Anyone familiar with Keyed Spell Items?

[Ambrus]

I was looking around for useful new magic items for my sorcerer character and stumbled across Keyed Spell Items from Monte Cook's Book of Hallowed Might II: Portents and Visions. He even wrote about their conception in his design diary if anyone is interested.

These would seem to be a godsend for any spontaneous caster. I'm wondering if anyone has ever used them in-game and am curious to hear their feedback about them. Are they balanced?

I also have a question about their use: if, say, a sorcerer succeeded on a DC 20 Use Magic Device check to emulate a druid's spell list might it be possible to use a keyed spell item containing a druid's spell using the sorcerer's spontaneous spell slots?

 

[jefgorbach]

Havent had them come up yet, but sounds balanced at first glance since your essentially allowing on-the-run memorization of a equal spell-level as needed.

Your Sor/etc using UMD(druid keyed item) seems reasonable since Monte specifically created Universal Keyed Items allowing any caster to active the contained spell regardless of class.

 

[agrelic]

Sounds like a limited version of the Runestaffs from Magic Item Compendium. I'd suggest checking those out and seeing which you like more. I know with my DM that its easier to get something from a WotC publication through than a 3rd party source.

 

[Ambrus]

Your Sor/etc using UMD(druid keyed item) seems reasonable since Monte specifically created Universal Keyed Items allowing any caster to active the contained spell regardless of class.

Good insight.

Sounds like a limited version of the Runestaffs from Magic Item Compendium. I'd suggest checking those out and seeing which you like more. I know with my DM that its easier to get something from a WotC publication through than a 3rd party source.

Perhaps I've missed your meaning, but it seems to me that Runestaves are the more limited version since they can only be used a limited number of times per day. As for 3rd party sources, I tend to trust Malhavoc Press' material more than some of WotC's stuff since Monte in part created 3e and has a more direct hand in what his company produces. But that's just me. YMMV.

 

[agrelic]

Perhaps I've missed your meaning, but it seems to me that Runestaves are the more limited version since they can only be used a limited number of times per day.

Good point. You know, I've looked at runestaves several times and never noticed that limitation before. That's what I get for recommending an item I've never actually used in a game

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Perhaps I've missed your meaning, but it seems to me that Runestaves are the more limited version since they can only be used a limited number of times per day.

Generally speaking, any given spell in a runestaff can be used 3x per day - so a runestaff with 3 spells in it can normally be used 9 times.

While this is a limited number of times per day, I have never found the limitation particularly a pain; if it's a spell I need more than 3x per day, I usually end up memorizing it.

Of course, I am coming from the "prepared caster" direction, rather than the "sorcerer" direction.