This rod was rewarded to you with a single charge by Vithal for getting his spellbook back. Apparently his line of work (bouncing around elemental planes looking for riches) already forced him to consume 9 charges and you got the left overs.
Description[]
| “ | This rod acts as a magnet, drawing magical spells of any nature (priest or wizard) into itself. It then nullifies their effects. The magic absorbed must have been directed at the character possessing the rod. To activate this absorption ability, the user must use the wand, after which time they will be protected for 4 rounds or until the absorption disappears.
The rod will absorb nine levels of spells (and can defend against spells up to 9th level in power). Each use of the rod expends one charge. |
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— Rod of Absorption | ||