Making Magic Items

 

These are rules left over from the old days in an early phase of Chain of Being. Feel free to transform these into rules for Story Arc magic item creation.

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Characteristics of Magic Items

 

 

All magic items have a set of characteristics which define the way they work. For purposes of creating magic items, each characteristic has a difficulty modifier which modifies any attempt to infuse a magic item (see section XX, Creating Magic Items).

 

Duration: Duration determines the amount of time during which the item operates once activated. For instance, the magic of a rod of fireballs lasts as long as it takes aim it and fire (though its effects are usually longer lasting), while most wearables work as the entire time they’re worn.

 

• Constant: A constant item always functions whenever a certain set of conditions are being fulfilled. These conditions are defined by the type of Activation chosen for the spell (see below). A Constant item is either capable of recycling its ambrosia or it derives its power from another source, and automatically has the Unlimited Wellspring. Difficulty:

• Instant: Magic items with an Instant Duration last no more than a second (although they may have ramifications which last after the spell expires). Difficulty:

• Variable: Most magic items have a Variable Duration, which means that they last as long as the Activation conditions are being fulfilled. Difficulty:

 

Activation: Activation determines which circumstances activate the item. Potions activate when consumed, for example, and most wearables simply activate when put on. Some items activate when willed to activate, and others work when certain words (like “abracadabra” and “bibbity-bobbity-boo”) are spoken. Usually an item activates under a set of circumstances normally associated with an object of its type, and performs a function thematically related to itself. Hence a magic urn might transform any liquid poured into it into jelly, or a gnarled old cane might make upon anyone holding it appear to all observers as an old man. This isn't always the case, though. A wand might shoot a fireball at midnight on every full moon regardless of whether its holder wants it to or what’s going on around it. A magic kneepad might assist its owner in picking locks so long as it’s stuffed inside her pocket. It depends entirely on the goals, and the sanity, of the person who created the item.2

 

• Always Active: Needless to say, magic items with the Always Active Activation are always active, and thus require no circumstances to activate them. Difficulty:

• Destruction: Magic items with the Destruction Activation impart a magical effect as a consequence of their destruction. The infuser chooses the required method of destruction, like “being drunk,” or “exploding.” Although Destruction need not actually destroy the entire item (a particular part of it could simply be used up, for example), Destruction always prohibits all further uses of the item. An item with Destruction Activation requires no power source. Potions are the most common application of this Activation. Difficulty:

• Perception: An item with the Perception Activation activates automatically when someone perceives it in some way specified by the infuser. A painting which makes the onlooker look like the person in the painting, a music box that plays a song which calms, or a pair of old socks which emit a stinky fog which causes insane dancing are examples. Difficulty:

• Proximity: An item with the Proximity Activation activates when something comes within a certain distance of it. A stone which shaves anyone who walks within ten feet of it is an example. Difficulty:

• Touch: An item with the Touch Activation activates automatically when touched, even if there’s clothing or similar in the way. A lemon enchanted to act as a land mine is an example. (Note that if Touch is not selected as at least one of the Activation characteristics, people will be able to activate certain types of items from across the room, which opens up some interesting strategic possibilities.) Difficulty:

• Will (Evoked): Magic items which work with Evoked Will activate when willed to activate. However, unlike most items, the effect of a talismans and relics with an Evocation Activation are not consistent, but instead determined each time the item is activated. To activate such an item, a character must roll a Resolve / Evocation proficiency. The results of the item use are determined by checking the item’s results chart (this chart is identical to the Castable spell version of the magical effect). Difficulty:

• Will (Simple): Items with a Simple Will Activation activate when an activator wills it, but only if the activator knows (more or less) the type of effect he is activating. A staff which summons a god or one which creates a fireball could be Simple Will items. Difficulty:

• Will (Idiot Proof): Items with the Idiot Proof Will characteristic activates when the activator wills it. The activator need not have any idea what the item’s function is in order to activate it; anyone with a mind (no matter how foolish a mind) can do it. Difficulty:

• Sounds/Gestures: An item with the Sounds/Gestures Activation activates automatically when a particular phrase is spoken, a particular sound is made, and/or a particular gesture is made. Difficulty:

• Worn: An item with the Worn Activation activates automatically when worn in a specific manner. A ring which activates when placed on the finger, a shoe which activates when hung on the ear, or a pair of underwear which activates when worn on the outside of one’s clothing are examples. Difficulty:

• Wielded: Difficulty:

 

Other Activation conditions, or combinations of the above, are also possible. An item could activate when liquid is dropped on it, when a certain amount of time passes, or when monkeys run through the immediate vicinity. Other items may not work unless the user meets certain qualifications, like a particular rating in a proficiency, or belief in a certain philosophy. Cobblers should adjust the difficulty modifiers to account for restrictions or additional advantages built into the item.

 

Wellspring: Magic items, just like magic people (AKA spellcasters), require a power source — a Wellspring. Some have a built-in, permanent Wellspring which allows the effect to be used forever, or they're constantly powered by a god. Such items have no limits on the number of times they can be used. Most items have a finite number of charges, however.

 

• Charged: Items with a Charged Wellspring have a finite number of charges. These function just like a caster's Channeling Threshold. Each use of an item's function costs a number of charges. When the number of charges reaches zero, the item is used up. If no Resolve / Evocation proficiency is required to activate an item, it can no longer be used once the charges reach zero (unless it's rechargeable — see below). If the item requires use of an Evocation skill, however, it can still be used at a penalty equal to the charge negative. Of course, this penalty will eventually be overwhelming enough that even the most skilled user will be unable to use it. The Wellspring of an item with a Charged Wellspring is equal to 4 times the result of the infusing check. Each use of the item’s power uses up a number of charges equal to the cost to employ that power.

• Single Use: Items with Single Use Wellsprings work only once. Potions usually work this way, and scrolls sometimes do as well.

• Spellcaster: Items which use a Spellcaster Wellspring tap the channeling threshold (in the relevant art and method) of the user, rather than using their own threshold. This affects a user exactly as if he had cast the spell himself.

• Unlimited: Items which have an Unlimited Wellspring can be used indefinitely without end to their charges or any limits on the number of how many times they can be used. This might be because they continually recycle ambrosia, or because they draw power from something around them. Sometimes, this might have some disadvantages, such as an item which draws power from the heat in the room, resulting in everyone around you getting very cold whenever it’s used. Alternatively, the item could get power directly from a god. Or perhaps it uses nuclear power.

 

Additional Characteristics: Many items have other characteristics which add to or subtract from the difficulty of creating them, and affect the sort of item which results from the infusing process.

 

• Requires Consent: Some items require the consent of some other individual to be used. Some relics (and maybe a few very strange talismans) require the consent of a deity to be used; some talismans (and some relics) require the consent of the item’s creator. Difficulty:

• Item Intelligence: Some magic items have an intelligence of their own. Such items are usually capable of activating themselves and usually have some kind of personality (often, for some reason, an annoying one). Minds are usually created at the time the item is infused, although occasionally they are stolen and modified. Rarely do items have souls — their minds are sustained magically. Intelligent items are capable of activating themselves in the same way that their user can activate them (items with Evoked Will Activations need an Evocation proficiency to activate themselves). Any item can be intelligent — weapons, jewelry, instruments, coinage, or whatever else. Sometimes it’s advisable to watch what you do — your backpack might be full of spies. Difficulty:

• Rechargeable: Charged talismans and relics with the Rechargeable characteristic can be recharged when depleted with the appropriate Channeling skill by characters who know at least one spell from the art in question. Each degree scored on the roll imparts a single charge, but this process generally takes an hour per charge and saps the character’s Channeling Threshold just like casting a spell or infusing an item does. Difficulty:

• Recharging (Automatic): Some magic items recharge automatically. A good number use the power of the dawn (or the dusk), and recharge the moment the sun comes up (or goes down). Difficulty:

• Communication: If an item is intelligent but lacking in a means of communication, it may well get very frustrated. Items with the Communication characteristic must be intelligent to make use of it. All items with this characteristic can buy any number of languages from the Infusing Results Category of Communication, or they can buy telepathic ability. Difficulty:

• Proficiencies: A magical item can have any of the proficiencies a creature can. Items with the Proficiencies characteristic must be intelligent to make use of it. All items with this characteristic can buy any number of points of proficiencies from the Infusing Results Category of Proficiencies. Note, however, that just because an item has a proficiency, that doesn’t mean it can use that proficiency. An item with a proficiency of 18 in Maneuver / Agility / Flying can only fly if it’s been enchanted with the ability to do so. Difficulty:

• Plussed & Minussed Items: Certain magical items add to the number of degrees a character achieves on certain kinds of rolls associated with that item. These items are usually referred to arcanely as pluswhun, plustoo, plusthrey, plusfore, and plusfyve items, though no one knows exactly why. Any character lucky enough to find one can automatically add a number of degrees to his proficiency, so long as he uses the item properly. The conditions of proper use vary, though they usually relate to the function of the item in some way. A mace, for example, will likely impart a bonus to your attacks when you fight with it. A mask might add to your acting skill as long as it’s carried or worn. Or a harmonica might improve the quality of any music played with it. However, this isn’t always so; you might well find a monkey skull which helps you resist fatigue once you’ve swallowed it. Or you might find caltrops which give you +2 (plustoo) to doing math, so long as you’re barefoot and standing on them. Items which do the same thing except in reverse also exist; these are called minuswhun, minustoo, minusthrey, minusfore, and minusfyve items. All items with the Plussed & Minussed Items characteristic can buy any number of pluses or minuses from the Infusing Results Category of Pluses & Minuses. Difficulty:

• Senses: If an item’s creator thinks to add senses, an intelligent item can acquire way of perceiving the exterior world In most cases, an item's intelligence isn't much good without senses, so most intelligent relics and talismans can tell what's going on around them, and they can usually talk about it. Some have rather interesting restrictions on the way in which they can communicate — in a silly voice, or in song — while others perceive the world oddly — through the eyes of the person who created them, or only via a very highly developed sense of smell. Cobblers can reduce the difficulty to create such an item by placing restrictions on them. Items with the Senses characteristic must be intelligent to make use of it. All items with this characteristic can buy any number of senses from the Infusing Results Category of Senses. Difficulty:

• Specific Target: The magic item always targets a specific person or thing. This might be itself, the person wearing it or holding it, an object, or a specific person in the vicinity. Difficulty:

 

In the interests of making more interesting magic items, infusers are encouraged to build in strange difficult side effects, or unusual preconditions for using the item. Some items might only work on a particular individual or set of individuals, like your neighbor, hyena packs, or heads of state. Others might only work under certain conditions, like a lockpick kit which only picks locks on Thursdays, or a scroll which needs to be underwater to function. Cobblers are strongly encouraged to make plenty of magic items such as these in the interests of encouraging general weirdness.

 

Creating Magic Items

 

Using a Castable spell is a pretty simple matter — see page XX for the rules on this. Basically, you just roll your Casting proficiency in the relevant art or method. Infusing a spell is a bit different, and somewhat more complicated. Infusing spells into items takes only as much ambrosia as casting spells, but it takes far more time. For avatars, the process of infusing is called consecrating, it produces a relic, and it requires some kind of holy place. For mages, infusing is alchemy, it produces a talisman, and it requires a laboratory. Fetishes, on the other hand, must be created using the appropriate spells in conjunction with spirits; see section XX.

 

Basic Materials: To make a magic item, a character needs to start with an Infusible spell. If she doesn’t have a spell that fits the type of item she wants to make, she should create one (see page XX for rules on this) and learn it. For example, if she wants to make Exploding Candles, she might create a spell which targets objects and makes them explode. If she wanted to create an Torch of Eternal Cold Burning, she could start with a spell which creates cryoflame. Naturally, she also needs to start with the item she wants to infuse. (She won’t get far in her attempt to make Nipple Clamps of Flying3 unless she starts with a pair of nipple clamps.) Once she’s invented the spell, she should learn it as an Infusible spell.

 

Defining the Magic Item: Next, the alchemist or consecrator who has decided to make a talisman or relic must define the item’s characteristics. There are three major characteristics which govern the way items work (plus a number of other, optional characteristics). These characteristics include Duration, Activation, and Wellspring.

 

Because there are so many possibilities, it’s impossible to comprehensively define all the possible ways an item can work, but most of the most common possibilities are defined in the previous section, Characteristics of Magic Items. A character should pick one characteristic from each of the first three categories (or invent his own) for each ability the item is to have. He should then decide if he wants any of the optional characteristics which follow.

 

Note that an infuser can take as many of these characteristics as he likes, so long as it makes sense. An item which can be used to cast a particular spell could also be a plussed item and an intelligent item — -for example, an infuser could create a pluswhun Rubber Duck of Birdwatching and Shark Protection. This handy rubber duck not only makes sharks afraid of anyone who appears to be enjoying playing with it, it can also discourse intelligently on the subject of birdwatching and add a degree of armor to its owner versus all shark and bird attacks. Alternatively, an infuser could take the same characteristic twice for two different abilities. A rope could be both pluswhun to a specific Prowess skill and pluswhun to Maneuver / Agility / Climbing as well.

 

Also note that some creativity is necessarily involved in the process of defining exactly how a magic item works. A spell usually won’t define a lot of the details, such as how information is passed between a mirror and someone who looks into it, or what color a beam of light is when it shoots out of a wand. Infusers can define these things (usually at no cost, unless some significant benefit is desired) at the time of creation as well.

 

Infusing the Magic Item: Once the spell has been learned Infusibly, no more experience points are needed to infuse any number of magic items with that spell. The infuser simply makes a check with the appropriate Infusing proficiency any time he wishes to make a new item. For example, an infuser rolls Vision / Aether / Infusing to consecrate a little disc of bread into a Wafer of Holiness, or Presence / Cosmos / Infusing to use alchemy to make an Outhouse of Teleportation.

 

This check has several difficulty modifiers. The first is determined by adding together all the difficulties associated with the magic item characteristics chosen. For instance, a Single Use item has an associated difficulty modifier of X, and an Unlimited Wellspring has a difficulty modifier of X. The second modifier is determined by the available materials. Avatars require a holy area in order to infuse an item; mages require alchemical supplies. Hence, avaticular infusing checks are modified by the appropriate circumstance on the Access to Holiness chart, and magular infusing checks are modified by the appropriate circumstance on the Access to Alchemical Facilities chart.

 

 

Interpreting the Results of the Infusing Check: For every number of degrees achieved on the infusing check, the infuser obtains that result on each of the relevant Infusing Results Categories. Which Infusing Results Categories are relevant depends on the characteristics of the magic item being created. Some characteristics are associated with a particular Infusing Results Category. Others are associated with all except one or two categories. In addition, all items have an Infusing Results Category of Time Taken, since no matter what kind of item is being infused, it always takes time.

 

Just as is the case with a Castable spell, the results on each of the Infusing Results Categories can be shuffled around as desired to achieve a desired effect.

 

• Channeling Threshold: All items which have a Charged Wellspring have a Channeling Threshold. An item’s Channeling Threshold is how much ambrosia it stores (and hence, defines how many times it can be used). Just as a caster’s Channeling Threshold defines how much ambrosial drain he can take, an item’s Channeling Threshold determines how much ambrosial drain the item can take. Unlike a caster’s Threshold, which can go negative, an item can no longer be used when the Threshold reaches 0. The item’s Threshold is equal to 4 for every degree the infuser achieves on the Infusing check. Each time the item gets used, it incurs a drain equal to the spell’s drain.

• Effectiveness: Unless the infuser chooses the Evoked Will Activation, a magic item has an Effectiveness. This is a result on the spell’s results chart which forever determines what happens when the item is activated. An item’s effectiveness is a static result, exactly equivalent to the result the infuser obtains on the infusing check. For instance, if the infuser rolls X degrees when infusing an XXXXX spell into a XXXXXX, the XXXXX has a result of XXXXXX each time it’s activated. Note that many spells have several different result categories (the common ones being “range” and “duration”), and each of these is determined according to the infusing roll. (If the infuser chooses the Evoked Will Activation, the effectiveness of the item varies according to the results of the Evocation check each time the item is activated, and the infuser can ignore the item’s Effectiveness.)

• Communication: All items which have the Communication characteristic can learn languages. One language can be learned per 2 degrees (or, for 1 degree, a broken, confused version of a language can be learned). Alternatively, infusers can spend 8 degrees to make an item capable of communicating telepathically with anyone within normal speaking range.

• Proficiencies: Any intelligent item with the Proficiency characteristic can learn proficiencies. Each degree garnered gives the item 9 experience points which the infuser can spend on any proficiency, just like a person. The item can use these proficiencies, assuming it has the means, at will.

• Plussed & Minussed Items: Any item with the Plussed & Minussed Items characteristic can acquire a bonus or a penalty to all actions for which it’s used. For every four degrees attained, the item gains an additional +1 bonus or a -1 penalty (infuser’s choice) to all actions of a specified type.

• Senses: Any item with the Senses characteristic gets an extra sense (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) for each level of success achieved on the infusing check. For 1 degree, the infuser can select one sense; for 2 degrees, the infuser can select 2; for 4 degrees, the infuser can select 3; for 8 degrees, the infuser can select all but one sense; for 16 degrees, the item gets all 5 senses.

• Time Taken: All items take time to create. To determine how long, start with the number of experience points it cost to learn the spell in the first place. Then check the result of the infusing roll on the Time Taken chart and multiply the experience points by this number. The result is the number of eight hour shifts it takes to create the item.

 

Lumberstump the alchemist is creating a magic mirror designed to keep him posted on the status of the fairest individual in the land. He thus learns (Infusibly) a spell which allows a target to acquire knowledge of the attractiveness ratings of all individuals within a certain radius and what the most attractive among them are doing. He then contemplates the characteristics the item will have. There are several combinations of characteristics which would give him an acceptable result, but he chooses a Constant Duration, a Perception Activation, an Unlimited Wellspring, Item Intelligence, and Languages. Because he took a Constant Duration rather than a Charged Duration, he will not obtain a result on the Channeling Threshold Infusing Results Category. However, because he chose the Perception Activation rather than an Evoked Will Activation, he will get an Effectiveness Infusing Results Category. His Unlimited Wellspring and Intelligence characteristics don’t give him any additional categories, but his Languages characteristic does give him the Languages Category. He also gets the Time Taken Category, because all items do. After subtracting all the relevant difficulty modifiers from his Presence / Cosmos / Infusing proficiency, Lumberstump rolls and gets 4 degrees. This gives him 4 degrees in each of the relevant categories — Time Taken, Languages, and Effectiveness (including 4 degrees all of the spell’s Spell Result categories).

 

 

A talisman Sword of Waxy Yellow Discharge which automatically squirts immense quantities of an unidentifiable disgusting substance from the blade upon verbal command has a . It costs two charges to employ this, so it can dispense the vile substance six times. After that, however, the number of charges is at zero, so the discharge cannot happen again until the item is recharged.

 

A relic Crown of Summon the Sinful, which has fifteen charges, can be used to attract people who have violated the tenets of their religion. To activate the crown, it must be worn and the caster must concentrate (making a Using Relics check). The number of degrees attained on this roll is equal to the number of sinful people summoned. Each attempt to summon people costs a single charge. After fifteen uses, the crown is practically out of charges. A user can get squeeze one more charge out of it, but the next attempt to summon the sinful is at -1P because the crown has -1 charge. The attempt after that is at -2P; the one after that, -3P. And so on.

 

Other magic items tap power from their user's Wellspring. These work as above, except that the user has to negate the penalty with his own channeling threshold. This, of course, diminishes the number of his own spells of that art that the caster can use that day.

 

Obijuitus possesses the Limestone of Blinding Veridianity (LBV). Each use of the LBV sends out a beam of beautiful, brilliant green light which can strike a singular foe in the eyes and permanently blind her (assuming she fails her Body Resilience roll). Since it has a drain of -4P, use of the LBV drains Obijuitus by that much, just as surely if he cast an XXXXXX spell himself. Obijuitus' XXXXXX Channeling Threshold is only 3, so he is now at -1P to casting XXXXXX spells (including XXXXXX items like the LBV) until he rests.

 

 

Jacking down a negative to

 

Abusing the Item Creation Rules: There’s no experience point penalty associated with making a magic item. Once you know the spell Infusibly, you’ve spent the points it took to learn it, and you don’t have to do it again.

You aren’t enhancing your abilities, so you aren’t spending experience points.

 

There is some potential for abuse of this system, however.

If characters try to lock themselves away in their rooms to make magic items...

Adventurers should interrupt them from what they’re doing periodically. The world will change, and they’ll be affected by it. If not, they’ll just miss out. The other characters will go adventuring, and they’ll have to play another character until they can

Always remember that there should be a penalty associated

 

Remember that characters making items still have to eat and sleep, and these things can cost money.

 

Employing Infusibly Spells (Making Magic Items)

 

 

• Making Your Own Talismans & Relics: Characters who want to make talismans or relics with a particular set of characteristics must find a spell that fits with their intentions (or invent one of their own) and learn it as an Infusibly spell.

 

It's worth mentioning that any spell that already exists (as per the spells on pages XX to XX) has probably been learned as an Infusibly spell and created as an item at one time or another. Thus, an even easier way for Cobblers to determine magic items for use in adventures is to place these preexisting spells into various objects. Since it's ridiculously easy to invent oodles of such items in this fashion, no space is wasted in this manual describing them <(except when they have some additional function in need of explanation)>.

 

• Making Your Own Fetishes: Only spellcasters with knowledge of the relevant spells can make fetishes. At minimum, knowledge of the spell is necessary. Once this spell has been cast on an item, the caster can use the magical abilities of any spirit inside it (a spirit can enter before or after the spell has been cast). At that point, the trick is getting a spirit to inhabit the item. Spirits can be coaxed inside with various Eloquence skills, or by bribery or by doing it various favors in exchange for indentured servitude. For those with few scruples, the spirit can also be grabbed and forced in directly with a spell or similar. If force is used, a spell such as will probably have to be used to keep it inside.

 

Once the spirit is inside the item (and is staying there, whether by force or choice), the caster can activate its magical abilities. Unless has been cast on the fetish, the spirit has the option of preventing this if it desires. However, once have been cast on a particular fetish, the spirit is more or less permanently trapped. At the Cobbler's discretion, a fetish with a particularly powerful spirit may be allowed to roll Body Resilience every once in a while in order to destroy the item and escape, but normally a spirit in this situation is in quite the predicament.

 

Available Only Through This One-Time Offer (Unique)

 

XXXXConcentrationing: At the time of casting (before the roll), the caster can decide to ignore the Duration catergory, and instead make the spell dependent on the length of his concentration. Concentration takes up one action each round.

 

To add Concentrationing to a spell, pay one fourth the original cost of the spell you want to add it to.

 

Ifthening

 

(Trigger Condtions) This spell can be programmed to take effect when another action or series of other actions takes place.

Both magular and avaticular spells can sometimes be set to cast automatically under a specific set of circumstances, even when the spellcaster is asleep or otherwise

 

 

With spells, you always have the option of using a level under that which you achieved.

 

To add Iffthenning to a spell, pay the cost the original spell.

 

Types of Magic Items

NOTE: THIS SECTION (TYPES OF MAGIC ITEMS) IS IN THE MAIN MANUAL

Obviously, a magic item is subject to certain disadvantages which don’t apply to spells. Items can be taken away or destroyed, and they can run out of power. Of course, these things can also be advantages, since you can give them away or sell them, or take them away from other people (looting the bodies of fallen enemies and comrades is surprisingly socially acceptable in Paranesia, at least among adventurers).

 

There are three basic types of magic items — relics, talismans, and fetishes.

 

Relics: Relics are items which avatars consecrate to be magical using the power of their gods (avaticular spell infusing). Creating an extremely powerful relic may require the conscious assistance of that deity, but most relics can be forged by avatars without direct help. Relics are often made from items which already possess spiritual significance, like the bones of dead saints,1 or important implements in rituals, but they can in fact be made from anything. Scrolls are common relics. One advantage of relics — and a disadvantage — is that they are hard to use against the deity who originally powered them, and nearly impossible to use against deities who (for magic items without a source of stored power) are still powering them.

 

Talismans: Talismans are magic items created by mages through the process of alchemy (magular spell infusing). Like relics, they can have practically any form or function — potions, scrolls, rings, clothing, staves, wands, and rods are common, but any object can theoretically be made to do anything. Magic items are made by infusing spells into them.

 

More on relics and talismans can be found below, under Characteristics of Magic Items.

 

Fetishes: A fetish is a magic item that takes advantage of the unique capacity of spiritual beings to possess physical objects. If a spirit possesses an object that has been specially prepared with the spell, that item becomes a fetish. Spirits in prepared objects can still move in and out of an item freely, and they can use any of their abilities normally (except their capacity to manifest in any way or become visible). However, anyone holding an item with a spirit inside it can activate any of the spirit's magical abilities with successful Resolve / Evocation / Using Fetishes proficiency (unless the spirit doesn't want to allow it). If the spirit is locked into the item with a spell, it can no longer leave, and if is cast on it, it can no longer use any of its abilities of its own volition, nor can it prevent the holder from activating its abilities. Needless to say, most spirits resent being locked down or suppressed, but many are perfectly happy inhabiting items for prolonged periods of time and lending out their abilities as long as no one tries to pull a fast one on them. As spirits, ghosts can also inhabit objects, but few will enter them to assist a living mortal willingly.

 

All fetishes are automatically intelligent (to a limited extent, at least), since the spirit that inhabits them has a mind. This means that using a fetish often has an opinion about how a user wants to employ it. Fetishes nearly always have some capacity to perceive the environment around them and to communicate with it, though the extent of their abilities vary. The spell can be used to eliminate these abilities. Spirits also have their own personalities, which might at times be inconvenient.

 

As with all other magic items, a fetish can be made from any object. If a fetish item breaks, the spirit is immediately ejected from it. The spirit’s reaction to this varies widely depending on the individual spirit and the circumstances surrounding its presence in the item. If the spirit had previously been forced into the item, it may react violently when released, or it may flee — or it may just hang around, disorientated by the experience. Some spirits might be able to distinguish between an innocent and malicious uses of their fetishes, while others might not, and some may not even care. Spirits have various levels of understanding about who and what they are, and some may be oblivious to what has happened to them, or they might interpret it through the lens of their peculiar view of the world.

 

Fetishes are powered by Wellsprings innate to a spirit's mind, and can hence be used indefinitely without concern for charges.

 

• Recharging Magic Items: Fetishes are powered by Wellsprings innate to a spirit's mind, and can hence be used indefinitely without concern for charges. Charged talismans and relics which have been depleted can be recharged with the appropriate Channeling skill by characters who know at least one spell from the art in question. Each degree scored on the roll imparts a single charge, but this process is tiring and time-consuming (see the skill description on page XX). For some magic items, this is hardly necessary, since they recharge automatically. A good number use the power of the dawn (or the dusk), and recharge the moment the sun comes up (or goes down); as mentioned above, some have an inexhaustible Wellspring or a god personally powering them. Note that magic items are rarely capable of holding more than 10 to 20 charges.

 

Note that plussed items can also be used in combination with other magic items, as in a pluswhun rubber duck of Shark Protection, which not only makes sharks afraid of anyone who appears to be enjoying playing with it, it adds a degree to all attacks against them.