Staff of the Arcane Compass

by Frazer 👁 155 views

versatile (1d8)

Charges: 7 (regains at dawn)

The Staff of the Arcane Compass is a six-foot length of dark, knotted wood carved from a weathered, blackened tree. Its surface is smooth and cool to the touch, polished to a midnight sheen. The head houses a slender pale crystal that glows with a faint blue light when magic flows nearby. Silver runes spiral along the shaft in patterns that seem to shift when you’re not looking directly at them. The tip is capped with a small gem that shivers slightly, as if a thread of magic were tugging at it. The wood seems to bite gently toward sources of enchantment, giving the illusion that the staff itself is leaning toward where magic gathers most strongly.

Arcane Compass The head of the staff houses a slender crystal that subtly tilts toward the strongest magical aura within 120 feet. The tilt is subtle and purely directional, but it always points toward a source of magic if one is nearby. While you hold the staff, you gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice magical auras or trails within 60 feet.

Weave's Bond While wielding the staff, you gain a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls and your spell save DC increases by 1.

Charge Pool The staff has 7 charges. It regains 1d6+1 charges each dawn. The following charge-activated effects exist (costs shown): - 1 charge: Detect Magic (1st-level) on self, duration 10 minutes. - 2 charges: See Invisibility (2nd-level) on self, duration 1 minute. - 3 charges: Arcane Eye (4th-level) for 1 minute. - 5 charges: Telekinesis (5th-level) on a target you can see within 60 feet for up to 1 minute. - 7 charges: Plane Shift (7th-level) to a known location on the same plane for you and up to 8 willing creatures (as per the spell). The use takes effect immediately and transports you to the chosen location. If you expend the last charge, the staff becomes inert until dawn.

Lore

Legends speak of a circle of archmages who sought a way to physically sense the Weave. They carved a staff that would not only channel arcane power but physically tilt toward it, as a hunter tilts toward a quarry. The Arcane Compass has appeared in several ages, always in the hands of those who sought to unravel hidden sanctums, to chase down relics, or to map the invisible currents of magic across the world.

History

Forged by the reclusive Arcane Circle of Lorith, this staff was first created to locate a sealed library said to rest beneath a city of shifting wards. It has since passed through many hands: a scholar who used it to locate long-lost tomes, a battlemage who tuned it to lead him to hidden spellcraft, and a seeker who used its tilt to chart ley lines beneath ancient battlegrounds. Each owner swore the staff chose its bearer as much as the bearer chose it.

Created by Frazer 👁 155 views