Baculus (3.5e Equipment)
Baculus:
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| A baculus of Selune,Piece edited from This |
A baculus is a staff of power used by certain castes of holy men to access divine magic. Most are the shape and size of a staff or quarterstaff with an elaborately shaped, many-pronged head that contains the effigy or symbol of the deity whose divine power it is meant to channel in its center. The baculus is especially prevalent in areas where clerical casting is rare, or even non-existent, and its emergence has been lauded as a great development in the inner and outer circles of many faiths. When used in battle, a baculus counts as a magical quarterstaff, both halves of which carry a +1 enhancement bonus.
The true purpose of a baculus lies in the conversion of energies. It takes the raw life energy that you use to cast arcane spells, and converts it to pure divine power, which can then be used in order to cast certain spells. To an arcane spellcaster with no levels in a divine spellcasting class, a baculus allows the use of spontaneous cure or inflict spells (depending on alignment) like a cleric. The arcane spellcaster can emulate a cure or inflict spell of a particular level by expending an arcane spell slot of similar level.
Since using a baculus requires you to channel energy and then cast a spell through it using that energy, casting spells with a baculus requires a full-round action. Spells that already take a full-round action or longer to cast don't change in casting time.
If in addition to your arcane spellcasting class levels, you already have levels in a divine spellcasting class as well, you can use a baculus to cast any divine spell that you can spontaneously cast. For example, a druid with arcane spellcasting levels can use a baculus to cast summon nature's ally spells with their arcane spell slots.
Spells cast through the baculus use your arcane caster level or your divine caster level, whichever is higher.
Using a Baculus: Baculuses are created as divine tools in the name of a particular deity. In order to be able to use a baculus, you must have that deity as a patron deity. In the hands of anyone that does not worship its deity, the baculus is just an ordinary +1/+1 quarterstaff. Fealty to a deity cannot be emulated with the Use Magic Device skill.
Baculuses are all fashioned by hand in a secret ritual of creation. It is said that the gods themselves have instructed their most faithful in how to create them. As such, each and every one of them is unique, and learning how to use a baculus requires a special touch. Attuning to a baculus requires 30 days of training and practice. Even when you and your baculus are attuned, every casting requires a Concentration check of a DC of 15 + the level of the arcane spell slot expended. This check may be replaced with a Use Magic Device check of similar DC, if the caster has ranks in the skill. No two people may be attuned to any one baculus at the same time.
Using a baculus does not run the risk of arcane spell failure.
Moderate evocation;CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item, must have a particular deity as your patron deity. Caster level 8th.; Activation: Spell trigger; Weight: 5 lb.; Market Price: 10,000 gp
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