Usable by all classes. Magical rods are items of great power, often combining many abilities around a single theme. A magical rod is a straight slender bar of metal, usually iron. By default, a rod can be used as a weapon in melee. It is treated as a +0 magical staff for damage, AC interaction modifiers, limitations by class, race, or religion, and so on. Unless otherwise specified, a rod has a burnout chance of 10% on its major powers, and is treated as level 12 for level-dependent purposes. To activate a rod, the user must concentrate on invoking its power while holding it in his hand, and must point it at any applicable target. A mage cannot cast with a rod in his hands.
Level 5. Burnout 10%. The wielder of this rod can speak with any nonsentient normal mammal or bird with natural flight ability, as per the prayer Speak with Animals. He can also forecast the weather that will occur during the next 72 hours within a 60 mile radius. These abilities do not require a check for burnout. With a burnout roll, the user can cast any one of the following mage spells at up to 6th level: Air Blast, Wall of Electricity, and Skylore (in the wind, cloud, and lightning spheres). He can also shape himself, as per the mage spell Shaping, into any flying animal (one he is eligible to speak to), with its movement, senses, and size, for a fixed duration of one day.
Level 4 "M, S". Burnout 10%. Anyone within 2" of this rod when it is activated must save vs. mental or be beguiled into believing the user to be worthy of their utmost trust and loyalty. The relationship imagined should be appropriate to the circumstances. A direct attack or suicidal order breaks the spell, but old loyalties and scruples are otherwise forgotten. Each victim receives a new saving throw at intervals of 20-wisdom turns, and when the saving throw is made, the effect ends.
Level 4. This rod functions only once. Whenever it is touched to any magical item, the rod renders the item permanently nonmagical. Only the most potent magical items, such as unique or artifact-level items, get a saving throw to resist the effect. If the Rod of Cancellation is used against another item in melee, the armor class of the target item is computed as follows: armor and robes, AC 9; shields, AC 8; helms, cloaks, and girdles, AC 7; gauntlets, bracers, boots, and similar worn objects, AC 6; weapons, AC 5; other items held in the hand, AC 4; medallions, amulets, and similar objects, AC 3 or the wearer's AC, whichever is better. The usual modifiers to melee, both offensive and defensive, apply. If the possessor of the target item is trying to protect it (instead of himself), the armor class of the item is 2 better, but the possessor suffers a -4 penalty to his own AC. The above list should serve as a guideline for determining the effective armor class of items not specifically mentioned. The rod can automatically be applied to items in the user's possession, or stationary items out of combat.
Level 5 C. Burnout 10%. This rod enables the user to cast the clerical prayer Full Finger of Death, as if he were a 15th level cleric.
Level 3 C. Burnout 5%. This rod enables the user to cast any of the standard clerical Detect prayers, as if he were a 15th level cleric. The user's religion applies for any religion-dependent prayer effects (such as for Detect Evil).
Level 5. Burnout 10%. The wielder of this rod can speak with any nonsentient normal animal that dwells underground, as per the prayer Speak with Animals. He can also determine his depth below ground level at his present position. These abilities do not require a check for burnout. With a burnout roll, the user can cast any one of the following mage spells at up to 6th level: Stone Walking, Wall of Stone, Move Earth, and Tremor. He can also shape himself, as per the mage spell Shaping, into any subterranean animal (one he is eligible to speak to), with its movement, senses, and size, for a fixed duration of one day.
Level 5 C. Burnout 10%. This rod enables the user to cast the clerical prayer Raise Dead Fully, as if he were a 15th level cleric. The body to be raised cannot have suffered more than 9 days of decay.
Level 2. Cursed-20. This item appears to be one of the useful types of rod, but any attempt to activate it invokes its curse. Thereafter, whenever the holder is within range of any offensive spell, prayer, or item effect, there is a 10% chance that the effect is centered on him. Any spell whose zone of effect is a single target has a 10% chance of affecting the wielder instead of its intended target. Any targeted spell (e.g., Magic Missile) aimed at the holder is +10% to hit him. Even the offensive prayers or items of the wielder are affected. (A mage cannot cast with a rod in his hands.)
Level 4 F. Burnout 10%. Although this item can function in melee as a default magical rod, it has wonderful powers in the hands of a fighter. The rod can instantaneously transform itself into a +2 magical weapon of any type desired by the user during the declaration phase of the round, allowing the user to participate in the rest of the round. If transformed into a missile weapon, it does not come with its own supply of arrows or bolts.
The rod can also transform itself into a climbing tool, varying in length from a 3' piton to a 50' pole with rungs for climbing, as desired by the user. As a piton, it penetrates even solid bedrock with ease. It can then be ordered to secure itself solidly and to lengthen to its full extent. In this form, it can support multiple armored men with ease and safety. If the owner touches and commands this climbing tool, it transforms back to a rod, but it does not obey anyone else as long as its owner remains alive and does not abandon it for more than one day.
The preceding abilities do not require a check for burnout. With a burnout roll, the item (in either its rod or weapon form) can bestow great powers of command upon its wielder for one hour. During this time his effective charisma in combat is raised to 20, although this does not sum with the clerical prayer Word of Command. The wearer adds 20% to the morale of friends within 6", and subtracts 20% from the morale of enemies within 6". Burnout of this function destroys the rod.
Level 3. Burnout 10%. This rod enables the user to cast any of the standard clerical Resist or Withstand prayers, as if he were a 15th level cleric.
Level 5. Burnout 10%. This rod increases the possessor's charisma to 20 whenever he holds it (this does not sum with Word of Command). With a burnout roll, the user can cast any one of the following clerical prayers, as if he were a 20th level cleric: Word of Command III, Quest, Withstand Charm 10'r, and Withstand Fear 10'r.
Level 5. Burnout 10%. The wielder of this rod can speak with any nonsentient normal aquatic (salt-water) animal, as per the prayer Speak with Animals. He can also swim at 6" either afloat or underwater. These abilities do not require a check for burnout. With a burnout roll, the user can cast any one of the following mage spells at up to 6th level: Water Breathing, Lower Water, and Part Water. He can also shape himself, as per the mage spell Shaping, into any aquatic animal (one he is eligible to speak to), with its movement, senses, and size, for a fixed duration of one day.
Level 4 M. When this rod is held, it absorbs all mage spells cast at the user, including multiple target spells and area spells in whose zone of effect the user is included. The rod does not selectively absorb spells; it attempts to absorb all spells regardless of the user's wishes. The energy of each spell absorbed is stored for 24 hours, during which time it can be used to cast a single spell of the same or lesser level, without the use of spell points, provided that the base spell (or base effect for a morphic spell) is known to the caster. The burnout chance is 10% per level of spell being absorbed. Burnout is checked for each spell the rod absorbs; the order of absorption is determined by the order of casting, as described in the combat sequence. When the rod burns out, any stored spell energy is lost. Any mage picking up the rod knows the levels of all spells stored within and when each expires. (As an example, if the rod absorbs a level 5-1/2 spell, it must make a burnout check of 55%. If it does not burn out, any mage can cast a single spell of level 5-1/2 or less from the rod during the next day. If a mage unable to cast a level 5 spell himself used the stored energy, he could cast only a lower level base spell with it, although he could add modifiers to the spell to raise it to level 5-1/2.)
Level 5. Burnout 10%. The wielder of this rod can speak with any nonsentient naturally occurring green plants, as per the prayer Speak with Plants. He can also determine whether any such plant is poisonous or unsafe to eat. These abilities do not require a check for burnout. With a burnout roll, the user can cast any one of the following mage spells at up to 6th level: Mini-Flash, Blinding Flash, Growth Plants, Skylore (in the temperature sphere, only to raise temperatures), and Flame Storm. He can also shape himself, as per the mage spell Shaping, into any green plant (one he is eligible to speak to), with its size and its movement and senses (if any), for a fixed duration of one day.
Last Modified on September 25,1995.
ammulder@princeton.edu