Keano's Magic Hat is a beloved children's book that follows the adventures of a young boy named Keano who discovers a magical hat. Written by Melissa Johnson and illustrated by Samantha Stevens, this enchanting story takes readers on a journey full of imagination and wonder. The story begins with Keano stumbling upon a dusty old attic filled with forgotten treasures. As he explores the attic, he discovers a magical hat hidden beneath a pile of old clothes. Intrigued by its mysterious aura, Keano puts on the hat and suddenly finds himself transported to a magical world. In this new world, Keano encounters talking animals, mythical creatures, and other magical beings.
Who hasn’t heard the tale about men turning into a wolf under the full moon, only to turn back when dawn breaks? Or Little Red Riding Hood, who was nearly eaten by the wolf wearing her grandmother’s clothing? Or the boy who cried wolf? Or Peter and the Wolf? Though wild wolves try to avoid people, the image of a wolf as a danger is an old one. These stories are not really about dangerous animals; they are allegories for dangerous situations and people. The wolf is the animal in stories that represents the dangerous side of human nature, and acts as a warning.
Draw a snake on several pale stone and place them in a circle near your front door, then sprinkle black pepper and eggshells into this circle whenever you leave your home. This means that right as soon as a crafting feat can be taken, it allows access to what may arguably be one of the most powerful and rare items in the game I said arguably, but you try and have one roll up randomly in a treasure.
In this new world, Keano encounters talking animals, mythical creatures, and other magical beings. Each encounter brings a new lesson or challenge for Keano to overcome. With the help of the magic hat, he learns important values such as bravery, kindness, and perseverance.
Ignoring requirements for Magic Item crafting
In advance, this is more rant than question on a rule, which is why I put it here. I don't like the rules changes for crafting that lets someone ignore CL or certain requirements, most especially access to spells required. I DO like the Master Craftsman feat they added. It lets skilled crafters create items without having to become spell-casting classes. I just think having to either learn the spell or find someone who can cast it is not really that hard unless it's a rare spell or class. and then it should be hard to get, because it's a rare spell, not something you can fake with a +5 check. I can't ask for a Spellcraft check in combat at DC 10 +spell level +5 to just cast a spell I don't know.
Alright, I might be wrong here. I don't typically play Pathfinder so skills might throw me for a loop and feat gains might trip me up as well. Correct me if I am wrong, but:
Assuming a reasonably-focused crafting character at 5th level will have 5 ranks of Craft (weaponsmith). This means he can take Master Craftsman at 5th-level. His next feat comes at 7th? He can take Craft Magical Arms and Armor.
Now he has 7 ranks in Craft skill, likely a +4 for intelligence, +2 for Master Craftsman, with another +3 because he has a rank in Craft which is a class skill. So he has +16 to Craft without a doubt. Possibly +3 for Skill Focus, +2 if a gnome, +1 for an Intelligence booster, +2 masterwork tools. So not unreasonably a +20 to Craft at 7th-level and actually +23 is not hard to get.
If this 7th level character wants to craft a Luckblade with 1 wish (price: 62,360, cost: 43,835), he needs Craft Arms and Armor, which he has. Other than that, he spends 63 days, makes a DC 27 check [17 + 5 (for not having wish) + 5 (for not being CL 17, which is a special requirement for this weapon). That's not a check he can believably fail even assuming you aren't letting him just Take 10. I know, that's a lot of gold. We all know that's not really an obstacle and a party could have been saving and planning for these for many levels.
A 17th-level crafter who knows the wish spell only needs a DC 17 check instead DC 27. He can add +5 to accelerate his crafting time, finishing in 32 days. But that's about all he seems to get. He's at DC 22 on his check, the 7th-level guy's at DC 27. That extra +5 DC of difference between him and Level 7 guy means nothing really and, in fact, the 7th level character can do the same thing, pushing his DC to 32 for accelerating and still only risking failure if he can't Take 10, definitely not failing by 10th-level when his Skill Focus bonus doubles. (10 ranks, +2 Master Craftsman, +3 Class skill, +6 Skill Focus, +4 Int, +2 masterwork tools. With a racial bonus to the craft check or an item increasing Int, easily a +30.) Again, assuming you're not letting him Take 10. So it doesn't matter if at 17th-level you're swinging a +40 skill check, it's moot.
Just in case I'm missing something or somehow the fact that it's a non-caster and they had to take an extra feat (Master Craftsman) is suppose to balance out getting wishes easily by 10th-level, earlier with slim chances of failure but not even catastrophic cursed item failure, I'm going to try another example for clarity.
A 5th-level caster just takes Craft Magic Arms and Armor. He can, reasonably and by the rules (we all know gold cost is only a small barrier to someone who plans or has teammates helping) can craft a Luckblade just as easily as the 10th-level guy (DC 27). All for the same cost and effort as above. In fact, assuming a reasonable +17 modifier range or more (5 ranks, +4 Int, +3 for a rank in a class skill, +2 for masterwork tools, maybe a +2 if a gnome or a +3 for Skill Focus) he can't fail if you let him Take 10, which most people seem to allow unless he goes out adventuring. Only if he tries to accelerate the crafting, pushing the DC to a 32 does he have a chance at failing. That's assuming he didn't take Master Craftsman just for another +2. Instead, he probably took Craft Wondrous Item at 3rd, and has already crafted an Intelligence booster and an item granting skill check bonuses for himself.
Am I mistaken here that this should set off a warning? According to this rule, the guy who's not 'cheating' on the requirements actually still loses his spell for 63 days . Since the other guy isn't using a 9th-slot and doesn't even have one, he's unaffected.
If these two, supposedly balanced and equally-affected characters want to go adventuring (it just cuts their hours put into work for that day, which means little at a 63 day project), Why is it the guy who actually made the effort to meet the requirements gets shafted and doesn't get access to his 9th-level spell. As far as I can tell, the guy cutting corners doesn't lose a spell slot. He's not down a potentially critical ability while the other guy is.
Honestly, a guy adventuring at 17th-level probably needs his spell slot and is at way more risk than a guy adventuring at 6th-level would be without one 3rd-level spell (that being his highest level). The guy who has all the feats, spells, requirements, caster levels. HE is the one that suffers 63+ days without his most powerful spells available! And somehow, people are going to tell you that because the other guy has +5 to a DC check he will make in two months, which he already can't fail (he might have even gone up 2 or 3 levels while out adventuring with no penalty in that time!) is balanced, or that this system does not backhandedly slap the people that meet the requirements in the face?
I get it, the 17th-level guy should just add +5 to his own DC and ignore the prerequisite and not lose a spell slot, just like the guy who doesn't have the spell slot to lose. That's not the point, why have requirements at all then? When a system pays off people for NOT putting time and effort into it and hindering those that do, that's not a good system.
The caster who took the Cleave feat so he could be the guy crafting a special weapon had to give another feat up and work through the levels with that. The caster who had to use a known spell slot to learn Magic Circle vs Evil and hold off on having Scorching Ray put his time in. The player that had to play a fruity elf and suffer through 12 levels of. being a elf, just so he could make his party cloaks and some quiet shoes does not deserve to be punished because they actually know the requirements.
So obviously this isn't about a Luckblade by itself, trying to point out that it's some kind of exception isn't going to convince me, that's just an example I thought of within 2 minutes of hearing about this and I am sure this could be broken much further.
Doesn't this trivialize working towards creating stronger items? This means that right as soon as a crafting feat can be taken, it allows access to what may arguably be one of the most powerful and rare items in the game (I said arguably, but you try and have one roll up randomly in a treasure. First you need to have a potential treasure cache worth at least 40,000 gp and take that out of what will be found before even rolling on the Major chart.)
Thank you for letting me vent that, I just can't believe when people tell me that it's a fair system because there's a +5 DC modifier in exchange for getting rid of the foundation, flaws though it may have had, that was in place for regulating magic item crafting. Am I really just seeing ghosts? I mean, they removed XP penalties, so that doesn't restrict anything, now CL is a 'guideline'? Requirements are optional?
The rules do call for cursed items on failed checks, but only the most obtuse or bad-luck-pressing buffoon could ever fail without really trying let alone fail enough to ever get a cursed item and that's with a right-out-of-the-gate whelpling creating one of the best items (granted not one with the most requirements but that's the point, it's not a balanced system that takes into account actual power. It's not any harder to create a Luckblade with 17 wishes than one with 3. There's still just one requirement: Wish, and if it did actually require multiple wishes the guy who actually could cast wish would be even more screwed by losing even more spell slots for two months.
There needs to be some restriction and just requiring the crafting feat is not it. Keeping the actual spell required to be present was at least something, "Oh no, I can't find someone with Owl's Wisdom! I can't make an item. oh wait. yes I can. or I can get a scroll, or I can get a wand, and if I still can't use it one person in the party can or at the very least, if I am even the most pitiful player in the world and can't get another PC to cast the spell I could invest in Use Magic Device because that's what it's for in the worst case scenario.
Have I missed a ruling somewhere? It's possible, I've just been reading the SRDs and might have misinterpreted everything. If so, hopefully my embarrassment will enlighten and help someone else.
You know what? I'm just going to forego the descriptions of these feats. I have a bias here, my favorite rune is Rune of Contingency. I would take this MICF just so that I could tattoo myself with this rune.
Throughout the story, Keano's character develops as he faces various obstacles and learns to harness the power of the magic hat responsibly. He learns that the hat grants him the ability to make his wildest dreams come true, but also emphasizes the importance of using this power for the greater good. The illustrations in Keano's Magic Hat beautifully accompany the narrative, bringing each magical moment to life. Samantha Stevens's vibrant and detailed artwork captures the essence of the enchanting world Keano discovers, making it easy for young readers to immerse themselves in the story. Keano's Magic Hat is not only an entertaining tale for children but also teaches valuable life lessons. It encourages the importance of imagination, kindness, and personal growth. As Keano navigates the magical world, readers are encouraged to embrace their own creativity and look for the magic in everyday life. Overall, Keano's Magic Hat is a captivating children's book that will enchant readers of all ages. It showcases the power of imagination and the importance of kindness and empathy. With its engaging storyline and vibrant illustrations, this book is sure to become a treasured addition to any child's library..
Reviews for "The Symbolism and Iconography of Keano's Magic Hat"
1. Lisa - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Keanos Magic Hat," but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The plot felt disjointed and lacked cohesion, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. The characters were also one-dimensional and unrelatable, which made it hard to connect with them on any level. Overall, I found the book to be underwhelming and not worth the hype.
2. John - 1 star - I found "Keanos Magic Hat" to be incredibly disappointing. The writing style was confusing and convoluted, making it difficult to follow the storyline. The pacing was also incredibly slow, and I struggled to stay engaged throughout the book. Additionally, the magical elements felt contrived and poorly executed, leaving me feeling unsatisfied. I regret picking up this book and cannot recommend it to others.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - "Keanos Magic Hat" was not what I expected at all. The book lacked originality, relying on tired and cliché tropes that have been done to death in the fantasy genre. The plot twists were predictable, and I found myself rolling my eyes at the lack of creativity. The characters were also flat and lacked depth, making it hard to care about their journey. Overall, this book was a letdown and did not live up to the hype surrounding it.
4. Michael - 3 stars - While "Keanos Magic Hat" had some enjoyable elements, it ultimately fell short for me. The writing style was overly descriptive, slowing down the pace of the story. The main character's motivations were unclear and inconsistent, making it hard to fully invest in their journey. Additionally, the world-building felt underdeveloped and lacked depth, leaving me wanting more. Overall, this book had potential, but it didn't quite deliver for me.