Spell Reeds

Magic is inimical to human life. It consumes the unwary and eventually burns out even the most judicious mage. If overused or worked without proper shielding raw magic will taint its surroundings, rendering the land toxic and unusable for generations. There are several species of plant known to withstand the noxious effects of magic-poisoned soil. Some, such as common spell reed (Phragmites incantus), even thrive and can be employed to reclaim land in the wake of magical disasters or pollution from long-term arcane discharge.

Spell reed is a hyperaccumulator that, when planted in tainted soil, absorbs and condenses any magical residue present. Research shows they are effective in mitigating all forms of arcane phenomena, including even well-contained spellwork such as ancestral curses or enchantments that some may consider beneficial. The condensed mystic power is sequestered within the plant's tissues and may be harvested for proper containment and disposal. As with any such project, the speed at which territory can be rendered safe for habitation varies depending on the severity of the contamination and the number of reeds planted. If following best practices, it is usually possible to reclaim up to an acre of land within 1 to 2 months, though heavily tainted soil may require years of effort.

It is possible to use specially processed spell reed in crafting magical objects or to augment spellwork, but such practices are dangerous and release the concentrated magical energy stored inside the plant. As such, they negate the environmental benefits of cultivating spell reed and are not advised.

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Spell reeds:

• Absorb and condense the latent magic in the soil they're planted in.
• Process absorbed magic into pure arcane power regardless of what the original flavor was. (Ex: necromantic, illusion, transmutation, etc.)
• Take 1 to 2 months to grow to maturity and be ready to harvest. (1d30+30 days)
• Will absorb any magic. Can be used to break enchantments and curses on land. Takes 1 crop of 1000 reeds per level of the spell being broken. (Ex: a 7th level spell can be broken in 1 to 2 months by raising a crop of 7000 reeds, and be broken in 7 to 14 months by raising 7 crops of 1000 reeds)

The refined ashes can be:

• Used as a power source when enchanting normal items or crafting magical ones. Cut crafting time by 1/2 for every 100 reeds worth of ashes used. (200 reeds cuts time to 1/4, 300 reeds cuts to 1/8, etc.)
• Ingested, usually as a pill or snorted, to restore expended spells once per day. (Requires 25 reeds worth of ash/level)

Ash abuse is dangerous. If you consume ash more than once a day, for each extra use roll over 50+(# of extra uses * 10) on a d%. On a fail cast fireball on yourself as the stored magical energy breaks free.

If planted in a dead wizard's skull or brain, it will absorb the spells they had memorized at the moment of their death.

• Slit the harvested reed open, press it flat, and dry it to make a papyrus-like strip with the spell encoded in the ridges of pith. It can be used like a scroll but not copied.
• Burn the dried reed and consume the ashes to gain the spell directly. It can be copied into a spellbook, but has a 30% chance of being involuntarily cast immediately.