Rykov's Leveler
There was a mage once who dreamed of magic being there for everybody, and with his "Leveler" wand he might well have turned his dream into reality.
Full Item Description
A foot-long ebony wand with a brass button on it.. The handle opens to allow a small gemstone the size of a bullet to be put in. The wand needs to come with one or more of these gemstones to be of any use.
History
The mage Alexander Rykov, like many great mages, dreamed of power, but knew that he could not take it alone. He thought that the reason why mages did not rule everywhere that magic existed was that they were too few, too divided and unable to trust each other. What, he thought, if he could arm his servants with wands that could cast a spell with the click of a button? What a leveler that would be. He and his supporters could attack the Queen by surprise, outgun the royal wizards, zap the guards and assassinate the Queen and a grand new era of rule by mages would dawn.
After some trial and error he began mass-producing these wands in secret and each was given several different types of amunition so it could kill, wound, change or heal depending on what gemstone was put into it. Somebody informed on him to Queen Amber who sent a chapter of the Civic Wizards to capture him, which they did.
There were those who said that he deserved execution or mutilation for what he was planning, but the Queen did not want that. She hated executions and had recently abolished the amputation of limbs unless it was carried out with The Avenger and he had not murdered anybody.
Instead she had him fitted with a Convict Collar that would shock him if he ever cast even the simplest spell again and ordered his wands to be destroyed. Many were burnt publicly on a pyre whilst mages preached about the danger that would happen if the lower orders ever got their hands on magic. Some however were stolen and sold within the criminal underworld and a few were purloined by members of the public after a local demagogue led a minor riot.
The laws against these items got stricter and more rigidly enforced by the Civic Wizards, City Guards and other groups, but they can still turn up now and then, be it in private houses, in the Black Market, in the Evil Wizard's tower, or other places. Most people have forgotten what the colour code of the *bullets* are, and very few of these come in wooden boxes with the instructions and color chart-if they do, they are worth a lot of money in certain circles as an antique weapon.
Magic/Cursed Properties
It should be up to the GM what each colour of gemstone does when fired.The results can be deadly serious, very funny, infuriating or downright dangerous depending on the spell that is loaded and the type of game. Once loaded anyone who can speak and point the weapon can use it, not just a magic user.If more then one gemstone is loaded at once, the wand explodes into sharp splinters and the user is hit by a strange mixture of the spells, so never overload it.
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? Responses (11)
I can't say that I like it - it is an inadequate weapon for a wizardly duel, as it fails to reflect the nature of magical combat: the spell and counterspell, one spell to divert attention, the other to strike home...
It requires you but to point, not even testing your magical might.
Maybe I need a new backstory.
This feels a bit too much like pistol dueling rather than a duel of magic and wits. I like the idea but I would personally change the wands to being used by mundane folk who did not wish to try arduous sword duels or to use heavy crossbows. I could see nobles commisioning their court magi to create these weapons to sate the urge to duel when drawn blades in town are made illegal to end the bloodshed. Polymorphing, and other alteration spells could be popular for more public spectacles while backalley duels could deal with spells of instant death, or grevious wounding.
Or maybe these could be military, used by the army, and a few have found their way into the general public?
So we have magical pistols? Perhaps if you did an additional submission about wands loaded with scrolls to cast spells (like the paper kanji runes used in Nipponese mythology), this would be a more useful submission.
I'm putting this in work until further notice.
I like the basic idea, but...
Let me add a what if... Use the 'spell bullets' (not really comfortable with the term) as a failsafe, a power governer if you will. Duels could be set at harmless, painful, or leathal. The mage would be able to not only show his physical prowess, but with his full repertoire of spells at his disposal, can prove his wits as well. The wands could act like a focus (removing the need for spell components and complicated castings).
As an alternative method of use, it could work.
With that in mind, the wand would work for a mage simply to make casting a spell easier, but without the proper colored 'bullet', he could find himself weilding a harmless or painful set wand at any number of powerful foes. Not quite a cursed item, more like an annoying one, until he figures out what each color does.
Kicking around the idea has brought up another thought, instead of little wads of colored paper, use specially crafted and enchanted precious stones. They have a wide variety of colors, and it would add a little something if the party didn't know how to use the wand (the thief wants to sell them, the fighter wants to give them to bar wenches, the priest wants to give them to his church, etc.). Would make for great roleplay between party members.
Just a thought...
Updated: I decided to give this a better backstory.
There have been indeed changes to those Dueling Wands, and definitely for the better. Still a question remains, is the method of their manufacture known, or is it a forgotten secret? (Or most likely, a secret well guarded by the Civic Wizards.) Given that, there should be some catch to their production that makes unlimited/too easy production impossible.
Anyway, items with charges will eventually run out, and do not upset the status quo so much, particularly if they are forbidden by law (one has to wonder if the lawmakers and -executors don't have exceptions for the more useful items...).
The best thing about it, is that it offers a possible background for a whole class of magical items, that are typically given little to no regard ("wand, casts Fireball, has five charges"). Here they are given their history, function, typical design, and a criminal status.
It would be also interesting to know the final destiny of their maker...
I think that any mage could build them with a bit of work, but for most they would consider it a dangerous precendent - they would be diminishing their own power and prestige. I would, however, not allow easy mass production of said items. All items are costly or else world balance will be changed.
Give the masses magic, and things will change. People in power hate change.
what manfred and val said. Props for editing and improving an old sub Cheka! There isnt enough of that.
Love the name, Rykov's Leveler!
