New Kind Of Magic Item: Stylus

[Lysander]

A stylus is a kind of spell-storing device like a wand or staff, but with a unique mechanic that makes it easy to effortlessly extend a magical effect.

Stylus
A small writing implement made of stone, bone, metal, or wood. Usually it is dipped in ink but a magical stylus can create glowing runes without any additional materials.

Using a stylus

Each stylus stores 50 charges of a single spell with an ongoing duration, which are cast on the creature, object, or location by drawing a trigger rune upon it. When a rune is drawn one charge is expended.

Drawing a rune is a full-round action, and can only be drawn on a creature if it is willing or immobilized. Every spell requires a unique precise rune. Anyone who knows the rune can easily show another person how to draw it, but only wizards and bards automatically know all runes without someone teaching them. Casting identify will also show what rune must be drawn.

Runes glow brightly where they are drawn. They fade away once the spell reaches its time limit or is dispelled, unless it is renewed (see below). A rune will vanish in an anti-magic field but reappear once it leaves.

Renewing a Spell

A stylus provides its bearer with a magical knowledge of the physical condition of the object bearing a rune, and the status of the rune spell, but no other information.

When a rune spell reaches its time limit or is dispelled, the current bearer of the stylus can choose to renew the spell. This spends another charge from the stylus and automatically casts a fresh spell on the target, with no save. Renewing a spell is an instantaneous mental free action, and can be done no matter how far the rune/target is from the stylus, even across planes.

This allows someone to draw a rune, and cast the magic spell up to fifty times on same object/creature no matter where it is.

Ending a Rune Prematurely

A stylus can only have one active rune at a time. If a stylus draws a rune while a previous rune still exists, the original rune will vanish even if that spell hasn't reached its time limit.

Mage's Disjunction has a chance of removing a rune with no chance to renew, against the will save of the bearer of the stylus or the target, whichever is highest. This disjunction does not harm the stylus assuming it is out of range.

If a stylus is destroyed or disjunted, an active rune also immediately vanishes and its spell ends.

[DracoDei]

Interesting concept, as a fan of novel mechanics I like it a lot. The unlimited range thing is nice... problems might include things with unusual ending conditions (Such as Dispel Evil), and how to handle "Concentration" duration.

Need to be a bit more precise about what "condition of the object" is as far as information known.

Using this and then handing it off to a familiar or follower would qualify as cheesy except that it is actually a way of making familiars and followers useful.

Even with the full round action time, touch range, and "willing or helpless" condition, the price on these is going to have to be higher than a wand... 50% more sounds like it could be a good place to start.

[Lysander]

I guess it'd have to ban any spell that requires concentration, and anything that can end the spell early (based on the spell's own rules) allows it to be renewed, other than disjunction.

The other obvious way to destroy a rune is destroy the object its on. And for immobile spells, moving the rune would also destroy it with no chance to renew. So casting it on a wall, then cutting out a block of the wall and taking a normally stationary spell with you wouldn't work.

Condition of the object refers to damage and how functional it is. For example, you inscribe a rune of fly on an ally and they soar away. While they're gone you know their health, that they're conscious, and that the spell is still active, but nothing else. If you inscribe a rune of Fog Cloud on the ground you just know that the floor is intact there, and that the spell is still active.

And people can be creative about who they choose to use the stylus on, and who to hold it. It's also fine to use it on yourself and carry it with you.

[DracoDei]

For it to be balanced while working like that Status would have to be an additonal pre-requisite for creating one and there would have to be a mimium cost for them... otherwise you get clerics using ones loaded with Arcane Mark (As I remember they can do that).

Oh, that reminds me... the cost has to be based on an item anyone can use, not just someone with the spell on their list (which is how wands work). MAYBE a small discount since you have to get someone to show you the rune, and then you write the rune with an ordinary pen on a tag on the stylus so you don't forget it.

[Lysander]

For it to be balanced while working like that Status would have to be an additonal pre-requisite for creating one and there would have to be a mimium cost for them... otherwise you get clerics using ones loaded with Arcane Mark (As I remember they can do that).

Oh, that reminds me... the cost has to be based on an item anyone can use, not just someone with the spell on their list (which is how wands work). MAYBE a small discount since you have to get someone to show you the rune, and then you write the rune with an ordinary pen on a tag on the stylus so you don't forget it.

Yeah, learning a rune isn't too big an obstacle. Anyone who knows it can teach it to anybody else. So if you have an arcane caster in your party or can speak to a friendly npc wizard or bard for two minutes you're set.