Siphon Enchantment

Transmutation

• Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5, Cleric 5, Shaman 5, Artificer 4
• Components: V, S, M, XP (see text)
• Casting Time: 1 hour
• Range: Touch
• Targets: One target magic item and one nonmagical masterwork item
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
• Spell Resistance: Yes (object) 

Description
You channel the fundamental magical essence out of one magical object and weave it seamlessly into another. The target magic item must be in your possession, and the receiving item must be of at least masterwork quality. At the completion of the casting, the original magic item becomes completely nonmagical, and the receiving masterwork item gains all of its active enchantments, properties, and enhancement bonuses. 

Material Component & XP Cost:
Moving magic isn’t completely free; you must pay for the physical stabilization and any slot adjustments using the standard item creation rules:

• Base Transfer Cost: You must consume rare incenses and arcane solvents worth 10% of the original item’s base market value.
• Different Slot Penalty: If you are moving an enchantment to a different body slot (e.g., turning a Cloak of Resistance into a Ring of Resistance), you must pay the difference in gold (GP) and experience points (XP) as if you were crafting the item for an uncustomary slot. According to the Magic Item Compendium, moving a property to an uncustomary body slot multiplies its base price by 1.5.
  • Example: Moving a +2 resistance bonus from a Cloak (4,000 gp) to a Ring (custom slot: 4,000 x 1.5 = 6,000 gp). You must supply the 2,000 gp market difference in raw components (1,000 gp crafting cost) and pay the equivalent 80 XP difference during the casting. 

Restrictions:

• This spell cannot affect artifacts.
• Weapon and armor enchantments cannot be transferred to wondrous items (e.g., you cannot put the Flaming weapon property onto a pair of boots).
• If the receiving item already has magical properties, they are completely overwritten and destroyed by the incoming siphon. 

The Origin: A Thief’s Necessity

In the high-magic realms of Toril, some magic items are instantly recognizable by local authorities. Hantle Scantle realised early in his criminal career that fencing a stolen +3 Flaming Longsword from a Waterdhavian noble was a death sentence—Diviners would track the weapon’s unique signature within hours.

To solve this, Hantle spent years blending his rogue expertise with wizardry to create Siphon Enchantment. Instead of running away with a glowing, famous sword, Hantle would corner the victim, cast the spell, and strip the magic out of the noble’s blade. He would channel that raw power directly into a mundane, heavily worn masterwork iron crowbar or a pair of scuffed traveler’s boots.

By the time the guards arrived, the noble was left holding a useless piece of decorative steel, and Hantle was walking out the door with a completely innocuous item radiating the stolen magic.

The Ultimate Smuggling Ring

Toril quickly became too hot for Hantle, prompting him to escape into the Multiverse. He set up shop in Sigil, the City of Doors, where his operation truly exploded.

Moving goods through the portals of Sigil requires bypassing various planar factions, planar customs, and magical wards. Hantle’s spell makes him the ultimate smuggler:

• The “Junk” Caravan: Hantle slips into planes with strict magic restrictions (or high export taxes) and siphons powerful enchantments into ordinary, worthless objects—like rusty nails, wooden spoons, or basic horse shoes.
• Bypassing Wards: High-end planar portals often have wards that detect powerful magical auras to stop weapon smuggling. Because Hantle can change the item slot, he can take a restricted, highly illegal combat enchantment from a weapon and mask it inside a common Ring or Amulet worn openly by an unsuspecting traveler.
• The Re-Weave: Once his junk cargo safely arrives at its destination plane (whether the bustling markets of the Radiant Citadel or a back-alley bazaar in the Lower Planes), Hantle casts the spell a second time. He extracts the magic from the mundane objects and weaves it cleanly into high-end masterwork weapons or armor, ready to sell to the highest bidder for pure platinum.

Rumors and Reputation in Sigil

Among the planar underworld, Hantle Scantle is a legend. The Harmonium (Sigil’s city guard) knows someone is completely draining the magic out of confiscated contraband right under their noses, but they can’t figure out how. Meanwhile, the Fraternity of Order (the Guvners) are driven mad by the spell because it technically obeys the physical laws of magic item economy (paying the gold and XP component costs) while entirely violating the “spirit” of the law.