The idea of 'Uber Crumbly' items was recently introduced in General Discussions of Game Development along with "Critter Lairs". One of the features of Critter Lairs is that there are crystals found only there which when rubbed, whatever is held in the right hand will have a random 'Uber enhancement'. This spell could be updated to become a Utility version of Mana Leech.

Mana Tap will serve the Utility function of casting an Uber enhancement very temporarily on an item in hand. I like the limit of 15 minutes per cast with no refreshment possible and a very random assortment of results. Also, that the cooldown for using it matches the time of the last cast being in effect on the item in use. So 15 minutes max for any cast on any item and it cannot be refreshed but can be re-cast with totally different effects for 15 minutes. This is the same for a Wizard or for someone who has a crystal which is heavy on the MIU to use. The Wizard may not cast it on another player but they may cast it on an item in their hand which can be passed off and used by the adventurer who bears it-- if they can hold it.

The strength of the value of the Uber effect is heavily dependent on level+training+luck/dROLL and then whether in a workshop, familiar, injuries, etc. The Wizard who is fully trained for the maximum effect and removes their 4x armor with temporary heavy crit padding and it becomes 10x with incredible crit padding and +10 to AUR Bonus. That 15 minutes, they have Uber gear. The next cast they wind up with 8x MCP and Mana-less "Call Wind" every 60 seconds. Instead of the armor, the next time they cast it on a war mattock off a Krolvin Warrior in the mines of Lyserian Hills. The Mattock becomes 7x with Incredible Damage weighting for 15 minutes and has a +10 to STR stat. They try next time with a shield and it's 4x with +3 to AGI bonus becomes 8.5X with +13 to AGI bonus. So the enhancive will detect which effects are already contained with the item and enhance those with a random result possible for another quality, such as weighting+enhancive stat. With high level and lore training, the possibility for self-cast spells becomes possible. I would really enjoy seeing spells from other circles be possible, like 1 time in 100 you see self-cast camo on a falchion you cast the spell on. The rogue goes nuts with it for 15 minutes! There can be huge amounts of variation and dROLL weighting to manufacture the kind of range that would be acceptable for balance and there's a lot of ways to reach points in training and leveling to hit minimums for a variety of possibilities.

The way it could work is to have it be a 60 second spell to cast, only castable in a Node and it will continuously suck your mana at a steady drain until the 'Tap' is complete. You transfer a lot of power sort of like imbedding a spell and enchanting at the same time for a unique magical experience which will result in an effect directly for each point of mana expended. So for example a 16th level Wizard doubled in mana training will be able to channel 32 mana into the 60 seconds and they wind up with a +6 bonus and a Heavy Crit Weighting for their otherwise off the rack broadsword. At 50th they are able to channel 64 mana (note the factor of 16 at work) and the result (besides a STAMINA loss from the drain physically) and the result from their improved use of mana to give them a greater impact from less actual mana used is that they get a +32 and the sword has self-mana Tremors for 15 minutes. The 100th Level Mage who is not trained for the spell particularly but is otherwise an average recently 100th level Wiz will tape 128 mana and the broadsword with a really great roll from the dROLL combos possible in the random cast (in a workshop, with a pet, full health) the blade becomes +48 with Incredible Crit weighting and +10 to INT bonus. There might be an accelerated mana recovery mode after the spell.

The spell has a Hard Round Time which is only broken when the spell is either complete or they use a specific command to break it with a penalty (say loss of a specific amount of mana that puts them into a Rank 2 Nerve situation or 3 if it's a lot of mana). Perhaps trainable to a less damaging effect.

Mana Leech will otherwise remain the same when used on a critter but with the resulting option that the Wizard may retain the understanding of the magical energies inherent to the last foe they used it on, thus creating a great increase in the odds that the next time they cast Mana Tap on an item, something from the critter they beheld with Mana Leech will show up in the item. So if it is a Krolvin Warfarer they tapped, the likelihood of E-wave, E-blast will be boosted considerably and they may have a bonus to STR and AGI like Krolvins have. Or if it is a Shan Ranger then the creature will have a much higher likelihood to see increase possibilities in Ranger related Stats, to see a Ranger based spell (outside circle spells can have a separate set of boundaries for their availability which obviously will be much lower than Elemental spheres to have the same power or chance to be instilled with the cast of Mana Tap). If they have cast it upon a Veteran Reiver with an Old Claidhmore, the next cast of Mana Tap on a blank blade will very likely see similar to claid or beyond critical weighting and a boost related to the Reiver's characteristics.

Stay Tuned for spell concept: Elemental Mana Bread