Manna Dust
Also known as Manna Powder
"We knows its the cause of Mannacrackles, so we provide the appropriate protective gear, aye. Proper masks, with charcoal and cori leaf filters, yes we gots 'em yes the lads have access to 'em. You lot really get under our skin you know that. You always so stickler and worried about 'health' and 'risk' yet lets all be clear. If it really mattered that much, we'd figure out a better system ta power it all, and them mages in their towers would have figured out a way to make it fully safe, a way ta mine, cut, prepare the damn gems and handle the dust without risk ta people. But they don't do they, and neither do them damned magitech engineers. Such is the way o' the world, we live in. These gems and aye the dust from this refinin' process be necessary and highly craved materials. Well someone gots ta get the damned things out o' the ground and then some gotta cut em free proper, and handle, sift and properly gather and pack the stuff for the likes of runesmiths and other such enchanters need for the process o' imbuin' magick inta objects, arms, armor right. That's right, mage, so tone it down wit' yer preachin'. Now come on, lets get this damned walkthrough over with so we can both move on with our day."
The shop foreman for a Manna Dust processing facility in Tyril at the rather newly opened facility after a recent Ruby deposit was discovered within a cavern of the massive copper mine the city grew around and to support, talking to a Magister from Kalesh sent by the Magisterium chapter in the region to both insure safety protocols and needs were being met, and more importantly, to insure the gems and dust were being handled and properly accounted for and packaged. The first of what will be three such 'inspections' that will occur annually for every year the deposit continues to have gems pulled from it.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Manna Dust is the impure mixture of gem dust and the silica or other mineral or stone dust it was extracted from, a powdered substance that glitters with the outer layer of the gemstone, the impure shell from which it was extracted. This dust is charged elementally, and is alive with magick, but it is also impure, and thus not valuable in the same way Manna Gems are. Initially it was percieved as naught but a harmful waste product, for breathing it in was linked, eventually, to the highly symptom-variable illness known as Mannacrackles.
It will seem a brilliant coarse dust with the hues of the gemstone that had been extracted. It leaves a scent upon the fingers when handled without gloves that invokes thoughts of the elemental force in question. As examples, Ruby Dust it might be soot and ash, or perhaps wood-smoke and charcoal. For Amethyst Dust, unpleasantly it will be mold, fungi or even a hint of putrefying flesh.
It will seem a brilliant coarse dust with the hues of the gemstone that had been extracted. It leaves a scent upon the fingers when handled without gloves that invokes thoughts of the elemental force in question. As examples, Ruby Dust it might be soot and ash, or perhaps wood-smoke and charcoal. For Amethyst Dust, unpleasantly it will be mold, fungi or even a hint of putrefying flesh.
Physical & Chemical Properties
Manna dust has many properties, most of them bad. It is highly volatile, pulling in energy from the Aether around it all the time. Because of this, inhalation or consumption of it is exceedingly dangerous as it only pulls and removes essence of your being tied to the fundamental elemental force tied to the gem it was dust of. Yet it is also a force heightener, admittedly an addictive one and technically illegal, for magisters of the associated school. Whereas gems can effectively act as Foci, storing manna you weave through yourself and acting as a purifier to allow you to manifest spell-forms locked in a sort of statis that are safe, what Manna Dust does is merely act almost as a polarizing magnetic force, making your body more receptive, more attractive to the appropriate currents of energy, allowing you to draw in more power more swiftly.
Within the framework of Pathfinder 2e, which is the framework I personally use and thus have adapted too, what Manna Dust does is simple and outlined below as the action it is;
Consume Manna Dust: Placing a pinch of the appropriate dust on your tongue the moemnt before attempting to cast a spell, you feel the sudden rush as you open your connection to the Aether, the rush of power. This benefit manifests in two different ways. The first and most simple is to cast the spell at a +1 rank, so Heightened (1) even should you not have the spell-slot level available. However you also choose one metamagick feat you possess, and apply it to the spell-form without needing to invest the actions or any other associated costs or efforts. After casting the spell however, you must roll a Will Save against your own caster DC, and the effects are noted below;
Manna Dust and Arcane Casters in a TTRPG Sense
Within the framework of Pathfinder 2e, which is the framework I personally use and thus have adapted too, what Manna Dust does is simple and outlined below as the action it is;
Consume Manna Dust: Placing a pinch of the appropriate dust on your tongue the moemnt before attempting to cast a spell, you feel the sudden rush as you open your connection to the Aether, the rush of power. This benefit manifests in two different ways. The first and most simple is to cast the spell at a +1 rank, so Heightened (1) even should you not have the spell-slot level available. However you also choose one metamagick feat you possess, and apply it to the spell-form without needing to invest the actions or any other associated costs or efforts. After casting the spell however, you must roll a Will Save against your own caster DC, and the effects are noted below;- Critical Success: No negative, the rush of power is temporary as it is supposed to be, and you suffer no ill consequence of any kind.
- Success: Your body crackles with a sudden rush of power and you feel the sheer cutting and rending through your body from the rush of manna, but it is manageable, containable. You suffer 2d6 force damage, non-lethal.
- Failure: You do not control the sudden rush of manna well at all, but manage to avoid the worst possible outcomes. You suffer the damage of a success, but it is not non-lethal, and you are afflicted Fatigued (1) that cannot be removed or recovered in any means except for a night of rest (effectively a Long Rest).
- Critical Failure: You lose complete control of the rush of manna. Take double damage, become Fatigued (2) and roll a Minor Miscast. You also must make a Fortitude Save against your own Caster DC to resist becoming Addicted to Manna Dust. This save is a simple save.
Origin & Source
This material is of course a byproduct of Manna Gems mining and production
History & Usage
Everyday use
As stated, under the codes and ethics of The Magisterium, as well as the law in most every nation on Valerick, Manna Dust is contraband for magister, and is an illicit substance to carry and most certainly to imbibe. However there are unique exceptions to this, for a use for this perceived waste product does in fact exist, a highly important use at that. Runesmithing, that is to those whom know not the history of the art and its proper title but the title bastardized by the Topaz Collegiate and magitech engineers, Enchantment, requires the dust. Long have the dwarves known this, it is an ancient art of their people and admittedly their objects are uniquely different in their function and stability than the other types of enchantment that exist.
Regardless of these two processess, which need not an in depth discussion here, that can be saved for another day and time, suffice to say that the demand for Manna Dust, even with strict licensing and handling laws and requirements in place in every nation in Valerick in regards to the substances, is notable. The dust is just as rare as the gems themselves and fetches prices that are comparably astronomical, given that the potency of any such Rune-smithed or Enchanted object is directly connected to the amount of Manna Dust used in the etching (enchanting) process.
Regardless of these two processess, which need not an in depth discussion here, that can be saved for another day and time, suffice to say that the demand for Manna Dust, even with strict licensing and handling laws and requirements in place in every nation in Valerick in regards to the substances, is notable. The dust is just as rare as the gems themselves and fetches prices that are comparably astronomical, given that the potency of any such Rune-smithed or Enchanted object is directly connected to the amount of Manna Dust used in the etching (enchanting) process.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Manna Dust values are often measured in tandem to that of Manna Gems themselves, having a value of about 60-65% per 'measure' (which for the Manna Dust, or Manna Powder as it is known amongst Rune-smiths, is about 1/4 of an ounce.), thus it is useful to know the going price for Manna Gems by the measure as it will help you be secure in your knowledge of Manna Powder's current market price point.
Storage
Manna Powder is best stored and secured in lead lined glass flasks. Some might mistakenly think Obsidian is best and that would be a mistake. You don't want to cut off Manna Powder from the Aether entirely, much like you do not wish to do so with Manna Gems either. Instead you wish to limit its volatile surging capabilities and lead is not a full nullifier of the Aether, but will filter out Void corruption, creating a constantly shedding layer of grey like semi metallic ash as the corruption is stripped, flaking away the outer layer of the lead. This does mean storing Manna Powder for long periods of time is tricky business that requires keeping tabs on your flasks, and replacing them with some level of frequency.
Law & Regulation
As noted Manna Powder is heavily regulated, and those licensed to possess, work with or produce and sell it are subject to quarterly inspections generally by the government and appointed Magisters from the nearest Collegiate as appropriate. These inspections are to insure safe handling, working practices, proper securing of the substances, and of course, with the Magister's presence, insuring no apostates or other such individuals have made themselves known working in close proximity to these substances.
Type
Elemental / Molecular
Related Professions
That quote at the beginning has some chilling real world echoes, for sure. Would be kind of fun in a ttrpg sense to gamble with that rush of power.
Explore Etrea | Reading Challenge 2025
Thank you, yeah definitely took some inspiration from real world understanding of like "Oh Safety" versus actual on the ground safety with that quote. The gamble is fun for sure have had a couple players risk it before, for one it went well for the other....let us say it turned into a whole side arc, things did not go nearly so well.