Magic Rods

A magic rod is a sturdy magical device, with all the qualities of a Mage's Rod. If the GM allows, rods may also appear as either an Athame or a Sickle. For simplicity, all descriptions assume rods are made as Mage Rod's (also known as fancy Light Maces), but if players wish, they can be ceremonial daggers or sickles.

While each rod (or ceremonial dagger, or ceremonial sickle) varies greatly in design and appearance, they are all built solidly enough to make credible (barely) attacks with them, without any fear of damaging them. As a result, when wielding a rod, in addition to being able to use it to cast a spell, you also threaten enemies within your reach, can provide flanks for your allies, and you can make melee attacks with the rod using the stats for a mage rod (or athame, or sickle), including attacks of opportunity.

Each magic rod is also enchanted to cast a single spell, of spell level 4 or less. This property allows any class to partially access the spellcasting system, and rods are designed to feel and act very much like spells, but all users of rods must be aware, the effects that Rods produce are SIMILAR to spells, but only sometimes exactly the same. In particular, damaging spells sourced from Rods do damage as described in the Rod itself, and a careful read of the effects of each rod may reveal slight cosmetic or operational differences. These slight mechanical differences are one reason why wizards cannot learn a spell by buying a rod. Wizards can only learn new spells from scrolls, or leveling up.

That said, using a rod counts as spellcasting for most feats, class abilities, racial abilities, and other effects in the game. The GM should adjudicate any unusual situations as they deem fit, of course. (For example, suppose a character is playing a Rogue who is pretending to be a wizard. They have an arsenal glove and an array of rods and staves that they use to produce spell effects, and use sleight of hand to hide the fact that they are using rods for all their flashy magics. Will this work? Seems legit to us, but that's up to the GM!)

Casting the spell from the rod is usually a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, just as with casting a spell. You may make a Bailiwick check to cast the spell defensively, even if your character class is not normally a spellcaster. The DC of this check is 10 + (Spell Level x 4). If you succeed, you cast the spell successfully from a threatened space. If you fail, you are unable to successfully cast the spell, but you still burn a charge from the rod.

Only certain spells are available to be cast from a rod. The complete list of available rods is shown in the table below. GMs are strongly cautioned against adding additional spells not on this list, as it may unbalance the game or overshadow certain character classes.

Spells cast from a rod do not use the wielder's stats or level to determine their effects. Instead, the creator level of the rod itself is used to determine all variable effects, such as the save DC, damage (or healing) dealt, etc.

You cannot mana burn spells that you cast from a rod.

Arcane spell failure chance, either from armor or a shield, has no effect on spells cast from rods, since casting a spell from a rod does not require you to use any somatic components.

Rods have 50 charges in them when they are new, and they can never hold more than 50 charges. Each time you cast a spell from the rod, it permanently uses up one of those charges (even if the spell being cast is a 0th-level cantrip or orison). Once all 50 charges are expended, the rod becomes inert until it is recharged. Rods can be recharged by purchasing a Small Manastone.

Each time you cast the spell from the rod, you must make a Use Magic Device check to cast it, unless the spell is a spell that is present on your character class' class spell list. Even if you are too low level to cast the spell normally, or you haven't learned that spell, as long as you could learn it eventually from your class spell list, you can skip this check. Everyone else needs to make the check. The DC of the check is 10 + (2x creator level of the rod). If you succeed on the check, the spell is cast. If you fail the check by 4 or less (a normal failure), you waste the action required by the rod to cast the spell and nothing happens. If you roll a natural 1 or fail the check by 5 or more (a critical failure), you waste the action, no spell is cast, but a charge is used up on the rod.

While a rod can only contain a spell of spell level 4 or lower (and never more than one spell), the creator level of the rod can be anything from the minimum required to cast a spell of that level all the way up to creator level 35. Higher creator levels on rods cost more, needless to say, but they often improve the efficacy of the spell being cast. As a result, it is usually advantageous to buy a rod with a higher creator level than the minimum, if you can afford to do so. Caveat Emptor!

A magic rod counts as an implement, granting the wielder their Implement Bonus, if they get one, any time they must roll a to-hit roll when casting a spell or using a spell-like ability. As with other implements, magic rods can be used to perform a spell's somatic components, flicking and swishing the rod around instead of the caster's bare hands.

Note that Magic Rods, as cool and awesome as they are, are merely the 'gateway item' to the much fancier and far more cool Magic Staves world. If you are interested in these kinds of items, we encourage you to go check out Magic Staves and see how much fun you can have with enchanted sticks!

Available Magic Rods

Magic Item Name	Description	Cost
Anchoring Rod	Allows wielder to cast Resist Energy as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Bell Ringers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Bells as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Bellows Rod	Allows wielder to cast Air Geyser as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Blasting Rod	Allows wielder to cast Burning Hand of the Magus (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Bonebreakers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Boneshatter as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Breaking Rod	Allows wielder to cast Shatter as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Chilling Rod	Allows wielder to cast Ray of Frost as a standard action.	500 gp
Critical Caduceus Rod	Allows wielder to cast Cure Critical Wounds as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Divers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Water Breathing as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Freshet Rod	Allows wielder to cast Create Water as a standard action.	500 gp
Glittering Rod	Allows wielder to cast Glitterdust as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Great Gusts Rod	Allows wielder to cast Hurricane Blast as a standard action	22,500 gp
Greater Jailers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Summon Monster III as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Greater Limners Rod	Allows wielder to cast Major Image as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Greater Warding Rod	Allows wielder to cast Resist Uncommon Energy as a standard action	22,500 gp
Hellwalkers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Planar Adaptation as a standard action	22,500 gp
Hindering Rod	Allows wielder to cast Root as a standard action.	500 gp
Holistic Rod	Allows wielder to cast Remove Sickness as a standard action.	750 gp
Icicle Rod	Allows wielder to cast Pillar of Ice as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Improved Jailers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Summon Monster II as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Improved Limners Rod	Allows wielder to cast Minor Image as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Inferno Rod	Allows wielder to cast Burning Arc as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Larders Rod	Allows wielder to cast Create Food and Water as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Lawgivers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Peacebond as a standard action.	750 gp
Lesser Jailers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Summon Monster I as a standard action.	750 gp
Light Caduceus Rod	Allows wielder to cast Cure Light Wounds as a standard action.	750 gp
Limners Rod	Allows wielder to cast Silent Image as a standard action.	750 gp
Moderate Caduceus Rod	Allows wielder to cast Cure Moderate Wounds as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Muck Rod	Allows wielder to cast Mudball as a standard action.	750 gp
Panacea Rod	Allows wielder to cast Neutralize Poison as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Pickling Rod	Allows wielder to cast Acid Splash as a standard action.	500 gp
Plague Enders Rod	Allows wielder to cast Remove Disease as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Reaching Flames Rod	Allows wielder to cast Flaming Sphere (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Affixment	Allows wielder to cast Dimensional Anchor as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Airy Gifting	Allows wielder to cast Air Bubble as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of Ardent Light	Allows wielder to cast Burst of Radiance as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Assistance	Allows wielder to cast Unseen Servant as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of Baleful Sparks	Allows wielder to cast Wandering Star Motes as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Bearing	Allows wielder to cast Ant Haul as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of Bitter Wind	Allows wielder to cast Wind Wall as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Blessings	Allows wielder to cast Remove Curse as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Burning	Allows wielder to cast Pyrotechnics as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Cancellation	Allows wielder to cast Dispel Magic as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Coercion	Allows wielder to cast Hold Person as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Darts	Allows wielder to cast Magic Missile as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of Deadly Flames	Allows wielder to cast Firefall as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Fire	Allows wielder to cast Fireball as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Forgiveness	Allows wielder to cast Lesser Restoration as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Greater Repairs	Allows wielder to cast Greater Make Whole as a ten-minute ritual.	22,500 gp
Rod of High Noon	Allows wielder to cast Daylight as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Lesser Repairs	Allows wielder to cast Mending as a ten-minute ritual.	500 gp
Rod of Marvels	Allows wielder to cast Prestidigitation as a standard action.	500 gp
Rod of Repairs	Allows wielder to cast Make Whole as a ten-minute ritual.	4,500 gp
Rod of Restoration	Allows wielder to cast Restoration as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Riding	Allows wielder to cast Phantom Steed as a 10-minute ritual.	11,250 gp
Rod of Shelter	Allows wielder to cast Tiny Hut as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Signalling	Allows wielder to cast Flare as a standard action.	500 gp
Rod of Smithing	Allows wielder to cast Scoop as a standard action.	500 gp
Rod of Storms	Allows wielder to cast Lightning Bolt as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Swapping	Allows wielder to cast Juxtaposition as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Terror	Allows wielder to cast Fear as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of the Battlefield	Allows wielder to cast Bloody Arrows as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of the Celestial Koi	Allows wielder to cast Sky Swim as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of the Commander	Allows wielder to cast Command as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of the Greatsmith	Allows wielder to cast Reinforce Armaments as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of the Martyr	Allows wielder to cast Accept Affliction as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of the Masthead	Allows wielder to cast Gust of Wind as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of the Slipstream	Allows wielder to cast Slipstream as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of the Stricken Heart	Allows wielder to cast Stricken Heart as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of the Thrice Scorned	Allows wielder to cast Bestow Curse as a standard, swift, or immediate action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Travail	Allows wielder to cast Slow as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Treachery	Allows wielder to cast Shadow Weapon as a standard action.	750 gp
Rod of Truth Unto Power	Allows wielder to cast Severed Fate as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Rod of Twisted Intent	Allows wielder to cast Charm Monster as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Utter Despair	Allows wielder to cast Crushing Despair as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Varied Apocalypse	Allows wielder to cast Dragon's Breath as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Rod of Whipping Waves	Allows wielder to cast River Whip as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Rod of Wholesomeness	Allows wielder to cast Purify Food and Drink as a standard action.	500 gp
Security Rod	Allows wielder to cast Alarm as a standard action.	750 gp
Serious Caduceus Rod	Allows wielder to cast Cure Serious Wounds as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Shrieking Rod	Allows wielder to cast Shout as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Sledgehammer Rod	Allows wielder to cast Battering Blast as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Slivering Rod	Allows wielder to cast Diamond Spray as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Slop Rod	Allows wielder to cast Touch of Slime as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Slush Rod	Allows wielder to cast Snowball as a standard action.	750 gp
Space-Rending Rod	Allows wielder to cast Dimension Door as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Steadfast Rod	Allows wielder to cast Force Anchor as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Storming Rod	Allows wielder to cast Storm Step as a standard action	11,250 gp
Towerkeepers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Arcane Lock as a standard action	4,500 gp
Trespassers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Knock as a standard action, with a healthy bonus to boot.	4,500 gp
True Jailers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Summon Monster IV as a standard action.	22,500 gp
Warding Rod	Allows wielder to cast Protection from Energy as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Wavestriders Rod	Allows wielder to cast Water Walk as a standard action.	4,500 gp
Wayfarers Rod	Allows wielder to cast Endure Elements as a standard action.	500 gp
Winged Rod	Allows wielder to cast Fly as a standard action.	11,250 gp
Zapping Rod	Allows wielder to cast Jolt as a standard action.	500 gp