Mana Batteries

[Alex Koponen]

On Fri, 6 Feb 2004 22:35:12 +0100, Alex Koponen <akoponen at MOSQUITONET.COM>
wrote:

>One of the nicer little items a spellcaster can find or make for
>themselves is a Mana Storage Item, often called a Mana Battery. (Often
>placed in their Staff). What is REALLY nice is that Mana Batteries
>automatically recharge themselves completely in 10 days.
>  Listed under Optional Ensorcellments, no maximum is mentioned for the
>number of Mana Batteries a spellcaster can create and/or use. I can readily
>imagine a spellcaster having dozens of Mana Batteries and thus being able
>to average many times the number of spells per day than they could
>otherwise.
>  Basically I think it is flawed.
>  Possible solutions I've thought of are:
>- Allow a maximum of (EL in Ensorcelment) ELs of Mana Battery. Maybe
>allow ELx2 if the Mana Battery is Dedicated. Oh, and don't lose it
>as you can't replace it as long as it still exists. [Of course what
>happens to the Mana Battery after the spellcaster dies? Does someone else
>get to use it? Eventually might someone amass a huge collection of them?]
>
>- Allow any number of Mana Batteries, but they don't recharge except by a
>spellcaster transfering Mana into it from Casting Ability. [My preferred
>solution.] One could even be nasty and put some inefficiency into them so
>that for each X Mana put in only Y Mana can be brought out and used.
>
>Any other suggestions? Comments?

Another thought. If one is being nasty and making for inefficiency in Mana
Storage a formula that might be used is:
  A maximum of (EL+1)x10 Mana may be put into a Mana Battery.
  Of that only (EL*+1)x10%** is usable when used to cast a spell.
*Use the lower of the ELs of the item or the user's skill in Ensorcellment.
**subject to a maximum of 100% efficiency.
Examples: At EL0 one could make a Battery and store 10 Mana, but in
draining it would draw forth only 1 Mana from it. At EL4 one could make a
Battery and store 50 Mana, but draw forth only 25 Mana. At EL9 one could
make a Battery and store 100 Mana and use it all with 100% efficiency.


{Of course making this arguement against mana batteries hurts me as I am
the only one I know of with a currently running Character that has a Mana
Battery.}