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I'm currently running a fighter/archer build and really digging it.
I'm looking for a way to boost my AC and came across the cracked vibrant purple Ioun Stone.
My idea is to have shield cast into it thus turning my Shield bonus from 0 --> 4 (and AC from 22 --> 26) when activated.
First Question: Are cracked ioun stones legal in PFS? I've heard both.
Second Question: If this is a legal option, if I buy a scroll of shield and have a caster put it in the stone does the stone how many times can I use the stone before it needs to be recharged? Once? Once per day? Or could I use it whenever I choose? Easy enough to buy a wand of shield and have the caster replenish the stone as needed but if I could save the 2 PP I would.
Thanks!
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Cracked Ioun stones are pfs legal.
This stone stores three levels of spells, as a ring of spell storing. Stored spells in the stone must be placed by a spellcaster but can be used by anyone (see ring of minor spell storing).
Cracked: This stone stores one spell level, as a ring of spell storing (minor). Price: 2,000 gp.
So if all you want is shield, I'll assume you want the el cheapo 2k version. It stores 1 level of spell, so it stores 1 shield. You'll have to get shield recast into the sphere every time.
The shield spell stays in the stone accross scenarios as long as it was put there by an NPC.
You should buy NPC spellcasting services (they're cheaper than scrolls) At the start of the adventure, and some scrolls for your party members to recharge your rock with throughout the day.
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The Cracked Vibrant Purple Prism Ioun Stone is listed in Seekers of Secrets. All cracked, flawed and normal Ioun Stones from this book are legal.
Your character would have to buy 1 shield spell scroll (or casting, as Wolf said) and have it cast into the stone. Once used, it would function just as if your character had been able to cast it upon himself. It would need to be recharged after every use.
Edit: Drat... Ninja'd.
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Yes, really. :-)Nobody's mentioned it yet so I'll throw out that cracked/flawed ioun stones give no enhancement when placed in a wayfinder, only full ioun stones will give the bearer the listed resonant power.orly?
Cracked/flawed Ioun stones still give there standard power when in a wayfinder it is only the Resonance that they do not gain.
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So there's two things to remember here. First, the Vibrant Purple Ioun Stone's description says "see ring of spell storing".
A minor ring of spell storing contains up to three levels of spells (either divine or arcane, or even a mix of both spell types) that the wearer can cast. Each spell has a caster level equal to the minimum level needed to cast that spell. The user need not provide any material components or focus to cast the spell, and there is no arcane spell failure chance for wearing armor (because the ring wearer need not gesture). The activation time for the ring is the same as the casting time for the relevant spell, with a minimum of 1 standard action.
For a randomly generated ring, treat it as a scroll to determine what spells are stored in it. If you roll a spell that would put the ring over the three-level limit, ignore that roll; the ring has no more spells in it.
A spellcaster can cast any spells into the ring, so long as the total spell levels do not add up to more than three. Metamagic versions of spells take up storage space equal to their spell level modified by the metamagic feat. A spellcaster can use a scroll to put a spell into the minor ring of spell storing.
The ring magically imparts to the wearer the names of all spells currently stored within it.
Part two is how to activate it. Although the activation type is not specifically called out, the spell trigger activation method seems most fitting. Just like a wand it does not require components and takes as long to cast as the spell in it (minimum one standard action).
Spell Trigger: Spell trigger activation is similar to spell completion, but it's even simpler. No gestures or spell finishing is needed, just a special knowledge of spellcasting that an appropriate character would know, and a single word that must be spoken. Spell trigger items can be used by anyone whose class can cast the corresponding spell. This is the case even for a character who can't actually cast spells, such as a 3rd-level paladin. The user must still determine what spell is stored in the item before she can activate it. Activating a spell trigger item is a standard action and does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
So any spell can be cast into the ioun stone but unless you can normally cast that spell you will have to UMD to activate it. Also remember that (for PFS purposes) the spell takes effect at the minimum caster level.
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Ring of spell storing is not called out in the list of spell trigger items, so it is a use activated magic item because that is the default for wondrous items. Default form of use activation would be intent + command word. It's activation time is specified by the spell stored. The spell stored can be any spell that fits within the limits of the ring of spell storing / ioun stone.
Do you have a reference for this? I did a forum search before posting and could find no answer. I will certainly agree that both rings and wondrous items have the text that they are "usually" command word activated, but the ring of spell storing specifically says "...that the wearer can cast." Items that allow the wearer to cast spells fall into the spell completion (scrolls) or spell trigger (wands and staves) categories.
Compare the ring of spell storing to ring of blinking (On command, this ring makes the wearer blink, as the blink spell) or ring of invisibility (By activating this simple silver ring, the wearer can benefit from invisibility, as the spell).
So I'd love to see a developer ruling on this (my monk would love to have stones of shield, mage armor, lead blades, and about 15 stones of true strike that he wouldn't need to UMD) but it does seem to read as spell trigger.
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So any spell can be cast into the ioun stone but unless you can normally cast that spell you will have to UMD to activate it. Also remember that (for PFS purposes) the spell takes effect at the minimum caster level.
I disagree with that assessment. In reading the description of the vibrant purple stone is notes nothing about UMD check, but specifically states "Anyone" can cast it. If it were similar to a wand in necesitating a UMD check, then what's special about it?
Bottom line: My archer's AC is going up 4! :)
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if you have to use an action to activate the shield spell from the stone...
and you have to UMD a wand of shield to put the spell in their in the first place, every time...
why not cut out the middle man (stone), and just use the wand on yourself?
Draw wand use wand uses up a move and a standard as opposed to a move
Using the stone is guaranteed, using the wand isn't.
Edit:Also, you can get a party member to do it for a longer lasting shield. On that note, you may want to get a pearl of power level 1 if you regularly have a wizard in the party. They're almost bound to have shield in their book.
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Edit:Also, you can get a party member to do it for a longer lasting shield. On that note, you may want to get a pearl of power level 1 if you regularly have a wizard in the party. They're almost bound to have shield in their book.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Spells cast from spell storing items are always at minimum caster level in PFS.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Katie, even if they are cast into the spell-storing item by PCs who are higher level?
I understand that spellcasting srvices, purchased wands, scrolls, etc. are all at minimum caster level.
But you're suggesting a break between PFS and the general Pathfinder rules as to how spell-storing items work.
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Katie, even if they are cast into the spell-storing item by PCs who are higher level?
I understand that spellcasting srvices, purchased wands, scrolls, etc. are all at minimum caster level.
But you're suggesting a break between PFS and the general Pathfinder rules as to how spell-storing items work.
Actually it's not specific to PFS, but in the description of a ring of spell storing it says
A minor ring of spell storing contains up to three levels of spells (either divine or arcane, or even a mix of both spell types) that the wearer can cast. Each spell has a caster level equal to the minimum level needed to cast that spell. The user need not provide any material components or focus to cast the spell, and there is no arcane spell failure chance for wearing armor (because the ring wearer need not gesture). The activation time for the ring is the same as the casting time for the relevant spell, with a minimum of 1 standard action.
So I erred in saying specific to PFS, but the ioun stone specifically says it works like a ring of spell storing. So you can only store it at minimum caster level.
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...and the lack of detail specifying otherwise, anyone can activate a ring of spell storing to cast the spell from it with a command word to cast the spell contained. The unusual activation of a ring of spell storing is only called out as the speed of the action - this makes it even usable for things like liberating command or saving finale.
So after thinking about this for a while I decided to move the question of activation type to the rules forum.
What kind of activation method does a Ring of Spell Storing use?I would ask that we not rehash the arguments for or against one method in that thread; I worded it as neutrally as I could and am hoping for a developer response. But please hit the FAQ button if you are so moved. :)
In the meantime I won't be enforcing spell trigger activation on PFS players, I'll use command word as that is the more liberal interpretation.
And now a couple of asides:
Here's a partial list of other personal range spells I find useful (others may not, some have different spells they love). Comprehend languages, disguise self, expeditious retreat, lead blades. If you are adventuring with a paladin you can even get grace. (You have to get it from a character, an NPC will have to be a cleric per PFS rules and it's a level 2 spell for them.)
And that's just the problem with personal range spells. There's plenty of spells (like entangle or color spray) that really don't seem to be meant to be easily available to non-casters.
Maybe it is intended to be that way and I'm completely misreading the situation. Maybe the designers decided command word activation was fine (before the cracked stone came along) when the cheapest option was the minor ring of spell storing which costs 18000 gp and uses one of your precious ring slots.
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...and the lack of detail specifying otherwise, anyone can activate a ring of spell storing to cast the spell from it with a command word to cast the spell contained. The unusual activation of a ring of spell storing is only called out as the speed of the action - this makes it even usable for things like liberating command or saving finale.So after thinking about this for a while I decided to move the question of activation type to the rules forum.
What kind of activation method does a Ring of Spell Storing use?I would ask that we not rehash the arguments for or against one method in that thread; I worded it as neutrally as I could and am hoping for a developer response. But please hit the FAQ button if you are so moved. :)
In the meantime I won't be enforcing spell trigger activation on PFS players, I'll use command word as that is the more liberal interpretation.
And now a couple of asides:
** spoiler omitted **...
Good catch, I forgot they minimum of a standard action'd the spell storing ring.
I also agree that the cracked vibrant purple ioun stone may be dramatically mispriced.
Figured out the pricing, and it appears to be correct, following my assumptions:
Ring of Spell Storing, holds up to 3 spell levels, 18,000
Note that 18,000 is also the cost for a +3 weapon enhancement.
Cracked vibrand purple prism Ioun stone, holds up to 1 spell level, 2,000
Note that that price is equivalent to a +1 weapon enhancement.
So, cost is apparently equal to the total number of spell levels the spell storing item can hold, squared, times 2,000 gold.
1 = 2,000
2 = 8,000
3 = 18,000
4 = 32,000
5 = 50,000
and so forth.
It makes for a visually dramatic price difference between the ring and the Ioun stone, but the ruing also has a lot more flexibility, to boot.
It is entirely possible that the Ioun stone pricing should be doubled for being slotless, or it might be possible that the ring price should be decreased for being slotted. Not my call.
But it means that I no longer feel guilty for buying the Ioun stones, since the price appears to actually be in the right neighborhood...
Edit: ALso note that the price is not dissimilar to that for Pearls of Power (which cost half, but are more flexible for prepared casters) and whatever the version for spontaneous casters is called, which is the same price, and, like the PoP, more flexible in many ways.