From alvalent@husc Subject: RL-L: Promised Necromantic Spells Sorry guys, but these aren't formatted for 80-columns, but were instead done in MS-Word. So if you download them and put 'em in a word processor you'll have no problem, but otherwise.... Here goes: Affect Normal Fires Animate Dead Animals (Dragon #167) Chill Touch Corpse Visage (TOM) Death Armour (Best of Dragon IV & GNSB, revised version included) Detect Magic Detect Undead Gaze Reflection Protection from Good Read Magic Shield Unseen Servant Wall of Fog Alter Self Carrion's Foul Stench (new spell) Choke (TOM) Darkness 15' Radius Death's Dark Grasp (new spell) Delay Death (TOM) Detect Good Garinthrall's Hideous Leech (new spell) Protection from Paralysis (TOM) Shatter Spectral Hand Summon Swarm Tread of the Corpse (new spell) Web Blink Dispel Magic Feign Death Hold Undead Infravision Lighning Bolt Spirit Armour (TOM) Strength of the Damned (new spell) Vampiric Touch Wraithform Contagion Create Darkenbeast (FRMC) Curse Dimension Door Enervation Evard's Black Tentacles Life Force Transfer (Dragon #148) Mask of Death (TOM) Merald's Murderous Mist (FR Box) Mist from the Grave (Isle of the Ape module, synopsis included) Necromantic Runes (new spell) Polymorph Self Rary' Mnemonic Enhancer Wall of Fire Animate Dead Cloudkill Dismissal Magic Jar Summon Shadows Wall of Bones (CWH) CWH=Complete Wizard's Handbook FR Box=Forgotten Realms Boxed Set TOM=Tome of Magic FRMC= Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium *=See me for description--unique or altered spell =Normal PHB spell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW & MODIFIED SPELLS: Death Armour (Necromancy) Level: 2 Range: 0 Components: V, S Duration: 1 round/level of caster Casting Time: 3 Area of Effect: caster Save: None While this spell is in effect, any creature who touches the caster with exposed flesh (to cast a spell, for example) will suffer 1d8 points of damage. The spell will not protect the necromancer from damage, nor does it have any effect on an armed or gloved opponent, but it will affect undead. As a side benefit, the mage adds one point of damage to the amount he would normally inflict with his bare hands in unarmed combat. Tread of the Corpse (Alteration) Level: 2 Range: Touch Components: V, S, M Duration: 1 hour + 1 hour/level Casting Time: 2 Area of Effect: Creature Touched Save: None The creature affected by this dweomer will find that their movements have become utterly silent. So long as the creature does not exceed its normal base movement rate for the environment it is in (i.e. measured in tens of feet indoors and tens of yards outdoors), then it will make no perceptible sound as it moves about, regardless of the mode of transport be it flight, swimming, climbing, walking, etc. If the subject of the spell is willing to take no other actions besides movement in a given round, inanimate objects may be handled silently as well, meaning that a sword may be unsheathed without being heard, or a door opened that is not jammed in its frame. Any object that requires great force to move or open will not allow for this silent action. Environmental factors will not normally affect the subject's ability to move silently, and thus squeaky doors, floors, water, and mud offer no resistance: squeaky doors will not squeak when opened by the subject of the spell, squeaky floors will not give enough to creak under the subject's weight (although unsound flooring will, of course, not remain silent if the floor cannot support the subject at all and breaks out from underneath him), water will not splash with the subject's passing, and mud will not slosh. Traps or other items which react in a noisy manner by snapping shut violently or trip wires strung with bells must be avoided normally as they will hinder the subject's passage and make noise as usual. Any sudden action on the subject's part will make the expected amount of noise, but cautious, slow actions will make no sound at all. This spell does not actually mask sounds that the subject intends on making, and thus speech, spell casting, and forcefully opened doors will all be heard normally. The subject of this spell may, of course, alternate between making noise and moving unheard for the spell's duration. Note that this spell is not an illusion, and actually alters the amount of sound a creature makes when interacting with its environment. The material component for this spell is a bit of zombie flesh. Carrion's Foul Stench (Evocation) Level: 2 Range: 30 yards Components: S, M Duration: 1 round/level per level above first Casting Time: 3 Area of Effect: 20-foot cube Save: Special This spell in many respects duplicates the effects of the 2nd level spell Stinking Cloud. Except where noted, this spell duplicates the effects of Stinking Cloud. It has a slightly longer casting time and a duration which is shorter by one round, but it has the advantage of lacking a verbal component: the material components are waved in the air and the spell's gestures made, but otherwise the spell is utterly silent. It produces a thin grey cloud of vapor which reeks of rotting flesh and the odors of the tomb. The material component for this spell is a bit of zombie or ghoul flesh or a small strip of carrion crawler hide. If ghast flesh is substituted saves versus this spell will be at -1. Death's Dark Grasp (Necromancy, Conjuration/Summoning) Level: 2 Range: 10 yards + 10 yards/level Components: V, S, M Duration: 1 round + 1 round/level Casting Time: 2 Area of Effect: one creature Save: special This spell is a variant of Maximillian's Earthen Grasp from the Tome of Magic. Except where noted, this spell duplicates the effects of Maximillian's Earthen Grasp. When this spell is cast, rather than producing an earthen hand, this spell causes many undead arms to spring from the ground underneath the target's feet. If the target's save is successful, then the arms sink into the earth and the spell progresses as per the spell description. If the target fails his save, undead forms resembling zombies burst up from the ground, lashing out at the target to grasp and hold him with unyielding strength. The AC of the arms/creatures is 6 (as opposed to AC 5 in Maximillian's). The hit points of the undead forms created are equal to twice the caster's normal hit points to a maximum of 40. The undead forms created are unturnable, and at the end of the spell's duration will sink down into the earth from whence they came. If this spell is cast in a graveyard, the soil of the graveyard will be more likely to produce the undead forms in a quick, unexpected manner. Thus saves vs. this spell would be at -1 and the chance that the undead hands/forms reappear under the target's feet after a successful save throw is 10%/level of the caster rather than 5%/level which is the usual chance for this occurrence if cast in other environments. Garinthrall's Hideous Leech (Conjuration/Summoning) Level: 2 Range: 150 yards Components: V, S, M Duration: Special Casting Time: 2 Area of Effect: one target Save: special This is a variant of Melf's Acid Arrow. Unless otherwise noted this spell mimics many of the properties of Melf's Acid Arrow. When this spell is cast, a small black sphere a few inches across appears in the caster's hand. The caster then proceeds to hurl this sphere at the target of the spell. If it does not strike the target or is not thrown immediately after its creation the sphere fades into nothingness. If it hits successfully, on the spot which the sphere struck appears a huge, black, shiny leech-like creature which bites into the target and begins to drink the target's blood. This leech can even bite into creatures hit by +1 or better magical weapons. The creature cannot be removed by anything short of a dispel magic or the caster's own hand until it has had its fill of the target's blood and is sated, at which time the creature falls to the ground. The number of rounds this takes and the damage inflicted due to the blood drain are as per Melf's Acid Arrow. The creature's bite carries an anesthesia which makes the target oblivious to it's presence if it is struck by suprise. The target will, however, notice that it is growing progressively weaker and may make a wisdom check every round to spot the creature. As previously mentioned, when the creature is sated (or if the caster removes it before this occurs), it will fall from it's target where it may be collected later by the caster. The creature will survive for up to one hour after being removed from the target during which time it retains it's immunity to all attacks save Dispel Magic and the caster's hand. After one hour it will dissolve into a small puddle of blood. Before the end of this hour, the caster may force the leech to dissolve itself at any time or alternately bleed it slowly if he has a dagger or similar weapon on hand (again, only a weapon wielded by the caster will be effective against this creature). The blood may be collected in whatever receptacle the caster has available for later use in poisons, potions, other spells, sympathetic magicks, etc. If the target of the leech is not a creature of flesh and blood that would be harmed by the leech's blood drain, then the bite of the leech will inflict only 1d4 damage before the leech falls off the target. Although it should be obvious, it is worthy of note that this spell does not damage the target's items as it does not shower the target in acid as does Melf's Acid Arrow. Also note the shorter range of this spell. The material component for this spell is a leech which has fed upon the caster's own blood and has afterwards been lanced with a hot needle and killed. Strength of the Damned (Alteration, Necromantic) Level: 3 Range: Touch Components: V, S, M Duration: 3 turns/level Casting Time: 1 turn Area of Effect: Person Touched Save: Special This is a variant of the 2nd level spell Strength. Unless otherwise noted it mimics the effects of the Strength spell. This spell can only be cast on a willing recipient. This spell utilizes a creature's own life force, temporarily binding it with negative material plane energies, channeling the resulting energy flow to produce unholy strength in the spell recipient. Strength gained is based upon class as follows: Class Strength Gain Priest 1d8 points Rogue 1d8 points Warrior 1d10 points Wizard 1d6 points ALL CHARACTER CLASSES, not just warriors, have the chance to jump into exceptional strength ratings as if they were warriors providing that this spell gives the recipient greater than 18 strength. Warriors, on the other hand, are allowed to advance as high as 19 strength through the use of this spell. The recipient of the spell will undergo a minor change in appearance as well while the spell's duration is in effect. Bright, white, pinpoints of light will glow in the centers of the subject's eyes as a result of the large quantity of negative plane energy that is being utilized to augment the character's strength. At the end of the spell's duration, the recipient will experience a terrible backlash from the exertion upon his life energies and the terrible experience of such close contact with negative material plane energies. As the spell's duration ends, the recipient must make a save vs. death magic. Success means that he takes only 2d8 points of damage. Failure indicates that the life force of the character was damaged greatly and the character takes 2d8 points of damage AND ALSO loses one life energy level or experience level, HD, etc.). Creatures without strength ratings receive a bonus of +2 to attack and damage rolls on all attacks. The material component for this spell is a bit of bone from a giant skeleton or a pinch of vampire dust. Necromantic Runes (Abjuration, Evocation) Level: 4 This spell mimics the 4th level spell Fire Trap in many respects. Unless otherwise noted follow the description of the Fire Trap spell for effects. This spell places mystical runes over the area to be warded. Chance for detection of these runes is as per detection of a Fire Trap spell. Anyone not attuned to these runes (as per the Fire Trap spell) who disturbs them will cause a violent explosion of negative planar energy which will sap life energy from all in the area of effect. Damage is thus the same as per Fire Trap, but as the damage is not fire-based it is damaging only to living creatures. This spell has no altered effects underwater as does fire trap. The material component for this spell is a bit of wraith or spectre essence. SYNOPSIS SECTION: Mist from the Grave: in damp lands (like a marsh) or in graveyards this spell creates a fog which acts as a field of inpenetrable darkness to everything but undead. Merald's Murderous Mists: a strange corrosive vapor which effects only living flesh. It ignores interposing barriers as if they were not there, so you can kill the guards quietly from the other side of a wall. Create Darkenbeast: transforms a small living creature into a dark, horrific winged predator.