The Divine Lawful Republic Of Laurelin Part V – Node Magic

Not surprisingly for a magical world that is heavily dependent on nodes and ley lines, Ailwellia (and the Empire in particular) have a series of specialized spells that deal with the topic. Given that most of them are not really important in combat – or to most player characters – there’s no need to go into full writeups for such spells. It is, however, worth noting what they are and what – in general – they do.

Node Spells:

• Detonate Node (L9): Releases the energies of a node in a destructive blast of wild magic, which may destabilize other nodes and ley lines many miles away and will send a surge of wild magic across the land. Any Ward, Dragon, or Mages Guildmaster associated with the node may make a caster level check against the user to stop it. Given that most cities depend on and use nodes, usually an act of war and a capital crime.
• Node Seed (L8): Starts the formation of a node – although the less suitable the location, the longer it will take, and it usually takes years even in a suitable one.
• Unbinding (L7): Returns a developed node – or a contaminated or twisted one – to pristine condition. Any Ward, Dragon, or Mages Guildmaster linked with the node may make a caster level check against the user to stop it. Commonly another capital crime unless used against an enemy city in time of war or to fix damage.
• Ward Node (L6): Awakens a nodes magic as a 24-hour Rank-6 Ward Major – but only works on nodes that do not already have Wards linked to them.
• Anchor Weave (L5): Keeps a node or ley line stable when something is trying to influence it, move it, or twist it’s nature for twenty-four hours.
• Shift The Weave (L4): Nodes and Ley Lines can be moved about and altered in aspect, but the process requires setting up a great deal of stuff first – preparing channels for the magic, altering the environment to foster a particular type of magic, erecting shrines to various entities, and so on. This takes at least eight hours (longer at the option of the GM or if there is opposition), whereupon this spell will set the process in motion – although it will require at least a day more (with ever-increasing side effects, wild magic surges, and large-scale disturbances) for the process to complete. The same spell can be used to try to reverse the process, requiring opposed caster level checks. If a node has a Dragon, or a Ward, opposed checks against it are also in order to change things.
• Dragonbless (L3) Bestows any one Path Of The Dragon feat that the recipient meets the requirements for. It lasts for ten minutes per caster level, but only works on node-linked Dragons and does not stack, even if used to grant different feats – although the target may switch between multiple instances each round as a free action. While the user must touch the recipient, touching the node the dragon is linked to also counts. Annoyingly, the duration cannot be more than doubled; the node eventually disrupts the effect.
• Dragoncurse: (L2) Like Bestow Curse but has medium range, only works to limit the Path of the Dragon, and only works on Dragons – although targeting the node a dragon is linked to also counts as being within range of the dragon. Generally blocks one feat/6 CP at CL 3-7, two at CL 8-14, and three at CL 15+.
• Channel Node (L2). Taps into the power of a node to produce a spell effect appropriate to the node. Such effects tend to be limited and minor (for example, a Fire Nexus might allow Scorching Ray or double-length Burning Hands on most days), but might allow greater effects (Fireball, Wall of Fire, whatever) during fiery celestial conjunctions. During times of great power – perhaps the every 10,000 year passage of the great fiery comet – it might allow Meteor Swarm or summon a small army of fire elementals.
• Detect Node (L1). Basically Detect Magic, but attuned to the energies of Nodes. It can provide a good deal of information about a node – it’s theme, how strong it is, whether it has a Dragon or a Ward, how may ley lines feed into it, how stable it is, and so on – if the user can make decent Knowledge (Arcana) checks.

Where there are important – and difficult to manage – resources, there will be tools to help manage them. Thus we have the…

Nexial Staff:

This adamant-sheathed staff is covered with intricately engraved depictions of dragons with tiny gemstone chips in their mouths. The dark metal shimmers with an iridescent sheen, picking out the dragons in many colors and making them seem to twist and coil around the staff.

Minor Features (8100 GP):

• Provides a continuous Detect Node effect (2000 GP). This is somewhat arbitrary, but a specialized form of “Detect Magic” is cheap enough.
• Adamantine Chasing (Basically “Made of Adamant”) Hardness 20, 40 HP (3000 GP).
• Dwarvencraft Folded Metal (+6 Hardness (26 Total), +10 HP, 800 GP). Not that magical staves commonly get broken anyway. As a pair of Dragon Magazine things this is somewhat dubious – but it’s also not like “my item is harder to break” will generally break the game.
• Wand Chamber (100 GP). This is silly, but why not? And it can add a more generally-useful function to an item that is otherwise extremely specialized. And Dungeonscape is even 3.5! If at all possible, get a first-edition style rechargable multifunction wand made with Create Artifact, or another stave made for a Tiny or Diminutive creature. This is important because there is a substantial chance that you will want to disguise this item.
• Mounts two Fortifying Stones (Pathfinder. There is debate as to whether these stack. Given that one will take over when the first fails, I’ll say that the Hardness does not, but the HP do. So Hardness +5 (31 Total), +40 HP (90 Total), 2000 GP).
• Decorative Gemstone Chips (200 GP). This could reasonably be included at no charge since “looking good!” has no particular cost – but it’s arbitrarily rated at 200 GP to make the cost come out even.

Functions as a Quarterstaff of Entwined Serpents (5050 GP).

• +1 Quarterstaff (also +2 Hardness (33 Total) and +10 HP (100 Total)).
• User may use a standard action to release two Magic Missiles that look like tiny white and black dragons (instead of snakes). If you want to be able to fire them into the sky to pop like little fireworks, go right ahead. That’s a rather minor Flourish (see The Practical Enchanter).
• The holder may cast spells as if he or she possessed the Eschew Materials feat.
• This is legitimate enough so far; you can make a staff out of any material  you like and this is a standard – albeit a Pathfinder – item. Turning it into a spellcasting staff as well is a bit dubious, but you could always just enchant the hollow adamant sheathing as the Quarterstaff of Entwined Serpents and then slip a core enchanted to cast spells into it. Leave a few little holes for skin contact and “firing ports” and you should be fine. Stacking tool functions is generally allowable too, so…

Staff Functions (Pathfinder Style Rechargable Staff, 10 Charges, 36,850 GP)

• Base Caster Level Eleven. Base save DC’s (13+Spell Level).
• Spell Functions:
  • Ward Node (3 Charges, 8800 GP).
  • Anchor Weave (2 Charges, 8250 GP).
  • Shift The Weave (2 Charges, 4400 GP).
  • Dragonbless (1 Charge, 6600 GP).
  • Dragoncurse (1 Charge, 4400 GP).
  • Channel Node (1 Charge, 4400 GP).

Total Cost: 50,000 GP. (40,000 GP if the Abundant Magic modifier applies – which is not likely given that this is a highly specialized item).

A Grand Nexial Staff has a +3 Bonus (resulting in Hardness 37 and 120 HP), a Base Caster Level of 17, reduces the cost for Ward Node to 2 Charges and includes Unbinding, Node Seed, and Detonate Node for 3 Charges Each, at a net cost of 120,000 GP (Abundant Magic pretty much never applies). They are considered extremely dangerous to the Empire, and it is generally illegal to carry them without a special permit or to sell them to anyone except the Imperial Military.

Both Nexial and Grand Nexial staves are extremely rare. Anyone capable of making one really has no use for one; Staves are for spells you often want, not for stuff that you only want once in a blue moon.

Staff Of The Dragon Lords:

A legendary Staff Of The Dragon Lords (sometimes known as a Staff of Tiamat or a Staff of Bahamut) is actually fairly simple to make: you take a Nexial or Grand Nexial staff and you turn into a 4 CP relic with a selection of carefully-chosen and highly specialized powers on top of it’s magical functions. There actually is a bit of a point to doing so, especially if you can’t make the basic staff yourself; it is an immensely powerful geomantic tool and the creator doesn’t necessarily have to be able to get along without it already if they purchase the basic staff. On the other hand, it’s still an incredibly specialized item. Node manipulation, and even node-based ritual magic, simply aren’t things that most adventurers want to bother with. They’re generally after quicker, more versatile, devices and power.

Relic Powers (4 CP Relic):

• Cloaking, Specialized and Corrupted / only affects the staff itself, can be penetrated by higher-level divinations (2 CP). The Staff generally shows up as little more than a Quarterstaff of Entwined Serpents – useful, but not at all impressive. Still, at least it helps cover up what the bearer is carrying around.
• Ritual Magic, Specialized and Corrupted for Reduced Cost / only for rituals of Node and Ley Line Manipulation or related to a nodes theme (2 CP). Anyone holding the staff can conduct rituals for these purposes while at a node.
• Siddhisyoga, Specialized and Corrupted for Reduced Cost / may only be used to create “Ioun Stones” to be added to the staff, only adventurers may be used as “payment”, GM sets abilities purchased and the value of the sacrifices (2 CP). Each time an adventurer (or “Spark”) is sacrificed to the Staff a portion of their essence will be trapped in an Ioun Stone – which will be mounted in the mouth of one of the heads of the dragons carved on the staff (more heads will appear if necessary). So long as the staff is in contact with the user these will function as if they were orbiting. Stones cannot, however, be added otherwise, and if one is taken from the staff it cannot be returned to it and is very likely (at least a 50% chance) to break. Worst of all, a rather high percentage of them are cursed – about what you’d expect of an item created via sacrificing intelligent beings.
• Mystic Artist (Knowledge/Arcana), Specialized for Reduced Cost (3 CP) and Corrupted for Increased Effect (The staff itself is the artwork in question, so the effect can be maintained as long as the user is holding it) / only allows access to Greatness (user’s Knowledge/Arcana 9+, grants 6 CP/a temporary feat) and Heroism (User’s Knowledge/Arcana 30+, grants 12 CP/the equivalent of two temporary feats), only provides the CP bonus, not other benefits, only allows a number of options equal to the current number of sacrifice-generated Ioun Stones on the staff, only affects the staff user, only to provide bonuses related to the sacrifices magical abilities and skills. The user may swap between bonuses – or reactivate one that deactivated when the staff was disarmed or set aside – once per level per day.
  • This is probably the biggest selling point of the Staff – if you don’t have a decent Mystic Artist in the party. If you do… well, they’ll almost certainly be a great deal more versatile in terms of granted bonuses (unless they’re cripplingly self-limited), won’t have to perform human sacrifices to expand their repertoire, will grant better bonuses, and their bonuses won’t stack with this bonus. Given that choice going with the actual mystic artist is a no-brainer.
• 2d6 (7) Mana with Reality Editing plus Rite Of Chi with +8 Bonus Uses, Specialized and Corrupted / only one edit is possible – adding (Mana Used/2, rounded down) charges to the staff (10 CP). In practice, the Staff recharges itself (the user could also add one charge with an appropriate spell) at 16 Charges/Day and maxes out at an effective 26 charges. Of course… unless you’re leaning hard on Channel Node, this is extreme overkill. Most characters will hardly ever use the thing, much less burn through more than twenty charges in a day.
• Augmented Bonus: Adds (Cha Mod) to (Int Mod) with respect Skill Checks, Specialized and Corrupted for Triple Effect / only applies to checks (including rituals) involving nodes and their magics (6 CP).  This makes you REALLY good at that node-related stuff you will probably never use.
• +3 Specialty in Spellcraft, Specialized and Corrupted for Increased Effect (+9) / only for ritual magic involving nodes and ley lines (1 CP). Now making you even better at things you will almost never do.
• Specific Knowledge: Nodes of the World (1 CP). Basically a catalog – and, oddly enough, always up to date. Or you could buy a book.
• Specific Knowledge: Node-Related Rituals (1 CP). This doesn’t include any specific rituals, but it does help let you know what’s practical and available – or in researching or designing them. Or, once again, you could buy a book. It will probably gather dust though.
• Lesser Dragonbond (Favored Foe variant, Specialized for Increased Effect / only applies in very limited areas, 6 CP). The user may bond with 1/2/3/4/5 specific nodes at levels 1/5/10/15/20. Each time the user bonds with a new node, he or she may increment a bond rank (including the new one) by one level. While at a bonded node, the user gains abilities based on the rank of the bond with it:
  • Rank 1) +1 Caster Level, gain access to 1L0 and 1L1 Spell Formulas related to the node’s theme, gain +2 on checks to perform ritual magic related to the node or its theme. Gain +2 on Knowledge checks related to the node, +1 to all Saving Throws.
  • Rank 2) +2 Caster Levels, gain access to 1L0, 1L1, 1L2, and 1L3 Spell Formulas related to the node’s theme, gain +4 on checks to perform ritual magic related to the node or its theme. Gain +4 on Knowledge checks related to the node, gain +2 to all Saving Throws.
  • Rank 3) +3 Caster Levels, gain access to 1L0, 1L1, 1L2, 1L3, 1L4, and 1L5 Spell Formulas related to the node’s theme, gain +6 on checks to perform ritual magic related to the node or its theme. Gain +6 on Knowledge checks related to the node, gain +3 to all Saving Throws.
  • Rank 4) +4 Caster Levels, gain access to 1L0, 1L1, 1L2, 1L3, 1L4, 1L5, 1L6, and 1L7 Spell Formulas related to the node’s theme, gain +8 on checks to perform ritual magic related to the node or its theme. Gain +8 on Knowledge checks related to the node, gain +4 to all Saving Throws.
  • Rank 5) +5 Caster Levels, gain access to 1L0, 1L1, 1L2, 1L3, 1L4, 1L5, 1L6, 1L7, 1L8, and 1L9 Spell Formulas related to the node’s theme, gain +8 on checks to perform ritual magic related to the node or its theme. Gain +8 on Knowledge checks related to the node, gain +4 to all Saving Throws.
  • This is genuine power – but not that much of it, slow to develop, and only available in VERY limited areas. That’s not much use to traveling adventurers, even if it is good for a local mages guildmaster or military wizard.
• Disadvantage: Hunted (-3 CP). The staff is a device of tremendous power (albeit in a field that is mostly unwanted), as well as a potential major threat to any land that relies on ley lines and nodes, or wishes to avoid being overrun with swarms of magical monsters. It’s also a constant temptation to kill powerful individuals in search of more power. As such, it doesn’t matter how impractical it really is; the law will be after you looking for pretty much any excuse to confiscate the thing.
• Disadvantage: Compulsive (-3 CP). The user will inevitably become fascinated with nodes and ley lines, want to spend most of their time at their bonded nodes (and begrudge time spent away from them), and delve into their secrets whenever possible – seeking out sages and scholars, buying rare books, and otherwise being an obsessive pest.

It’s hard to put a value on relics. After all, even a fairly minor character can contribute the points and it doesn’t take a high level character to make them – but few people have the ability to make relics and hardly anyone wants to give up permanent character points. Still, if many villages have a relic-creator, and some dying elders who want to pass on some bonuses to their kids, utilitarian relics in general may be cheap. This thing however… it attracts enemies just by existing. Actually making one is going to make life very awkward. It’s a bit like setting up a shop that sells nuclear weapons. People are going to want to stop you and the price will have to be pretty high just to justify the risk. On the other hand, on the rare occasion that you need this kind of a tool – perhaps the millennial conjunction is causing a nexus of dark magic to form beneath the city and soon the zombie apocalypse will start if you can’t stop it – it’s invaluable.

But the odds are pretty good that you will never need one – and if you do you will have to go on a quest to find one. So it’s a plot device. There’s no fixed price because no one is making the things and because there’s normally no market. After all, except for those rare occasions when you really need it, all you have is a great conversation piece that attracts the inquisition. In standard d20 terms, what we have here is a minor artifact, and it can be handled the same way.