Magic Item Use
The following verbs can be used to activate a magical item. Most items only respond to one particular action in order to release the desired effect. In general, common sense can be used to determine the appropriate action (food items are eaten, liquids drank, worn items tapped or rubbed, wands & rods waved or raised). Otherwise, consult a loresinger or utilize trial and error methods. Scrolls must always be invoked. All activators except invoke will automatically initiate the magic once the activation has succeeded. Invoked magic is considered prepared and must then be cast manually. Only wave and invoke can be used to target others with the activated magic.
| Activator Verb | Relevant Skill | Activator Skill Modifier | Activator Duration Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap | Magic Item Use | +50 | 50% |
| Rub | Magic Item Use | +25 | 100% |
| Wave | Magic Item Use | 0 | 100% |
| Raise | Magic Item Use | -25 | 150% |
| Eat | None | N/A | Base only |
| Drink | None | N/A | Base only |
| Invoke | Arcane Symbols | 0 | 100% |
Success
- (Relevant Skill bonus) + (Activator Skill Modifier) + (Stat Modifier) + (Magical Knowledge Bonus) + (INTUITION bonus) + (LOGIC bonus) - (Spell Level * 5) - (Armor Penalty) - (Encumberance Penalty) = Modifiers
Executing the appropriate verb to activate a magic item will make an attempt at activation. The character's stats, skills and other relevant variables are factored together. This total is displayed as the "modifiers" value. A d100 roll is then added, and if the total is greater than 100, the activation is successful.
- Regardless of the attempt's outcome, a charge of the spell is always depleted.
- One must possess at least as many ranks in the corresponding skill as the level of the spell to be activated in order to succeed.
Example: 'Morbo' is a wizard with 50 ranks (150 bonus) of Magic Item Use. Using Magic Item Creation (420), he has placed the Elemental Wave (410) spell into an amulet and selected rub as the activator. Morbo is not encumbered, and has removed his armor for the time being. He has an Aura bonus of +20, a Logic bonus of +10 and an Intuition bonus of +10. He then makes an attempt at activating his amulet.
(150) + (25) + (20) + (60) + (10) + (10) - (50) - (0) - (0) = 225
Morbo was easily able to activate his amulet successfully, regardless of the d100 roll. Then, a friend hands him a rod with Lesser Shroud (120) which he attempts to activate. His Wisdom bonus is -5, and raise is used to activate it.
(150) + (-25) + (-5) + (0) + (10) + (10) - (100) - (0) - (0) = 40
Morbo would have needed a d100 roll of 61 or greater to activate a rod with the spell Lesser Shroud successfully. Unfortunately, the rod actually contained the spell Disintegrate (705), causing his head to melt rather abruptly.
Stat Modifier
Stat modifiers are determined by which spell circle the spell to be activated is in (round down). For this table, use stat bonus and not the value of the stat itself.
| Spell Circle | Modifier Calculation |
|---|---|
| Minor Spiritual | WISDOM |
| Major Spiritual | (WISDOM)/2 |
| Cleric Base | (WISDOM)/2 |
| Minor Elemental | AURA |
| Major Elemental | (AURA)/2 |
| Ranger Base | WISDOM |
| Sorcerer Base | (WISDOM+AURA)/4 |
| Wizard Base | (AURA)/2 |
| Bard Base | (LOGIC+INTUITION) |
| Empath Base | (LOGIC+INTUITION) |
| Paladin Base |
Magical Knowledge Bonus
Whether or not the spell to be activated lies within a character's sphere of magic can enhance the possibility of success (cumulative).
| Character has direct knowledge of the spell to be activated (regardless of whether or not they can use it yet) |
+20 |
| Character can learn spells from the same circle of the spell to be activated | +20 |
| Character can learn spells from the same sphere of the spell to be activated | +20 |
| Character has no influence in the spell's sphere | 0 |
- Warriors and rogues are not magical enough to express influence in any sphere; they receive bonuses for both minor circles and none for all others.
- Hybridists (bards, empaths, and sorcerers) are considered aligned with multiple spheres, and receive bonuses accordingly.
Armor Penalty
If the character is considered fully trained for the armor they are wearing, there is zero penalty. If they do not possess sufficient Armor Use ranks, there is a penalty. Armor penalties do not apply when using the tap or rub activators.
Encumberance Penalty
For each additional second of RT added to a character's attack due to encumberance, they receive a +5 penalty to the activation. For instance, the RT imparted when swinging a broadsword unencumbered is 5 sec. If encumberance caused the swing to extend to 7 sec, they would receive a +10 penalty to the calculation of activation. Encumberance penalties do not apply when using the tap or rub activators.
Duration
To calculate the duration of a spell's magical effect when initiated from a magical item, use the following formula. Each rank of the corresponding skill is counted as half a 'phantom' rank of that spell's circle. The overall duration is modified depending upon the activating verb. The more challenging activation verbs offer longer duration modifiers.
- Base Duration + ([Corresponding Skill Ranks/2] * Activator Duration Modifier * Variable Spell Rank Duration) = Full Duration
Example: Morbo has 50 ranks of Magic Item Use and activates an item with the Spirit Shield (202) spell. The base duration of Spirit Shield is 1200 sec, and an additional duration of 60 sec for each Major Spiritual spell rank known.
TAP: 1200 + ([50/2] * .5 * 60) = 1950 seconds (or 32.5 minutes)
RUB&WAVE: 1200 + ([50/2] * 1 * 60) = 2700 sec (45 min)
RAISE: 1200 + ([50/2] * 1.5 * 60) * [60]) = 3450 sec (57.5 min)
EAT&DRINK: 1200 sec (20 min) only
Morbo also has 50 ranks of Arcane Symbols. He invokes the Spirit Shield spell from a scroll.
INVOKE: 1200 + ([50/2] * 1 * 60) = 2700 sec (45 min)