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Weapon Mastery for Specialist Magical Items

by Cab Davidson from Threshold Magazine issue 35

A few orders of magic-users and clerics around Mystara have mastered strange abilities to boost their magical prowess, using certain totems, charms, holy symbols and other items of significance only within their own orders. While not widely known outside of their orders, these unique practices confer specific advantages to those who study them. In Alphatia, magic-users speak of these crafts in hushed tones. In Glantri, they do not discuss them at all. Whereas the clerical orders of Thyatis and Heldann prefer to show their abilities only to their own true believers. Such abilities can add interest and variety to the Weapon Mastery system (first introduced in the Masters Set and detailed extensively in the Rules Cyclopedia), which provides a mechanism describing training and progression used here.

What items can be attuned to?

A spellcaster can attune a single item that becomes an extension of their spellcasting ability. Casters of magic-user spells can choose a wand, staff, ring or crystal. Casters of clerical spells can choose a holy symbol of their patron Immortal (conferring benefits according to the sphere of power of that Immortal). Wicca and shaman casters can select an appropriate gris-gris which is the equivalent of any of the items below, at the DM’s discretion. Druids are limited to staffs and crystals.

Training and Attunement

A caster can only attune to a single item at a time; they may not have two or more items of the same or different types to which they are attuned. Training in the use of the attuned item is never offered to outsiders so, for example, wizards in a particular order may all be masters of crystals and will not train those from other nations in the use of the crystal. Such crafts are rare and secretive, potentially necessitating great standing in a theocracy or status within an organisation of wizards. This will be dependent on your campaign.

Training uses the same mechanism (and slots) as weapon mastery. Basic mastery allows the caster to attune to the specific item, but does not confer any specific benefits. Attunement and use require that the item be used appropriately – i.e. a ring must be worn, a wand or staff wielded, a crystal held, etc. Further training works in the same way as for weapon mastery, taking the same amount of time and costing the same amount of gold, but trainers are rare and likely to be restricted to small geographical areas or magical and holy orders.

The item can be mundane or magical – a wand, for example, may be a simple stick or a magic wand of any type. A staff can be a magical weapon or simple broom handle. If the approximate description fits, the item can be attuned to. The attunement ritual (learned at basic level) takes 1d4 hours, and can only be carried out once per month, at most.

These items incur no off-hand penalty and can be wielded in either hand. Each item confers a specific bonus to one activity, and a special effect, each improving with increasing levels of mastery as shown in table 1.

Table 1 – Magic Item Attunement Table

Ring	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	+2 Spell Levels	Interrupt (30')
Expert	+4 Spell Levels	Interrupt (60', save -1)
Master	+8 Spell Levels	Interrupt (90', Save -2)
Grand Master	+12 Spell Levels	Interrupt (120', Save -4)
Wand	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Range +10%	Save -1
Expert	Range +20%	Save -2, Spell Deflect (1)
Master	Range +40%	Save -3, Spell Deflect (1)
Grand Master	Range +80%	Save -4, Spell Deflect (2)
Staff	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Damage +1 per 4 dice	Spell Deflect (1)
Expert	Damage +1 per 3 dice	Spell Deflect (2)
Master	Damage +1 per 2 dice	Spell Deflect (3)
Grand Master	Damage +1 per 1 dice	Spell Deflect (4)
Crystal	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Save +1	Save -1
Expert	Save +2	Save -2
Master	Save +4	Save -4
Grand Master	Save +6	Save -6
Holy Symbol - Energy	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Turn +1d4 hd	Undead Lore
Expert	Turn +2d4 hd	Undead Lore +1
Master	Turn +4d4 hd	Undead Lore +2
Grand Master	Turn +6d4 hd	Undead Lore +3
Holy Symbol - Matter	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Healing +1/die	Nature Lore
Expert	Healing +2/die	Nature Lore +1
Master	Healing +3/die	Nature Lore +2
Grand Master	Healing +4/die	Nature Lore +3
Holy Symbol-Thought	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	+2 Spell Levels	Concentration
Expert	+4 Spell Levels	Concentration +1
Master	+8 Spell Levels	Concentration +2
Grand Master	+12 Spell Levels	Concentration +3
Holy Symbol - Time	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Duration + 25%	History Lore
Expert	Duration + 50%	History Lore +1
Master	Duration + 100%	History Lore +2
Grand Master	Duration + 150%	History Lore +3
Holy Symbol - Entropy	Bonus	Special
Basic	-	-
Skilled	Control Undead (1/4 level)	Undead Lore
Expert	Control Undead (1/2 level)	Undead Lore +1
Master	Control Undead (3/4 level)	Undead Lore +2
Grand Master	Control Undead (at level)	Undead Lore +3

Explanation of Bonuses and Special Effects

Bonus Spell Levels: The spellcaster can memorise the stated number of extra spell levels, divided as they see fit. For example, an Expert with the ring can memorise four extra first level spells, a second and two first, a third and a first, or one fourth. The normal limit for spell levels is not changed; a caster may not memorise a higher-level spell than they otherwise would be able to. And if the ring is removed, the same number of spell levels of memorised spells (determined randomly) are forgotten.

Range Increase: All spells can be cast with an increase in maximum range, as shown. Spells with a zero or touch range are unaffected, and areas of effect are not modified.

Damage Increase: Any damage-inflicting spell cast is increased in damage as stated. The minimum damage increase is +1, even where there are fewer damage dice rolled. For example, a third-level magic-user skilled with a staff would be able to cast a magic missile for 1d6+2 damage. A twentieth-level magic-user who is a master with a staff would inflict 20d6+10 damage to all within the area of effect of a fireball (although normal saving throws for half damage are unaffected).

Saving Throw Bonus: If the caster is wielding an attuned crystal they gain a saving throw to all saving throws vs. spells, wands, staves, rods and spell-like effects (such as from a beholder’s eye stalks, for example). Saves versus natural attacks and breath weapons are not affected.

Interrupt: A ring user may choose to declare ‘interrupt’ as their intention for the round, in place of casting a spell or taking other actions. A single target within range is specified, and if that target chooses to cast a spell they must make a saving throw against wands to do so successfully. The result of a failed saving throw is that the spell is lost. Spells and spell-like effects from devices (wands, staffs, etc.) can be affected.

Saving Throw Penalty: While the attuned item is wielded, any saving throws against spells cast by the wielder are at the stated penalty.

Spell Deflect: The wielder of a staff may declare that it is their intention to deflect incoming spells that round. Spells to be deflected must be directly aimed at the wielder of the staff, rather than area-of-effect spells cast around them. Only one deflect attempt can be made per spell cast at the user, although a grand master can try to deflect two spells in a round. A spell is successfully deflected if the caster makes the normal save against the spell, but if no save is normally permitted a save vs. spells is allowed, but with a -4 penalty to the roll. A deflected spell is effectively re-directed towards another target, chosen by the wielder of the attuned staff, as long as sufficient range exists. For example, if the mage wielding the attuned staff is targeted with a power word kill, which has a 120' range from 90' away, only targets up to 30' away can be chosen. Any recipient of a deflected spell may also make a save to avoid the effects thereof, regardless of whether a saving throw is normally allowed for that spell. Deflecting a spell requires concentration – no other actions can be taken in the same round.

Undead Lore/Concentration/History Lore/Nature Lore: The wielder gains the general skill stated (with the stated bonus). If the skill is already known, a +1 bonus is gained in addition to any other bonuses due to a higher level of mastery.

Turn Bonus: Clerics with a mastery of holy symbols of Energy immortals gain a bonus to the total number of HD of undead affected by turning, whether the result is a turn determined by rolling 2d6, T, D, D+ or D#.

Healing Bonus: All healing spells cast by the cleric are affected, as is healing produced from wands or staffs of healing. For example an expert with a matter symbol casting cure light wounds would heal 1d6+3 instead of the usual 1d6+1.

Control Undead: A cleric attuned to a symbol of an entropic Immortal may, instead of trying to turn undead, attempt to control them. This is not the same as an avenger controlling undead but uses the same mechanism as undead lieges and pawns. The cleric operates as if an undead creature of their level in hit dice. Note that the same limitations also apply. Turning undead controlled thus works in the normal manner for breaking undead control, with a skilled wielder being treated as a wraith, an expert as a spectre, a master a phantom, and a grand master a spirit.