Altering and imbuing: Randomness for days

Running through my artifact bin, trying to work out some weird templates.  Dawns on me, was the decision to make items alterable and or imbuable made with a d20 roll or did they just stop halfway through the list?

You got things like clockwork legs from exodus.  They can be imbued and manipulated all you want, but the alscepius from the same encounter with basically no mods can't be touched including the non replica.

You can alter magical bone arms for days, but can you alter midnight bracers, no sir.  

This goes into eternity.  You know you open the imbue Gump on prismatic lenses?  There's all kinds of nonsense with seemingly no reason or logic here.

How many points can you put on Prismatic lens?  I bought a few when I saw them cheap.

and while midnight bracers can't be altered, its upgrade Cuffs of the Archmage can be!

I've said for a long long time - the entire armour and gear system needs so much more structure and consistency.

I know it's 20 years built on top of each other, but this is one aspect that makes me completely give up. Every time I quit, it's because the issues with the Armour System being too random and messy, the lack of love given to Felucca, Scribe Mages or PvP massive inbalances have just got too much for me.

The only reason I'm ever still in UO, is I have friends who are ok with it, and who help gear me up, I do not have the mental energy to wade through all of this.

And this is a shame, because intrinsically, the entire gearing of a character, is a part of the game I really enjoy.

Cookie said:

I've said for a long long time - the entire armour and gear system needs so much more structure and consistency.

I know it's 20 years built on top of each other, but this is one aspect that makes me completely give up. Every time I quit, it's because the issues with the Armour System being too random and messy, the lack of love given to Felucca, Scribe Mages or PvP massive inbalances have just got too much for me.

The only reason I'm ever still in UO, is I have friends who are ok with it, and who help gear me up, I do not have the mental energy to wade through all of this.

And this is a shame, because intrinsically, the entire gearing of a character, is a part of the game I really enjoy.

100% agree