Enchant (spell)

Enchant
Spell Class:	Regular
College:	Enchantment
Duration:	Magic items are permanent until destroyed
Base Cost:	See Enchantment Costs
Time to cast:	See Enchantment Costs
Prerequisites:	Magery 2 and at least one spell from each of 10 other colleges
Prerequisite Count:	10
Enchanted Item:	Yes, see Enchantment Costs
Book-Page Reference:	Basic Set pg 480; GURPS Magic pg 56

Enchant is the basic spell for using enchantments. It's a prereq for all except Create Scroll and is a prereq to do Powerstone.

College

The question of what colleges apply matters when using things like One-College Powerstone or Divided Magery to fuel the energy costs of enchantment.

That is because Enchantment has no basic energy cost itself. M227's Appendix lists "Varies".

Costs are found under spells like 'Fireball' which give energy costs for making an item capable of casting that spell (like 800 energy to create a Wand of Fireball)

So the question is whether a "Enchantment-College Powerstone" or a "Fireball-College Powerstone" could be put toward that 800 energy. As the skill roll to create the Wand of Fireball is against the lesser of Enchant or Fireball, it might appear to some as one, the other, or both.

Two worthy considerations:

1. Enchantments provide on the job training for both the spell enchantment and for the spell being enchanted into the item, implying both are cast
2. Fantasy 45's Enchanting in Aspected Areas increases or decreases one's effective Enchantment skill by half the level of the aspect of the spell being enchanted onto an item.

This is an easier question for things purely within the Enchantment college.

Cost

Enchant by itself doesn't have a cost. Rather any cost is based on the spell being enchanted on an item as outlined under Enchanting Items and Enchantment Costs.

Weird Technology gives an option for the spell to succeed if roll fails, by using random side effects table. The Stable Casting enhancement to magery only works with this spell if it is applied upto Magery 2 or higher.

Studying

Classic M17:

The following rules apply to any mage who is involved in making a magic item by the “slow and sure” method:

..

Time spent in making a magical item counts 50% as study of the Enchantment spell, and 50% as study of the spell being placed on the item

4eM18 rephrased:

Time spent enchanting with the Slow and Sure method counts as on-the-job training (p. B293); the enchanter must split these hours between the Enchant spell and what-ever spell is being enchanted into an item.

Example

Needing prereqs for 1 of each of the 10 colleges provides some different options. Recover Energy is a good thing to have for the Power (spell), so per B248 the Lend Energy prereq is a MUST from the Healing college. As for the other nine, some good starter options:

1. Purify Air
2. Itch
3. Sense Foes
4. Seek Earth
5. Ignite Fire
6. Detect Magic
7. Light
8. Counterspell
9. Foolishness
10. Haste
11. Death Vision
12. Shield
13. Seek Water

Magic

GURPS Magic reprinted many spells from basic set, but included useful "item" notes for enchanting things with them.

Black Magic is especially useful: because rather than just giving bonus energy, it reduces the base cost of a spell, and since enchantment time is based on the cost of the spell, lower cost means lower time.

Other means of meeting energy demands (more assistants, a powerstone, an energy reserve, for example) don't lower base cost, so they don't lower the time needed.

Exceptions

• Time Out disallows it but its prereq Accelerate Time does not

See also

• Magic Items Catalog
• Aspected Mana and Enchantment
• Enchanting in Aspected Areas
• Enchanting Items
• Enchantment Costs
• Temporary Enchantment