Cambrinth
Theory of Use
Cambrinth is a type of mineral that can hold magical energy for a magic caster to use in the application of his spells. Though it is often more convenient to say that cambrinth stores mana, it is more precise to say that cambrinth stores the energy released from the manipulation of mana. This is the same energy that powers spells. It is generated from the tendency of the streams of mana to return to their natural state when manipulated by a mage. As the streams relax, energy is released in much the same way that a rubber band releases energy when it is stretched and released.
Cambrinth is utilized by harnessing mana and channeling it into the item, a process known as charging. Once the cambrinth has been charged with the desired amount of mana, the caster must then focus on it in order to form a link to it. If a caster cannot form a link with the cambrinth, he will be unable to utilize the energy stored within. Once cambrinth has been charged with a certain type of energy (e.g., life, elemental, holy, or lunar) it can only be charged with the same type. Otherwise, it will explode, which can cause serious injury to the caster.
A Moon Mage who is skilled enough at enchanting can retune a cambrinth item, restoring the item to its natural, uncharged state. This process, known as retuning, requires a source for the sigil of the Phoenix be present, either through the Phoenix constellation being visible or through the use of a Sigil Scroll.
Necessity of Ambient Mana
While cambrinth can serve as a mobile source of energy in low-mana areas, a magic caster must be able to harness at least a small bit of mana in an area with which to construct the spell pattern. In mana-deprived areas, cambrinth will be unable to support spells. Cambrinth cannot power a spell; it only add to the energy for a spell upon casting. This is observable as a snapping sound for most magic, although the spell energy gradually seeps quietly into Bard Enchantes.
Physical Description
Cambrinth is a grey-black mineral with reddish highlights.
- GM Iocanthe: This is a sort of rusty ashy-silver stuff. If you took silver and mixed it with ashes and them mashed up some rusty-red crayons on the surface so it was all mottled, that's about what cambrinth would look like. You can get it more reddish or more silverish, but those two colors are its "theme", and can't be gotten too far away from.
- GM Armifer: Cambrinth has been described numerous times as a naturally occurring mineral, which is a classification that it shares with a number of other materials; such as iron. Cambrinth is not a metal in the terms by which Elanthian metallurgy would understand the word: it is not shiny, it does not conduct electricity well, it is not refined or debased for use, and so on. However, cambrinth shares many properties with metal. It is dense, solid at room temperature, malleable enough to be worked (armbands and torques and hilts oh my), and arguably alloyable by some unknown technique (Y'Shai again). Cambrinth's chemical and atomic properties have never been explored and I am not inclined to start.
Forms
Pieces of cambrinth are typically shaped or set into an object. However, it is possible to find or purchase large lumps of cambrinth that have not been fashioned into anything. The main function for jeweling cambrinth is to provide portability and ease of use. Cambrinth jewelry, for the most part, takes on the form of rings, earrings, pendants and armbands. Other forms are in existence such as backpacks and pouches, but these are rare. Other objects, such as figurines and even weapons, may also contain cambrinth.
Capacity
Under the previous version of the game engine, cambrinth's capacity was always four multiplied by the item's dimensions (HxWxLx4) for the additional properties an item could have was limited by the engine. This is why the capacity of any given piece was a multiple of 4, and also why it was not possible to have a functional cambrinth weapon, container, or other item with extra properties. With the DR2 game engine, these limitations no longer exists, and cambrinth can be made as weapons or other functional items and with virtually any capacity in mind from a technical standpoint.
The amount of energy that a cambrinth item can hold is still directly related to its size for reasons of game lore; for example, a cambrinth armband holds more energy than a cambrinth ring, and a cambrinth orb holds even more. Most worn items only hold a maximum of 32, although there are exceptions.
As of February 27, 2011, you can APPRAISE cambrinth to determine its maximum capacity. Appraisal is the primary factor, but arcana also contributes to the accuracy. As with weight, holding the cambrinth makes it easier to appraise its capacity.
- With 473 ranks in appraisal and 323 ranks in arcana, I was able to get certain appraisals on capacity when appraising cambrinth. (Unless I was holding it, I had to appraise it carefully.)
- My other character with 373 ranks in appraisal and 429 ranks in arcana had to hold the cambrinth to get certain appraisals.
| Item | Capacity |
|---|---|
| faceted orb | 144 |
| orb | 108 |
| wide armband | 48 |
| animal | 32 |
| armband | 32 |
| bracelet | 32 |
| cube | 32 |
| hip chain | 32 |
| lump | 32 |
| tailband | 32 |
| thigh bag | 25 |
| circlet | 24 |
| cottage | 24 |
| maul | 14 |
| cebi root | 12 |
| needle (with bandage) | 12 |
| warhammer | 12 |
| weapon harness | 12 |
| halberd | 10 |
| charm | 8 |
| pendant | 8 |
| hairpin | 4 |
| marble | 4 |
| ring | 4 |
Syntax and Use
To use a cambrinth item, you must first CHARGE the cambrinth with the amount of energy you wish to store in it.
>CHARGE MY ARMBAND 5
You harness a small amount of energy and attempt to channel it into your cambrinth armband.
The cambrinth armband absorbs all of the energy.
Roundtime: 5 seconds.
Then, you must FOCUS on the cambrinth item until you successfully establish a link to it.
>FOCUS MY ARMBAND
You focus your magical senses on a twisted cambrinth armband.
The cambrinth armband pulses faintly with Lunar energy. You reach for its center and forge a magical link to it, readying it for your use.
Roundtime: 5 seconds.
When you next cast a spell, you will attempt to use the stored energy in the spell pattern. If you attempt to use more mana than can be used with that spell, not all of the energy in the cambrinth will be used. In that case, you can focus on the cambrinth to establish another link and use the remaining energy in another spell.
The efficiency of your charging increases with skill, beginning at roughly half of the harnessed energy and eventually reaching all at around 200 ranks. The base difficulty of a cambrinth item goes up with its capacity. Even a novice mage with 0 ranks can use cambrinth rings. Cambrinth orbs are among the hardest to work with. The rule of thumb is that you will need Arcana skill ranks equal to the maximum capacity of the cambrinth to use it.
The roundtime for charging a cambrinth item will also decrease with skill to a minimum of 5. Approximately 120 ranks are needed to use cambrinth with only one free hand, and 180 ranks are required to use a piece of worn cambrinth without taking it off. Note that these numbers may vary with stats.
Additionally, bards can specify how much mana they want to drain per pulse. You can do this with FOCUS (OBJECT)(#MANA). How much you can drain per pulse is based on your Arcana ranks. If you FOCUS (OBJECT) 100 and then FOCUS (OBJECT), you will be informed what your maximum is.
Arcana Training
- Currently, the most efficient experience gain per action for training arcana via cambrinth is charging your cambrinth with as much mana as you can without ruining your attunement.