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I was wondering if it is possible - code wise - for a container to calculate the total weight of the items inside it and then reduce or negate it?

My main reason for asking/suggesting for this is because, even though spell components generally weigh .1 lbs. and were made to last longer, an experienced wizard will find themselves eventually lugging around 20-25 lb. spellpouches to facilitate the increased number of spells they have learned.

While I usually have my PC only carry the components needed for the spells in memory and only in multiples of 3, I still end up at medium+ capacity when you add in their equipment (sparse mind you, all of my wizards are minimalists when it comes to luggage). This is with a wizard who has an 'average' STR score of 10 by the way.

In summary, are extradimensional component bags possible? I could even see the container restricting items over a certain weight so that they cannot be used to bypass weight restriction in terms of carrying 30 lb. axes or suits of full plate in them. Either that, or allow a tad bit more overall weight capacity with the STR score.

As it stands, 10 STR gives my PC a 100 lb. limit, so at 30 lb. give or take they're considered encumbered. This is 10 lbs. per point... maybe bump it to 15 lbs. per point?

I'd really like to see these ingame as well. That said, it looks like something that would have to be hardcoded, if it's not yet.

I don't know of a good way to accomplish this with soft code, but I have an idea.

Harroghty wrote:I don't know of a good way to accomplish this with soft code, but I have an idea.

If it could help you;

I believe that it can be modified the uses of a single component before it disappears, perhaps components created through alchemy, the forge or acquired by any particular means less straightforward that killing something or buying it can have the number of uses before disappears increased, so carrying one or two of them is enough.

Vibius wrote:I believe that it can be modified the uses of a single component before it disappears, perhaps components created through alchemy, the forge or acquired by any particular means less straightforward that killing something or buying it can have the number of uses before disappears increased, so carrying one or two of them is enough.

This has already been done, as far as I know. Compared to a year or two ago, most components are amazingly durable. Getting that knowledge out there and having players assess just how much they're carrying might go a long way towards the necessity of this suggestion.

As I'm new here, I don't know if there is anything like this already available or not (but from the original post I'm guessing no) but I agree that weight reducing containers (Bags of Holding, Heward's Handy Haversack, Belts of Many Pockets, Portable Holes) would be a nice addition if possible and can be useful for any class/character type.

I think there is a quest for an item like this - a spell component bag. According to the quest, it alleviates some of the weight? Not sure how true that is code-wise. That being said, I'm not sure if their is an alignment/class restriction or not on this quest, but I did get that impression as I've only had access to this quest on one character.

That being said, even though the life-span of components is longer than it may have been previously, the massive variety of components required still requires a lot of weight. I think I helped a character try to downsize her spellpouch once, keeping only 3-5 of each required component. The thing still weight 30-40 lbs when we were done!

Would also be handy for halfling corpse retrievals, just stuff them into the bag.

But seriously it would be nice to have something like this particularly for spell pouches. at 10 str for a wizard leaves them 33 weight until medium encumbrance that gets reached with very little in the way of components.

Timaeus wrote:Would also be handy for halfling corpse retrievals, just stuff them into the bag.

Actually... I can say that Mo has put Kinni's corpse in her spell pouch a couple times before recalling in the past.

Mohana wrote:

Timaeus wrote:Would also be handy for halfling corpse retrievals, just stuff them into the bag.

Actually... I can say that Mo has done that with Kinni's corpse a couple times before recalling a couple times.

Har-dee-har-har. Feeling the love folks. Besides! Ki usually makes it out alive... as opposed to whoever else she drags into the trouble. But, back to the point of this board... PLEASE?! I think we were discussing wizards lacking muscle! Silly magic folks need some help!

Kinni wrote:I think there is a quest for an item like this - a spell component bag.

I think the coding behind the enchantment on the pouch got bugged back in the day or never really worked like it was supposed to. The pouch you get from Sharahaster is also supposed to reduce weight, I think, but it just has a 'magical' aura with no apparent affects.

Neither of those really work. They reduce the weight of the bag itself, but that does not apply to its contents. So you have a weightless bag full of weighted components.

In my opinion, the best solution here is something like a spell that I saw in Gemstone: a spell to summon a magical, weightless container that followed you. This is feasible in our code and can be accomplished by soft code.

Harroghty wrote:In my opinion, the best solution here is something like a spell that I saw in Gemstone: a spell to summon a magical, weightless container that followed you. This is feasible in our code and can be accomplished by soft code.

I thought that is what Floating Disc does... but seeing as how it is evocation, I wouldn't mind a conjuration version that is a little more useful utility-wise; you could handle the container, the container has a much larger limit than normal containers, and since it follows you, you won't need a minion to pull it.

Would the code allow you to store components and use them as if they were in a pouch though? If not, I can still envision Rhan's floating library.... or maybe the container you summon can be worn in the <floating> wear location, should the spellpouch code need the item to be worn to function.

Rhangalas wrote: I thought that is what Floating Disc does... but seeing as how it is evocation, I wouldn't mind a conjuration version that is a little more useful utility-wise.

This is why people drop Evo and Enchantment in D20, you know. "Give conjuration something like EvoSpellX with UtilityY." q_q

As for Rhang's suggestion, there's an item called "a hide travois" or something similar that has the "roll up" functionality. It becomes a pack or a cart at will--so maybe this could help? Still not sure how you'd get a cart to function as a spell pouch, but it's a step.

(Also, bump for Eschew Materials which would solve all this. I -think- Mask was working on it a long time ago, not sure if anything ever came of it.)

Hrosskell wrote:Also, bump for Eschew Materials which would solve all this. I -think- Mask was working on it a long time ago, not sure if anything ever came of it.

Woah, that would be insane, but I would definitely spend a feat point for that. You might have to reevaluate component costs again though, because some spells are very powerful, but require cheap components.

For example, a Conjurer would be able to use just about all of his spells without materials.

I would be cool with that, though.

I think component costs are slightly off what they should be anyway. For example, stone skin is supposed to require 250gp worth of diamond dust. I don't know what it actually requires off-hand, but from the way low-level wizards run around casting it, I'm guessing it's less than 250gp per go.

Tamryn wrote:I think component costs are slightly off what they should be anyway. For example, stone skin is supposed to require 250gp worth of diamond dust.

It costs roughly 5pp. So it is 10x cheaper than it should be.

Edited to add that if gem powder was 50pp, it would give miners a very good source of income, because I would definitely try to get it cheaper from a PC. 50pp would add up very quickly... just like the 5pp did when components didn't last as long. Which, since components last longer now, 50pp might be reasonable...

Perhaps it's not about a weightless bag but a bag with negative weight? If you could add a negative to cumulative weight, maybe with a code change, it would allow these sorts of items. Unique flags and maybe class checks to keep these items from being abused, too.

I'd like to pitch in that this is a real problem, with wizards heavily relying on the dex bonus to armor for defense, and generally having base 10 str (100lb carry capacity, light load at <33 lb), and the dex bonus is heavily crippled even at medium load.

It seems to me that the arrangement is heavily imbalanced. None of the other supposed disadvantages to partial encumbrance are really implemented. That means fighters and clerics who only get 0-1 dex bonus on heavy armor can carry up to their maximum load without penalty - while also having far higher strength in the first place.

In pen and paper, a wizard would simply offload his items to the ubiquitous fighter and cleric lackies. Nor is there such a need to overstock on components.

I wonder if individual components are already at the lightest that game code allows, or if it is possible to make all common spell component items zero-weighted or reduce their weights further.

Isolrem wrote:I'd like to pitch in that this is a real problem, with wizards heavily relying on the dex bonus to armor for defense, and generally having base 10 str (100lb carry capacity, light load at <33 lb), and the dex bonus is heavily crippled even at medium load.

Exactly. At medium Rhan goes from +6 to +3. It's like half the points I put into dex doesn't matter unless I fanatically monitor my item weight...

My work around is to just hire a strength-heavy minion and have them carry an extra spellpouch full of reserve components (it's pretty much the equivalent of having the fighter/cleric lug it for you). The minion does get annoying though, especially during travel.