps "so it's just a customized SoA?"

How do you handle these kinds of situations while remaining in-character?  Is that even possible?  How do you address the customization issue in the first place?

Nellaundra

I'd say something like "[Customized thing] has similar abilities to those of a(n) [insert artefact here] so I suppose you could compare them" or something like that.

Jiraishin

I think the last time somebody asked me how I got something I just said "not easily."
Playing a quiet character has its perks.

Cinya

I think it depends on the RP behind it. Luckily, Cinya is a jeweller and used to be a Runewarden (forging!) so I was able to say that "I did some work on it" for my customised items that didn't already have a backstory. 

The few times that people have tried to be technical about it, I'll usually send an OOC message telling them exactly what it really is, and then reply in-character with whatever Cinya would really say in response.

Prythe

You have the most gorgeous stuff, Penwize, I am extremely jealous and wish I had the imagination for customization that you have.

Not sure that anybody who says, "Oh, it's just an X" is worth bothering more than to look at them as if they are insane. (Which, in game parlance, they just about were.)

tmote glances at $Idiot having no clue what $he is talking about, then plants a smile on his face so as not to let on that he thinks $Idiot is speaking gibberish

(See? I can't even properly construct a tmote!)

But I want to! So I should get some credit!

Nizaris

The only thing that I have customized is my SoA, which I handed to my house's denizen in charge of such things, along with a 10K fee, and he modified it. So, I usually just tell that story of -how- it started as an SoA, and -then- ended up the way it looks now.

Jonathin

When people ask me "so, it's just a customised SoA", I simply tell them that I gave my SoA to Garash and my stone shield is what I got in return, so it's really not my SoA, it's a stone shield from the Earth plane. This is pretty much how I handle all these situations.

It confirms that it has SoA properties on an OOC level, but also keeps the illusion that my shield isn't the SoA I bought from the artefact store.

Tahquil

emote sniffs in indignation.

say *coldly quite....

Trey

Trey has actually 'forged' quite a number of artefact weapons since learning how for his own from Phaestus. Back when I first got them, he was boss enough that the RP event he set up for it took RL months to complete. And I wasn't even in the order at the time. Basically all that happens is I write the custom desc for someone and discuss ooc how they got their gear. For examples, see Tvistor's ivory-handled punching dirk, Tiamat's rapier, Kitarel's rapier and shield, and several others. Ask around IC and you'd get fun surprises on who has them and how they came to get them!

Synbios

Mine (blade-shard wings) would be classified as a project between myself and Murad.

Blujixapug

Made by faeries, found it on a ghost ship, and I don't know yet.

I'd take "but what is it? just a reskinned prismatic lantern?" as basically an OOC question, and dismiss it with as much sighing and eye-rolling as possible. Some people are unwilling to get it.

Mishgul

I ate a magic bean

Achilles

I got my artefacts from Zsarachnor, you should go ask him for some too.

Mishgul

I traded in most of my arties, but Trey designed most of them

Penwize

Trey said:

Trey has actually 'forged' quite a number of artefact weapons since learning how for his own from Phaestus. Back when I first got them, he was boss enough that the RP event he set up for it took RL months to complete. And I wasn't even in the order at the time. Basically all that happens is I write the custom desc for someone and discuss ooc how they got their gear. For examples, see Tvistor's ivory-handled punching dirk, Tiamat's rapier, Kitarel's rapier and shield, and several others. Ask around IC and you'd get fun surprises on who has them and how they came to get them!

Learned something new today, and that is nothing short of awesome.  I'd love to see more of that sort of thing, where artefacts have a great story to go along with them, but it seems like it's hard to attach RP to artefacts with most people unless they're backed by a divine event like that.

Synbios

Penwize said:

Trey said:

Trey has actually 'forged' quite a number of artefact weapons since learning how for his own from Phaestus. Back when I first got them, he was boss enough that the RP event he set up for it took RL months to complete. And I wasn't even in the order at the time. Basically all that happens is I write the custom desc for someone and discuss ooc how they got their gear. For examples, see Tvistor's ivory-handled punching dirk, Tiamat's rapier, Kitarel's rapier and shield, and several others. Ask around IC and you'd get fun surprises on who has them and how they came to get them!

Learned something new today, and that is nothing short of awesome.  I'd love to see more of that sort of thing, where artefacts have a great story to go along with them, but it seems like it's hard to attach RP to artefacts with most people unless they're backed by a divine event like that.

That, and the extra credits to customise it means that few people will be going to go that route anyway.

Crathen

@Tahquil's post is good. 

In general, what doesn't help is making a big deal out of the situation (e.g. hyperbolic "good grief, you have been stricken by a fit of insanity!! what is this 'computer' you speak of, sir?"). I think it's best to carry on broadly as if they hadn't said "oh, so it's just an SoA". You could, for example, proceed to explain that this particular feather came out of the lightning eagle's arse. If they press the point, then I'd be inclined to politely and briefly mention, OOC, that yes, it's a custom SoA, but that it's not particularly good practice to talk about it that way IC. 

In general, this goes for most OOC things that make their way IG, for me. Ignore, and if necessary, explain (if it's a newbie or someone who's pressing the point).

Delphinus

I'm not convinced that it's inherently OOC. Lazy? Maybe. But if it operates similar to something that they know, like a shield of absorption -- bonus points if it's a "shield" that actually "absorbs" things -- it stands to reason that people will go by what's familiar.

Zeon

I usually reply to 'is that a customized soa' with no, since icly it is not. Usually that leads into the story of its creation and such, but it's short and I don't mind. Usually the person will then start to ask questions about the properties of the shield, and that's when they get the answer to their ooc inquiry, in game.

@delphinus: the question isn't inherently OOC, but the phrasing and randomness certainly seem to point that it came from an ooc place.

Luhar

I gloss over the part where I got a ton of credits, but I think it's fairly common knowledge that to get artefacts, you have to nip down to the shop in Delos that has a suspiciously endless supply of ancient Aldar magic. I've never considered how I'd justify my stack of shiny blatant arties getting customised, because my intent is to customise them to look better for a traditional monk style outfit, making them plain and far more modest than they currently are. Thanks Penwize, and everyone who has contributed to the thread, for making me think about how I'll justify the changes going forward.

Vayne

Vayne's weapons are customized and I was careful to roleplay each of them out. They are Triad themed and I had him travel around Sapience collecting shard of the destroyed planets to incorporate into each one as well as gathering the wood and metal from specific places(ex. the pommel of his whip is from Ithmian oak). He either prefabricated parts or had the local blacksmith put them together, the pieces of the planet's giving them their artefact level quality. Heck, I even bought wood comms for no reason when I expanded my subs house.

So, when someone inevitably asks, "Is that a Elentari's Scourge?" or "Is that a level 3 lash?" I just respond with something along the lines of "No, but it is comparable."

Coeur

I love seeing custom items - and learning the story behind their creation makes the gaming experience that much better! Also a handy conversation starter, heh heh.

On the other hand, there are some that tread the line between going too far fetched and extreme, or 'just another sword'. Yes, I know you might have credits and you can make your posessions look as lovely as you like, but please, within coherent reason!