DCC Spell: Magic Wand

The final version of this will appear in Crawl!, but I thought I would share it here in case anyone has any comments to offer.  There is also a discussion thread on the Goodman Games boards here:  http://goodman-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=40986.

Without further ado, the Magic Wand spell for DCC RPG by Daniel J. Bishop (borrowing heavily from Joseph Goodman!):

Magic Wand
Level:  4	Range:  Self	Duration:  Permanent	Casting time:  1 week per caster level	Save:  N/A
General	Wands can be created and imbued with magical energy by wizards using this spell.  The material cost is 1,000 gp per caster level, plus any unusual materials (e.g., an ivory wand requires sufficient ivory), plus a minimum of 1 point of spellburn per caster level to properly bond the wand.  The wand’s efficacy is much greater at higher caster levels, and thus the time and material cost rises as the wizard progresses in power level.  Additionally, the caster must have any spells that will be placed into the wand available, and be able to utilize them during the casting period.  All costs are expended before the spell check is made, and failure means all costs are lost; a wand that is improperly enchanted can be re-enchanted to recover half of the material costs involved.  A spell with a casting time of 1 day or longer cannot be bonded to a wand. The casting period is ongoing with brief spurts of restless sleep, and the caster does not heal spellburn (or other wounds) during this time.  Each casting allows the caster to choose one wand from the eligible results of his spell check or less.  With research practice, and special materials, a wand can be created that performs a different function of equivalent power, such as a wand that locates secret doors.  These special wands and their abilities should be devised with the aid of the judge.  The judge determines whether or not a spell check was sufficiently high for any desired equivalent power to be bonded to the wand! In the descriptions below, “original caster level” refers to the level at which the wizard crafted the wand – if he advances in level after creating the wand, abilities associated with the creator of the wand’s original caster level do not increase.
Manifestation	One wand to be crafted by the caster, of any wood, metal, bone, or other material.
Corruption	Roll 1d8:  (1-2) Minor; (3-5) Major; (6-8) Greater.
Misfire	N/A
1	Lost, failure, corruption, and patron taint!
2-11	Lost.  Failure.
12-15	Failure, but spell is not lost.
16-17	The caster succeeds in creating a simple wand, which is linked to one spell that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  By focusing that spell through this wand, a spellcaster is able to gain a +2 bonus to his spell check.  A spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus.
18-21	The caster succeeds in creating a simple wand, which can be used to cast a single spell that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for that spell as part of the casting; if the caster fails, the creation of the wand fails.  If the caster succeeds, the spell can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard (and using the spell check bonus of the wizard at the time the wand is created).  The wizard can choose a command word, which must be known and uttered to cast a spell through the wand.
22-23	The caster succeeds in creating a wand, which can be used to cast up to three spells that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for all three spells; once a spell check has failed, the wand will accept no more spells.  If the spells are not thematically linked (Judge’s ruling), each additional spell to be placed in the wand (after the first) may suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to their spell checks.  The spells placed in the wand can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard, using the spell check result at the time the wand is created.  The wizard can choose a command word for each spell, which must be known and uttered to cast each spell through the wand.  If the wizard chooses to place only one spell in the wand (not as a result of a failed spell check), the wand can also be crafted to grant a spellcaster a +2 bonus to spell checks when casting that spell with the wand as a focus.  This bonus does not apply when an actual “charge” of the spell is used from the wand, and a spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus.
24-26	The caster succeeds in creating a wand, which can be used to cast up to three spells that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for all three spells; once a spell check has failed, the wand will accept no more spells.  If the spells are not thematically linked (Judge’s ruling), each additional spell to be placed in the wand (after the first) may suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to their spell checks.  The spells placed in the wand can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard, using the spell check result at the time the wand is created.  The wizard can choose a command word for each spell, which must be known, but need not be uttered to cast each spell through the wand.  If the wizard chooses to place only one spell in the wand (not as a result of a failed spell check), the wand can also be crafted to grant a spellcaster a +2 bonus to spell checks when casting that spell with the wand as a focus.  This bonus does not apply when an actual “charge” of the spell is used from the wand, and a spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus.
27-31	The caster succeeds in creating a wand, which can be used to cast up to three spells that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for all three spells; once a spell check has failed, the wand will accept no more spells.  If the spells are not thematically linked (Judge’s ruling), each additional spell to be placed in the wand (after the first) may suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to their spell checks.  The spells placed in the wand can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard, using the spell check result at the time the wand is created.  The wizard can choose a command word for each spell, which must be known, but need not be uttered to cast each spell through the wand.  In addition, by using the wand to focus any of the spells it contains, a spellcaster is granted a +2 bonus to related spell checks.  This bonus does not apply when an actual “charge” of the spell is used from the wand, and a spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus.
32-33	The caster succeeds in creating a great wand, which can be used to cast up to three spells that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for all three spells; once a spell check has failed, the wand will accept no more spells.  If the spells are not thematically linked (Judge’s ruling), each additional spell to be placed in the wand (after the first) may suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to their spell checks.  The spells placed in the wand can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard, using the spell check result at the time the wand is created.  The wizard can choose a command word for each spell, which must be known, but need not be uttered to cast each spell through the wand.  In addition, by using the wand to focus any of the spells it contains, a spellcaster is granted a +4 bonus to related spell checks.  This bonus does not apply when an actual “charge” of the spell is used from the wand, and a spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus.
34+	The caster succeeds in creating a great wand, which can be used to cast up to three spells that he knows and has available at the time of casting.  The caster must succeed in a spell check for all three spells; once a spell check has failed, the wand will accept no more spells.  If the spells are not thematically linked (Judge’s ruling), each additional spell to be placed in the wand (after the first) may suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to their spell checks.  The spells placed in the wand can be cast once per day per original caster level of the wizard, using the spell check result at the time the wand is created.  The wizard can choose a command word for each spell, which must be known, but need not be uttered to cast each spell through the wand.  In addition, by using the wand to focus any of the spells it contains, a spellcaster is granted a +4 bonus to related spell checks.  This bonus does not apply when an actual “charge” of the spell is used from the wand, and a spellcaster cannot use two or more wands to increase this bonus. Finally, the caster may grant the wand one unique ability, which can be used through the wand as though it were a spell.  These abilities should be no more powerful than a third level spell as a rough estimate, and should be thematically tied to the spells contained by the wand.   These special powers should be determined with the aid of the judge.