Saving the world on a Sunday afternoon
Using a Potion simply requires drinking it. If a Potion contains multiple doses of a single effect, then the effect can be gained by drinking a sufficient portion. If a Potion contains multiple effects, then the effects can only be gained by drinking the entire Potion.
Example: G’Mord is given two vials, one containing two doses of Fire Skin 4 and the other containing a Heal Wounds 14 and a Heal Life 14. Drinking half of the Fire Skin 4 Potion gives him the benefits of the spell, and leaves him one more dose. Drinking half of the healing Potion will have no effect – he won’t have drunk enough to gain either miracle. He needs to drink the entire Potion to gain the benefits of the miracles.
Note that you do not need to be conscious to drink a potion, it can be poured down your throat.
Scrolls require the relevant School/Path Runes skill and the ability to cast spells/miracles from the appropriate School, Path or Sect. Using a Scroll involves reading the Scroll and providing the Mana/Standing to empower the effect. The character takes no casting damage when casting a spell/miracle from a Scroll as it acts as a focus. After using a Scroll, it is irrevocably destroyed.
Example: Caffrey has been given a Scroll consecrated to Justice (and hence written in Justice Runes) which contains the level 5 miracle Bless 6. When he uses the Scroll he does not take the usual 5 Life Points of casting damage and the Scroll is destroyed.
Example: If a Life priest through some hero ability knew Death Runes (not usually possible), he still wouldn’t be able to use a Summon Undead Servant 1 Scroll since he cannot cast Death miracles.
Scrolls follow the same Casting Requirements as for casting a spell/miracle normally (though you may hold the scroll in your hand). So, you need at least the same number of words as the equivalent spell/miracle on the scroll, which must be read out to cast it. You cannot just say “Item do thy work” like other magic items.
Scrolls also require you to follow other standard rules for casting e.g. metal armour Casting Penalty etc.
If the Standing/Mana is lost then the scroll is destroyed (e.g. if the spell/miracle casting is interrupted).
Before a Single Use item can be activated, it must first be attuned to by the user.
Single Use items are activated by thinking about the desired effect, touching the item and saying “Item do thy work” at least at a normal speaking volume for each effect you want to activate.
When used, if the item only contains Single Use effects and the last has been used, it becomes just a mundane item and must be prepared again.
Before a Charged item can be activated, it must first be attuned to by the user.
Charged items are activated by thinking about the desired effect, touching the item and saying “Item do thy work” at least at a normal speaking volume for each charge you want to release.
When used, the item loses one of its charges.
Example: Craise has an Amulet of Drain Wounds 9, with 3 charges. When used, Craise thinks about the Drain Wounds, touches the amulet and says “Item do thy work”. He then has to touch a target with both hands within 30 seconds. Immediately on activation, the Amulet loses a charge.
Before a Daily item can be activated, it must first be attuned to by the user.
Daily items are activated by thinking about the desired effect, touching the item and saying “Item do thy work” at least at a normal speaking volume for each effect you want to activate.
When used, it cannot be used again until it recharges at dawn. Daily items cannot recharge unless their effects have expired or been dispelled.
Before a user can gain the benefits of a Permanent item that effects the user, it must first be attuned to by the user.
Permanent items with a spell/miracle that affects the item itself can be used immediately.
Example: G’Mord finds a Sword with a Permanent Flame Blade 4. As the effect target’s the item, he gains the benefit of the effect immediately when he uses the weapon.
Permanent items are always active (and cannot be turned off), with the spell/miracle either affecting the item or its user.
If a Permanent effect is dispelled, the effect is suppressed for 15 minutes. During this time, if all the effects are suppressed, the item appears to be non-magical.
Example: G’Mord has a Sword with a Permanent Flame Blade 4. During combat, his Flaming Sword is affected by a Dispel 4. This suppresses the Flame Blade 4 for 15 minutes and, as the Sword has no other enchantments, it is treated as a normal weapon.
For permanent items that affect the wearer:
Permanent Items containing Non-Stackable effects (Endurance, <Path/School Resistance>, Mighty Blow, Shattering Blow, Mirror Image, <School> Form) refresh their effect one per hour. Supressing the effect or taking the item off and putting it on again does not affect this timer (But will allow for another effect to be cast of the same type)
Example: Reena has a Permanent Item of Mighty Blow 1. In a fight she uses a Mighty Blow against an enemy. An hour later she can use Mighty Blow from the item again.
Before a character can activate certain magic/miraculous items (see above), he must claim it for his own and it must be in his possession for 24 hours. At the end of this time the character becomes attuned to the item and is made aware of all of its spells/miracles. Only one character can be attuned to an item at any one time. As soon as a new character becomes attuned, the previous owner can no longer use the item. Alternatively, the General spell “Magic Attunement” allows a character to attune to an item without waiting for 24 hours.
Example: G’Mord has been given a Ring of Dexterity 2. Before he gains the benefit of the item he needs to claim it, put it on and then spend 24 hours with it in his possession.
Claiming an item is as simple as believing the item belongs to the character, using it appropriately (i.e. putting it on if it is wearable, placing it in a scabbard, wielding it, etc.). In particular, a wearable item cannot be claimed without wearing it for at least 24 hours. Characters can (usually) carry items belonging to others without attuning as long as they don’t make any claim of ownership.
If an item has a keyed ability you can still attune to the item, but you will not be able to use the keyed ability unless you meet the key criteria.
You cannot downcast spells/miracles when activating an item unless you were the lead embedder for the item.
Example: Kavara creates a Daily item of Fire Skin 4 and attunes to it, she can then cast this as Fire Skin 4 or a Fire Skin 3 for an hour etc. once per day. She then sells this item to Physara, who attunes to it. Physara can ONLY cast this as a Fire Skin 4 once per day.
When using a non-Permanent item anybody can change any of the parameters of the spell/miracle.
Example: Physara has a Daily item of Blink 2. Once per day she can cast Blink 2 as as a 30 pace blink, a blink going through solid objects and changing facing at the start etc.
If it is a Permanent item then the parameters are chosen when the item is first attuned to and ‘switched on’. Even if the item is removed, broken etc. the parameters cannot be changed again unless it is re-embedded.
Example: Physara has a Permanent item of Spell Immunity 1. When she first attunes to the item, she chooses to be immune to Ice Dart. This cannot be changed.
The following skills & spells/miracles can help identify items:
Will tell you if an item has been enchanted.
Will tell you if an item has been enchanted.
Will tell you if an item has been enchanted, how many spells it contains and what school and level each of them are.
Will tell you if an item has been consecrated.
Will tell you if an item has been consecrated.
Will tell you if an item has been consecrated to a particular Principle (e.g. Discern Death can determine if an item is consecrated to Death, Might, Anarchy or Balance. Note it will not tell you the specific Path).
Will tell you if an item has been consecrated, how many miracles it has inside, and will tell you the exact Path (Justice, Life, Freedom, Chaos, Anarchy, Death, Might, Order, Balance, Animal, Tree, Weather, Seasonal or Nature Death) and level of the miracles.
Will tell you if an item has been consecrated to the Path of Nature.
Will tell you the level to which an item has been Consecrated to that particular Path/Sect.
Will tell you the level to which an item has been Enchanted to that particular School.
Will tell you the exact spell/miracle a scroll contains.
If you can determine the School(s) or Path of the item you can also determine the appropriate spell or miracle effect, if you can cast the spell or miracle via instant-cast or ritual.
Items do not gain any bonus for being magical/miraculous unless they are Permanent items with a spell/miracle that affects the item itself. Thus a magic Ring of Daily Heal Wounds 9 is as easy to destroy as a non-magical equivalent ring.
If a destroyed magic item is mended within its Degradation Interval, it will retain its magic.
Example: Churl has a Common copper ring with a Daily Harden 1. In a fight with a Chaos Priest, the ring is destroyed. As the degradation time for a Level 1 item is 2 days, he has this amount of time to have it mended before its enchantment is lost.
An item can also be destroyed by spending the same time as was taken to consecrate it to be dismantled. Features can be selectively removed this way, but spells/miracles must be removed entirely.
Example: Vertonius has a Permanent Item of Bless 1 with 1 level of the Hidden Feature and Consecrate Item (Life) 1. Before upgrading the item to a Permanent Item of Bless 2, he spends 1 Day removing the Hidden Feature, leaving a Permanent Item of Bless 1