Tapstones

Tapstones -

Tapstones are deceptively simple devices – they are flat, rounded stones, usually about palm-sized, inlaid with a particular pattern of mimite and enchanted with a spell that is cast whenever the stone is struck with a certain level of impact. How long the stone lasts for, the amount of force required to activate it, and how reliable the stone is depend on any number of factors including the quality and preservation of the mimite pattern, the size of the stone, and simply how many times the same stone can be hit without being damaged.

The most common use of tapstones is in engines and manufacture equipment. Though originally they briefly created an economy that favoured the existing structure of wizardry, it was a blacksmith, Anshani Worlswalk, working in partnership with a small group of student wizards that revolutionized their use. Where before they were sold as expensive trinkets, spells for the discerning non-mage who wanted the power without the study, it was Worlswalk's idea to create simple spells specifically for tapstones. In a little under a decade, machinery powered by tapstones enchanted by basic motion spells became common in cities, the arts of carving tapstones and inlaying the mimite were outsourced to artisans rather than mages, and tapstone engines began to power airships through the sky, all thanks to Worlswalk's vision.

Only arcane spells can be bound to a tapstone, and each spell has its own mimite pattern which must be specifically prepared in advance of the enchantment. The base price for a tapstone is based on the level of spell it is expected to hold.

0th - 30gp
1st - 60gp
2nd - 100gp
3rd - 150gp
4th - 250gp
5th - 400gp
6th - 600gp
7th - 850gp
8th - 1150gp
9th - 1500gp

This price is multiplied by the expected amount of uses; 1 for a fragile tapstone, 10 for a standard tapstone, 100 for a sturdy tapstone, and 1000 for an industrial tapstone. This price is then doubled if the tapstone is to be smaller than palm-sized, or halved if it is to be too large to be held in one hand.

Commonly-produced tapstones may be found at a reduced base price, as the tapstone does not need to be commissioned.

Crafting Tapstones can be done incrementally or generally.
To be crafted incrementally, the stone itself is created first, requiring a DC 10 Craft (Stonework) check to produce a standard-sized stone capable of being patterned and bound. To make a stone of miniature-size, about the size of a coin, the DC increases to 15. Making a stone larger than standard size, such that it is too large to be conveniently carried and used by a person, requires a check of only DC 5. The laying of the mimite pattern requires a Craft (Tapstone Patterning) check of DC 10 + the level of the intended spell. The DC is increased by 5 for a miniature-sized tapstone, and decreased by 5 for a large-sized one. If this check is failed twice, the stone becomes unusable and the process must begin again. If this check is succeeded, the pattern must be filled with a Craft (Mimite Laying) check of DC 10 for standard and large-sized stones and DC 15 for miniature-sized stones. This also requires an amount of mimite dust equal in cost to half the crafted stone's base price, and failing this check wastes half of this dust. Once this check is succeeded, a caster can bind the patterned spell as long as he is capable of casting that spell and has the Bind Tapstone feat.

Crafting tapstones generally replaces the specific skills with Craft (Tapstone), and indicates a less specialized approach. The DC's of the three specialized checks are added to 10, then the result is divided by 3 to determine the DC of the single Craft (Tapstone) check. Failing this check both renders the base stone unusable for tapstones and wastes half of the required mimite. Succeeding the check allows a caster to bind the patterned spell.