Gemcutter
Gemstones are graded using the 3 C's: Carat, Clarity, and Cut. Carat is the size of the stone, Clarity is the stone's purity of content (described as a percentage, with 100% clarity being the best possible clarity), Cut is the quality of the stones faceting and crafted design. Carat and Clarity are out of the Jeweler's control, and depend upon the natural properties of the gemstone. Cut, however, is within the jewelers control, and is the largest controllable influence a jeweler has upon the stone. You may cut an uncut gemstone, spending 1 hour for each 10 carat of size the stone has. Upon completing the required time investment, roll a Jeweler's Tools ability check. Consult the following table to determine the increase in value of the gemstone.
Gemstone Cutting Table
| Tool Check |
Cut Grading |
Stone Value Increase |
| <10 |
F. Unacceptable |
-50% |
| 10 |
E. Acceptable |
+25% |
| 13 |
D. Fair |
+50% |
| 16 |
C. Good |
+100% |
| 19 |
B. Very Good |
+200% |
| 22 |
A. Excellent |
+300% |
| 25 |
S. Flawless |
+500% |
Esperite Gemstones
Aethershards are made of a gemstone called Esperite, which has a mix of purple, blue, gold, and sunset orange hues. Although a special spell is required to create an Aethershard, the spell requires professionally cut Esperite, which Jeweler's Tools can provide. Like all gemstones, Esperite quality is determined by a mix of Carat, Clarity, and Cut. The effect that Carat, Clarity, and Cut have upon the sample of Esperite are described in more detail below.
Carat: The carat determines the Baseline Vimm Capacity of the stone, as well as Baseline GP Value of the stone. 1 carat equates to 1 Baseline Vimm Capacity. A 1 carat stone has a Basline GP Value of 1, and each carat size above increases the Baseline GP Value by +1 of the previous carat size. For example, a 2 Carat stone is 1+2 (3 total) GP, while a 5 Carat stone is 1+2+3+4+5 (15 total) GP. The formula to find the Baseline GP Value is: (Carat/2) x (1+Carat).
Clarity: Clarity is a representation of the purity of content of the stone, which can be influenced by chips, flaws, and contamination of undesired minerals. Clarity is expressed as a percentage value, and is used to determine the Vimm Flux of the stone. Vimm Flux is derived by multiplying the Clarity percentage by the Total Vimm Capacity of the stone (not to be confused with the Baseline Vimm Capacity), and rounding down to the nearest whole number (minimum 1). Vimm Flux is the maximum amount of Vimms that the stone can spend within 6 seconds (or 1 round of combat). If using Aether stored within the stone to power a cantrip, spell, or other ability that has a cast/use time of an action, bonus action, reaction, or less, the Vimm Flux is the maximum amount of Vimm that can be procured from the stone within the span of a round of combat.
Every 2% loss of Clarity (from 100%) reduces the Base GP Value by 1% (applied before Cut modifier).
Cut: When cutting an Esperite stone, you must spend 1 hour cutting the stone for each 5 carats of size it has. Once the time investment is complete, roll a Jeweler's Tools ability check to determine the outcome of your efforts. Consult the Cut Grading table to determine the effects of your results.
Cutting modifies the Baseline Vimm Capacity of the shard by a percentage to determine the Total Vimm Capacity, and this same percentage also modifies the Baseline GP Value. It also determines the strongest type of Elemental that the shard can contain. Elementals will only be able to attempt escape if pushed to their limits through shard usage, or if the shard is damaged to the point that escape becomes a possibility. In such drastic situations, the roll result you obtained when making the Tool Check DC to cut the stone is the Escape DC the Elemental must overcome (be sure to record your result, unique to the shard!). Every Carat of the shard requires 1 hour to Cut. The higher Carat the shard, the more time it will take to Cut. Upon completing the Cutting process, a comprehensive Dexterity (Jeweler's Tools) check is made. The Tool DC achieved (consulting with the table below) determines the grading of the Cut, and the resultant effects.
Esperite Cutting Table
| Tool Check |
Cut Grading |
Baseline Vimm/GP Modifier |
Elemental Containment |
| <10 |
F. Unacceptable |
-50% |
None |
| 10 |
E. Acceptable |
+0% |
Mephit |
| 13 |
D. Fair |
+10% |
Mephit |
| 16 |
C. Good |
+20% |
Lesser Elemental |
| 19 |
B. Very Good |
+30% |
Normal Elemental |
| 22 |
A. Excellent |
+40% |
Normal Elemental |
| 25 |
S. Flawless |
+50% |
Greater Elemental |
Example:
A 40 carat Esperite Stone is presented, with a Clarity of 80%. At 40 carat, the Baseline Vimm Capacity is 40, and the Baseline GP Value is 820 GP. The jeweler spends 8 hours of time to complete the cutting process, and rolls a result of 17 on their Jeweler's Tools ability check.
By consulting the Esperite Cutting Table, we determine a Cut Grading of C. This increases the Baseline Vimm Capacity and Baseline GP Value by 20%, making a Total Vimm Capacity of 48, and Total GP Value of 984 GP. The Clarity of 80% is multiplied by the Total Vimm Capacity of 48, and we find the Vimm Flux is 38.
