Incise Glyphstone (3.5e Feat)

Incise Glyphstone [Item Creation]

You can create glyphstones, an alternate single-use spell-completion item.

Prerequisite: Spellcaster level 1

Benefit: You can create a glyphstone of any spell that you know. Incising a glyphstone takes one day for each 1,000 gp in its base price. The base price of a glyphstone is its spell level x its caster level x 25 gp. To incise a glyphstone, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one-half of this base price. Any glyphstone that stores a spell with a costly material component or an XP cost also carries a commensurate cost. In addition to the costs derived from the base price, you must expend the material component or pay the XP when incising the glyphstone.

Special: When creating the glyphstone, the creator may restrictions on when the glyphs may be read —

the creator may specify that a specific kind of light is required to read them. For example, the light of a full moon, or a candle in the dark may be needed to unlock them. If so, the glyphs are visible only under the stated light. The light required must be available to the caster. Once aware of the spell stored in a glyphstone, the glyphstone is considered ‘deciphered’, and may be used regardless of whether the glyphs are visible or not.

Glyphs can be incised into very large rocks; or even stone walls or doors, and if the lighting is specified correctly, will be practically invisible.

About Glyphstones: Using a glyphstone is a move-equivalent action that draws an attack of opportunity.

Cultures using glyphstones tend to be secretive, and so determining what spell a glyphstone holds is not a simple task. Assuming the glyphs can be read (see Special above), a Spellcraft check against a DC of 25 + spell level is required to recognize the spell. An Identify spell will reveal what lighting is required to read the glyphs.

Analyze Dweomer will reveal the spell incised into a glyphstone; True Seeing will permit viewing the glyphs regardless of lighting conditions. See Invisibility will not reveal the writing on a glyphstone. Glyphstones do not give up their secrets easily.

Design: This feat is intended to replace Scribe Scroll, and should not be available to characters with access to Scribe Scroll or any feat intended to replace it.

This feat is intended to improve game flavor (along with the other Alternate Item Feats), and in any particular campaign should have some requirement limiting the feat to a particular polity, organization, or race. It is slightly better than Scribe Scroll.

This is deliberate, and meant to reward players for better integrating their characters with the world mileau. If this is not desired, then the special reading conditions of a glyphstone and the higher Spellcraft check needed to read the glyphstone can be discarded.

Glyphstones are appropriate for races and cultures that tend towards suspicion, xenophobia, and even paranoia.

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