A Guide to the Fusion System

Information drawn from posts by GM Auchand, supplemented by Droit and Graysun.

The fusion system introduces a significant amount of flexibility to enhancives. In its most basic sense, an enhancive trait may be stripped from an existing item, creating a fusion gem that carries that enhancive trait. Creating the fusion gem will destroy the original item, regardless of what other abilities it may have. The fusion gem may then be fitted into a slot in weapons or armor equipped to hold such gems. The new weapon or armor now has the enhancive trait provided by the fusion gem. Fusion gems may be removed and replaced at will, allowing for new enhancives to be put in place.

The process of creating a fusion gem is as follows. In the room with the fusion shaman, hold the item to be extracted and ORDER ANALYSIS. The shaman will quote a price for this analysis. If the price is acceptable, ORDER CONFIRM to pay it. The shaman will name the enhancive traits on the item able to be extracted.

After deciding on the desired enhancive trait to strip from the item, ORDER EXTRACTION <#> and the shaman will quote a price to extract that trait. If the price is acceptable, ORDER CONFIRM once more to pay the price and the fusion gem will be created. Be aware, however, that the shaman does not take notes, only silver.

Only certain enhancives may be extracted from items. Edible, drinkable and spell knowledge enhancives may not be extracted, as well as enhancives with certain scripts and certain restrictions. Crumbly enhancives may be extracted. As the creation of a fusion gem destroys the original item, only one trait may be extracted from any one item. Enhancives with ‘global’ and ‘local’ restrictions may not be extracted, but this limit does not affect most items currently in the game. Global restrictions are those which affect the item as a whole and all of its enhancements, while local restrictions affect single traits.

Once the gem is created, it may be PUT into the selected fusion armament. The armament then becomes an enhancive bearing the enhancive bonus carried by the fusion gem. When a gem is first inserted, the armament has no enhancive charges, but the enhancive may be charged in the Adventurer’s Guild or by a merchant. Armaments hold a maximum of 20 enhancive charges that are used like normal enhancive charges.

When the charges are depleted, a careful PRY may remove the fusion gem from the armament. RUB the armament to change which fusion gem will be manipulated if it is necessary to do so. There is a very slim chance that removing a gem may damage it, which causes 1 bonus point to be lost from the enhancive it carries. Once the enhancive trait reaches 0 bonus, the gem will shatter. Gems will not degrade or shatter in any other circumstance. If a gem is left in its setting for an extended period of time, prying it out will not degrade it. When a gem has been in the armament long enough, it will appear to be loose in its setting when the piece is LOOKed at.

Gems may only be switched when the armament has no enhancive charges. Characters may EXHALE twice on the armament to prematurely drain its charges. Any type of gem may be placed in any armament that can accept fusion gems, with one exception. Two gems enhancing the same trait may not be placed in the same piece, but one each may be placed into two different pieces.

Fusion gems in themselves do not enhance anything and do not hold charges. They are only used to impart the specific bonus to the fusion weapon or armor and have no effect on their own. The restrictions placed on the original enhancive trait are carried with the fusion gem and will be present when placed in a fusion armament.

Fusion gems may not be placed or removed if a fusion armament is being enchanted. Fusion gems may be loresung for their enhancive information and that information will carry into the playershop system, similar to that for normal enhancives. Characters may also DRAW things ON fusion gems to tell them apart. There are approximately 70+ different things to draw upon a fusion gem at this time. Type DRAW ON MY ORB to see a list of the possibilities.

Currently, the fusion system has appeared at the 2010 and 2011 Ebon Gate festivals and the 2011 Spitfire, and only weapons and armor sold there may accept fusion gems. All have two slots for fusion gems and come in a variety of weapon and armor types. Most are four times enchanted. There are no armor accessories available at this time.

All fusion weapons and armor are considered enhancive and have the restrictions of such, even if they are have no fusion gems. This includes enhancive restrictions for player enchanting, but removing the gems from the sockets may reduce the enhancive penalty to make enchanting easier. Fusion armor may be padded. Currently, there is no way to convert existing weapons or armor to hold fusion gems, but that is being investigated for the future.