Blasting rod

Blasting rod
Type	Magical
Subtype	Other
Known users	Harry Dresden

A blasting rod is a rod used as a focus. It first appears in Storm Front.

Description

One of the most inherently violent of the wizard's tools, the blasting rod is used to quickly and efficiently focus one's will into a spell. Typically engraved with runes and sigils, the blasting rod, if carried into a delicate situation, is as subtle as a magnum handgun.

In the series

Storm Front

Main article: Storm Front

In Storm Front, Harry Dresden laments not having it with him when he goes to visit Bianca. He mentions that it's only "half enchanted" because he couldn't afford to do a full enchantment—he was a blue-collar wizard. He had to hope they didn't go stale at the wrong time. Later, Dresden uses his rod to blasts the doors off the Varsity after he tracked Gimpy, who stole Dresden's hair, there.

Fool Moon

Main article: Fool Moon

In Fool Moon, Harry Dresden states that he had recovered his blasting rod from the abandoned department store. The rod had been torn from his hand in the dark by something that made an animal sound and clawed the floor.

Grave Peril

Main article: Grave Peril

In Grave Peril, it is freshly carved and still a little green. Harry Dresden takes both it and his newly carved replacement staff out of the Blue Beetle as he and Michael Carpenter are about to enter Cook County Hospital to stop Agatha Hagglethorn from killing babies in the nursery.

Blood Rites

Main article: Blood Rites

In Blood Rites, Inari Raith breaks it over Harry Dresden's head because she thinks he's the one who shot her brother Thomas.

Small Favor

Main article: Small Favor

In Small Favor, Harry Dresden has his blasting rod in the opening sequence while fighting gruffs at the Carpenter home. Then it's not mentioned again until Michael Carpenter challenges him, asking where is his blasting rod. Dresden felt sharp pain pierced through both temples like ice picks. He tried to grab the memory, the image, that went with the words. It was like a shape wrapped in heavy tarp. Someone tampered with his head. Michael prays over him and Dresden felt the warm healing power of faith vanquishing the pain and giving him his memory back of his rod and all of his fire magic, plus evocation and combat magic. The last time he remembers having his rod is right before the Gruffs attached at the Carpenter home. This means that Mab is the one who tampered with his memory of his rod and fire magic to keep the Gruffs from finding him.

Prior to Michael Carpenter's pressing him, there are two moments in which Dresden's thoughts start to go to his blasting rod until his head screams in awful pain and his thoughts are steered elsewhere. The first is during the Aquarium Battle with the Denarians when Tessa shoots flames at Ivy (the Archive) and it begins to remind Dresden of his own flames from his rod. The second time is when  Dresden exits Carpenter's truck in front of the Carpenter home and Michael gives Dresden his staff that he had recovered for him. Dresden is so relieved that he begins to think how much harder it was to carve than his blasting rod was.