Embedding

While embedding has become more common in Elanthia during the past couple of years, it seems that much of the knowledge and perspectives in the guides have been limited to those who actually perform such magick. As a result, I was asked by Lady Galadriel to prepare a few words in the interest of the layman desiring the service.

A Discussion on Embedding:

• What is Embedding?
  

• Who Can Embed?
  

• Which Spells Can Be Embedded?
  

• How Do I Use an Embedded Item, and What Skills Do I Need?
  

• Where Can I Get Embeddable Items?
  

• How Many Spells Will an Item Hold?
  

• How Much Does It Cost?
  

• Is There Anything Else I Should Know?

• Practical Defensive Spells For Amulets
  

• Additional Popular Spells for Amulets

What Is Embedding?
Embedding (also imbedding) binds magickal energy into a prepared object which then holds a predetermined capacity of mana configured as charges of a specific spell. You might think of it as a spell battery, of sorts. When activated by rubbing or waving, the item then releases one charge as if the user had actually prepared and cast the magick personally. This saves not only the user's personal supply of mana, but it also allows the casting of spells not known by the individual.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Who Can Embed?
The process requires training in the Item Creation spell (420), from the Minor Elemental Circle. Many titled wizards, sorcerers and older bards will know the spell, depending how they've trained. Rogues and warriors also have access to the Minor Elemental Circle, but the training costs are generally too high for them to learn more than a handful of spells, much less the 20 needed for embedding. There are a few rogues who can embed, but they are the exception, rather than the rule.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Which Spells Can Be Embedded?
Item Creation will only work for spells the embedder can prepare and cast on his or her own. This requires actual training in the target spell, so spells cannot be transferred from scrolls, embedded items or from other players. Item Creation will also not embed itself, spells over level 20, or any spell that has been GM-excluded in the interest of public safety. All embedders have access to spells from the Minor Elemental (400) circle. Wizards may also embed from the Major Elemental (500) and Wizard (900) circles. For sorcerers, the Minor Spiritual (100) and Sorcerer (700) spells are available.

Some spells will not work in an embedded form due to peculiarities in command syntax. Examples are bard songs, which are sung instead of cast, and the Locate spell (116), which requires a target not present in the caster's room.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

How Do I Use an Embedded Item, and What Skills Do I Need?
Embedded items fall into two categories: rubbed and waved. Rubbed items include things like amulets, rings, gems, and clothing. You wear the item (or just hold it, depending on the object), and then just RUB it to activate. No Magick Item Use or Spell Aiming skills are needed to activate a rub device, but the spell only works on the person wearing or holding it.

For wands and rods, the activator is WAVE WAND (AT target). This allows the user to direct the magick--particularly combat offensive spells--at someone or something else. The Magick Item Use skill is required for WAVE objects since the spell effects are not limited to the user. Most combat spells also base their attack strength on Spell Aiming skill, so combat wand training is generally too expensive for non-wizards. Mana Disrupt wands (twisted) do not use Spell Aiming, but a Magick Item skill of about 100-120 is needed for frequent control of the device.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Where Can I Get Embeddable Items?
Blank embed-ready amulets and wands can be purchased directly from the Alchemist on the East Side of Wehnimer's Landing and in similar shops in other towns. Most merchant jewelry these days is also embed-ready. Blank embeddables are also sometimes found as treasure on critters--look for brass, tin, lead, quartz, granite and similar materials on amulets, rings and wands. The items with quality adjectives (shiny, rusty, corroded, etc.) are not capable of holding spells.

Rangers may use their Imbue (614) spell to convert common foraged sticks into embed-ready wands, but the procedure is rather mana-intensive.

Some items, such as gems, are embeddible only after an application of Grot T'kel potion, purchased from the Alchemist. The same process is used to re-embed objects which do not crumble apart after the last charge is gone.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

How Many Spells Will an Item Hold?
The woods available at the Alchemist's shop will hold varying amounts of mana, ranging from about 25 to 33 mana per amulet. Merchant-bought jewelry and treasure amulets can hold from 20 to 40 mana. Some rings only hold up to 20, others up to 40 mana. Wands generally hold up to 30 or 40, rods up to about 60 or sometimes 80. Except for the Alchemist's goods, there's really no way of knowing the exact capacity beforehand. By and large, you get what you pay for.

As to the number of spells, divide the mana capacity of the item by the level of the spell, then round down: a 33-mana amulet would hold 33 charges of Defense I (401), 5 charges of Defense II (406) and 2 charges of Defense III (414)
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

How Much Does It Cost?
Amulets for sale at the Alchemist's shop will cost about 600 to 1150 silvers, depending on the material selected. Grot potion, if you need it, sells for about 6300 silvers. Fees for the actual procedure vary with the embedders--some will do it for free while others charge up to a couple of thousand silvers. The "traditional" cost is about 1000 silvers plus 100 for each spell level desired, item and materials not included.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Is There Anything Else I Should Know?
It may only take a few minutes to embed an amulet, but it's a rather mana-intensive process. The caster will spend roughly 50-60 mana per attempt, often with several attempts for complex spells. This is why some people will only embed spells below level 5.

There are also no guarantees when it comes to embedding. An item may not be embeddable even after applying grot potion, or it might explode during the mana transfer, destroying the item completely. When the last charged is used, the item may also crumble away into dust. It's practically impossible to tell up front how an item will react, so the embedders aren't liable if things go wrong. In other words, if your favorite obsidian nose ring shatters into pieces, don't expect the embedder to get you a replacement. It happens. So if you have a rare item you can't live without, don't try to have it embedded.

Combat offensive spells should never be placed into amulets or other RUB items. When triggered, the spell activates at full force with no chance to miss, often killing the wearer. Few embedders will do such work for ethical reasons, and intentionally mantrapping a device for unsuspecting players can result in a policy violation.

It is helpful to write down and keep track of any embedded items you have. After a while, you may not remember what that thanot amulet in your lockers does.

An adventurer may wear up to three amulets and two rings at a time, which can lead to wasted spells and sometimes death. Type (or macro) all device names in full, such as RUB MY CRYSTAL AMULET or RUB MY LEAD RING.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Practical Defensive Spells For Amulets

The following defensive spells are ranked in descending order of mana efficiency, listing the type of embedder needed, duration and other effects. Mass versions of the spells were not included because they are less mana efficient than the standard versions, and typical amulet usage occurs when the wearer is alone. Lesser Shroud (120) was also not included since the same spell can be found in small statues, which are readily available at a price much lower than the typical combined cost of materials and embedding fees.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]

Additional Practical Spells for Amulets

These spells represent those most suited for general or emergency use in amulets.
[Index] [Defensive] [General]