Sage Advice by Skip Williams The sage continues his examination of the magical items of the AD&D(R) game universe, continuing from issue #146. All information in this article concerns the AD&D 1st Edition game, and references to the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook are to the 1st Edition game versions of those volumes. In all cases, the information in the AD&D 2nd Edition game volumes takes precedence where there is a contradiction between those rules and the information in this article. Potions Will a potion of undead control work on undead who are under an evil cleric's control? Could an evil cleric control undead under that potion's influence? If both effects are operating in the same area, which one takes precedence? Both effects work normally but not simultaneously, even on undead controlled by other means. The first form of control to be applied to a particular undead monster works normally until its duration expires or until control is usurped by another form. A cleric can make multiple attempts to establish or reestablish control (see the DMG, pages 65-66), while the potion-user can try only once per potion used (see the DMG, page 127). If a character mixes two potions and rolls a 00 on the DMG's potion miscibility table (page 119), can he duplicate the resulting potion if he knows the exact formulas of the two original potions? No. Potions are manufactured through the art of alchemy, not the science of chemistry. When two completed potions are combined, there is no way to predict the result; if the two original potions are duplicated and mixed again, a second miscibility roll must be made. Rings If a ring of regeneration (from the DMG, page 130) can revive someone who has died from hit-point loss due to injuries, can it revive someone slain by a death spell, power word kill, or banshee wail? No, in all three cases. The death spell causes irrevocable death (see the Players Handbook, page 83), which means that it takes a wish to get the slain creature back to life. The banshee's wail (see the Monster Manual, page 50, "Groaning Spirit") and the power word kill spell (Players Handbook, page 93) are even more potent forms of death magic. Exactly what can be done to bring back victims of these effects is up to the DM, but things such as regeneration, death's door, and healing spells are not enough to do it. Can a ring of regeneration revive a character if the ring is placed on the victim's finger after he has died? No. A ring of regeneration is not a portable resurrection spell. The ring is powerful enough to keep a creature's soul or spirit from departing if the ring is worn by the victim at the time of his death, but the ring can't bring the victim to life if the soul or spirit has already departed. How long does it take for a ring of regeneration to regrow lost limbs? Can damage from fire or acid be regenerated? What about damage from disintegration? Here are some unofficial organ-regrowth times for a ring of regeneration: Finger, toe, nose, or ear: 1 hour (6 turns); Hand, foot, or internal organ: 6 hours (36 turns); Arm, leg, or wing: 1 day (24 hours); Head: 1 week (7 days). Replacement time is only two rounds if the lost organ is present and can be pressed into place. Trolls and vampires regenerate 30 times faster than a character with a ring of regeneration. Severed pieces of a troll are ambulatory and will crawl to the troll and press themselves on. Pieces lost from vampires merely re-form, as if becoming solid from vapor. Fire and acid do not prevent regeneration, but these effects do prevent a slain creature from coming back to life by using regeneration. If a regenerating creature survives a fire or acid attack, it will eventually regenerate the damage. However, if the creature is slain by such an attack, or if it is slain and its remains are destroyed by fire, acid, or disintegration, it remains dead. If a creature falls victim to a disintegrate spell or its effects, it vanishes completely and cannot be regenerated (If it was using a ring of regeneration, the ring is disintegrated as well, if it fails its saving throw against the spell.) If a character wearing a ring of protection steps into the area protected by a second ring of protection with a radius of effect, are the two rings temporarily cumulative? No. In general, when protections of the same type are combined, only the strongest or best one functions. The DMG states that this is the case when two rings of protection are functioning on the same person or in the same area (see page 130). A ring of earth elemental command acts as a ring of feather falling until activated, whereupon it grants the ability to cast feather fall. Does the ring still act as a ring of feather falling? The "at will" abilities gained when the ring is fully activated will replace the ring's original function. This holds true for all rings of elemental command. In most instances, however, the "at will" spell ability is just as effective as that of the original ring (see the DMG, pages 129-130). Will a ring of fire resistance protect the wearer's equipment or just his body? This is up to the DM. Generally, it is safe to assume that the ring keeps the wearer's personal equipment from burning to cinders if he walks through a normal fire. However, the ring's + 4 saving throw bonus vs. magical fires applies only to the wearer, and does not extend to his items (see the DMG, page 130). Rods, staves, & wands How is a wand, staff, or rod recharged? The spell-caster first casts an enchant an item spell (or its equivalent, if he isn't a magic-user), then recharges the item by placing additional spells into it. You may give a bonus to the item's saving throw (see the enchant an item spell's description in the Players Handbook, pages 83-84), since wands, staves, and rods are already enchanted to hold multiple spells. The exact spell that is needed to recharge the item will vary with the type of item. A wand of fireballs, for example, requires fireball spells. A wand of fire, however, can create multiple effects; in such cases, the spell required for recharging is that which is the highest-level spell effect that the item creates (a wall of fire spell, in the wand of fire's case). Some items create effects that are unique; for these, you will have to decide on a spell or combination of spells that approximates the item's effect. For example, shatter or spiritual hammer might be used to recharge a staff of striking, as these effects all involve magical force. Author/designer Jon Pickens has approached this problem by creating new spells to fit some of these magical items. The spells have been published in the POLYHEDRON(TM) Newszine, the bi-monthly newsletter of the RPGA(TM) Network, which is available only to members (see POLYHEDRON issues #22, 24-26, and 31). How is a rod of cancellation made? That device is created using enchant an item and probably anti-magic shell spells, as well as whatever other time and material requirements and success rates the DM wishes to impose. As this item is quite valuable (see the DMG, pages 122 and 133), its construction should be difficult and expensive. Are rods permanent items, or do they have charges? Most rods have 40 + 1d10 charges when found (see the DMG, page 132). Certain rods (like a rod of cancellation) have one charge only. What kind of weapon is a rod of smiting considered for weapon proficiency purposes? Treat that rod as a staff. Do nondruids have to have a proficiency in the staff sling in order to use the missile ability of a staff of slinging? This item's description (in Unearthed Arcana, page 95) clearly states that only druids may use that staffs slinging ability. For all others, the staff is merely a staff + 1. You could decide to require druids to have a proficiency in the staff sling in order to use the slinging ability without penalty. Does a magic-user suffer a - 5 nonproficiency penalty when using the first function of a wand of force? No. The shaft of force created by the first function is the equivalent of a magical broad sword, but (like a Mordenkainen's sword spell) it is not a true sword and does not require any specific proficiency in order to be used properly (see Unearthed Arcana, page 96). A wand of conjuration can create a wall of total darkness that "can be penetrated only by physical means or magic." What other ways are there? You've missed the point. The key word here is "penetrate." A creature cannot see beyond the wall unless he sticks his head through the wall, steps through it, or uses a magical effect such as clairvoyance or wizard eye to penetrate it. Magical effects that involve direct visual detection within the area of darkness, such as detect invisibility or continual light, cannot penetrate the wall (see the DMG, page 135). What is the range of a wand of flame extinguishing? The wand has a range of 12"; it can extinguish only one fire at a time (see Unearthed Arcana, page 96). Miscellaneous items What is the duration of a manual or tome? Manuals and all other magical books in the game are much like scrolls in effect. Their potential magical powers have no duration, but once the books are read, the writing in them disappears. Their effects are permanent, although the onset of beneficial effects might take some time (see the individual descriptions of such books in the DMG). I understand that strength bonuses from gauntlets of ogre power and the various girdles of giant strength are cumulative under certain conditions. What are these conditions? These items are cumulative only when the wearer is wielding a magical war hammer, either held or hurled. (See the DMG, page 145, girdle of giant strength; the reference to "hurled weapon" in the text for the gauntlets of ogre power on the same page should be taken to mean a magical war hammer. See also pages 168-169, hammer + 3, dwarven thrower and hammer of thunderbolts.) The gauntlets' and girdle's powers may not be combined for any other purpose. If a character wearing gauntlets of ogre power or a girdle of giant strength is struck by a shadow or other attack that drains strength, what happens? Temporary strength losses' are taken from the character's augmented strength score, and results are taken accordingly Such losses are always a full point, so that a hit from a shadow will reduce a character wearing gauntlets of ogre power to a 17 strength. Permanent strength losses, such as those due to aging, are taken from the character's base strength score. In these cases, the magically augmented score is unchanged. In the DMG, page 123, the sale price of a girdle of giant strength is listed as 2,500 gp. Isn't this a bit low? Gauntlets of ogre power, which bestow less strength, sell for 10,000 gp. This was a misprint. The sale price for such a girdle is 25,000 gp. The experience value was also misprinted; it should be 2,000 xp, not 200 xp. Note that a girdle imbues the wearer's entire body with extra strength, while the gauntlets enhance only the wearer's chest and arms. Can magical gloves and gauntlets be worn simultaneously? No. One will not fit over the other. Will gauntlets of ogre power or a girdle of giant strength allow a demi-human fighter an increased level-advancement limit? Strength bestowed by magical items such as girdles or gauntlets is temporary; it lasts only as long as a character wears such an item. Thus, these items do not allow extra advancement in level. Only a permanent increase in an ability score will allow extra advancement. Will striking the wrong chord on a lyre of building destroy everything built with it? Striking the wrong chord on a lyre of building negates everything accomplished with the lyre that week, so all structures created during that time will be wholly undone - but not all structures ever made with this item (see the DMG, page 149). How do you determine how long a crystal ball can be used with each use, when the total viewing time varies with the chance to locate each subject? The limits on a crystal ball apply on a per-subject basis. How long the mage observes one subject does not affect how long he can observe another. I recommend that you limit crystal ball use to no more than eight hours per day, and count each failed location attempt as one viewing and 10 minutes of use (see the DMG, page 141). Does the sword of flame ability of a helm of brilliance bestow any magical properties to a sword that the helm's user carries? A nonmagical sword becomes the equivalent of a flame tongue sword. Magical swords gain the powers of a flame tongue sword in addition to their own. If the sword was a flame tongue weapon to begin with, double the effects of its powers when used with the helm (see the DMG, pages 145-146 for the helm and page 165 for the sword). Can magical helms and hats be worn simultaneously? No. They won't fit together. Is the change produced by a hat of disguise partially real or completely illusory? Will tactile examination reveal the change? Can the hat produce functional equipment? The hat's effect is similar to that of an alter self spell, subject to the limits given in the item's description in Unearthed Arcana, page 100). Just touching the disguised individual will not reveal his true nature, but true seeing or detect illusion will do so. Like alter self, the change is partially real; the height and weight of the user actually changes, but any equipment created in the process is nonfunctional. The hat cannot produce functional body parts such as wings or gills. May a cloak of protection be worn with nonmagical elfin chain mail? No, nor may it be worn with any kind of armor other than nonmagical leather (see the DMG, page 141). Can a cloak of protection be worn along with a cloak of displacement or robe of blending? Only one magical cloak can be worn at a time, although a magical cloak and a robe can be worn together, with the cloak being worn over the robe. Can a cloak of arachnids or cloak of the bat be worn with plate mail? Yes, or with any other type of armor. The protective qualities of these cloaks are not cumulative with any type of armor, however. Can a mantle of Celestian (from Unearthed Arcana, page 101) be worn over a cloak of protection? No, but it could be worn over a robe. How many different characters can draw cards from one deck of many things? Up to four cards may be drawn from the deck; a party may divide these draws among PCs in any way seen fit, except that card draws and results may not be shared. Any potential drawer must state how many cards he plans to draw before the first card is drawn, and he must stick to the decision once drawing begins (see the DMG, pages 142-143). Does the pale green prism ioun stone bestow a level to its user permanently? Does it immediately "burn out" when so used? No, to both questions. The stone must trail and circle the user to be effective. It does not "burn out" upon use, and the level is lost when the stone is not operating. Any spells gained from the increase in level are forgotten if the stone is removed; such spells must be restudied before being cast, even if the stone's effects are restarted later (see the DMG, page 147). Will the white spindle ioun stone, which provides regeneration, continue to work if the user dies? Can the user regrow limbs? The user can regenerate from injuries causing his death, but only if the stone is allowed to trail and circle the user's body. While the stone is functioning, the user can also regrow lost limbs or organs (see the DMG, page 147). Are there any limits to the numbers, types, and magical bonuses of the items produced by a quiver of Ehlonna? The quiver of Ehlonna is a holding device, like a bag of holding. One can only take out of it what has been put into it; it does not generate new items, as is accidentally implied in the last sentence of that item's description (see Unearthed Arcana, page 102). Will a stone of good luck affect a character's system shock or resurrection rolls? Yes, in both cases. The stone causes fate to be a bit kinder than normal to the character, and it makes adverse events less likely - failing a system shock or resurrection roll is an adverse event. However, the effect works only for the owner and only if the stone is on his person at the time the revivification attempt is made. It cannot be "given" to an already dead character (see the DMG, page 154). The description of the prison of Zagyg in Unearthed Arcana (page 102) states that the possessor can free a prisoner by use of a "freedom word." What is a freedom word? In this case, the freedom word is a command word that causes the prison to release a captive. Command words are discussed briefly on page 119 of the DMG. Does a gem of insight allow another check for psionic ability? How about a ring of human influence or rod of splendor? A gem of insight (see Unearthed Arcana, page 100) will allow a new check for psionic ability, but only after the possessor has received an ability score increase from the gem. If the character uses the gem properly and receives an increase in both intelligence and wisdom, he makes one additional roll for psionics, not two. The charisma increases provided by the latter two items are not permanent; they last only as long as the item is worn (in the case of the ring, on page 130 of the DMG) or held or carried (in the case of the rod, on page 94 of Unearthed Arcana). Only permanent ability score increases allow additional checks for psionic ability. Can two alchemical substances be found simultaneously within a philosopher's stone? Each stone contains quicksilver, plus either the green or the white crystalline salt. No stone contains all three, and the two salts never occur together (see Unearthed Arcana, page 101). What happens when a bag of holding is turned inside out? Will the nondimensional space inside rip? This will completely empty the bag, but no spectacular effects will occur. The nondimensional space inside the bag is present but inaccessible as long as the bag remains inside out, rendering the bag inoperative except as a normal (nonmagical) bag. While inside out, the bag looks just like any other well-made but inside-out bag (see the DMG, page 138). Will an amulet of proof against detection and location prevent an invisible character from being detected by someone with a detect invisibility spell? Yes. The amulet defeats low-level divinations, including all detect spells. High-level divinations such as commune still work, however. The invisible character in the example can be revealed by dust of appearance (which is not a divination) and by the methods described on pages 59-60 of the DMG. Note that normal invisibility is broken when the recipient attacks. Copyright © TSR, Inc. All Rights reserved.