Charge Item (517)
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Charge Item is a spell from the Major Elemental spell circle. It allows a properly trained Wizard to place more charges into a magical item.
The Process
In order to charge a magical item you'll need an orb gem, a grot t'kel potion and a magical item that can be charged. This includes some common items such as small statues (older statues may have to be used once first), heavy quartz orbs, 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.)
To begin, you pour the grot t'kel potion on the orb gem. Cast Charge Item (517) on the gem, causing it to become an orb (if the potion evaporates, the gem is NOT an orb gem.) If the orb grows, you're making progress, whereas if the orb shrinks you've gone backwards. Either way, continue casting until the orb "flickers with tones of enchantment." That means it's ready to be used for charging the item. Also, note that the initial cast of the spell costs the full seventeen (17) mana, while any subsequent cast costs only a single mana point. Now, while holding the magic item in your right hand, rub the orb. This will drain some mana from you and add a charge to the item. Sometimes the orb will shrink after you rub it, in which case you'll need to cast Charge Item (517) at it a few more times.
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 your 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. So, say for example, you are charging a blue crystal (Spirit Strike). 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. Ranks in Elemental Mana Control, however, will reduce this cost by 1 point per 5 ranks in Elemental Mana Control.
e.g. If you have 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), 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 ranks needed to reduce the mana cost, x turns out to be 400! This means you would need 400 ranks of Elemental Mana Control to reduce the cost to its minimum. However, since you can at maximum only have 200 ranks, the minimum cost is 80 mana. The absolute minimum cost for Wall of Force would be 70 mana if you had an additional 50 ranks of EMC from enhancives, putting you at 252 max ranks of EMC.
Note that the more charges you try to add into an item, the more difficult it will be to succeed, and the more severe the failures will be. The maximum number of charges any item can hold is forty (40). In addition, higher level spells and spells from outside your sphere are also 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, preventing it from ever being charged. Other failures include loss of mana points or injury to the caster.
Training
There are three skills that directly aid your casting of Charge Item (517). These are, in order of importance: Ranks in the Major Elemental spell circle, Magic Item Use, and Elemental Mana Control. Other factors 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, Sigil of Power and having a friend or two help you out.
- Major Elemental Ranks and Magic Item Use
- These two factors directly affect the success of casting the spell, as well as the severity of a failure.
- Of the three primary skills, EMC plays the smallest role in success. However, EMC determines the mana cost for charging a spell. For example, with 200 ranks of EMC can charge spiritual spells as though they were within your sphere. At minimum, you should have twenty-four ranks so that you can charge spells from within your sphere for the same amount of mana as the spell normally costs.
- Value of the Gem
- Though not a determinant in your success, more valuable gems will last longer as orbs, allowing you the chance to place more charges in an item if you so choose.
- By increasing the amount of mana you can hold, training in HP will allow you to place more charges into an item before the orb fades.
- Though not a direct influence in the casting of Charge Item (517), SMC will allow you to receive mana from classes that employ Spiritual Mana, such as Clerics and Empaths.
- These societal abilities provide you with more mana.
- Workshop
- Being in a workshop increases chance of success.
- Friends
- Aside from sending you mana for the casting of Charge Item (517), friends are also good for conversation and lending you money. They also make excellent scape goats, if the situation calls for it.
Related Articles
External Links
| 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 |