Manastone, Small

• Cost: 500
• Weight: 0.1 lbs.

Manastones are small pseudo-crystals that are formed through a magic ritual requiring a circle of magic users. The manastone itself is technically not a physical object at all, despite feeling like a crystal. Instead, it is pure mana that has been coalesced and compressed into a stable form. They are not dangerous (particularly), and won't shatter or explode if dropped, though eating them is strongly discouraged. Small manastones can be used to power any hand-held magic item which uses expendable charges, such as rods (note that magic staves use a special form of magic charges and are not compatible with manastones). A small manastone starts with 50 charges. To use a small manastone, you hold it in the same hand as the item you wish to empower, and spend a full hour concentrating on the item. Once the hour has passed, the item gains 50 charges, up to its maximum (rods, for example, cannot contain more than 50 charges at once), and the manastone is expended, crumbling to dust. Any charges over and above the maximum that the item can hold are wasted. You cannot partially discharge a manastone, or otherwise try to split how many charges are recharged; it's all or nothing.

• Crafting: Spellcraft (DC 150; this DC can be split evenly among the magic users in a mage's circle ritual); requires Must be in the presence of a lay line.