Mizzium Apparatus

Mizzium Apparatus

Mismage · Mision Apparatus · misium · Mizmage · Misium Apparatus · Mike's apparatus

Item

Status Active First seen s17 Last seen s17 Type Wondrous item, rare (per 5e Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica) Attunement Required Holder Mike Origin Arcanthys — the School of Whim & Wonder

The Mizzium Apparatus is Mike’s signature magical apparatus, originating from Arcanthys — the School of Whim & Wonder. It is the 5e Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica wondrous item that lets the attuned wielder cast any spell on their prepared list via an Arcana check, with a backfire risk on a failed roll that casts a different random spell of the same level instead ^[29], L1336-1348). At Mike’s current Arcana modifier the device “right now it’s impossible for me to fail at a level one spell” ^[5]. Demonstrated this session: Mending on Nella’s sail, Detect Magic ritual on Hugo’s blood, Detect Thoughts on Hugo, Shield reactions, Phantasmal Force lava-cube on the Rimeclaw Skulker. Whisper-side transcript renders the name as “Mismage / Mision / misium / Mizmage / Misium Apparatus”; canonical spelling is Mizzium Apparatus per the published 5e source.

Overview

The Mizzium Apparatus is the canonical name for the wondrous item Mike’s player Brian has built his entire PC around. It is the 5e Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica wondrous item from Ravnica’s Izzet League — translated into Eldurae’s campaign canon as an Arcanthys-school device from the School of Whim & Wonder. The transcript renders the name variously as “Mismage / Mision / misium / Mizmage / Misium Apparatus” across ^[8]-L120; these are Whisper transcription artefacts. Canonical spelling: Mizzium Apparatus, per the published source.

Mechanics (as house-applied in s17)

• The attuned wielder can cast any spell on their prepared spell list via an Arcana check against a target DC scaled to the spell’s level.
• On a failed Arcana check, the apparatus still casts a spell but the cast goes wrong — it backfires and casts a different random spell from the same level instead, rolled on a backfire table ^[3].
• Mike’s spell list access is “wizard sorcerer warlock bard” ^[4], with “a handful of paladin and warlock spells I think that you can’t cast and ranger spells” excluded ^[7]. His own classes are cleric / druid / wizard ^[1]; the apparatus’s list is broader than any single class can prepare from.
• At Mike’s current Arcana modifier (high enough that “right now it’s impossible for me to fail at a level one spell”, ^[5], 1st-level casts are effectively auto-pass. Higher-level casts roll against a higher DC and could backfire.
• No backfire has occurred yet on-screen. Mike’s two notable Arcana checks in s17: a 29 on the Detect Thoughts cast on Hugo ^[9] and a successful check on the Phantasmal Force ^[10].

Demonstrated in session 17

Cantrips and spells cast via the Mizzium Apparatus this session:

• Light (cantrip) — on Mike’s own armour, as cover for arcane casting around the lay-Aurelian-devotee Nella ^[11].
• Mending (cantrip) — on Nella’s torn fishing-boat sail ^[12].
• Prestidigitation (cantrip) — Steven’s chin-rub flourish to clean clothes; Mike used the same to assist ^[13].
• Detect Magic (ritual, 1st level) — on Hugo’s blood and the two Biogloom vials ^[14] + L1468). The reading of Hugo’s blood produced the iron-restraints / dark-glass blood-vision ^[15].
• Detect Thoughts (1st level) — cast twice on Hugo ^[16], L1335). Pulled “I am the result of some form of experiment. And that I’m one of a few survivors” out of Hugo’s mind ^[17].
• Unseen Servant (1st level) — six in rotation rowing the skiff overnight ^[18].
• Shield (1st level, reaction) — twice in the s17 combat to negate ice-bolt and the post-Silvery-Barbs nat-20 bite ^[19], L1815).
• Enhance Ability (2nd level) — advantage on Mike’s perception for crafting-material scan ^[20].
• Phantasmal Force (2nd level, 2024 PHB edition: 2d8 psychic per turn) — the headline cast of the session. Built an illusory 10-foot cube of lava around the Rimeclaw Skulker; the Skulker failed two Int saves and is still trapped at session end ^[21], L1877-1881).
• Booming Blade (cantrip with Shillelagh carried over) — Round-2 melee strike on a flanking water wolf for 4 force ^[22].

Prepared / known spells (named in the spellbook-trade scene)

At ^[23] Mike read off his 1st-level prepared spell list: “alarms, comprehend languages, feather fall, find familiar, identify, shield, tensor exploding disk [Tenser’s Floating Disk], and unseen servant.” Mike also referenced from his broader spellbook at ^[24]: “Bless, Dragon’s Breath, Hold Person, Invisibility, Levitate, Magic Weapon, Mirror Image, Rope Trick.”

Terry’s read of the build: “It’s the ultimate multi-class build. You have to go everything.” ^[25]. Mike’s own framing of the apparatus’s wide list-access at ^[25]: it makes 1st-level scrolls redundant for him, which is why Terry talked himself out of scribing the Silvery Barbs scroll he’d planned earlier in the session ^[26].

Source / origin

The apparatus is an Arcanthys-school device per the Pass-1-extraction note. Arcanthys is the campaign’s School of Whim & Wonder — the city of the Grand Conflux and the only place in Eldurae where arcane casters are not actively exterminated by Aurelia (per the DM’s s14 framing: “the only ones that can get away with using arcane magic near Aurelia are the people in Arcanthus”, ^[27]. The apparatus is therefore Aurelian-illegal contraband and one of the structural reasons Mike must keep his casting under cover-stories around Aurelian-aligned civilians ^[28].

Notable quotes

“you can cast any spell that’s on your spell list as long as you pass an arcana check” — Mike, ^[2]

“right now it’s impossible for me to fail at a level one spell” — Mike, ^[5]

“It’s the ultimate multi-class build. You have to go everything.” — Terry, ^[25]

Status as of session 17

Attuned to Mike. Active. No backfire on-screen yet. The Phantasmal Force lava-cube on the Skulker is still ticking psychic damage at session end.

See also

• Mike
• Arcanthys
• Phantasmal Force
• Detect Magic
• Detect Thoughts
• Brian

References

1. ^ Session 17, line 37 — Brian's intro — "I am playing a what race? Valdekin. Valdekin, Cleric, Druid, Wizard." (the multiclass framing supports the Mizzium spell-list breadth).
2. ^ Session 17, line 45 — Core mechanic — "you can cast any spell that's on your spell list as long as you pass an arcana check".
3. ^ Session 17, line 48-50 — Backfire mechanic — on a failed Arcana check, the apparatus still casts but a different random spell from the same level.
4. ^ Session 17, line 96 — Spell list access: wizard sorcerer warlock bard.
5. ^ Session 17, line 514 — "right now it's impossible for me to fail at a level one spell" — Mike's 1st-level cast is reliable.
6. ^ Session 17, line 1336-1348 — Mid-session ruling — Detect Thoughts is on Mike's prepared list; Arcana check 29 passes, no backfire.
7. ^ Session 17, line 1350 — Mike notes: 'There's a handful of paladin and warlock spells I think that you can't cast and ranger spells'.
8. ^ Session 17, line 39 — Inline citation.
9. ^ Session 17, line 1339 — Inline citation.
10. ^ Session 17, line 1697-1707 — Inline citation.
11. ^ Session 17, line 918 — Inline citation.
12. ^ Session 17, line 912 — Inline citation.
13. ^ Session 17, line 443-454 — Inline citation.
14. ^ Session 17, line 932 — Inline citation.
15. ^ Session 17, line 1483 — Inline citation.
16. ^ Session 17, line 1325 — Inline citation.
17. ^ Session 17, line 1431 — Inline citation.
18. ^ Session 17, line 842-846 — Inline citation.
19. ^ Session 17, line 1609 — Inline citation.
20. ^ Session 17, line 537 — Inline citation.
21. ^ Session 17, line 1697-1711 — Inline citation.
22. ^ Session 17, line 1908-1917 — Inline citation.
23. ^ Session 17, line 321 — Inline citation.
24. ^ Session 17, line 1679-1689 — Inline citation.
25. ^ Session 17, line 1349 — Inline citation.
26. ^ Session 17, line 499-512 — Inline citation.
27. ^ Session 14, line 1616 — Inline citation.
28. ^ Session 17, line 917 — Inline citation.
29. ^ Session 17, line 37-50 — Inline citation.