Enchanting in Universe?

[Leckan]

Aside from all of the generic enchanted items we come across, the unique enchanted items are very coveted. Eleidon's shield reportedly cost a baron a great deal of his wealth to create, Mannimarco never just created another Necromancer's Amulet after his was taken, and in fact powerful mages like Gaulder only made one enchanted item. Just to name a few.

So... why would it be so hard?

[legoless]

Because those are artifacts, not just enchanted items. They're imbued with near-divine (or even literally divine) power.

[Leckan]

Because those are artifacts, not just enchanted items. They're imbued with near-divine (or even literally divine) power.

Isn't that only true for Aedric and Daedric artifacts? Like Auri-El's Bow or Ebony Mail?

And still, why don't they create more? Such as in Mannimarco making another Necromancer's Amulet?

[legoless]

Well, why would something be considered an artifact if it doesn't have significant and distinguishing power? The idea behind an artifact in most fantasy universes is an item of unparalleled power. Maybe the knowledge was lost, maybe the artifact used a particularly powerful soul, maybe the amount of wealth required to make something of that calibre is too much. Lots of reasons we don't see proper duplicates (or at least ones that don't crumble to dust).

There's also very little distinction between divine artifacts and those made by mortals, especially since a lot of the Daedric ones were actually originally crafted by mortals (Volendrung, Mace of Molag Bal, Ring of Khajiiti, etc). Regular enchantments, by comparison, are pretty measly. Read this book to get an idea of how limited the skills of even expert practitioners are.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Because those are artifacts, not just enchanted items. They're imbued with near-divine (or even literally divine) power.

Isn't that only true for Aedric and Daedric artifacts? Like Auri-El's Bow or Ebony Mail?

There are a few items classified as Artifacts that don't have divine origin. They could have been created by powerful witches or archmages, or have an origin that's simply unknown, similar to that of the Elder Scrolls. Many of these items have folklore associated with them, but they often turn out to be false or untestable beliefs more so than well-researched acts.

And still, why don't they create more? Such as in Mannimarco making another Necromancer's Amulet?

Maybe it's not that simple. Maybe the process is incredibly difficult and requires a lot of sacrifice. Mannimarco notably has created three legendary Artifacts, which is probably a record in-universe. I believe that's more than any other person or deity can claim, that we know of. It's possible that he had to put quite a bit of his life force or willpower into each of the three, and that he wouldn't be able to do it again. Of course, they seem to be incredibly resistant to age and wear, which is an attribute all items classified as Artifacts share.

[legoless]

Mannimarco notably has created three legendary Artifacts, which is probably a record in-universe. I believe that's more than any other person or deity can claim, that we know of.

Actually, Sheogorath has quite a few artifacts and Sanguine has close to 30. Auriel also seemingly has three. Mannimarco still wins when it comes to individual mortals, though.

[Imbalance]

And yet, whilst playing as the Nerevarine, we are able to produce countless enchanted devices with more than enough power to OHK living gods and the avatar of a Daedric Prince. Too many maybe's in the above assertions, in universe or no.

[Dark Spark]

If an artifact is bound to the creator's soul and they control/manifest it in some way, there may be a limit on how many individual artifacts they can maintain at any time. Though this is not canon, I would fashion it so that Manny can't make another Necromancer's Amulet so long as the first one still exists. He'd have to find the original and destroy it if he wants to remanifest its power into something else. And if he had the original, then why would he destroy it? A Catch-22 and a lesson on why should should hold onto your stuff.

[legoless]

And yet, whilst playing as the Nerevarine, we are able to produce countless enchanted devices with more than enough power to OHK living gods and the avatar of a Daedric Prince. Too many maybe's in the above assertions, in universe or no.

The Nerevarine can kill Vivec with a severed Nord leg if he so chooses. Bears no relevance to the in-universe power of an everyday enchantment, hero-made or otherwise (especially if it involves game exploits, which it likely does if you're killing those enemies in one swipe).

[all_freed]

I didn't know that mannimarco used his own soul to enchant the artifacts.thats cool!

[Leckan]

Well, why would something be considered an artifact if it doesn't have significant and distinguishing power? The idea behind an artifact in most fantasy universes is an item of unparalleled power. Maybe the knowledge was lost, maybe the artifact used a particularly powerful soul, maybe the amount of wealth required to make something of that calibre is too much. Lots of reasons we don't see proper duplicates (or at least ones that don't crumble to dust).

There's also very little distinction between divine artifacts and those made by mortals, especially since a lot of the Daedric ones were actually originally crafted by mortals (Volendrung, Mace of Molag Bal, Ring of Khajiiti, etc). Regular enchantments, by comparison, are pretty measly. Read this book to get an idea of how limited the skills of even expert practitioners are.

What's considered an artifact? Gaulder's Amulet or Spellbreaker? The Aedric and Dardric artifacts make sense to me, the gods enchanted them, but what of these mortal-made ones? And, ironically, the mortal-made ones can rival or exceed the ones made by the gods in-universe as you may have implied.

That was an interesting read of Twin Souls. It explains why the limit is two, which does make some of these Daedric artifacts so much more appealing since they can have 3. Although... how did Gaulder make his amulet with three enchantments? Did he enchant three amulets and put them all on one necklace? That seems like a loophole if true, like you could make a sword with 4 enchantments; one on the blade, one on the guard, one on the grip, and one on the pommel.

But, wait, doesn't the Necromancer's Amulet and other non-divine items have multiple enchantments?

I didn't know that mannimarco used his own soul to enchant the artifacts.thats cool!

That is cool if true, and would support something that I've thought about:
Soul trapping, after seeing the Soul Cairn, seems like a fate worse than death. I wouldn't want to do that to (most) people. However the soul is used for magicka in the enchanting spell, so does that mean people use the energy from their own souls to power their spells? Then of course the soul's energy regenerates. This makes sense. So if your magicka pool were large enough, and your skill high enough, you could potentially use your own soul to enchant an item; although it would leave you weakened afterwards and you would need to wait to recover your energy.
That would mean too however that it should be possible for Mannimarco to use his own soul to enchant another Nacromancer's Amulet.

[MetaCthulhu]

^And into it he can pour his malice, his envy, and will to domin.... oh wait, wrong guy. And if it's possible to put your own soul into a snake... sorry wrong guy again; if you can put your own soul into an item, and sufficiently powerful souls can escape (Feyfolken style), would you have your own living ghost creature? Food for thought.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Mannimarco notably has created three legendary Artifacts, which is probably a record in-universe. I believe that's more than any other person or deity can claim, that we know of.

Actually, Sheogorath has quite a few artifacts and Sanguine has close to 30. Auriel also seemingly has three. Mannimarco still wins when it comes to individual mortals, though.

The Threads of the Webspinner, yes. I forgot about those, temporarily. Good catch. Still, the sheer usefulness of Mannimarco's items is something to consider. For a conjurer of any type, they greatly amplify power and capability. I'd say the Threads count as Artifacts because of their good condition despite extreme age, too, but each individual enchantment is far lesser than on the most famous Artifacts. What sets the Threads apart is the powerful, unique spell you are granted from Mephala for turning them all in. That implies, to me, that Artifacts are often more than what we see on the surface, and may have hidden perks as well. It's possible that the Last Dragonborn would never be able to get the full use out of a Dragon Priest's mask or staff simply because she does not have the favor of the Dragons who created them. Maybe Mannimarco and his faithful are bolstered a lot more by the Necromancer's Amulet than the Nerevarine would have been, because of their alignment.

[Dark Spark]

Think of it as a smartphone: you physically possess the hardware and the software was written by someone who knows how to write an app. But to make full use of its capabilities, you must subscribe to the company that has aligned itself with the creator.

The artifact is physical, the enchantment is software, and the power is the service provider's subscription. What you get out of all that depends on what you know about it.

You hand me your phone, and I may be able to take a photo with it. But that's probably all I can do if you do not give me the password to unlock the phone so I can access the internet. Or, maybe I can get online with your phone, but I don't have your login info for your bank account. What I can do with your phone depends on the permissions you grant me, how much you trust me with that power.

[Jeancey]

I would also point out that not all of this is power related. The necromancers amulet, for instance, likely has a ritualistic component to it. If you make more than one, it reduces the importance to his followers. As it stands now, seeing the amulet tells the follower that is a rare artifact that should be revered.

[Minor Edits]

Isn't that only true for Aedric and Daedric artifacts? Like Auri-El's Bow or Ebony Mail?

And still, why don't they create more? Such as in Mannimarco making another Necromancer's Amulet?

The simplest answer is lack of materials. The 3rd Pocket Guide, among other sources, speaks of celestial mineral which was gathered by travelers in the Merethic Era. Minerals from the sky are very powerful, but it seems their arrivals have tapered off over the years. If they formed prime components in the creation of various ancient artifacts, which seems logical, then it's easy to see why these artifacts would be rare and uniquely powerful.

[Marisa Kirisame]

Actually all Enchantment skillbooks in TES III are great lore books on this matter as they provide the idea on the complexity of this process and difficulties involved.
In TES III Enchantment is powerful, but capped by item capacity and actually the only exploit to bolster it is hitting 110 for insane clip size. Alchemy, on the other hand, is more exploitable.
In TES II enchantments are limited by a variable used to store them in the creation process, and overflow exploits, while can be used to create almighty items of death, often result in save game corruption.
In TES V enchantment is rather weak (no more machine guns) and of a little variety, but skill boosts the power which makes it more exploitable.

Personally, how are they even going to lore-justify the changes in the enchantment and magic system is beyond me.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

To be honest, they aren't obligated to explain mechanical things like that with lore at all. Ultimately, the lore and the story serves the game, not the other way around. These are games first. I'm as much a lore guy as anyone else, and I have to admit that. Retcons happen. They always give an explanation, but it doesn't always convince the critics. Those types of critics comprise a very small portion of their audience, though. It's like the people who are still really angry about Cyrodiil not being a jungle, and who just won't stop beating that dead horse. I think it's safe to say Cyrodiil not being a jungle hasn't hurt the series' sales or popularity very much.