Blasting Rod

[GrimlinJoe]

So I have been on a dresden files kick lately and one of the tools of Harry Dresden is his blasting rod. This is an item I have thought about using for our magic user in a campaign I am running and wanted to see what you guys think about the concept. In the novels the Rod uses Stored up magic energy (essentially spell slots) to function like a sawed off shotgun. I figured I would settle on a bit of a sliding scale for damage and functionality. The closer the user is to the enemy the more the damage and the further away the less the damage. The item would not need charges as it feeds off of burning a spell slot so at higher levels you have more options. Alternately if you have a ring of spell storing you can consume a charge from that to feed the rod. Just a way to get creative with tricks up your sleeve.

[Concept]

within 20' 1d10

outside 20' but within 40' 1d8

outside 40' but within 60' 1d6

outside of 60' roll to hit with a -2 penalty

1d4 melee damage


Let me know what you think

[daryen]

I have never read Dresden, so I don't know if it is applicable, but I would think if it is using spell slots, it should scale. So, if you burn a level 1 slot, you do 1 die; if you burn a level 3 slot, you do 3 dice. (The dice could then follow the progression you outline.) Or, if that's too much, do 1/2 spell level sacrificed (round up).

Just a thought ...

EDIT:
Also, if you are allowing it to do melee damage, let the spell slot sacrifice charge it for better damage as melee.

[Solomoriah]

I don't remember him using it in melee.

[Seven]

Dresden makes me think of Slaughterhouse-Five.

Generally, I let the item hold the charge, not the user.
So, I'd get the Magic-User to cast an offensive spell on the rod to charge it.
I wouldn't let the damage increase with the spell level. That's not how shotguns work.
I'd just let the shotgun hold one spell at a time but store one charge for each level of the spell.
That would work fine if the Magic-User is low level.
As a side effect, I'd make sure it's very noisy.

[GrimlinJoe]

I don't remember him using it in melee.

He will whack the occasional person with it. In fool moon he hit a lycanthrope with it when he was fumbling in the dark.