@daermadm I’ll look at my work calendar and get back to you. Thinking June 20th will be good.

@dwarf Every day we get closer to Mech Warriors and as a Member of Clan Ghost Bear I approve of this [image: Ux785tu.png]

I think we can all relate on some level.

Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing https://www.science.org/content/article/not-alive-not-dead-disembodied-human-brains-used-drug-testing [image: iZVEWmz.jpeg]

Spell Breakers — Obelisk ComNet Writeup Spell breakers are specialized magical gemstones/crystals that allow a caster to “break” or bend small rules built into a spell at the moment of casting. The core idea is that they do not simply add power like a normal metamagic item; they interfere with the underlying logic of the spell itself. Obelisk describes their origin as coming from an early Managanger named Malathon, who used concepts from Arg’s gem magic and powermastery to “recrystallize” magic into a variable matrix that could be invoked during spellcasting. Mystra and the gods of magic initially objected, but after analyzing the spell-point cost versus effect, they allowed the items to continue existing because the math still balanced even though each gem bent the rules of magic slightly. Mechanically, a spell breaker functions as a single-use spell-modifying component. When applied to a spell, the spell breaker vanishes and merges its effect into the spell being cast. The original writeup says up to 10 spell breakers could be used on a single casting, although later discussion also references a working table practice involving a minimum of 5 spell breakers at one shot, likely reflecting later campaign balance or epic-tier usage discussion. Creation and Cost The older rules discussion gives a clear creation model: a spell breaker cost 50 gp to make and 500 gp to buy retail. To create one, the crafter used a 50 gp gem and poured 30 spell points into it through dweomerflow, causing the gemstone to melt and recrystallize into a memorized pattern capable of breaking one small magical law within a standard spell. A later DM clarification states that a spell breaker contains only 30 spell points worth of power. If the attempted modification requires more than that, the spell breaker fails to alter the spell but is still consumed. This makes spell breakers powerful but not unlimited; they are best understood as constrained external spell logic disruptors rather than open-ended “do anything” metamagic fuel. In-world, spell breakers are valuable trade goods. In a Gorlen Blackhammer journal entry, Gorlen sells spell breakers for 500 gp each, refuses to reveal the recipe or process because of V’Ral rules, and notes that they are a popular requested item. Draven Sunshaper buys thirty of them for 15,000 gp, which reinforces the 500 gp market price and suggests that spell breakers are uncommon but available in the right magical markets. What Spell Breakers Can Do The original 1st-generation effects were broad. They could remove or unlock spell caps, add extra random effect, extend defensive spell durations to 24 hours, make minor effects permanent, increase success chances or harden failures, expand target areas, temporarily boost caster level, refocus the power source of a spell, convert fixed defensive values into level-variable effects, turn beam spells into full-round sweeping effects, and reroll low damage dice. In practical terms, that means spell breakers can do things such as: Let a fireball exceed its normal damage cap. Extend a personal defensive spell such as fly to 24 hours. Increase a teleport success chance. Expand an area spell such as fireball. Affect more targets with a normally single-target spell. Temporarily boost caster level by +1 per gem. Change the nature of a spell’s energy or power source, such as holy, solar, negative, or similar variants. Make a beam spell last long enough to sweep across a line or area. Reroll low damage dice, with multiple gems pushing the result closer to maximized damage. Relationship to Metamagic Spell breakers appear to predate 3.5-style metamagic in the Manaverse lore. The discussion explicitly notes that many spell breaker functions later resembled 3rd edition metamagic feats, and the table later treated spell breakers as being able to emulate some metamagic-like effects. The later ruling seems to be that emulating a metamagic feat is within the scope of spell breakers, with a cost of 1 spell breaker per level adjustment of the feat. For example, Twin Spell would cost four spell breakers if treated as a +4 level adjustment. Importantly, the DM clarified that using spell breakers to twin a spell does not increase the spell slot level or spell points needed to cast the base spell, because the spell breaker is an external factor. However, the DM also cautioned that spell breakers did not originally have a written ability to twin spells; that capability emerged from looser 3.5/10e adaptation and table practice. Limits and Restrictions The clearest restriction is that spell breakers cannot be used with spell trigger items such as wands or staffs. The DM ruled “no” because spell breakers break the logic of the spell being cast, and activating a wand or staff is not treated the same as personally casting and shaping the spell through the caster’s own spell logic. Another important limit is the 30 spell point capacity. A spell breaker can be consumed even when the attempted effect fails, so a caster who tries to push too far risks wasting the item. This creates a practical risk/reward balance: spell breakers reward knowledgeable casters who understand the spell, the desired modification, and the likely power cost. Greater, Ancient, and Alchemically Infused Variants The discussion references Greater Spellbreakers and Alchemically Infused Ancient spellbreakers, but the available public text does not fully define their mechanics. The references suggest that stronger or more exotic versions exist in campaign play, especially around epic-tier or Ancient-related crafting, but the posted material does not provide a complete rules block for these variants. The “Ancient” angle appears tied to crafting capability and campaign-tier advancement. One player asked whether an Ancient should be able to make spell breakers for 50 gp and whether Kargin, entering epic or Tier 2 play, should be able to craft them. The DM response in the visible thread is playful rather than a formal rule, so this should be treated as an open campaign discussion rather than a finalized mechanic. Working Interpretation Spell breakers are best understood as single-use crystallized spell-logic disruptors. They are not merely metamagic rods, scroll components, or spell batteries. They are closer to programmable magical exceptions: each one contains a limited amount of stored spell-point logic that lets the caster bend one part of a spell’s normal rules at the moment of casting. They can modify range, area, duration, caster level, energy expression, damage caps, target behavior, probability, or even the metaphysical source of the spell’s power. For campaign use, they are powerful because they let a caster do things that normal spellcasting rules do not allow. They are balanced by cost, single-use consumption, the 30 spell-point limit, the likely need for DM adjudication, and the fact that an overreaching use can fail while still destroying the spell breaker.

Pointed ChatGPT at obelisk.daerma.com, and asked it to give me a synopsis on Manacite. Manacite Core Concept Manacite is the foundational magical substance of the Manaverse. It forms where large amounts of mana are present, especially where the boundary between the Prime Material Plane and the Manathereal Plane is weak. In its earliest state, it is soft, almost mud-like, but it hardens over time. As it hardens, its connection to the Manathereal Plane strengthens, allowing it to power more powerful magical effects and items. Once it reaches granite-like hardness, it can be used in high-level ritual crafting to permanently imbue materials with planar properties. A major example is the Laputans, who mastered the process of mixing manacite with Plane of Air components to create floating cities and platforms. This makes manacite not just a crafting reagent, but a strategic infrastructure material. Formation, Mining, and Refining Manacite is described as stone that has changed, not a metal ore. It is mined together with the stone in which it formed, and deposits are typically located through divination. Refining can be done in more than one way; one dwarven mountain process uses liquefied mana and other components. Raw ore weighs about 150 pounds per cubic foot regardless of age, but age changes hardness and crystallization. Older manacite becomes harder and more crystal-like, though still stone. There is no exact conversion from raw vein volume to refined manacite weight. The site suggests quality and purity are not fully formalized yet. One discussion asked whether age defines quality, and the DM noted that the ore quality system remained partly a placeholder. Likewise, a later question about “levels” of manacite strength received the answer that levels or purity categories had not yet been fully formalized. Strategic Scarcity and Geography Manacite appears to be a strategic constraint on empires. The Laputan Empire’s growth increased its demand for manacite, eventually leading to conflict with dwarven holdings. One dwarven mountain was concealed after nearly a millennium of fighting to prevent Laputan access to its resources; another southern dwarven mountain became an active and productive part of the Laputan Empire and supplied much of its manacite. The Laputans are also described as having hit a resource constraint on manacite, limiting expansion. In one discussion, a 4,000-year-old vein was missed because its presence was masked, not necessarily because raw manacite was undetectable. In V’Ral, most types of manacite are apparently available, but high-end material is rare. The Dwarven Mountain, by contrast, is described as specializing in “all the things” when asked what levels of manacite can be found there. Magic Item Crafting Manacite is a core crafting ingredient for magic items. The DM stated that almost every magic item on the planet was made with manacite of some purity and called it a basic building block of magic in the Manaverse. Manacite can replace roughly 25% to 100% of raw material in magic item crafting, though economic details are still flexible. Higher percentages increase risk until the formula is understood. Cubes are a major manacite-based item class. They are made with manacite ore of varying density or age; denser/older manacite supports higher spell levels. Cubes exist from 0th through 9th level and beyond into artifact-tier gear. They can be self-recharging or non-self-recharging. Self-recharging cubes require denser manacite and recharge at 1 spell point per hour, while non-self-recharging cubes recharge at 1 spell point per week. Self-recharging cubes cost about ten times as much to create. The site also gives a working construction note that cubes are about 90% manacite with a small amount of glass, sand, or similar material included. Spell Point / Refined Manacite Notes A later Game Discussion summary gives a numerical rule of thumb: every 10,000 years of refined manacite equals 1 spell point per pound. For example, a 1-pound block of 20,000-year refined manacite equals 2 spell points per pound, and a 10-pound block of 20,000-year material equals 20 spell points per round. The same note says a 5-pound block of 20,000-year refined manacite was able to float a platform five miles in diameter. This aligns with the broader lore that older, denser, more refined manacite becomes disproportionately powerful and explains why high-quality manacite is both rare and strategically decisive. Levitation, Floating Cities, and Spelljammer-Level Uses Manacite’s most important macro-scale use is levitation. Laputan floating cities and platforms use manacite mixed with Plane of Air components. The Autaria Dynasty lore expands this idea with Aetherion, a 5-mile-wide floating crystal disc lifted 1,000 feet above the surface. Archmagus Zephyrion Kaelthara discovered manacite during a Spelljammer expedition to a planar rift, realized it could absorb arcane energy and convert it into levitating force, and embedded a 100,000-pound manacite core beneath the Grand Helm Nexus to lift the city. The Nexus amplified the core’s lift capacity, while the Sundering Prism stabilized the power source. The same lore states that Zephyrion’s hidden notes on manacite could help repair the Sundering Prism or craft Spelljammer helms, making manacite important for both arcane engineering and campaign progression. Manacite Deposits and Planar Weak Spots Kelvaris, later called The Shattered Hold, sits over a Manathereal weak spot where mana leakage converted sandstone bedrock into raw manacite ore over centuries. The same material is described as crystalline, arcane-energy absorbing and amplifying, worth around 5,000 gp per pound, and capable of levitation. The Kelvaris deposits are listed as 1d4 deposits, each roughly 500–2,000 pounds, located under the ruins near the Grand Spire and shoreline. Manacite Hunters Story Use In the Manacite Hunters story, manacite appears as a small glowing blue bead or sphere dropped by slimes. The first recovered sphere is described as BB-sized or about a millimeter across, faintly pulsing and non-biological. Ethan and Abigail initially treat it as potentially hazardous and collect it using a stick/ziplock rather than touching it directly. The gate inscription explicitly says: “Manacite gathered, its mystery untold,” and Abigail later assumes the slime drop is manacite based on that inscription. Dungeon slimes appear to have a high, possibly guaranteed, manacite drop rate. Ethan and Abigail observe drops at three-for-three, four-for-four, and six-for-six, though Ethan repeatedly cautions that the sample size is too small to call it a rule. Manacite Monsters / Events A separate game discussion mentions a manacite event south of V’Ral, involving manacite drones and a manacite warden near Erok. The party defeated the warden in round 3 and then returned to town. The DM noted that the event could proceed either through investigation or through a world event if ignored. Working Interpretation The clearest working model is: Manacite is crystallized/solidified mana-linked stone formed by Manathereal leakage. Its age, density, purity, and refinement determine how much arcane power it can channel. It is the Manaverse’s equivalent of magical infrastructure fuel, crafting substrate, spell battery, levitation engine, and strategic resource. For campaign use, it behaves like a cross between mithril, residuum, spell points, power crystals, and Netherese mythallar infrastructure—but with its own Manathereal origin and risk profile.