As you all know, Emeralds were added in 1.3 and their ores are only found in Extreme Hills biomes. They add a good reason to find an Extreme Hills biome, but what if each biome had its own unique gemstone that followed the same spawning rules as Emeralds? For example:
-Aquamarine: Only found in Ocean biomes. -Sapphire: Only found in Plains biomes. -Ruby: Only found in Jungle biomes. -Topaz: Only found in Swamp biomes. -Garnet: Only found in Taiga biomes. -Spinel: Only found in Tundra biomes. -Opal: Only found in Desert biomes. -Jade: Only found Forest biomes.
Now, I bet you're wondering, "What the hell would we do with all these stupid new materials?!," and the answer is as follows. Obviously, we don't need any new grades of tools, so we wouldn't need to turn these into tools. Instead, I propose a new item: Magic Rings.
Magic Rings have one to three slots in them, where you can place any gemstone inside(Including Lapis Lazuli, Diamonds, and Emeralds) to gain a special boost that varies between gemstone to gemstone. An example list of effects:
-Diamond: Reduce damage taken by 3.333% -Lapis Lazuli: Reduce the speed at which Hunger increases by 10% -Emerald: Increase jumping distance by one block, and jumping height by 1/3 of a block. -Jade: Increase hearing ability by 33.333%(Increases the distance that you can hear mobs, and makes silent mobs such as creepers not so silent). -Sapphire: Increase running speed by 15%, and sprinting speed by 10%. -Ruby: Increase attack strength by 10% -Garnet: Increase health regeneration speed by 33.333% -Topaz: Decrease the minimum amount of hunger required for health to regenerate by 1. -Spinel: Increase seeing ability by 33.333%(Allows seeing in the dark better, makes mobs and ores more obvious against the background) -Aquamarine: Increase swimming speed by 10%, and underwater breathing time by 3.333 seconds. -Opal: Increases Stealth by 33.333%(Decreases hostile mob awareness range)
You can place multiple gems of the same type on the same ring, the effects stack together, and also with Enchants and Potions.
Once the desired gemstones have been inserted into the ring, you place the ring onto an Enchanting table and enchant it to bind the gemstones to it. Its durability becomes three times the amount of levels you used to enchant it, and it can now be equipped in a new, fifth equipment slot. The durability decreases by one for each gemstone in it each time it's equipped, and for each 10 minutes that it stays equipped. Once the durability reaches zero, the gemstones are consumed, and the ring loses its powers. You may then put new gemstones in it and start the process over again.
Magic Rings with one slot may be found in Abandoned Mineshafts and Dungeons. Magic Rings with two slots may be traded for with Villagers, or found in Nether Fortresses. Magic Rings with three slots may only be found in Strongholds.
Seeing as to how there would be more gemstones to work with, village trading would be updated. Villages would use the gemstone of their native biome as their main currency. For example, a desert village's currency would be Opal, while a plains village's currency would be Sapphire. Any gemstone that is not their native currency would be worth 2x their currency, due to its unavailability near the village. Diamonds would be worth 5x their currency, and Lapis Lazuli would be essentially worthless due to being able to get it in large amounts easily.
Villages created by a player in a different biome, such as Jungle, would still have that biome's gemstone as their currency, in this case, Ruby.
Thanks! My original idea also involved currency differences between villages in different biomes, but I scrapped that part of the idea due to villages only spawning in two biomes, unfortunately.
-Aquamarine: Only found in Ocean biomes.
-Sapphire: Only found in Plains biomes.
-Ruby: Only found in Jungle biomes.
-Topaz: Only found in Swamp biomes.
-Garnet: Only found in Taiga biomes.
-Spinel: Only found in Tundra biomes.
-Opal: Only found in Desert biomes.
-Jade: Only found Forest biomes.
Now, I bet you're wondering, "What the hell would we do with all these stupid new materials?!," and the answer is as follows. Obviously, we don't need any new grades of tools, so we wouldn't need to turn these into tools. Instead, I propose a new item: Magic Rings.
Magic Rings have one to three slots in them, where you can place any gemstone inside(Including Lapis Lazuli, Diamonds, and Emeralds) to gain a special boost that varies between gemstone to gemstone. An example list of effects:
-Diamond: Reduce damage taken by 3.333%
-Lapis Lazuli: Reduce the speed at which Hunger increases by 10%
-Emerald: Increase jumping distance by one block, and jumping height by 1/3 of a block.
-Jade: Increase hearing ability by 33.333%(Increases the distance that you can hear mobs, and makes silent mobs such as creepers not so silent).
-Sapphire: Increase running speed by 15%, and sprinting speed by 10%.
-Ruby: Increase attack strength by 10%
-Garnet: Increase health regeneration speed by 33.333%
-Topaz: Decrease the minimum amount of hunger required for health to regenerate by 1.
-Spinel: Increase seeing ability by 33.333%(Allows seeing in the dark better, makes mobs and ores more obvious against the background)
-Aquamarine: Increase swimming speed by 10%, and underwater breathing time by 3.333 seconds.
-Opal: Increases Stealth by 33.333%(Decreases hostile mob awareness range)
You can place multiple gems of the same type on the same ring, the effects stack together, and also with Enchants and Potions.
Once the desired gemstones have been inserted into the ring, you place the ring onto an Enchanting table and enchant it to bind the gemstones to it. Its durability becomes three times the amount of levels you used to enchant it, and it can now be equipped in a new, fifth equipment slot. The durability decreases by one for each gemstone in it each time it's equipped, and for each 10 minutes that it stays equipped. Once the durability reaches zero, the gemstones are consumed, and the ring loses its powers. You may then put new gemstones in it and start the process over again.
Magic Rings with one slot may be found in Abandoned Mineshafts and Dungeons. Magic Rings with two slots may be traded for with Villagers, or found in Nether Fortresses. Magic Rings with three slots may only be found in Strongholds.
Seeing as to how there would be more gemstones to work with, village trading would be updated. Villages would use the gemstone of their native biome as their main currency. For example, a desert village's currency would be Opal, while a plains village's currency would be Sapphire. Any gemstone that is not their native currency would be worth 2x their currency, due to its unavailability near the village. Diamonds would be worth 5x their currency, and Lapis Lazuli would be essentially worthless due to being able to get it in large amounts easily.
Villages created by a player in a different biome, such as Jungle, would still have that biome's gemstone as their currency, in this case, Ruby.
But with all seriousness, I like this idea, If the gems are reallyreally rare, I'd like this.
Original idea included Onyx, but Onyx is a type of quartz.
Well, just look at enchantments. They're pretty similar.