Miscellaneous Magics
©1992 Franklin W. Cain
(Fourth Level Spells)

Improved Leech
(Necromancy)

Level: 4
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 4 rounds + 1 round/level
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: The caster
Saving Throw: None

Once per round, while this spell is in effect, if the wizard touches an opponent in melee with a successful attack roll, the opponent loses 1d6 hit points. These hit points are added to the wizard's total, with any hit points over the wizard's normal total treated as temporary additional hit points. Any damage suffered by the wizard is subtracted from the temporary hit points first. After one turn per level of the wizard, any extra hit points above the wizard's normal total are lost. The creature originally losing hit points through this spell can regain them by normal or magical healing. Undead creatures are unaffected by this spell.

Phantasmal Facade
(Illusion)

Level: 4
Range: 40 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 4 rounds + 1 round/level
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: 40' cube
Saving Throw: Special

This spell gives one or more creatures within the area of effect the appearace of being a poorly executed illusion of itself (i.e., a caricature or parody image). The illusion affects all normal senses (sight, sound, smell/taste, touch/temperature). A group of orcs could appear as a group of ugly people wearing pig masks, a lion could appear to be almost cartoonish, and so on. The player chooses the specific image created by the spell, subject to the gamemaster's approval. The material component for this spell is a small bit of wool.

Six-Arms
(Alteration)

Level: 4
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: One turn/level
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: One "person" (humanoid biped animal)
Saving Throw: None

By means of this dark-elven spell, the recipient gets four extra arms, two along each flank evenly spaced between his (real) arm and his waist. The wizard can cast this spell onto any willing creature. If the wizard casts this spell on anyone other than himself, the subject creature must check the shock to its system (a saving throw vs. death). Failure means he takes 1d12 points of magical damage and the spell fails.

The recipient will have severe penalties on his attack rolls if he uses more than one weapon. A warrior specialized in two-weapon fighting styles can learn how to use weapons in these extra arms, reducing these penalties, after several hours of practice. Likewise, an ambidextrous warrior can practice and get reduced penalties. An ambidextrous warrior specialized in two-weapon usage can completely remove these penalties after several hours of practice.

The recipient gets a +2 (+10%) bonus on all climbing checks for each additional pair of arms devoted to this purpose. Otherwise, the creature can climb using just one pair of arms, and use the other four arms for whatever other tasks desired. The material component for this spell is a small spider or insect.

Transform Weapon
(Alteration)

Level: 4
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: One weapon
Saving Throw: Special

This spell allows the wizard to change a weapon into some other weapon (e.g., the wizard could change a dagger into a lance). The wizard must be the only one holding the weapon, or else the spell fails. If cast on a non-magical weapon, this change is permanent, the weapon does not get a saving throw to avoid the transformation, and one round after the change, the aura fades and the transformation cannot be cancelled.

If cast on a magical weapon, the weapon gets a saving throw versus disintegration to negate this spell. Assuming the saving throw fails, the weapon is changed into whatever other form the wizard desires, and this spell has a duration of four rounds, plus one round per level of the wizard. During this time, the wizard can change the weapon into another weapon yet again (once per round), and as long as the weapon is in some other form, its "plus" rating is reduced by one (i.e., a +3 short sword affected by this spell could be changed into a +2 lance, then a +2 great sword, then a +2 crossbow, etc., reverting to +3 whenever it is changed back to a short sword).

Zolton's Improved Prismatic Orb
(Alteration, Evocation)

Level: 4
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: One round
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special

This upgrade of prismatic orb gives the wizard one prismatic orb for every three levels he has. The orbs appear in his hand and must be thrown one at a time within the round in which this spell is cast (see the appropriate rules on multiple attacks in combat). The wizard may throw each orb at whatever target he chooses. The caster must specify the color(s) of the orbs at the time he casts this spell, but he can vary the order in which he throws them within the combat round.

The material components for this spell are one gem per orb to be created, of either the appropriate hue (50 g.p. value min.) or of diamond (200 g.p. value min.).

(The character Zolton was played by Henry Brock, one of the players in the campaign I ran while I was stationed in South Korea.)

(Fifth Level Spells)

Beckon
(Conjuration/Summoning)

Level: 5
Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: One round
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: Neg.

By means of this spell, a wizard seeks to force or to enable a creature to come from another plance of existence into the wizard's presence. If the creature has any resistance to magic, this is checked if the creature is to be forced to appear. Assuming this resistance check fails, the wizard's level is compared against the creature's level or hit dice. If the creature's level or hit dice is higher, the difference is used as a bonus for the creature's saving throw. On the other hand, if the wizard's level is higher, the difference is used as a penalty for the creature's saving throw. If the creature wants to appear, then the creature doesn't roll a saving throw.

Note that this spell just brings the creature into the wizard's presence. It does not include a return trip. Even worse, it does not include any protections or wardings against the conjured creature. The material component for this spell is any item that is is attractive or desirable to the subject creature.

Faerie Gold
(Conjuration, Illusion/Phantasm)

Level: 5
Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special

This spell (which is also known as phantom gold) creates a king's ransom in gold in whatever form the caster desires -- coins, bullion, jewelry (no gems) or other art objects, and so on. The total apparent value of the gold created by one casting of this spell cannot exceed a limit based on the caster's level.

Of course, the wizard could create a lesser hoard. The gold created by this spell is real for all purposes, except as follows. The gold lasts for one day (24 hours), after which, it fades away. Furthermore, the gold must have one of the flaws listed below (the wizard chooses the specific flaw at the time of the casting).

The gamemaster may allow the wizard to specify a flaw not listed above if it is comparable to the flaws listed. Gnomes, leprechauns, and faerie drakes have all been known to use this spell.

Redmane's Relentless Fireball
(Evocation; Elemental Fire)

Level: 5
Range: Special
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 2 rounds/level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: ½

When casting this spell, the wizard designates a specific target, which must be "visible" to the wizard and within his line of sight at the time of the casting. This spell creates a pea-sized ball of energy that races from the wizard's palm towards the target at a movement rate of twice the wizard's level (a ninth-level mage creates a fireball that moves at 18). The fireball relentlessly pursues its target until it closes with its target, whereupon it explodes into a ten-foot diameter sphere (approximately 500 cubic feet) that does 5d4 points of magical fire damage to everyone within the area. If the duration expires before the fireball closes with its target, it winks out of existence.

The fireball can maneuver. If an impenetrable obstacle appears directly in the fireball's path, the fireball detours around and continues its pursuit. If the target ducks into a sealed chamber, the fireball will wait just outside the entrance until the target leaves the chamber or until the spell duration expires. The fireball is not fooled by illusions or invisibility. Assuming the wizard selected the true intended target (and not a phantasmal image of the same), the fireball will continue chasing its target, no matter how much the target tries to evade. If the target teleports to some other location, the fireball immediately begins racing to the new location. If the target leaves its current plane of existence, the fireball continues to the target's last location, whereupon it explodes.

The material components for this spell are a claw from a creature known for its tracking ability (e.g., a bloodhound) and a ball of guano containing powdered sulfur and phosphorous.