Magical Items

The Bracers of Wildspace

Eric F. Schetly 

The Bracers of Wildspace are artifacts believed to be created in the Omnispace crystal sphere, 
but reports have them appearing in many spheres over the centuries. The bracers, according 
to the rumors and heresay, were originally something completely different, when they were 
fashioned on the planet Omni in it's first Age of Magic (which, sages believe, is some 3,000-
plus standard years past). Some of their original abilities still exist, but most of the 
powers have changed with the passing of time. 

The bracers have changed in appearance, also. Originally they were fashioned from bronze with 
intricate runes carved into them. For reasons still unknown, the metal has changed into 
something that resembles the same material that compromises a crystal sphere. The bracers 
are now completely black, and the runes that first adorned them are now points of light. These 
points of light are actually the constellations of the sphere in which the bracers are in at 
the time.  For example, if the bracers were found in Krynnspace, the white "lights" on the 
bracers would appear in the patterns of Krynnish constellations. Should the bracers found 
in the Phlogiston, the bracers will appear completely black. 

The bracers are very powerful artifacts, yet only warriors may wear them. The reason for this 
is yet unknown. Anyone else attempting to wear the bracers will be unable to lock the bracers 
into place.  The bracers, when worn, appear seamless, but if not found on someone, are actually 
hinged! The two halves lock into place around the arm, magically growing or shrinking to fit the 
needs of the wearer. Any hinges or locks disappear once they are on someone. No harm befalls 
anyone not of the warrior class when attempting to put on the bracers: they merely fail to 
lock into place. 

The Bracers of Wildspace are currently in the possession of Onestar the Psionic Samurai, 
captain of the Eternal Wanderer. 

The Bracers of Wildspace have many powers. It is rumored that not all of the powers have 
been discovered. To date, these are all the known abilities of the bracers. 

(The Bracers grow in power as the warrior grows in "level." Role-playing abilities will be 
listed first, while actual game statistics will be listed in parenthesis afterward.) 

Depending on where the warrior is, whether it be in wildspace, planetside, or in the phlogiston, 
the bracers have different functions. Their planetside abilities will be discussed first. 
(Unless otherwise noted, the `planetside' abilities can be used in wildspace or the phlogiston 
also.) 

Planetside 

The bracers, when placed on the warrior, first impart greater strength. The warrior, at 
first, is not accustomed to his new strength, but soon grows used to it.

    Current STR Level	New STR Level
       3-16	        add one level
       17	        18(roll for exceptional STR)
       18(18/01-18/00)	19
       19 and up	add one level

The PC suffers a -1 to hit penalty until he becomes used to his new strength {1d4+3 days}. 
After the PC gains advances to his next level, make the PC roll a save vs. Polymorph. Failure 
means that the PC has gained extra bulk and must subtract 1 from his Dexterity. Making the new 
throw means no penalty.) 

The bracers also reflect the character's alignment, by way of emitting CONTINUAL LIGHT at 
will.  The glow from the bracers will be a pure white for good characters, dull beige for 
Neutral characters, and darkness will come from the bracers for evil characters. 

(Please note: If a mage has cast a spell on the character to mask his alignment, this will 
not affect the glow of the bracers. They reflect the "inner light" of the PC, and will not 
be affected by any change.)

The bracers act as magical armor for the warrior. The bracers provide a magical defense 
constantly for the warrior. The bracers will not provide these benefits, however, if the 
warrior wears other forms of protection. 

(The bracers lower the AC of the warrior 1 point for every two levels of experience. For 
example, a 1st level warrior has an armor class of 9, while a 20th level warrior has an AC 
of 0. This benefit is not activated if other armor is worn, either magical or normal. A 
shield will not affect this. The bracers also confers a 5% Magical Resistance for every 
two levels to the PC. This cannot be turned on or off at will: it works on spells whether 
they help or harm the PC.) 

Also, once per week, the bracers can locate dimensional rifts. Upon Mental command, the bracers 
begin to glow, then the warrior begins to levitate (as per the spell: 1d10 feet. Watch for low 
ceilings) and spin very quickly. After a few seconds, the glow intensifies and "flies" from 
the warrior in the direction of the rift. The warrior knows the direction and the distance of 
the rift, but not where it leads. 

(This ability will not work in Wildspace or the Phlogiston. Role-play this carefully: if the PC 
is indoors when he tries this, warn him that he may bump his head on the ceiling. Also, the 
"bolt" is the color of the PC's alignment, as detailed in the Continual Light paragraph. The 
destination and location of the "rift" is up to the DM. Should the PC use this ability in the 
planes, then the PC may {at the DM's discretion} choose their destination, with a chance of 
5%/per level chance of success.) 

Wildspace 

In wildspace, the Bracers become their most powerful. Depending upon the circumstances, they will 
help in combat or help escape, whichever your needs might be.

The Locate Dimensional Rifts ability does not function in Wildspace. Rather, the Bracers 
can locate portals in a crystal sphere within a 1,000-mile per level coverage of the sphere. 
Should a portal be located, the warrior knows where it is and while passing through it, the 
bracers will not allow the portal to close. (Pretty self explanatory, don’t you think?) 

Should no portal be located, the bracers, once per week, can Create Portal in a Crystal 
Sphere!  The portal will be large enough for the Warrior's ship to pass through, then close 
as soon as the ship is through. 

(This takes one full turn of concentration on the PC's part to open such a portal. Should the 
PC's ship be part of a fleet, the portal will not remain open long enough to let the entire 
fleet pass through.  The portal will close as soon as the ships begin to pass through. 
Consider this a Ship Halved roll according to the Spelljammer Boxed Set.) 

Should combat be required, the Bracers draw upon the inner essence of the warrior and provide 
a powerful offensive weapon. The warrior, up to three times per day, can project a powerful Cone of
Force from the bracers. The cone is powerful enough to cause serious damage to either a 
ship or to its crew. The cone of force is extremely powerful: if not careful, the warrior might 
be knocked off his own ship! 

(CONE OF FORCE: In order to use this ability, the PC MUST be braced up against something 
that will stand the shock of something 2 times his weight {A saving throw may be made by 
the DM if he/she wishes}. The cone, when projected, goes in one direction while forcing the 
PC the opposite direction. Even if a character is bracing himself and isn't against 
something, the PC will be forced back, more than likely off the ship. 

The cone of force is projected in a straight line. The distance the cone can travel is 
determined by the PC's Level and the chart below: 

       Character's Level	Distance of cone (IN HEXES)
             1-6	same hex
             7-10	1 Additional Hex
            11-16	2 Additional Hexes
            17-20	3 Additional Hexes
             21+	1 hex/ 7 levels

The cone can be used two different ways, and the PC must announce which method he 
intends to use before attacking. If the PC is unaware of the different attacks the Cone 
can make, then Attack Mode 1 is used by default. 

ATTACK MODE 1: Ship damage. The PC must make a THAC0 roll, with a -4 Called Shot Penalty. If 
successful, the PC inflicts 1 Hull point of damage per level. If the ship is destroyed by the 
attack (I.E., the total number of points damage taken by the ship is more than the ship's 
current Hull Point total), the ship is permitted a saving throw (whatever material it is 
mostly compromised of) versus Disintegration. If it fails, the ship is destroyed and the air 
envelope begins to dissipate. If the ship makes the save, the crew of the other ship can 
"hold the craft together" long enough to hope for a crash landing somewhere. 

ATTACK MODE 2: Ship crew attack. This is more difficult. The PC must make a THAC0 roll with a 
double called shot penalty (-8). This is because the PC is trying to hit a ship someone 
on a ship a good distance away from him. I don't care how good the PC is, this ain't easy. 
Should the attack be successful, EVERY CREW MEMBER ON AN EXPOSED DECK IS KNOCKED OFF THE SHIP. 
THERE IS NO SAVING THROW. 

If the DM thinks that this is too powerful to use in his campaign, then the second 
mode is optional.) 

PLEASE NOTE: The Cone of Force will NOT work in the Phlogiston. It only works in Wildspace.

One other power the Bracers offer, whether it is in Wildspace or the Phlogiston, is a 
constantly regenerating air envelope. Should the warrior be forced off his ship, his air 
envelope will never foul.  The bracers will keep the air pure. 

(Of course, the PC will still be effected by Hunger, cold and whatever else the PC needs. 
Hey, he may starve before another ship finds him, but at least the air will be clean! This 
ability will only work on one person: it will not refresh the entire ship's envelope. 
Should the air on a ship go deadly, the bracers will keep the PC's personal air envelope 
fresh.) 

Phlogiston 

One would think that the Bracers would be less effective in the Phlogiston. While most of its 
abilities will not function, it does offer some protection. 

The bracer’s ability of continual light will work in the Phlogiston, as will the armor, 
the replenishing air envelope and the ability to locate portals (The Bracers will not open a 
portal outside a Crystal Sphere.) None of the other powers will work. 

The Bracers do offer one special power in the Phlogiston that it can't offer anywhere else: 
Protection from Fire. Should (the greater powers forbid) the warrior come near a fire while 
in the extremely flammable phlogiston, an aura (the same color as the continual light) will 
appear around the warrior and fire will not harm him. 

(This is involuntary. The PC has no control over this power. This power will not work 
outside the Phlogiston. Anyone near or touching the PC will not be protected by this ability.) 

Some Important Notes 

As with any artifact of power, there are some things, as the DM, you should know about. The first, 
and most important, is that once the bracers are placed on a PC's arms, they can never be 
removed. Thieves cannot find any locks to pick or any hinges to loosen. The metal is considered 
Unbreakable (even a saving throw of a 1 will not harm the metal!) and with an AC considered 
near -20. Once a PC acquires these, they're stuck with them. 

There are only two ways to remove the bracers: Cutting off the person’s arms or killing the 
person. It is possible to remove the bracers, but it is strongly advised against. Only once, in 
all of existence, has anyone tried to use the WISH spell on the Bracers. The mage, whose name 
has been long forgotten, was utterly destroyed in the process, and the world under which they 
stood was blown apart. The man who wore the Bracers survived, but soon died of starvation. 
The Bracers, also, are a prized artifact, and most Wildspace races seek them. It is believed 
that they were once the possession of Illithids, the Neogi, and the Reigar. The Arcane and the 
Dohwar would love to purchase them, but would never go to the bother of actually killing 
someone for them.  They have, as far as these bracers go, patience. They know that someday 
the current owner will die and then they will try for them again. The Giff have no interest 
in the Bracers, for reasons no Giff will ever relate. 

The Bracers are never apart; In fact, they will not work unless one being wears both of them. 
They are magically connected, and will never be found more than 3 feet apart of each other. 
Should two warriors try to wear one each, the bracers will not lock and therefore not function. 

Clerics, Thieves, Mages, and Psionicists cannot use the Bracers. It is rumored that because they 
concentrate on one "art" rather than the warrior, who is more likely to try nearly anything 
once, they cannot work. The bracers work on all races, with one notable exception: Gnomes.  
Myths tell us that the creator of the Bracers hated Gnomes. They even work perfectly on Dwarves, 
which has been known to shock even the most seasoned adventurer. Imagine a Dwarf, tossing off 
Continual Light Spells and opening portals in Crystal Spheres! 

Dispel Magic Grenade

Eric F. Schetly 

Appearance: This appears to be a small, 2-inch diameter globe of crystal with a milky-white 
substance inside. 

Abilities: any class may use this weapon. When thrown (using the thrower's THAC0), the globe 
breaks upon impact. The area of effect is a ten-foot radius. All magic users and/or magical 
items must make a saving throw. (Mages/Clerics: Save vs. spells. Magical items: save vs. Magical 
Fire. Magical bonuses are in effect {+1, +2, etc}. Saving throw charts are found in DMG.)  
If the save fails, one of the following effects occurs: 

1.Magic-using characters, NPCs, and creatures with spell-like abilities lose all magical 
abilities for 1 day (144 Turns). Mages need to study their spells to regain them. Priests 
must pray for more spells. Others regain them at their normal rate. 
2.All magical items that fail their save lose their dweomers, and become normal weapons or 
trinkets. Items of exceptional quality (Artifacts, +3 or better magical items, weapons with 
more than 50 charges, etc.) merely act as if under the clerical spell DISPEL MAGIC. (Cast at 
12th level of ability.) 

Limitations: The sphere that holds the magical energy is extremely fragile. Should any 
monster or PC carrying a sphere be forced to make a save versus Crushing Blow for whatever 
reason, the sphere will fail and shatter. Also, if the to-hit is failed, grenade effect rules 
should be used as detailed in the Dungeon Master's Guide. 

History: Nothing is known about this new and extremely dangerous weapon. Where it came from and 
who created it is a mystery. The first reported sighting of the grenade was on the world Oerth 
by a group of adventures exploring a lost castle. The group met and defeated a strange, 7-foot 
tall alien that destroyed itself upon death. 

Several of the globes survived its death, and were taken by the Spelljamming Necromancer 
Devonshire Tavern to his homeworld of Omni for study. He surmised that the creature 
that used the grenade was not from Greyspace. The monster was extremely dangerous and, 
Devonshire decided it was one whose world he did not want to explore. 

XP Value: None. Method of creation unknown to PC's (The DM may, at his discretion, assign a 
value to the using of the grenade, but the PC's cannot determine how to create them. 

GP Value: Unknown at this time. There are but a handful of these globes known to exist, so they 
could very easily demand a king's ransom. 

Myrkandite

thanatos@interaccess.com 

When the metallurgist pores over the manifest of spelljamming ships laden with exotic ores, 
such as adamantine, meteoric iron, and Frewer's Gold, none excites the pulse and widens 
the scholarly prospects as finding a lump of the fabled Myrkandite. Native to but one 
world, early experiments in spatial transport has scattered the lumps of reddish rock across 
the spheres, to the boon of some, and the detriment of others. For myrkandite is an ore like 
no other. Most ores and metals are prized for their constancy of properties. Myrkandite, as 
shall be seen, is prized for just the opposite reason. 

Wherever you go, mithril is the same. Metallic gold in sheen, it is virtually impossible to smelt
without the aid of magic. Wherever you go, an mithril sword will always be a mithril sword. Its
properties are its innate hardness and readiness to take enchantment. These never change, except
perhaps on magically dead worlds. 

Myrkandite, on the other hand, is as constant as the wind. Deep red in hue when it is discovered in
the ground, it resolves into a metallic scarlet after careful refining. Such processing is necessary,
since Myrkandite is an amalgam of gold, silver, adamantine, and what appears to be quicksilver.
Thrust into a common fire, it readily disassociates into its valuable components. Carefully tempered,
however, it is worth a thousand times the sum of all its components. 

It was originally found as a natural ore only on Greyhawk. Here, oddly, it showed no innate
properties, other than being a fantastically valuable chunk of rock, that could be disassociated into
several priceless metals. Much myrkandite was lost in these years, to those too greedy to look
beyond a quick piece. 

It was only when a mage decided to show a sample of the ore to a colleague in Faerun. He set up
the powerful magicks to bridge the two worlds, and enacted them. Suddenly, and quite by surprise,
the sample utterly annihilated in a burst of energy, mortally wounding the mage. He lived long
enough to tell his friend, Cameron, that it was indeed the Myrkandite that had done it. From that
day on, it took on the unsavory name "bloodsilver." 

As is the case with human nature, such events do not dissuade interests, but rather fire the
imagination. What made the ore behave in such a fashion? Was it perhaps inimical to existence on
Faerun, and that any sample thus transported would explode? Cameron traveled to Oerth, to study
it in greater detail. 

After five years, he came up with nothing. Myrkandite was largely unreactive, and seemed fit only to
adorn jewelry, as was the fashion now. Its scarlet red hue enhanced any material it was added to,
from base pewter to the most elegant adamantine bracelet. 

The secret for myrkandite incorporation in other materials was discovered by Cameron himself.
First, the ore is ground down into a fine powder. Then the substance to which it is to be mixed is
also ground down (nearly impossible for adamantium, but where there's an iron golem, there's a
way). The powders are added, and the mix is slowly heated, gradually increasing the fires, until the
substance is liquid. A quick pour, and the item is molded. 

Cameron theorized that whole items could be forged out of myrkandite by a process he called
"press forging." A mold would be filled with powdered myrkandite. A golem or other fire resistant
creature would hold the two halves together, and insert them into the furnace. When finished, the
mold is taken out, and cracked open. The result is left to cool. 

When the first item, a bracelet, was forged in this manner, Cameron turned it over to a jeweler for
engraving and encrustment. Much to his chagrin, nothing short of adamantine would score it, and
that merely scratched the surface. Gems had to be tied on with gold wire. 

Puzzled by such a radical state change, Cameron sought to gather up as much Myrkandite ore as
possible, and stashed it safely. His family begged him to return home, but he could find no safe
magical transport. Finally, a friend recommended one of the spelljammers so often seen in the night
sky. He knew that the moment he arrived home, he would resume his studies with a fevered pitch,
so he thought a slow ride home might be nice. 

He took with him a small sack of the ore for study, and the first bracelet he had forged, now around
his wrist. When they made ready to leave this world, he went to the edge of the ship, to see the
breathtaking view. 

No sooner had they entered wildspace than something frightening happened. The bracelet began to
shake and throb mightily, and Cameron, recalling what had happened to his friend, dropped the
bracelet to the deck, and leapt back. 

This caused a hearty chuckle amongst the crew, convinced they had a newbie on this journey,
unused to the differences in gravity. The captain moved to reassure his passenger, and noticed the
bracelet on the ground. Picking it up, against the protestations of the mage, he asked the scholar
where he had acquired a lump of planetite. 

The mage was confused. He touched the bracelet, and it was indeed still throbbing, albeit
diminishing. Did the captain expect this? 

The captain explained that this substance, normally called myrkandite, but planetite in wildspace,
was extremely valued in the art of navigation. It thrummed and throbbed in the presence of a planet,
growing more intense the closer the planet got. Many a ship whose air supply dwindled, was saved
by these rocks. Of course, smaller pieces were usually employed, to prevent the startling nature the
mage had witnessed. 

Were there any more uses, the mage queried? 

The captain knew of only one. There were rumors that the ore did not respond well to
extradimensional energies, such as seen in a teleport, or a dimension door. When a ship faced a dire
foe, myrkandite could be teleported onto the foe's ship, where it would explode, and hopefully
disable the 'jammer. Because of the heavy price of Myrkandite, however, this was keenly
discouraged. 

A change in properties! How incredible! The mage was now enthralled by the prospects for his ore,
and sought a return to home as soon as possible, to carry on his experiments. 

He almost asked the captain to return to Oerth, when an idea came into his impassioned brain. If
there was a change of properties here, then why not on other planets, other worlds? Was
myrkandite so whimsical that it affected different things on different worlds? There was only one
way to find out. 

The results consumed the rest of Cameron's life. His results were collected in the Tome of
Myrkandite, which was lost in a magical war between his guild and a wizard's college over a stash
of adamantine never returned. The random notes that survive, as well as specific examples which
Cameron discovered, follow: 

Greyhawk: As stated, the effects of Myrkandite are hidden on Oerth. This can primarily be linked
to the fact that Myrkandite has only been found naturally on Greyhawk. Further, Myrkandite can
only be synthesized artificially in Oerthian laboratories. Some have theorized that the majority 
of the properties that surround Myrkandite have to do with vibration generation and control. If
synthesized on another world, the compound, in the process of creation, will shake itself apart.
However, its inability to teleport between worlds, coupled with records of its existence on worlds
other than Oerth before the advent of Spelljamming leads some to conclude that part of the secret
of Myrkandite is still unknown. 

The majority of Myrkandite forging is done here, due to the fact that little in the way of 
surprises await those who try to forge it. Otherwise, it is necessary to erect a shield 
against a planet's specific effects, lest the vibrating skew the results. This shield 
usually is an anti-magic shell, allowing spells to be cast within, but not across the 
barrier. There also exists a spell created by the unknown mage that neutralizes the 
vibration field of the myrkandite, allowing it to be unreactive. Bearing in mind that such 
a spell also neutralizes the effectiveness of a weapon or item already created, its secret
was tightly guarded. 

Wildspace: Despite the proliferation of crystal spheres, the effects of Myrkandite are always
constant when in Wild Space. The myrkandite hums and throbs the closer it gets to a planetary
mass. This is not always good, as it locks in to the closest mass, and not necessarily the largest, or
the one that has precious air or life. 

Still, it is useful in detecting magically cloaked worlds, or uncharted planets, as magic screening has
no effect on it. In spheres that are antimagic in nature, a combination of a lump of Myrkandite and a
gnome rocket ship is all that's needed to navigate even the largest Sargasso. 

When approaching 100 million miles from a world, the stone begins to vibrate lightly. Often, the
rock is cradled in a sophisticated holder that sets off a noticeable change the moment a vibration
runs through it. It steadily builds each 10 million miles passes, until, as it reaches the outer edge of a
planet's air envelope, it actually shakes and rolls if placed on a flat surface. Those with planetary
navigation, and more than a year's experience with a particular piece of Myrkandite, can gauge how
far they are from a given world by the rate and strength of vibration. This is extremely useful, as
often a navigator will come near two worlds, and will reach a point where she is equidistant to the
both. Without an innate knowledge of Myrkandite, she may be confused as to why she isn't getting
farther from the world in question, as the Myrkandite suddenly senses this closer world, and takes
over. 

Potions

Terry Hawkins (tlhawk@hal-pc.org) 

     The following potions are for sale by most Arcane in the Astromundi Cluster and provide a 
good fall back for the race in a sphere were access to spelljamming helms are relatively common. 
Note that some races (illithids mostly) take offence to the purchase and sale of certain 
potions. The arcane are careful to never "glut" the market, and may refuse to sell on 
a whim. 



Extended Breath Potion (750gp): 
     This potion allows the drinker to survive without air for 3d4 days. 

Gravity Walk Potion (500gp): 
     This potion allows the drinker to stand on and walk across a gravity plane. It functions 
as Boots of Star Striding (Dragon #159 or Encyclopedia Magica, Volume 1) for the duration 
of the potion. 

Helm Boost (1000gp): 
     This potion gives the spelljammer an addition +1 to the SR movement of the ship and a +1 
on initiative rolls for the duration of 2d4 hours or until the drinker stops spelljamming. 

Helmsman Potion (800gp): 
     This potion allows a non-spell casting individual to spelljam as if there were a 
spell caster of the same level with a full compliment of spells memorized. The potion allows 
the drinker to spelljam for a number of hours equal to his/her constitution. At the end of 
that time the 'jammer is exhausted and suffers a -4 to hit, proficiency checks and on 
saving throws until he has rested for eight hours. 

Immunity to Confusion (800gp): 
     The drinker is immune to the confusion effects of umber hulks for the duration of the 
potion.  The potion is also effective against the priest spell. 

Mind-Poison (1200gp): 
     This potion lowers the intelligence of the drinker by 1d6 points for the duration of 
the potion (10% permanent effect), but makes the brain poisonous to illithids. If an illithid 
consumes the brain of a creature under the effect of this potion, it must make a saving 
throw vs. death magic at -4 or die (no magic resistance roll). If the illithid survives, it 
loses 3d6 hit points and a like number of PSP's. Used by the Calidian Hidden as a last 
resort or in assassination plots. 

Psionic Reflection (1400gp): 
     This potion reflects psionic effects directed at the drinker back at the attacker. 
Only psionic abilities that are targeted on the drinker are affected. It however makes 
directed psionic abilities impossible to use by the imbiber for the duration of the potion. 
     Directed psionics is any that has an area of effect other than "personal". Note that 
this is a magical potion with properties that affect psionics, rules for mixing potions still 
apply. 

Psionic Resistance Potion (1000gp): 
     Any non-psionic individual that drinks this potion is immune to psionic attacks of 
all types until the potion wears off. Note that this is a magical potion with properties 
that affect psionics, rules for mixing potions still apply. 

The Staff of Tiegorus

Richard J. Pugh 

This staff is a by-product of Tiegorus's accumulated research. It is made of rare wood, is 
about 4'6" long, and with a star-shaped tip holding a gem that continuously changes color. 
Cherry is NEVER without this staff. It is similar to a magi staff, and can perform the 
following: 

Powers that drain no charges: 
     Read Magic, Detect Magic, Light, Feather Fall, Shield* 
Powers that drain one charge: 
Invisibility, Web, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, ESP, Tongues, Magic Missile, Levitate, Dispel 
Magic, Ray of Enfeeblement, Suggestion. 
Powers that drain two charges: 
Telekinesis, Cone of Cold, Wall of Fire, Conjure Elemental, Wizard Eye, Teleport, Passwall.
Arcane powers: 
Absorb spells to recharge, Store ten levels of spells (as a Ring of Spell Storing), Astral 
Projection (drains five charges, lose 1-6 strength points upon return. Strength returns at 
a rate of 1 point/hour). 

If the staff is ever broken it will perform a retributive strike, as a Magi Staff. 
Normally, it performs all spell functions at two levels below Cherry (18th at present), 
and it can strike creatures hit only by magical weapons. However, it has no "to hit" 
bonus and is considered a normal weapon in calculating damage. Finally, though the "Shield" 
function drains no charges, it can only be used as many times in a twenty-four hour period as 
there are charges in the staff. Like most staves, this one can hold 25 charges before 
becoming "full." Overloading it will result in a retributive strike. 

For the record, the construction of this staff took a LONG TIME: about two years to construct 
the formula, another year to gather the ingredients, and eight months for actual construction. 

Storm Wood

Michael Sandy 


Storm wood is a tree that can only grow on exposed mountain ridges. It survives by using an innate
wind control ability that is prized in any wood product even vaguely related to flight. It can only be
cultivated by dragging huge quantities of fertilizer up thousand foot cliffs, and then casting Plant
Growth. Otherwise, the wood is hopelessly warped and useless. A storm wood arrow, even
without an enchantment, carries 25% to 50% farther than normal arrows. Unfortunately, it costs
about 10 gp for enough an arrow shaft. 

Storm wood reacts beneficially to any flight related spell cast upon it. Such spells affect ten times the
mass of storm wood than the spell description, with increased duration as well. This includes spells
like Feather Fall, Unseen Servat, Levitate, Flight, Gust of Wind etc... If you could actually get
enough storm wood to make a spelljammer ship out of, it could almost fly without a helm. 


In my campaign universe there was a huge magical civil war about 500 years ago that left many area
blighted by warped magical energies. Some magical plants and animals evolved as a result of them,
and some are 'natural', having an evolved ability to work certain magic. My premise is that if magic
is possible in the universe, it is possible for living things to, by accident, develop some magical ability. 

In the case of Storm wood, a magical ability to withstand tremendous wind forces created a
dependence on that wind, and the tree will not develop the magical ability without it. Using the
magic has a high biological cost, or rather, imbuing that magic into the wood since it lasts until the
sap totally dries up. 

The only way to get large quantities of Storm wood in usable form with denuding the ridge is to use
magic. 

I haven't designed a Storm Wood ship, but it might take less magic than a helm to power it. For
example, because it is so receptive to wind magic, someone with a Ring of Air Elemental command
using the Gust of Wind power every round would be sufficient to power a small ship, providing
something else was providing lift. 

A ship made from Storm Wood would likely be more expensive than the magical power source.
However, the mass of the hull itself wouldn't count against the mass limit of the helm, enabling much
larger ships. Well, it would count a little, but not much. 

Flying the ship without a helm would likely be impossible, but landing it would be doable because
the lifting magic could be enchanted into the very hull itself. A 10th level mage casting Feather Fall
could slow ten tons of Storm Wood. 

A Storm Wood ship would also get a lot more benefit out of rigging than some ships. The down
side is the difficulty in obtaining spare timbers to fix the inevitable battle damage. It would get a lot
more cargo capacity compared to the hull mass enabling a host of designs.