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The Wand of Black Ice - a New Magical Item
Posted on Fri, March 14, 2008 by Dongul
grodog writes "A new magic item, from the glaciated northern lands, laden with forebodings of darkness (or so believes the Fiend Sage of Rel Astra...).

The Wand of Black Ice - a new magical item
By: grodog
Copyright 2008 by Allan T. Grohe, Jr.
Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

===

28 Readying 598 CY, Hour of the Flying Knives

Your Noble and Lordly Grace---

Tonight I celebrate the fourteenth anniversary of your rebirth into immortality. As a diversion, and for your pleasure, the dark-haired slave espied during market this morn has been secured. Further, beside the ring stand your Grace shall find a new crop commissioned from your inspired design---the one-hundred-and-sixty-seven shards are indeed nearly-vorpal in their efficacy. If you choose not to baptise it with your new leman, perhaps the seven Iron League spies captured last month may offer sufficient sport, once Celene has set?

Relatedly, and after several months of tortured research, today I confirmed that Galdrin of Monmurg possessed both the bowl and the cup as recently as the third Moonday of Wealson, in 579 CY . The bowl was purchased by the mage Otiluke that same month at auction; the cup's whereabouts, however, still remain obscure. If your Grace so desires, I shall continue to seek it?

A reminder, per your request: on the morrow, and after court, your Grace dines with Cana, High Priestess of Erythnul. As directed, her prefect will be poisoned prior to the meal; he will survive, and her ire shall be directed toward Volntag.

Anon, and in conclusion, I enclose for your Grace's review the detailed analysis of the properties of the blackbone wand you acquired from Nasht in trade during your most-recent embassy to Hardby.

as ever, I remain your humble and dedicated servant,


The Fiend Sage of Rel Astra

===

The Wand of Black Ice

Physical Description:
A wand of blackbone ivory, fourteen inches in length, inset with seven stones: two black pearls cap each end, the larger atop; the blackbone is hollowed, and wrapped around a core of three onyx lozenges, buffered by fine mithral mesh. The blackbone is fragile, and worn from use, though still serviceable with care.

The wand is worth approximately 5,500 gp for its components as gemstones and mithral mesh (as the blackbone is so worn, it would fetch no more than 15 gp, even from a collector of such ivories).

Magical Description:
Upon repeated and close examination, the wand radiates the following magical auras:
  • Alteration – dim
  • Evocation – moderate
  • Evocation/Alteration - moderate
  • Abjuration – very strong
Magical Properties:
The Wand of Black Ice may contain up to 100 charges, and may not be recharged. The methods of its manufacture have been lost since the days of Blackmoor’s third dynasty. It has the following functions, which are capabilities intuitively understood once the command word is used to attune the wielder to the wand (a process which takes 24 hours):
  • balefire (1 charge): illumines target(s) with umbral and flickering faerie fire for 78 rounds; this function requires 2 segments to activate; the wielder may dismiss balefire generated by the wand at will
  • frostweb (2 charges): casts a web spell formed from magical ice; see below for details; this function requires 4 segments to activate.
  • web of enfeeblement (4 charges): casts a web of weakness in which chilling cold saps strength from its victims; see below for details; this function requires 6 segments to activate.
  • imprisonment (8 charges): as the imprisonment spell, save that the sphere and imprisoning effect is derived from magical cold, and that the imprisoned creature is frozen and entombed within black ice, and though alive the victim appears to be frozen if observed via scrying or some other manner; this function requires 9 segments to activate.
All magical effects are produced at 19th level. If the wand is unable to perform a function due to insufficient charges, all remaining charges are expended without effect, and the wand crumbles into dust, blown away on a cold wind.

XP Value: 8,000
GP Value: 90,000

Both values assume that that wand is fully-charged, of course.

===

Frostweb (Evocation)

Level: 3
Range: ½” per level
Duration: 1 round per level
Area of Effect: 12 cubic inches (in any dimensions)
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 4 segments
Saving Throw: special

The spell calls forth a web, in exactly the same manner as the second level magic user spell. The strands of a frostweb, however, are ice one- to two inches thick, and are unnaturally cold. Those caught within the strands suffer 3-8 points of damage per round (no save). A frostweb is easier to escape than a standard web, due to the brittleness of the ice---halve all escape times compared to web. Victims wielding magical fire (a flametongue sword, burning hands, etc.) can escape a frostweb in one round (the web will still inflict damage that round, however). Frost resistance or immunity applies. The material component is a spider web, and one scale from either a remorhaz, ice devil, or white dragon.

Web of Weakness (Evocation/Alteration)

Level: 4
Range: 1” per 2 levels
Duration: 2 turns per level
Area of Effect: 8 cubic inches in any combination of dimensions
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 6 segments
Saving Throw: special

This spell creates a web with all the characteristics of the second level magic user spell of the same name; in addition, a web of weakness numbs its victims, causing them to lose one full point of strength per round they remains within the web’s confines (a fighter with exceptional strength drops to 17, 17 to 16, etc.). This will naturally increase the amount of time that a victim remains entangled in the webs. The material component is a vial of shadow ichor, within which is steeped either a snowflake or a scale from a white dragon.

===

Gameplay notes:
  • Spells and powers are provided in AD&D 1e/first edition format
  • Both frostweb and web of weakness are spells available to my Necromancer NPC class, available at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/temp/The_Necromancer_by_grodog.pdf and anyone consulting sages or other savvy NPCs to help identify the wand should receive necromantic- (and cold/frost-) flavored information as part of the research process, even though the wand itself doesn’t exhibit any Necromancy school magics
  • Drax’s wand was acquired from the blackguard Nasht (see Oerth Journal 23 at http://www.oerthjournal.com/oerthjournals.html), and has 12 charges; it is unknown where Nasht acquired the wand, although he is known to have been adventuring in and around the ruins of Blackmoor in the past
  • You’ll have to identify the other Greyhawk references in the letter from the Fiend Sage on your own ;-> (and, there are a few others in my other Fiend Sage piece on Canonfire! at http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=298)
"
 
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