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nchor Feet: These metal mech feet might seem like a waste of space. While they can magically adjust to fit any mech from Huge to Colossal, they are totally solid, costing 20% of a mech's base PU to install (1 for Huge, 2 for Gargantuan, 4 for Colossal). However, a mech with anchor feet is remarkably surefooted. All Mech Pilot rolls made to jump, climb, or maneuver through difficult terrain with this mech receive a +2 skill bonus. Reflex saves receive a +2 luck bonus as well.Moderate transmutation; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item, Combine Spell, freedom of movement; Price 16,800 gp.
Boltward: Even the deadliest ballista can fail against a mech bearing a boltward. This Huge amulet-like construction is built into the mech's torso (taking 4 PU of space), gleaming in a rainbow of hues. Once per day, the mech's pilot can activate the boltward as a standard action. This gives it the effects of an entropic shield for 6 rounds, protecting against ammuni- tion from any ranged attack up to Colossal III in size as well as the usual array of smaller threats.
Faint abjuration; CL 6th; Craft Wondrous
Item, Combine Spell, entropic shield; Price 8,640 gp.
Livemech Talisman: This ornate wooden amulet is carved in the shape of a treelike humanoid and comes in two sizes. One is appropriate for most humanoid creatures to wear, while the other is more suited to a large ogre or even a giant. These are used in the operation of mechs created by the livemech spell. The smaller one is worn by the individ- ual, while the larger one is worn by (or often built into) the mech.
As described in the spell, mechs created in this fashion will automatically have such a talis- man, and another will be created for a humanoid pilot at no extra cost. If desired, other livemech talismans can be made for this mech, giving multiple individuals the ability to pilot it (although obviously only one person can do so at a time). These talismans can be made at any time, but they require uninterrupt- ed access to the mech in question.
No two mechs have the same liveoak talisman, and the smaller talismans only function with the mech they were keyed to when made.
Moderate enchantment; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous Item, livemech, wood shape; Price 3,000gp; Weight 1 lb.
Porthole of Clarity: This Large item allows the user to extend their senses as if using the spell clairaudience/clairvoyance cast by a 5th-level caster. It must be installed on a mech to work properly, and takes 2 PU of space. Upon speak- ing a command word, the individual activating this item can project their senses to a fixed point hundreds of feet away. This ability can be used up to 3 times a day.
Aside from the obvious benefits, this can help the crew of ranged weaponry (such as cat- apults) fire at distant targets. While the port- hole's user is capable of communicating with such a weapon's crew, the weapon gains a +4 to attack, only for purposes of overcoming range penalties. Only one weapon can gain this ben- efit per round. On most mechs, the porthole is installed near the primary ranged weapon.
Faint divination; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, Combine Spell, clairaudience/clairvoyance; Price 27,000 gp.
Spellbinder: Sages of the White Congress once discovered a way of "imprisoning" an arcane spell, binding it within a physical object and allowing it to be cast many times over without depleting itself. This required a very large binding object - often one larger than the wizard casting the spell - and drained the energy of anyone attempting to use it. Once this knowledge was mastered, it was filed away and forgotten in favor of simpler and less harmful magic.
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Then the lunardragons came. Their attacks on the city of Lebra were as vicious as they were con- stant, and the city's defenders called on many obscure pieces of lore in their failed attempts to save their home. One thing retrieved from the archives was the secret of creating spellbinders. Two were hurriedly made, and enjoyed some small success before the fall of Lebra. The spellbinders them- selves were destroyed in this period and the details of their cre- ation vanished with the rest of the White
Congress, but enough information had been copied and carried away that new spellbinders can be made by persistent spellcasters.
This knowledge was of little use at first, as spellbinders are enormous spheres roughly the height of an elf. Far too bulky to be carried, their only apparent use was siege warfare, and the few cities that remained had other con- cerns. Then the mechs came. They offered mobility to the spellbinders and defense to their users. A handful of L'arile mechs have experi- mented with them, most notably the village- mech Jeweltree, and other groups are starting to add them to their armament.
A spellbinder can be made of many materials, but wood and metal are most common. It is a huge hollow sphere, standing 5 to 6 feet tall and sealed both physically and magically, with one hand-shaped indentation. All spellbinders are covered with arcane runes; many also have precious stones worked into their outer cas- ings. A trained eye can look at these orna- ments and tell (Spellcraft check, DC 15) what spell the spellbinder contains.
Each spellbinder has a single arcane spell within, bound at a level determined by the object's creator. Almost anyone who places their hand in the indentation can cast the spell. This makes them powerful tools indeed. But that power comes with a price. Whoever uses the spellbinder must sacrifice an arcane spell of their own, and if they don't have an appropriate spell, the orb simply drains their
life energy into itself.
Once a living being places its hand (or sim- ilar appendage) in the indentation, they become aware of what spell the spellbinder contains. They do not gain any specific knowl- edge of the spell's mechanics - a spellbinder with fireball would make its user aware that it hurled explosive globes of fire, but not its exact range or for how much damage. The user knows that with an act of will they can cause the spellbinder to cast its spell; this is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The user selects the spell's tar- get, if any, and makes all other decisions required. Attempts to exceed the spell's boundaries result in the spellbinder not casting its magic.
Any use, successful or not, cause the spell- binder to take energy from the user. The spell- binder needs power to maintain its trapped spell. Whoever is using it can sacrifice one of their own arcane spells to feed it. The spell selected must be of the same level as the spell- binder's bound spell or higher - characters who memorize spells must give up a memo- rized spell, while those who cast spontaneous- ly give up the use of one spell slot that day.
If the user does not have an appropriate spell available or is simply not a spellcaster, the spellbinder instead drains one of their abili- ties. The effort of powering a spellbinder this way temporarily drains 1d4-1 points from the user's Intelligence or Charisma; the ability
affected is the one orig- inally used to cast the bound spell. If this abil- ity drops below 10, that person can no longer use the spellbinder.
Indeed, anyone whose relevant ability score is below 10 can- not use a spellbinder in the first place. Specialist wizards are also unable to use spell- binders containing spells from their pro- hibited schools. Creatures without a hand or equivalent appendage cannot access the magic within a spellbinder. Otherwise, these spheres are avail- able to anyone with the courage to use them.
A spellbinder has hard- ness 10 and 20 hp. When destroyed, a spellbinder releases its spell. If this was a targeted spell, it is cast at the individual who dealt the final blow to it. Other magic dis- sipates harmlessly.
Most arcane spells can be trapped within a spellbinder, but spells with an XP cost cannot. Divine magic cannot be bound this way, as the gods are unwilling to part with a portion of their energy in such fashion.
Aura based on trapped spell; CL 15th; Craft Wondrous Item, fabricate, permanency, spell to be bound; Price 20,000 gp multiplied by level of bound spell; Weight 50 lbs.
Staff of Mechbane: Twisted and rotten, this wooden staff is decorated with bits of metal - broken plating, discarded pipe, and the like. Instead of a gem, it is topped with some recog- nizable piece of a mech such as a shattered gear. Larger versions of this staff exist for use by mechs. At any size, it allows use of the fol- lowing spells against mechs of any size:
Bestow malfunction (1 charge) Inflict moderate damage (1 charge) Gearghoul touch (1 charge) Fear (1 charge)
Disintegrate (2 charges)
Moderate transmutation; CL 11th; Craft Staff, Combine Spell, bestow malfunction, disinte- grate, fear, gearghoul touch, inflict moderate dam- age; Price 41,250 gp.