Magical Mixtures

Magical mixtures are the working supplies of ritual magic: inks for scrolls, oils for anointing, fumes burned in braziers and powders for conjuring. They call for a mortar and pestle, a small cauldron or crucible and a steady heat source such as a lamp or furnace. Each takes a day, succeeding 90% of the time plus 1% per level (99% maximum), and anyone with Read Magic can learn the skill from a tutor for 2,000 XP.

All mixtures give off a faint magical aura. Inks and fragrant oils lose their power unless stored in crystal, though powders keep in anything. Most sell for 100-200 GP depending on material quality, but magical ink runs 700-1,000 GP for a 7-dram batch.

Fragrant oil of myrrh, cinnamon and olive oil, dabbed on the brow and sprinkled in the protective circle, gives +1 saves when summoning or evoking hostile beings, as do Fumes of Favorable Aspect. Other fumes grant a cryptic but always accurate vision of the future, force spirit, astral and demonic presences within 20 feet to save vs Will or go home, reveal invisible and spirit presences for at least 10 minutes, or call a spirit that truthfully answers one question about the place (call it again within a day and it may attack). Magical ink from giant squid's ink, oak gall and gold suffices for seven spells, and powders of conjuration, 7 drams from the relevant creature, are the material component of every conjuring spell.