Contemplating the ol' mage thing, but I'm dragging my feet cause A) Been forever and B) the following:

If your clue is either not good enough (I'm not looking for the ask for help option here, but obviously that would be the only option IC) or rather, impossible to acquire without death or severe likelihood of death - remind me why that particular clue/wand doesn't eventually expire?

I'm trying to understand the mechanical reason why you couldn't beg/bribe your guildmaster for a replacement at even a drastic cost such as 72 game hours (I'd say hell, even 24 hours real life time for that matter). The scenario I'm picturing is a location that you'd either need solid help, or you would have to level up to hero to 'maybe' get oneself. I figure this question has come up before during my hiatus - so just curious about the why's and why not's.

Depending on your char, there are 1-3 places where you need to either get good help or burn a small pile of wands to get it on your own. The worst black rod spot (you know where) I've never gotten more than three times on a 450hr char. Although, I also got it twice in a row. :(. When I get that one, I just look to clear it and don't care how many rods it takes. Just getting it to cycle. I suggest making friends with a bard or healer.

As far as rods changing location without you getting them, some location are in a desk, etc. and not on a mob. There spawn when you enter the room or area I believe and if that happens and you cannot find it, you'll get another location eventually.

As for the clues, different guildmasters will give different clues. So, that might help if the first clue doesn't ring a bell. Also, ask. I've helped anyone who's ever asked and AFAIK, I know all the locations. Others do as well.

Getting blacks pre-hero can be dangerous and on some characters, I just don't. You can probably buy them from another char though.

Now, it may take an obnoxious amount of time like two RL weeks, but eventually that black you can't get will be someplace else.

Unless there's a link to an immortal confirming this - I'm not sold

I didn't code it, but I was involved in writing the hints and helping to select new locations for some of the crappier ones, and I'm pretty sure once you have a location, that's the location until you gather that one.

I've been wrong before, though, so...

For instance if it’s on a big bad you can’t kill but you go fight him will it pop crumble/reboot and then you get a new spot?

I don't think it spawns on a mob until the mob dies (by the hand of the mage or one of the mage's groupmates).

Spawn at death is the only way the system would make sense.

Otherwise the mage strikes the mob, black spawns, if mage dies/flees whatever, anyone else can then kill and get the wand unless there was a crumble timer, which also would not work because the mage may come back 2 days later and the wand might be gone.

I can't imagine it ever worked like that.

Similar with aura/shield.

Once it spawns (mob dies), anyone can pick it up. I've had this happen with my chars - killing a mob with a groupmate and I get dirt kicked or blinded or something, and the groupmate picks up the rod and hands it to me later.

Even if speculation, it's meaningful coming from staff. I do wish I knew the reason it might have been purposefully coded that way as the variety of spawn points can be rough, especially the added variable of whichever mage class one happens to be.