Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1993 18:38:59 -0400 From: "Robert A. Howard" Subject: AD&D: New Spells and Spellbook - Mute Magick It has been amusing watching many of you create new spells. I admit that I have also dabbled from time to time in creating new spells. However, I tend to be more conservative with the powers of my spells, as the below posting will show. Below are the Seven Books of Twilight. They can be found in the Forgotten Realms, though they might also be found elsewhere, and there is known to be eight copies of each original text, created by the half-elven arch-mage Katheryn Twilight. Katheryn is a rather unique spellcaster, as she was born without vocal cords. In twentieth-century terminology, she has a dominant genetic anomoly which makes all of her children born mute, like herself. She was fascinated with magic as a child, and while an apprentice, had the spell Vocalize permamently cast upon her, so that she could cast spells. However, this was a weakness, as a Dispel Magic of enough power could destroy the spell. She decided to research her own spells, spells that did not need vocal components. In twelve years, journeying across the Realms, from Kara Tur to Calimport to the Dales, and even to the dark city of Menzoberranzan, she journeyed, and in the process had eight children, each female, and each mute. Three human children, three elven children, and two half-elven children were born to her. Finally, after completing the eighth Book of Twilight (which is not mentioned here) and perfecting a cure for her muteness and discovering the secret of eternal youth, she disappeared. Too many people wanted her secret of eternal youth, and among these people were mages far mightier than her. And thus, for twenty years, no one has seen or heard anything from Katheryn Twilight. Her children each have become mages, and were given the first Book of Twilight by their mother. The rest of the books are scattered across the Realms, all of them containing spells that have no verbal components, only somatic and material components. The children are all affected by a variation of Elminster's Evasion, which, upon the death of the caster, will ressurect and heal the caster. The spell is also held in a loop - it is not known how many times the caster can die and be ressurected before the spell fades. Or even if the spell fades. Unfortunately, that spell is only found in the Eighth Book of Twilight, and there is only one copy of that, held by Katheryn Twilight, wherever she might be. Of the children, one is a Drow Elf, one is a Grey Elf, one is a Sylvan Elf, two are half-elven (one of high and one of grey lineage), one is an oriental human, one is a black human, and the last is a white human. None of the children currently know where their mother is, or what the secret of eternal youth is. Believe me, people have tried to torture the information out of them, and even used magic. They just don't know. Now, onto the Seven (known) Books of Twilight. The Seven Books of Twilight Book One (35 pages) Description - This spellbook's cover is made of black snakeskin, with a slightly raised symbol on the front cover. The symbol is a golden hawk in flight, with the silver symbol of Silverymoon behind it. The spells found within the spellbook are: Color Spray (3 pages) Detect Magic (5 pages) Find Familiar (6 pages) Identify (6 pages) Mending (4 pages) Read Magic (5 pages) Sleep (6 pages) Book Two (37 pages) Description - This spellbook's cover is made of light blue snakeskin, with the exception of green snakeskin in the shape of a hill where the symbol is located. The symbol is a golden fox trotting down a green scale hill, with the silver symbol of Silverymoon rising above the hill. The spells found within the spellbook are: Chill Touch (2 Pages) Comprehend Languages (6 pages) Hold Portal (3 pages) Twilight's Gag (4 pages) *unique spell* Continual Light (4 pages) Detect Invisibility (6 pages) Knock (4 pages) Spectral Hand (6 pages) Twilight's Slumber (7 pages) *unique spell* Web (6 pages) Book Three (45 pages) Description: This spellbook's cover is dark blue snakeskin, with the exception of green snakeskin behind the symbol in the shape of a hill. The symbol itself is that of a golden wolf on top of the green scale hill, the silver symbol of Silverymoon behind it. Spells found in the spellbook are: Fog Cloud (5 pages) Glitterdust (5 pages) Invisibility (6 pages) Fly (7 pages) Hold Person (7 pages) Lightning Bolt (7 pages) Slow (3 pages) Twilight's Rope of Floating (6 pages ) *unique spell* Water Breathing (5 pages) Book Four (52 pages) Description - This spellbook's cover is white snakeskin, with the exception of a green snakeskin hill in the middle of the front cover. The symbol is that of a silver unicorn on top of a green snakeskin hill, with the silver symbol of Silverymoon above it. The spells in the spellbook are: Dispel Magic (6 pages) Flame Arrow (5 pages) Hold Undead (6 pages) Protection from Normal Missiles (5 pages) Twilight's Companion (4 pages) *unique spell* Confusion (7 pages) Dimension Door (5 pages) Ice Storm (9 pages) Remove Curse (9 pages) Book Five (61 pages) Description - This spellbook's cover is dark blue and white dragonskin. The mottle pattern of white resembles a field of clouds. The symbol on the front cover is that of a silver pegasus soaring, with the back and top of wings exposed. In the background is the silver symbol of Silverymoon. The spells found within the spellbook are: Twilight's Darkness Bubble (5 pages) *unique spell* Enchant Weapon (9 pages) Fire Shield (9 pages) Rainbow Pattern (7 pages) Twilight's Silent Sheaf (9 pages) *unique spell* Conjure Elemental (7 pages) Fabricate (7 pages) Hold Monster (6 pages) Passwall (7 pages) Twilight's Invisible Field (6 pages) *unique spell* Wall of Stone (8 pages) Book Six (76 pages) Description - This spellbook's cover is light blue dragonskin, with golden scales scattered across the cover. The symbol on the front cover is that of a silver faerie dragon with gold and silver wings in flight, with the silver image of Silverymoon behind it. The spells found within the spellbook are: Chaos (6 pages) Dismissal (8 pages) Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound (7 pages) Chain Lightning (8 pages) Contingency (7 pages) Enchant an Item (8 pages) Geas (8 pages) Globe of Invulnerability (9 pages) Stone to Flesh (7 pages) True Seeing (8 pages) Book Seven (77 pages) Description - The cover of this spellbook is shiny black dragonskin. The symbol on the front cover is that of a silver dragon curled in a ball, with the silver symbol of Silverymoon cradled in its front claws. The spells found within the spellbook are: Legend Lore (10 pages) Guards and Wards (7 pages) Banishment (10 pages) Drawmij's Instant Summons (8 pages) Limited Wish (8 pages) Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (7 pages) Twilight's Dark Hand of Magic (12 pages) *unique spell* Permanency (11 pages) Prismatic Wall (12 pages) In all seven books there are short riddles, and a smaller image of the symbol found on the next spellbook. The riddles are clues to the location of the arch-mage Twilight. However, without all seven riddles, it is extremely difficult to descipher the riddle. The riddles are written in Common. Unique Spell Descriptions Twilight's Gag (Alteration) Level: 1 Range: 20 yards/level Component: S,M Duration: 3 rounds/level Casting Time: 2 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg. Twilight's Gag is a specialized spell similar to the clerical spell, Silence 15' radius. Twilight's Gag, however, only affects one creature. The creature is unable to make any sound, though items around him can still be heard. Twilight's Gag also blocks out any sound to the victim, protecting him from sound-based attacks. For every four levels the caster is at, the victim recieves a -1 penalty to his save (so a victim of a 17th level Gag would save at -4). The component for this spell is a length of cotten cloth, in the form of a gag. Twilight's Slumber (Enchantment/Charm) Level: 2 Range: 10 yards/level Components: S,M Duration: 5 rounds/level Casting Time: 3 Area of Effect: 20 yard radius Saving Throw: Neg. Twilight's Slumber is an improved version of the Sleep spell. It affects 2d6 levels of up to 6 hit dice creatures. The caster can decide who is and who is not affected by this spell. The component for this spell is either a pinch of fine sand or a fresh rosebud petal. Twilight's Rope of Floating (Alteration) Level: 3 Range: Touch Components: S,M Duration: 5 rounds/level Casting Time: 1 round Area of Affect: 20' rope/level Saving Throw: Special This spell will allow a silk rope of good condition to temporarily duplicate the characteristics of a magical rope of climbing. In addition, the rope can even float vertically across open air and attach itself to an object on the other side. A turn after the spell is complete, the rope will burst into flames and consume itself. The rope itself is the material component for the spell. Twilight's Companion (Conjuration/Summoning) Level: 3 Range: 1 mile/level Components: S,M Duration: Special Casting Time: 2d12 hours Area of Affect: 5 animals Saving Throw: Neg. This spell is a more powerful version of the first level Find Familiar spell. When the spell is cast, five animals will be summoned to the caster. The caster chooses whichever animal she wants as her familiar. The familiar will usually be stronger than others of its kind (roll normal hit dice, rerolling any rolls of 1, 2, or 3). In addition, the animal will be smarter than normal animals (roll 2d4 for intelligence, adding on normal creature intelligence to the result). It is possible to gain pseudo dragons or other exotic creatures as familiars with this spell. In all other ways, this spell is similar to the Find Familiar spell, except that along with the herbs that must be burnt, an offering must be made - if raw meat is offered, for instance, then you could get a wolf, a coyote, a hawk, a badger, and a bobcat arrive, all of whom make savings throws vs. magic. If they save, then they will just flee, and the caster must make his choice from those animals that remain behind. The caster can refuse all of the animals, but must wait for a year before casting this spell again. Twilight's Darkness Bubble (Alteration) Level: 3 Range: 10 yards/level Components: S,M Duration: 5 rounds/level Casting Time: 4 Area of Affect: 30' sphere Saving Throw: None This spell creates a thin bubble of darkness which light cannot penetrate. However, on the inside of the bubble, light can exist, though the viewer cannot see beyond the darkness bubble. The material component for this spell is a piece of obsidian. Twilight's Silent Sheaf (Alteration) Level: 4 Range: 10 yards/level Components: S Duration: 1 turn/level Casting Time: 4 Area of Affect: 15' radius Saving Throw: None This spell will start similar to the spell Faerie Fire, with the exception that instead of faerie light, a field of silence is created. Creatures outside the sheaf cannot hear those on the inside. However, sound can exist inside the sheaf itself, allowing for spell casting. Also, if someone touches a person with a Silence Sheaf, then those two (or more) can communicate. Twilight's Invisible Field (Alteration) Level: 5 Range: 10 yards/level Components: S,M Duration: 5 rounds/level Casting Time: 5 Area of Affect: 40' sphere Saving Throw: None This spell is similar to Twilight's Darkness Sphere. Instead of darkness, however, a field of invisibility, similar to the spell Invisibility 10 feet radius, is created. Unlike the former spell, on the inside of the field, creatures can see each other, and can see outside of the sphere as well. In addition, any attack coming from a creature inside of the field will automatically negate the entire field, even if the attack fails. Once the spell is cast, those entering the Invisible Field will not turn invisible or be able to see those who are. If someone wanders beyond the 40' radius around the focal point of the spell, he or she will become visible. The material component of the spell is a thin piece of clear quartz crystal. Twilight's Dark Hand of Magic (Enchantment/Charm, Necromancy) Level: 7 Range: 10 yards/level Components: S, M Duration: 2 rounds/level Casting Time: 5 Area of Affect: One Person Saving Throw: Negates Twilight's Dark Hand of Magic is a vastly more powerful form of the spells Charm Person and Domination. Unlike the former spells, Elves and Half-Elves do *not* have any more resistance against the Dark Hand than anyone else. Like the spell Domination, the caster can control the person affected. Unlike any previous charm, the affected person can still cast spells, but *only* when the caster tells him/her to do so. With the saving throw, the victim gets an initial save vs. magic, modified as below. He/She also gains another save whenever the controlling spellcaster demands an action which would probably lead to the death of the victim, or to someone dearly loved by the victim. Modifications are as follows: Add the level, Intelligence, and Wisdom of both caster and victim together. Compare the two. If (when all is added) the caster is equal or lower than the victim, then the victim gains a bonus to his/her save. Otherwise, the victim has a penalty. Save Modification: Save Bonus/Penalty: ----------------------------------------------------------------- -9 or less (The victim is higher than the caser) +4 (Bonus) -8 to -6 +3 -5 to -3 +2 -2 to 0 +1 +1 to +3 +0 +4 to +7 -1 (Penalty) +8 to +11 -2 +12 or more -3 The victim also gains a wisdom bonus, offset by the wisdom bonus possessed by the caster - thus, if the caster has an 18 wisdom and the victim has a 12 wisdom, then that is a penalty of -4 to the saving throw, being a struggle of wills. This spell can be made permament, without any threat of loss to the caster's Constitution. Well, there you have the Seven Books of Twilight. I hope you enjoyed it, and that the spells brighten your games. Don't forget, all the spells have NO verbal components, only Somatic and maybe Material components. Robert A. Howard "Money is the sincerest of all flattery. Women love to be flattered. So do men." "Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil." "Any priest of shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent." "Of all the strange 'crimes' that human beings have legislated out of nothing, 'blasphemy' is the most amazing--with 'obscenity' and 'indecent exposure' fighting it out for second and third place." "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity" Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1993 13:28:26 -0500 From: "Robert A. Howard (Myste) Subject: Necromantic Spells for Priests and Mages Greetings and Salutations from The Dragon's Lair! Well, I was recently preparing a scenario in which my PCs encounter the priesthood of Annihilator, when I discovered something rather shocking. Necromancers are seriously pitiful at lower levels. There are very few necromantic spells. I looked up Summoning/Conjuring spells, and found that they too were lacking. Thus, I looked in the priest spheres, and discovered that necromancy is more akin to healing than death. Only the reversed higher level spells are of any use. I mean, the reverse of a healing sphere spell is still of the healing sphere. One wound think that necromantic spells, dealing with death, would cause pain and death. So I decided to make my own spells. The story behind these spells is found with Annihilator the Anti-Paladin (hi Jamey!). He felt that his priests should be powerful, without having to use spells that could be corrupted for healing. The most powerful necromancers under his sway began to design spells of pain and hate, and succeeded. Annihilator then scourged his worshipers until his priests said prayers that pleased him, and sacrificed many innocent maidens to his unworldly appetites, and he granted these spells unto them, changing them so that they would bring his priests even closer to death and annihilation. And his spells swept across the lands, and came even unto the world of Kyriell, and Annihilator was pleased that the forces of good did fall... To make things simple, I'm posting these spells with the Wizard casting stats and the priest casting stats together. The spells do basically the same thing, but are of different power levels or casting times. The priestly information is listed first, and then the wizard information. If only one set of information is given, that is because they are the same for both priests and wizards. Oh, and I'm using the neuter form of "man" and "he", not to be sexist, but to save space for poor Tana. ;-) Oh, and one last thing. All material components are consumed in casting the spell. Necromancy Spells Bleeding Touch (Necromancy) Sphere: Necromantic Level: 1 Range: Touch 10 yards Components: V,S,M Duration: Instantaneous Casting Time: 4 1 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg. This spell causes a bleeding wound to appear on the victim. Wizards do not have to attack their chosen victim, while priests must roll to hit, and if they miss, they lose the spell. The victim must save vs. death magick or suffer 1d6 hps damage for every two levels of the caster. The material component of this spell is a needle. Painful Wounds (Necromancy) Sphere: Necromantic Level: 1 Range: Touch 10 yards Components: V,S,M Duration: 1 round/level 1 round/2 levels Casting Time: 4 1 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Special This spell causes any existing wounds (caused by a Bleeding Touch spell, or any blow of 4+ hps damage, or when the victim is at half maximum hit points) to become excruciatingly painful. Wizards do not need to hit their chosen victim, while priest must roll to hit, and if they miss, the spell is lost. The victim must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation or be unable to do anything but roll on the ground screaming in pain. The material component is a pinch of salt for priests, or a pinch of powdered quartz crystal for wizards. Bleeding Wounds (Necromancy) Sphere: Necromantic Level: 2 Range: Touch 30 yards Components: V,S,M Duration: 2 rounds/level 1 round/level Casting Time: 5 2 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg. This spell causes any existing wounds (as in the Painful Wounds spell) to start to badly bleed. Mages do not need to strike their intended foe, while priest must roll to hit, and if they miss, the spell is lost. If the victim fails a save vs. death magick, he will suffer 1 hp damage per round, not including any damage he may take in combat. The DM may choose to have the blood get in his eyes, make it difficult to keep a hold on a weapon, or possibly make the ground slippery, if he so chooses. The material component for this spell is a shard of glass for a priest, or a 10+ gp diamond for wizards. Infected Wounds (Necromancy) Sphere: Necromantic Level: 2 Range: Touch 30 yards Components: V,S,M Duration: 1 day/level 1 day Casting Time: 5 2 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg. This spell will cause any wounds to become infected, be they scratches or large wounds. Wizards do not need to hit their intended victims, while the priest must roll to hit, and if he misses, the spell is lost. The victim must make a saving throw vs. death magick, and if he fails, his wounds will not heal naturally. Healing and herbalism will also fail to heal these wounds. The use of magickal healing will heal the infection, at the cost of the healing spell - no damage will be healed, but the Infected Wounds spell will be negated. The material component for this spell is a pinch of mud or dirt from a pig's mud hole for priests, or a powdered opal of 10+ gp value for wizards. Sap Strength (Necromancy/Summoning) Sphere: Necromantic, Summoning Level: 3 4 Range: Touch Components: V,S,M Casting Time: 6 3 Area of Effect: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg. This spell duplicates the shadow's strength drain. The priest or mage must roll to hit, and if they fail to hit, they themselves must save vs. death magick or they are drained of a point of strength. This spell does not trigger a Negative Plane Protection spell, and it will affect creatures normally immune to undead energy drains. When used against undead with energy drain abilities, the priest or mage must save vs. death magick or lose twice as many energy levels as normal. When used against normal living victims, if the victim fails a save vs. death magick, they lose a point of strength. People drained to a 0 strength die and come back a day later as free-willed shadow. The material component of this spell is either a piece of ice or a diamond of 20+ gp value. Mass Bane (Necromancy) Sphere: Necromantic Level: 3 Range: 30 yards Duration: Instantaneous Casting Time: 6 3 Area of Effect: 1 to 6 creatures Saving Throw: Neg. This spell duplicates on a grand scale the effects of a Bleeding Touch spell - 1d6 hps damage for every two levels of the caster. It affects 1d6 victims that the caster can choose. The victims must make a saving throw vs. death magick, and if they fail their save, suffer bleeding wounds which appear randomly on their bodies. The material component of this spell is a handful of metal shards. Priests who use valuable metals (100+ gps) will cause +1 hp damage per die of damage. Winds of Pain (Necromancy/Summoning) Sphere: Necromantic, Summoning Level: 4 Range: 60 yards 30 yards Duration: 1 round/level 1 round/2 levels Casting Time: 7 4 Area of Effect: 20x20x20 foot cube Saving Throw: Special This spell conjurs a wind which duplicates the effects of the Painful Wounds spell - causing intense pain in all wounded beings in the area of effect. If they fail their saving throw vs. parlayzation, they can do nother but roll around screaming in pain. The material component of this spell is 50 gp worth of diamond dust, and a pinch of salt. Summon Shadow (Necromancy/Summoning) Sphere: Necromantic, Summoning Level: 4 5 Range: 30 yards see spell description Duration: 1 round/level see spell description Casting Time: 7 see spell description Area of Effect: 20x20x20 foot cube see spell description Saving Throw: None/Special The last spell which I've detailed today is a priestly duplication of the existing wizard spell Summon Shadow. The priestly version is somewhat different. The spell summons one shadow for every four levels of the priest. In addition, in lieu of summoning 3 shadows, a 12th level priest can summon one Greater Shadow (stats following). The shadows are under the control of the caster, though a Greater Shadow gains a saving throw vs magick, and if successful, overcomes the priest's control and becomes free- willed. The material component of this spell is a black opal of 100+ gp value. duplicated from Dungeon Magazine #35, page 56 Ether Shadow Climate/Terrain: Any ruins or subterranean chambers Frequency: Very rare Organization: Solitary Activity cycle: Night or darkness Diet: Living beings Intelligence: Highly Treasure: F Alignment: Chaotic Evil No. Appearing: 1 Armor Class: 5 Movement: Fly 12 (A) Hit Dice: 8+8 THAC0: 11 No. of Attacks: 1 Damage/Attack: 2-7 + special Special Attacks: Strength Drain Special Defenses: +1 or better weapons to hit, spell immunities Magick Resistance: Nil Size: M (6' tall) Moral: Special XP Value: 3,000 Ether shadows, also known as greater shadows, are the progenitors of the more common shadows of monster fame. Like shadows, their cilling touch drains strength at the increased rate of two points per hit. Lost strength returns after 3-18 turns. A human or demihuman drained to zero strength or hit points by an ether shadow becomes a shadow of the type described in the Monstrous Manual and Monsterous Compendium. Ether Shadows may travel freely through the Ethereal plane to amnifest themselves as apparitions on any bordering plane. They have no poewr to materialize on those planes, so can neither physically affect nor be affected by anything on them. The only thing they can do is insinuate themselves into and control the dreams of any sleeper they discover--a power that lends credence to the notion that dreams are an other-planar experience. While an ether shadow may cause no actual harm to a dreamer, it can use this power to communicate freely, or more likely to plague the dreamer with nightmares of the worst caliber. (Kyriell and Rob Jordan novel gaming note - Myl, also known as Tel'aram'rhiod, the Dream World, can be effected by the Ether Shadow, which cannot attack physically while in the dream world, but can manipulate the fabric of the dream universe to send nightmares attacking PCs in the dream world. Since damage taken by dreamers in Tel'aram'rhiod and Myl is actual damage, while the Ether Shadow cannot use its other powers here, they can still be a dangerous threat to inexperienced dreamers. Back to text) In order to combat an ether shadow, it's necessary to follow it to the Ethereal plane or to the plane on which it was originally created. On either plane, it is always partially materialized and may be affected by magickal weapons and by all but a few spells (Ether shadows are immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells, and all cold-based attacks.) An ether shadow can change its body at will into any shape it desires, though that shape will always be made of the same shadow-stuff. It can also vary the exact shade of its substance and so may appear as the three- dimensional creature it is rather than a patch of darkness like ordinary shadows. Regardless, the ether shadow is always black or some shade of gray. If it chooses to remain its normal, featureless black, it is 90% undetectable in any light less bright than a continual light spell. Ether shadows are created in a dark ritual that divides a creature's essence into three parts, causing it to exist simultaniously on the Ethereal plane, the Negative Material plane, and the Prime Material plane on which the ritual was performed. (other information on Erebus, the Ether Shadow of "The Ghosts of Mistmoor", deleted) Well, that's the ether shadow, also known as the greater shadow, which can be summoned by priests of 12th level, using the Summon Shadow spell. I'm not sure if I'll get around to posting any more spells onto this file. If not, I hope you enjoy these spells, and please tell me what you thought of them. Have fun flirting with Death.... Date: Wed, 16 Mar 1994 11:34:30 -0500 From: "Robert A. Howard (Myste) : 'It is far better to be feared than loved'" Subject: Posting of Magick and Questions from The Dragon's Lair! Spells Clerical Level 4 Cloak of Shifting Shadows (Illusion/Alteration) Sphere: Protection, Necromantic Range: Touch Casting Time: 1 round Duration: 2 rounds/level Area of Affect: One person Savings Throw: None Shifting Shadows is a spell that mimics the abilities of Displacer Beasts and Cloaks of Displacement, using shadows to hinder weapons and spells. First attacks against one cloaked will miss, including Magic Missiles, though multiple missiles will hit (the first one misses). After the first strike, the cloak gives a -3 to Hit and Damage against the shielded person. Spells are saved at +3 against. The cloaked person cannot be clearly seen (except with a True Seeing spell), nor can his/her features be made out. The spell does not cloak voices, so if the cloaked person speaks, you might be able to tell who it is.