Odeen's sounding stick, which can be cast on any rod or stick of wood up to 2-1/2 feet long, enables the holder to detect hollow areas, faults, and weaknesses, including concealed and secret doors and certain traps, in wood, earth, and stone. Such faults are detected by tapping with the stick.
The range of the sounding stick varies with its size, as does the fault size that can be detected. The range of the stick is four times its length, to a maximum of 10 feet. The diameter of the smallest fault that can be detected is half the length of the stick, to a minimum of 3 inches. Only the holder of the stick can note such faults, for they are revealed by vibrations in the stick. The base chance for detecting a fault or hollow space is 50% for wizards who know Odeen's sounding stick and 40% for any other characters. Other modifiers apply (see table).
| Type of stick | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Oak or yew | +10% |
| Witch hazel | +5% |
| Birch or alder | +0% |
| Cottonwood or dogwood | -5% |
| Pine or fir | -10% |
| Other factors | |
| Holder is an elf | +10% |
| Holder is a half-elf or gnome | +5% |
| Holder is a dwarf or humanoid | -5% |
| Holder wears gloves | 5% |
| Holder wears gauntlets | -15% |
| User level | +l%/level |
The DM can add other modifiers as desired. Only one stick is affected in a single casting of the spell. A light or a continual light spell can be cast on the stick without affecting the sounding stick spell.
Notes: Very rare spell. Known to be in The Spells of Odeen. (Updated from Dragon Magazine.)