Magic: Infusions and Wands

Another way a spellcaster can produce magical effects in inanimate objects is by using infusions. An infusion as mentioned before is somewhat different than other sorts of enchantments. Like all enchantments though, an infusion requires time and resources. A divine caster must know the spell effect he or she wishes to give to the object, and a wizard must build the material components into the object. If the material components are perishable, they must be periodically reloaded into the enchanted object like ammunition.

Infusions are a popular method of enchantment because objects infused with magical effects can have quite advanced abilities. A runecrafted fire-sword is always on fire, which can be somewhat inconvenient. A fire sword created with infusions can be turned on and off with the press or a button or the utterance of a command word, which greatly increases its value.

Infusions can also store complicated spell effects that can be unleashed similarly, with the press of a button, flip of a switch, command word, or in some very advanced models, the simple power of thought.

The limitation of an infusion however is the fact that infused objects have a limited supply of energy. They can usually be turned on and off, but when on, they exhaust magical power. Thankfully, the power will recharge slowly over time from the ambient magical energy on Aarn. A magic user of any kind can also speed up this process. A wizard can increase the rate of recharging by concentrating on the item in the same way they concentrate on preparing a spell. A channeler can increase the rate of recharging by setting aside some of their energy, limiting their own magic in the process. A divine caster can transfer his or her own power points directly into the item.

Between all the different types of magically enchanted items, infusions are one of the safest. Dispelling one, while ruining the enchantment, won't cause an explosion or light show. Further, if the material components are damaged in an infusion created with wizardry, the infusion will begin to work again once the components are replaced, without the enchantment itself being damaged. Attempting to change the shape of an item with an infusion, or breaking the object itself, will still produce such an explosion however.

Wands are the standard method of carrying infusions, especially when the infusion is a spell that needs to be used at range. Importantly, any spell may be infused into an object, and most infusions are simply spells that could be cast otherwise, but are tied to an object that anyone may use. They are extremely useful for people who don't want to bother with scrolls or potions, but they are also very expensive due to their high demand and powerful nature.

That is not to say however that wands are the only type of infusion. A large amount of adventuring and survival gear is constructed with infusions, such as binoculars, rings that clean someone and improve their hygiene with the twist of a facet, fire starters, extremely accurate compasses, and one sort of enchanted auto-map item that produces a magical image of the area the person is in.

Infusions however cannot create anything sentient, nor can they create something that moves on its own in any type of self-directing way. One can use an infusion to create a propeller for a boat, but one cannot use an infusion to create a golem in the way that an animancer can.