Charge Item (517)
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Charge Item allows a properly trained wizard to place more charges into appropriate magical items, and to recharge those items. It can also be used to detect the status of an item and how difficult that item would be to recharge, if applicable (this does not work on gems). Experience is gained at 10 xp per charge restored, with a 500 xp cap per hour.
The three skills that directly aid in success are, in order of importance: ranks in the Major Elemental spell circle, Magic Item Use, and Elemental Mana Control (EMC). Being in a magical workshop will also add a bonus to success. Other factors, skills, and societal powers that do not directly influence the success of the spell, but may be useful otherwise, include the value of the gem, Harness Power, Spiritual Mana Control, Sign of Wracking, Symbol of Mana, and Sigil of Power. Charge Item is recommended to be a group activity as a lot of mana is required.
The more an item is charged, the more difficult it is to further add charges, and the more severe the failures will be. The maximum number of charges any item can hold is forty (40). In addition, higher level and non-elemental spells are more difficult to charge. Failures with the spell vary. The most extreme failure is complete destruction of the item, though a more common failure results in "greening" the item, setting the charges to 0 and preventing it from ever being charged, rendering it into useless junk. Other failures include loss of mana points or injury to the caster.
Mana Cost (Mana Control Benefit)
The mana cost for charging a spell varies based on the type of spell and ranks in Elemental Mana Control. With twenty-four (24) ranks in EMC, charging a spell from within an Elemental sphere will cost the same as the spell. A Spiritual or Mental spell will cost three times as much as the spell, and a Sorcerer Base spell will cost twice as much. For example, when charging a blue crystal (Spirit Strike (117)). This spell costs 17 mana to cast and is a spiritual spell. Thus, it would require 17 × 3 = 51 mana to increase the charge on the blue crystal by one. Further training in Elemental Mana Control will reduce this cost by 1 point per 5 ranks in Elemental Mana Control.
e.g. With 100 ranks in Elemental Mana Control, the cost to increase the charge on the blue crystal will be (17 × 3) - (100 ÷ 5) = 31. To reduce the cost to charge the crystal to the base cost of 17, 170 ranks of Elemental Mana Control are needed.
In the case of a ruby amulet (Wall of Force (140)), 40 × 3 = 120 mana is required to increase its charge by one. However, using the equation (40 × 3) - (X ÷ 5) = 40, where X is the amount of EMC ranks needed to reduce the mana cost, X is 400. However, since the maximum amount of EMC ranks is 202, the minimum cost is 80 mana. The absolute minimum cost for Wall of Force would be 70 mana if the wizard is fully enhanced to 252 ranks of EMC.
Components and Valid Items
An orb gem worth at least 1000 silver, a grot t'kel potion, and a magical item that can be charged are all required to use this spell. Chargeable items include some common items such as small statues (older statues may have to be used once first), heavy quartz orbs, dull gold coins, blue crystals, ruby amulets, and nearly every wand. Note that white crystals and black crystals are not chargeable in their natural state. (The difference being that some of these items are generated at their capacity while others are not.)
Casting Charge Item at an item (but not gems) will indicate the validity of the item for the spell and how difficult it will be for the wizard to recharge it.
Level 74 wizard casting on a Floating Disk (511) item:
You gesture at a jade-inlaid imflass headband. This item is rechargeable. You estimate you're skilled enough to push this item to a great many charges total, and it appears to be in good shape. Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
Other Helpful Factors
- Value of the Orb Gem
- Though not a determinant to success, more valuable gems will last longer as orbs, allowing more charges to be placed in an item if desired. The value and/or quality may also limit the amount of charges that can be added to a single item.
- Harness Power
- By increasing the wizard's mana capacity, more charges may be placed into an item before the orb explodes.
- Spiritual Mana Control (SMC)
- This allows the charging wizard to receive mana from classes that employ Spiritual Mana, such as clerics and empaths.
- Sign of Wracking, Symbol of Mana, and Sigil of Power
- These societal powers provide the wizard with more mana.
Process and Messaging
The stages of charges are outlined below.
Gem Preparation
To begin, pour the grot t'kel potion on the orb gem, then CAST 517 at the gem. After casting the spell, the gem will be replaced with a pulsating orb which appears on the ground. It can not be retrieved. If the potion evaporates, the gem is not an orb gem.
>pour my potion on my ruby You pour your potion on the ruby. You carefully work the liquid in until it is all absorbed. You have 4 doses left. >prep 517 You recite a series of mystical phrases while raising your hands, invoking Charge Item... Your spell is ready. >cast my ruby You gesture at a star ruby. The star ruby quickly expands into a blue pulsating orb! Cast Roundtime 3 Seconds.
>look [Wizard Guild, Workshop] You notice a pulsating orb and a sleek wood owl. Obvious exits: northeast, southeast >take orb You can't pick that up!
Orb Preparation
In order to prepare the pulsating orb for charging, the charger must CAST 517 at the orb repeatedly until it begins "flickering in color and humming tones of enchantment." If the orb continues to grow in size, it is approaching preparedness. The successive casts of Charge Item only cost 1 mana point each, as opposed to the full 17 of the initial cast.
>prep 517 You recite a series of mystical phrases while raising your hands, invoking Charge Item... Your spell is ready. >cast orb You gesture at a pulsating orb. You gesture over the pulsating orb while muttering a few arcane phrases. The orb resonates in response to each of your gestures and words. It grows in size!
>prep 517 You recite a series of mystical phrases while raising your hands, invoking Charge Item... Your spell is ready. >cast orb You gesture at a pulsating orb. You gesture over the pulsating orb while muttering a few arcane phrases. The orb resonates in response to each of your gestures and words. It shines brightly for a moment, flickering in color and humming tones of enchantment!
The following message indicates that the pulsating orb was already sufficiently prepared for charging:
>prep 517 You recite a series of mystical phrases while raising your hands, invoking Charge Item... Your spell is ready. >cast orb You gesture at a pulsating orb. The orb is already prepared for enchanting.
Each cast of Charge Item has a chance of failure and may reduce the size of the pulsating orb. Additional casts of Charge Item will be required in order to prepare the pulsating orb for charging:
>prep 517 You recite a series of mystical phrases while raising your hands, invoking Charge Item... Your spell is ready. >cast orb >You gesture at a pulsating orb. You gesture over the pulsating orb while muttering a few arcane phrases. You are unable to concentrate completely. The pulsating orb shrinks somewhat.
Item Charging
Once the pulsating orb is sufficiently prepared for charging, the pulsating orb must be rubbed with the item to be charged in the wizard's right hand. When charges are successfully added to the item, mana will be drained from the wizard. The following messaging indicates that charges have been successfully added to the item:
>glance You glance down to see a blue crystal in your right hand and nothing in your left hand. >rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! The blue crystal glows with a bright hue as the fingers of essence caress it.
If the wizard does not have sufficient mana to place a charge into the item, the following message will be received (no mana will be drained from the wizard in this case):
>rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! You do not have enough mana. Nothing else seems to happen.
Additional minor failures to charge are evident by the following messaging:
>rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! You are unable to properly channel the flows.
Major failures can also occur. This causes the wizard to lose all of their mana and the item will permanently be marked as unsellable, lose all charges, and become unrechargable. This is commonly referred to as "greening" an item:
>rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! It flares a sickening green and then goes dim.
Catastrophic failures have a rare chance of occurring. This causes the wizard to lose all of their items entirely and if it is a container, everything in it as well:
>rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! It begins to shake violently and then suddenly disintegrates!
When the wizard can no longer place charges into a magical item, due to a low value orb or the item has 40 charges, the following occurs:
>rub orb You gesture over the pulsating orb while holding a blue crystal near it. A strand of pure essence leaps from the orb and onto the crystal! You are unable to add any more charges. Nothing else seems to happen.
When attempting to charge but the pulsating orb is not sufficiently prepared for charging:
>rub orb The orb isn't properly prepared for recharging.
Orb Maintenance
During the charging process, the pulsating orb will reduce in size and require further preparation for charging. The wizard must monitor the ambient messaging of the pulsating orb in order to properly maintain it for use (the shrinkage messaging is ambient, rather than triggered by any direct character action). When this occurs, the wizard should return to the orb preparation stage of charging, casting 517 at the pulsating orb repeatedly until it is once again ready for charging. The same failure messaging, success messaging, and mana point cost applies. A shrinking orb is evident by the following:
The pulsating orb shrinks somewhat.
Eventually, the pulsating orb will expire. Pulsating orbs have a finite lifespan and the eventual expiration of pulsating orbs is natural. The pulsating orb will also expire in the same manner if it was never sufficiently prepared for charging.
The pulsating orb suddenly implodes into nothing but some lingering smoke!
Resources
- Saved posts
- Charge Item (guide)
- Magical workshop
- Recharging crystals
- Major Elemental Spell Circle: Charge Item, on Play.net
- Charge Item Guide on Play.Net
| Wizard Profession - edit |
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| Spell Circles: Wizard Base Spells | Major Elemental Spells | Minor Elemental Spells |
| Professional Highlights: Bolt spells | Call Familiar | Enchanting | Charge Item |
| Popular Archetypes: Pure Mage | War Mage | Enchanter |