Enchantment Methods

There are many different ways for an aspiring enchanter or blacksmith to make a magical tool or weapon. The most common is Ritual enchanting which uses internal and external magic to produce the desired effect. There is also Material Enchanting which uses the internal magic of inherantly magic materials to produce the desired effect.  Another way to encahnt tools and weapons to be magical is to use a spellcasters external magic to write and power a series of runes that will produce the desired effect during use.  The final and rarest way to make a magical tool is to just be that good, many master blacksmiths will produce tools and weapons that are so good at what they do they can only be described as magical.   Ritual: The most common is by following a ritual when you are attempting to enchant the tool. Ritual enchanting is done by following a set of instructions that have a metaphysical weight. In order for a ritual to have metaphysical weight it must follow arcane logic. Ritual enchanting is the only enchantment method that involves every step of the forging process. Ritual enchanting can be performed by using internal magical power or external, through tools or materials. As an example of a ritual enchanting process; this is how a smith may make a flametongue blade. First you would use metal from a mine in an area with a connection to the primal element of fire, near a volcano perhaps. Heat the metal up to a bright white before you start forming the blade, while forming the blade you must never let it cool to where someone can touch it without a severe burn and it recommended that you keep the forging area at a higher temperature than it normally is. When you have the blade formed and are going to quench it you must use a high temperature liquid and it cannot be water or anything that is solid above 0^oC. When the blade is forged and embellishments are being added they must align with the primal element of fire, gemstones used for pommels are often rubies, red spinel, rubellite or, the obvious fire opals, when using another metal to add inlay the metal could be gold but not silver, brass or, copper.  Any magical tool made using Ritual enchanting is affected by anti-magic effects.   Material: The easiest method of enchanting a tool is to use inherently magical materials. This method can also be used on conjuction with Ritual enchanting to make tools that are more than either method could make on their own.  Material enchating can be used in several ways, the most common is to use bones of spell beasts or Ek to turn raw iron into a form of magical steel.  But it's also possible to use the material directly, using fur to make a cloak or the bones of a sufficiently large creature as the base of a tool or weapon rather than the carbon for the steel.  As an example of this form of enchating;an echanter trying to make a flametongue blade would need the ashes of a fire elemental or ground bones of a fire-aligned spell beast combined with raw iron to make a steel bar that contains the elemental power of fire within itself.  They will then forge a blade as they would any other blade, they will likely have an easier time heating the metal though.  The other difference is that they will need wood treated to be fire resistant or fernian ashwood to use as a handle.  Most magical tools created with Material enchanting are affected by anti-magic effects but some tools made with naturally occuring magical materials, such as mithral, are unaffected.   Runic: The encanhting method with the most variety in what it can create is Runic enchanting.  This method takes an already complete tool and inscribes the runic formula for an effect on it and then charges the runes using the engravers magical power.  Runic formulas can be engraved in several languages, Draconic, Sylvan and, Giant being the most common but as long as the engraver can understand the language and can make a runic formula it should work.  That said Common is a poor language to make a runic formula out of.  The Runic enchanting method has a unique weakness, in that if the formula is destroyed than the enchantment will wear off, sometimes with explosive results. While it is theoretically poissible to engrave a runic formula during the creation and hide it within tool as opposed to the outside of the tool, the likelyhood of the formula being damaged during the creation process is too high and the return of the formula being protected too low for most to try this.  Most Runic enchanters will try to hide their formula, covering it with gems in the pommel or underneath wraps along handles.  As an example of this form of enchating; an enchanter trying to make a flametongue blade will take a completed blade and write a formula somewhere on th e blade.  The formula will be three runic strings. The first being a common string that connects the blade to a user throufgh attuning to their own individual magic aura so they can supress the effect as needed.  The second will be about about the protection of the metal from high heats so that the flames don't melt the blade nor harm the user.  And the final one will be the most important, the string that cloaks the blade in fire as it swings.  All magical tools created by Runic enchating are affected by anti-magic effects.   Masterwork: The least common form of enchanting doesn't use magic at all.  Masterwork enchanting isn't really enchanting it's a tool that is so good at it's desired purpose that anyone can use it as if they were skilled at it.  A first time user could pick up a masterwork sword and swing it as though they were somewhat trained with it.  Masterwork enchanting has a somewhat dark reputation, most people who are capable of making masterwork tools do not live long lives which has lead to masterwork enchanting being called by another name, Soul Smithing.  The belief behind the name Soul Smithing is that someone who has made a masterwork has imparted a small part of their own soul into their work and that is why it is so effective and why the smiths life is shortened.  Masterwork enchanting is difficult to do on command and few smiths are capable of it.  This form of enchanting is only able to make tools or weapons that are better than they should be, there is no way to make an esoteric effect, like a flametongue blade, with this form of enchating.  But it is possible to do masterwork enchanting with another form of enchating, most commonly Runic.  No magical tools created by Masterwork enchanting are effected by anti-magic effects unless there is another form of enchating that would be, and even then the masterworked effects will still be in effect.