Power Well?

[Belial666]

OK, here's an idea; an enchanted item with a 6 shifts effect, 6/session for 4 item slots. What the effect is doesn't matter because the wizard uses it this way; he calls the energy from the item (supplemental action) and then uses a "Redirect Energy" to roll control vs 6 shifts of power to redirect the energy into a spell.


Basically, it's a power well; the item stores energy the wizard can use to power spells without expending his own physical reserves.

[Deadmanwalking]

Not precisely. You could do something like that, but it would need a base effect, and could only be redirected into thematically appropriate alternatives. That's just the way things work.

Now, if the base effect is something like, say, a 6 shift Telekinetic maneuver, it could easily be redirected into alot of different effects fairly easily, but it wouldn't be even close to unlimited.

[Tsunami]

It's basically a way to remove the stress concerns from a number of spells per session.
I wouldn't allow it.

I would generally not allow to redirect energy taken from an enchanted item. The Energy in an enchanted item is very much specialized and formed... no re-purposing here.
Enchanted items sacrifice versatility for sake of stress-freeness. What you are proposing would basically remove this trade-off.


And even IF it was something I'd think about allowing, calling the energy would most definetly be a normal action. Any other Spell that can be redirected would be a normal action as well after all.

[Wordmaker]

I agree, it does seem to go against how Enchanted Items work. I wouldn't allow such a versatile item, myself.

[Belial666]

it would need a base effect, and could only be redirected into thematically appropriate alternatives.

The base effect can be a skill effect, right? A 6 shifts conviction effect representing raw power could be thematically redirected into almost anything.

It's basically a way to remove the stress concerns from a number of spells per session. I wouldn't allow it.

I never said it was balanced. Only that it could be done. Do note though that it gives you a -1 to control because it costs a supplemental action and you don't get control bonuses from your evocation as it isn't an evocation.

If you roll 6 for your discipline, great. If you fail, you don't redirect and since it's uncontrolled power you get 6 shifts of fallout. Since a couple of shifts of fallout could knock down a wall, what would 6 shifts enable your GM to do?

[luminos]

You need to give more detail about how this enchanted item is supposed to work.  As it is written, it seems illegal. 

[Belial666]

The item calls up a 6 shift effect. Then the wizard -not the item- redirects the energy of the effect. Doing so requires the normal discipline check at -1 and failing it means the energy goes to fallout.

[luminos]

The logic of that ability seems self-referential.  You are use an enchanted item for an evocation effect.  The evocation effect is to gather enough power to substitute itself for its own gathering up of power.  This would not be something I'd allow.

[Wordmaker]

That's a point, actually.

The strain caused in spellcasting is from the effort needed to take that energy and shape it to a purpose. Otherwise using Sponsored Magic wouldn't cause Mental Stress, because the power is coming from elsewhere, not from yourself.

What makes Enchanted Items useful is that the energy in them is already shaped. The work has been done, the power just hasn't yet been unleashed. That's why they don't cause you to gain Stress.

If this item is just a place to store some power that you use later, it works better, mechaniclly, as a Focus Item, Aspect, or Item of Power. Its use would still cause Stress, however.