Ultimate Guide to Imbuing Items

So I've been over and over the rules about imbuing items read the unofficial errata wiki and I'm fairly certain I've got more rules than I know what to do with now.  So here's everything I've compiled and hopefully it will help others and someone can clarify and fill in the blanks and answer my questions for the stuff I'm still left wondering.

Step 1) Choose to cast Imbue Item.
At Prime 3: I can make the imbued item survive for as long as I can using the standard extended spell cast: prolonged duration casting table.
At Prime 4: I can make the imbued item survive forever, because to make a permanent imbued item I have to cast Imbued Item 1 level higher, because it too must be cast as if it was permanent.

Question 1) This assessment is based on a statement in the errata, mentioned later in the post.  The book doesn't even lead on that this is the case.  It simply states that the spells being imbued must be cast with an indefinite duration, not the imbue item spell.  Please clarify this, because it seems a little counter intuitive.

Question 2) At Prime 4 can I create an activated "Imbue Item" imbued item?  Then hand it to a mage without prime and allow them to create permanent imbued items with their own spells?


Step 2) Decide what other spells to put into the imbued item.

From Unoffical Errata "Only the Imbue Item spell needs to indefinite, unless one of the imbued spells has a permanent effect, in which case it also needs to be indefinite. It the spell just has a triggered activation, it needs to last only as long as you want it to (by choosing its Duration factors during the Imbue Item casting)."

From Book "Even contingent spells imbued into an item must be made indefinite, or they disappear from the item when their Duration expires."

Question 3) This was the errata reference I mentioned earlier, who is right here?  Because these totally contradict over the matter of what if the spell is triggered.  If I want a ring that is triggered to cast Self Healing as if it was Life 4 (And still be able to cast it from the item again later), do I need Life 4 or Life 5 when imbuing the item?


Step 3) Decide whether each spell imbued into the item is persistent (always active) or contingent (triggered by a word, gesture or condition).

Question 4) Are there any kind of rules around what can and can't be a persistent effect based on the spells native form?  If I imbue Self Healing (Life 2) and have Life 5, can I imbue a persistent Self Healing (Life 4) into a ring that instant heals me for bashing, lethal and aggravated damage as soon as I take it?  How would an item like that function?

Question 5) If I imbue 2 spells into an item and have both be contingent, can I have separate triggers for each spell, or are both always triggered under the same trigger.


Step 4) Spend 1 mana (per spell being imbued), Plus any mana the spell(s) being imbued would cost.


Step 5) Do you want the imbued item to be able to hold mana, +3 Successes needed in ritual.  The item will be able to hold 10 mana, +1 mana for each spell imbued into the item.

Question 6) Can I make an imbued item that just holds mana but does not hold a spell?  Is this item going to cost me a Willpower dot to create?


Step 6) For each spell decide the potency you would like to imbue into the item, for each spell add the successes needed to the total needed in the ritual.  Yes, you can imbue celestial fire into a ring with a potency of 5 and watch people try to Counterspell it in vain.


Step 7) Choose other effects from the extended spell casting tables you would like to include into the spells effect and include the successes needed.  This includes area of effect options.  So now that celestial fire ring can have an area of effect capability with spawned from your ring.

Question 7) What about desired successes on the spell?  Are you imbuing those also?  I have read example imbued items that would mimic the spell "Transform Self", gloves that give you claws.  But given the source spell, that would require 1 success, yet somehow that effect is being baked into the item.  What about gloves that add horns and claws?  I would need 2 successes.  Is that determined at the time of the imbue item ritual?  If the effect is persistent or contingent does this make a difference in what is possible?

Question 8) If the answer to question 7 is Yes (successes are baked into the item at imbue item time), then what about the spell "Self Healing"?  Can I create a ring that upon saying "Shazam" heals me for 10 health levels guaranteed, for 1 mana?

The errata did say: "Yes, the number of successes is encoded into the item. Not all effects are wise to use all the time, though, so some crafters use triggers to activate them only when they want to."

I just want to be certain here, because I can think of all kinds of crazy possibilities come to mind, even more than the ring of 10 healing, like 3 rings of "Honing the Form", each maxed to 5 (Assuming I had Life 5), one for Stamina, Dex and Str, then I just swap between the one I need active (since only 1 can be) given the situation.


Step 8) Cast the imbue item ritual.

Question 9) If other mages want to help me imbue the item, can they and what do they require to help?


Step 9) [Optional] Relinquish control over the spell.  Only the Imbue Item spell needs to be relinquished, and that costs a dot rather than a point of Willpower.

From Unofficial Errata: You can spend a point instead, if you want, but the item's imbuement spell can then be dispelled by others.

Question 10) If an item can be dispelled because of this spotty workmanship would supernal vision tell us that?  If not, what would?


Step 10) Use the Item.

Question 11) With some spells this is no problem, like Organic Resilience, the armor is simply the level of arcana that was used for the spell being imbued into the item.

For activated items I've read the die pool looks like this:
(Arcana Level Used in Item Construction) + (User (not creator) Gnosis) = Die Pool

For Paradox:
(Creator Gnosis) + (User Wisdom Dice) = Die Pool

What if the item's effect is persistent?  The ring I mentioned in question 4?  Assuming I had a ring of Self Healing with a persistent effect, would I roll activation die pool every time I took damage and heal for that amount, or based on the answer to question 8, would it just auto heal me for 10.

Question 12) If the spell effect is persistent and vulgar, when and how often is paradox rolled?

The answers to these questions are relevant to my interests.

Question 12: I have ruled that Paradox is ruled based on the person using the Imbued Item. A Gnosis 10 Mage could create glasses for me that set things on fire, but I would roll only 1 die for Paradox since my Gnosis is only 2 and I'm the one using the item and, thus, invoking the Supernal.

Did you mean Question 11?  That particular rule is straight out of the mage book.

"If the item is imbued with vulgar spells, it risks a Paradox whenever these powers are used. The Paradox dice pool is based on the Gnosis of the imbued item’s creator at the time of the item’s creation (if his Gnosis later rises, the item’s Paradox dice pool does not also rise)." p. 226

unfortionatly I can't be 100% on facts here but after rereading the core book this is a sum of my oppinions AND things I've read here and there.

1) The imbued item spell is very special spell since it's kinda more like you are casting the spell that gives the effect into the item so they are in effect the same spell. Hence it's the same thing if the "Imbued item spell" and the spell you imbue is indif. just remember that ALL spells you imbue have to be inf.

2) It sounds quite imbrobable since, as said, they are the same spell and 3 dots of prime just let's you imbue the known spell.

3) tbh as I see it you don't really store one shot effects but enhancement spells like shield spells.
the contingent ones just mean that you don't have them on all the time, e.g. like a spell that turns you into a crow.

I guess you could store one shot spells and make the item consume 1 mana every shot (+ any mana it would already need for the spell ofc.) it's up to the storyteller.

another option would just be to store a coupple of the same spell and "refill" once in a while.

in both examples I don't think you would need to change the duration see.

 also answer 1

4) sounds as a conditional trigger (2 dots in fate) to have it auto-heal you but like stated before the spell doesn't really apply to one shot effects in the core book.

5) I say yes, as you need to choose for each spell if they are contingent or persistent so you choose a key for each aswell.

6) Can't see why not, could even be a spell for that already but otherwise I think it's ok to use the imbue mana spell (p. 226) in the core book, just use it on objects instead. and no wilpower dot (ps, the errata stated that if you sacrifice a WP dot the spell can't be dispelled by regular means, only destry artifact stuff. To just "let go" of the spell you only need to spend a WP point =D hurray for mages everywhere!)

7) Yes, you set up all system factors as you weave the spell during inital casting. as to what you turn in to should also be set as the spell is made from one imago. as to pers. or cont. I don't really see way, you just turn int on and off or just keep it on at all times.

8) already answerd this one ;P

9) see page 129 core.  All mages need to be able to cast the spell in question, that is 3 prime and the spell being imbued.

10) I think so, it looks more like a spell on an item instead of a magical item.

11) one shot spells agai, read othe answers.

12) only att the time it activates, that is it's put on I would say.

I read just the other day that you have to increase the target succeses to have an indif. duration on both all the spells being imbued and the imbue item spell itself. this also means that you need Prime 4 to make the imbue item spell indif.

I  always thought that the 'imbue item' spell has to be indefinite (that is, if you want a magical item that wont expire), but that the other spell only has to be indefinite if it's an 'always on' effect.

Fikealox:

I  always thought that the 'imbue item' spell has to be indefinite (that is, if you want a magical item that wont expire), but that the other spell only has to be indefinite if it's an 'always on' effect.

No unfortionatly that is stated in the description of the imbue item spell on p. 226 that ALL spells need to pe cast as indefinite.

Ahh, you're right. I'd forgotten about that passage.

That isn't true.  Check out the errata at:

http://wiki.white-wolf.com/worldofdarkness/index.php?title=Mage:_The_Awakening_Core_%28Errata%29#Prime

The only spell that *has* to be indefinite is Imbue Item (assuming you want a permanent magic item).  If you want a persistant effect then you would need to cast the spell at Indefinite.  But you could choose to make what ever the effect is be a shorter duration.  For instance, you could choose to make a +4 Stamina ring that is persistant (assuming you have Life 4 and Advanced Prolong factors) by requiring +5 successes while casting .  But if you have a Life of 3, you could make the effect last 24 hours with +3 succeses.

The errata corrects the book.  You are correct that the book reads as if ALL spells need to be cast at indefinite.

For those that don't want to clicky I will copy the question and answer below:

 Q: The Imbue item spell reads like you need to cast the spell being imbued as the indefinite spell always. It would be nice to hear that you don't need that to be the case for non-persistent effects.

A: Only the Imbue Item spell needs to indefinite, unless one of the imbued spells has a permanent effect, in which case it also needs to be indefinite. It the spell just has a triggered activation, it needs to last only as long as you want it to (by choosing its Duration factors during the Imbue Item casting).

Ah, my bad. =)