Materia

Materia are special little crystal orbs that contain magicite. They provide a passive magical effect when affixed to a weapon, shield, or suit of armor (or any other item that grants an armor bonus to AC), and can allow you to cast a limited assortment of spells. There are five types of materia (Spell, Support, Independent, Ability, and Summon; see Table: Materia Types). The Materia FAQ also contains answers for some common questions.

Table: Materia Types

Type	Color	Description
Ability	Yellow	Bestows a Feat or Skill.
Independent	Purple	Bestows a unique ability.
Spell	Green	Uses Black Magic spells.
Summon	Red	Summons an Avatar.
Support	Blue	Uses White Magic spells.

Materia bestow passive benefits when attached to a magical item, specifically a weapon, a shield, a piece of armor, or an Islander’s Wayfinder of Light. Each materia comes in one of three levels, which together with the bonus of the container (Enhancement + Special Ability) determines which of the passive effects of the materia are unlocked:

• The 1st-level bonus functions when attached to an object with a bonus of +1 or higher.
• The 2nd-level bonus functions when attached to an object with a bonus of +3 or higher.
• The 3rd-level bonus functions when attached to an object with a bonus of +5 or higher.

A level 2 or 3 materia does not provide the lower level bonuses if it’s the same bonus (such as a Fire Materia in a weapon giving higher fire damage), but they do otherwise (such as a Dodge Materia giving different feats).

Each item can hold a single materia, but an attached materia can be swapped for another one at any time. Attaching or removing a materia from an item requires a move action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Effectively, each eligible item has a single “slot” that can be filled by any appropriate materia. If the materia’s container is sundered, the materia is not destroyed.

In addition, a character can cast spells from these materia by using the Use Magic Device skill, by first attuning to it. You can be attuned to one materia at a time, and you can attune to materia that are or aren’t attached to an item. A materia can cast three spells per day, but provide no passive bonuses if no charges are left. The caster level of the materia increases as it levels up to the minimum level to cast the spell from the materia.

Casters can use the Craft Materia feat to craft or upgrade materia.