Lifewell Staff

Staff (Arcane Focus), Legendary, Requires Attunement by a Wizard

“These strange and powerful staves are a closely guarded secret of the Sorcerer Kings and gifted to only the most powerful and trusted mages of their court. Wielding a Lifewell Staff is said to allow a wizard to gain all of the benefits of Defiling*, without the negative consequences…at least to a point…”

Preserved Power - This staff contains the life energies of a small self-sustaining ecosystem. It has 30 charges and regains charges at a rate of 1 per day. When casting a spell, you can choose to expend charges from the staff as if you were using Defiling magic, exchanging charges at a rate of 1 charge per point. 

If the staff is ever fully depleted of charges, you may choose to destroy the staff to gain 10 Defiling points to spend on the next spell you cast, regardless of your level. After doing this, the staff turns to ash. 

*Special Rule - Defiling -  Magic in Athas is unique in that it comes from the life energy of the world. While many spellcasters have learned to work with these energies and harness them constructively, some Wizards have learned techniques to empower themselves and their spells by burning this life energy. These Wizards are known as Defilers and their magicks are typically without peer. There are even stories of Defilers so powerful they can sap the lifeforce of living creatures to power their spells. 

Due to the destructive effect they have on the world and the terrible power they can call upon, Defiling is considered illegal in all of the City-States of Athas and Defilers are typically hunted and killed or pressed into the service of the Sorcerer Kings if found out.

When a Wizard casts a spell, they may choose to Defile the area around them, destroying all plant life and stripping any life giving nutrients and energies from the land around them. A Wizard can draw an amount of power equal to half their Wizard level, rounded up (represented by points), from the land around them to power any of the effects listed below.

• Cast a spell without using a spell slot: 2 points + 1 per spell level.

• Upcast a spell: 1 point per Spell level increased above the base level. 

• Cast an unprepared spell that you know: 1 point per spell level (you still must spend the spell slot as if it were prepared). 

• Use any of the Sorcerer metamagic options: 1 point + the number of points equal to the Sorcery Point cost of the metamagic option.

The more points spent, the larger the area of Defilement spreads from the Wizard. Consult the below chart to gauge the Radius of land Defiled. This chart represents the effects on your average biome in Athas. In a particularly verdant area, the area of effect is halved, whereas in an extremely desolate area, the area of effect is double. If Defiling in an already Defiled area, the point costs for any effects are doubled and the area of effect grows out from the already Defiled area. 

Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Area

5’ 10’ 15’ 20’ 25’ 30’ 50’ 70’ 100’ 120’

Defiled Land - Within the area of effect of a Wizard’s Defilement, all plant life is reduced to fine gray ash. The Defiled area becomes completely unsuitable to sustaining life of any kind and can remain that way for decades or even centuries. Powerful Druids and Clerics have been said to have some success restoring Defiled lands, but this takes time, skill, and training that few have.