Wands and Staves

Wands and Staves are another way beyond scrolls to store up magical energies for later release, even by a character or creature that does not have the requisite specialty for using a Spellbook. Unlike scrolls, though, Wands and Staves are more permanent in that they can be recharged once the magic stored within them has been released.

Wands and Staves are devices constructed to contain magical energy, which can later be released by the wielder. Using a Wand or Staff to cast a spell does not require the wielder to have the Interpreting Magic Acquired Specialty, or to possess or ready a Spellbook. All that is required is knowledge of the Trigger Word that releases the desired magic.

Wands are capable of the energies for multiple castings of a single spell, which is determined by the crafter of the Wand when it is being created. Up to 25 "charges" of this spell can be stored in a Wand for later release.

Staves can store energies for up to four different spells, with up to 12 charges of each capable of being loaded into it. Three of these are fixed by the crafter at the time the Staff is created; the fourth can be reassigned to whatever spell the owner of the Staff wishes when the staff is being recharged. This fourth slot can even be reassigned to a new spell with each recharging.

Once a Wand or Staff is depleted of all its magical energies, it no longer responds to the Trigger Words until it has been recharged.

Discovering the Nature of a Wand or Staff

If you acquire a Wand or Staff as loot while adventuring, it is highly unlikely you will also be given the information as to what spells the device is charged with, or of the Trigger Words required to release the magical energy. These can be extracted by magical means, however. The nature of a discovered Wand or Staff: the spells they can cast, the Trigger Words, and even the approximate number of charges remaining in it can be discovered by casting the Read Aura cantrip while handling the Wand. Any character with access to the Read Aura cantrip can use it to determine the nature of a Wand. Being able to glean the nature of a Staff, however, requires that the caster of the Read Aura spell be of at least 4th Level.

Recharging a Wand or Staff

Recharging a Wand or Staff requires somebody who has the Interpreting Magic Aquired Specialty, and who has the spell or spells in question available in a Spellbook. Charging either device requires casting the spell into to the Wand or Staff once per each charge desired. Any Material Elements required to cast the spell must be provided (and expended) by the caster charging the device, and the caster is subject to Stamina Drain for each spellcasting. For these reasons, having an NPC charge a Wand or Staff can become an expensive proposition, though it is certainly possible. Whether done by an NPC or a Player Character, it can also be a time-consuming effort best suited for Downtime. Recharging a device during an adventure is possible, but the Stamina Drains and time requirements make this challenging.

Crafting a Wand

Wands are crafted with a shaft of either metal, bone, or wood shaft tipped with an affixed gem crystal. They can range in length from 9" (22cm) to 18" (45cm). Typically, they are approximately 1/2" (1cm) thick. Dimensions, cross-sectional shape, taper, etc. are up to the crafter and do not affect the resulting Wand.

The crafter must have the proper Acquired Specialties: either Metalcraft, Woodcraft, or Leathercraft (for bone wands), as well as Gemcraft. Furthermore, the magical process for preparing the wand must be acquired somehow; this is a formula similar to the spellcasting formulas found in Spellbooks. It requires the crafter to have the Interpreting Magic Acquired Specialty, but it also requires that the crafter has achieved Level 6 in experience. This formula can be recorded in a Spellbook for future repeated use, but it occupies the space of two spells.

Crafting a Staff

Magical Staffs can be made of the same materials as Wands, but a Staff must be at least 4' (120cm) long, and at least 1" (2.5cm) in cross-section thickness. It must be carved or cast from a single piece of source material - this makes bone staves exceedingly rare! A gem "core" is fitted into the staff during its crafting.

The crafter must have the requisite Acquired Specialties to work the materials, and must have acquired the formula to create a staff. This formula is more extensive and complex than that for a Wand; it requires an Experience Level of 10 to comprehend. Recording it for future use requires an entire empty Spellbook.