Storage Wars
Hello, and welcome to another Obscure Arcana. It’s officially spring now, and that means it’s time for some spring cleaning. So, to that end, I’ve pulled out some spells designed to help you clean up and get organized. I know, I know, it doesn’t exactly sound as thrilling as life-and-death spells with fire and brimstone, but as humble as these spells might appear, clever wizards will find them invaluable.
Animate Trinket
This lesser version of the animate objects spell allows a single mundane item of Tiny size or smaller, made of non-magical materials, to become animated. See the Pathfinder Bestiary for more information on animated objects. For the spell’s duration, the object acts as you designate, attacking your foes or performing other tasks, if it is able. This spell cannot affect objects worn or carried by another creature.
Like animate objects, an animate trinket spell can be rendered permanent with a permanency spell. The minimum caster level is 9th, and the cost is 2,500 gp.
Ardesalf’s Instant Appraisal
This spell allows the caster to determine the value of objects within the spell’s area. To his eyes, objects in the spell’s area radiate a faint, golden aura. Objects that are more valuable have stronger or brighter auras, allowing the caster to quickly identify the relative value of several items. Additionally, by concentrating on a single object for 1 round, the caster can determine its value in gold pieces. In the case of objects whose value is relative (for example, food commands a much higher price in areas stricken with famine, and a much lower price in areas where there is plenty to go around), the value determined is the more common, generally accepted value (for example, using this on a loaf of bread in a town struck by famine would not reflect its increased value. At the same time, using it on a gold coin in a city that uses iron coins for its currency and places little value on gold would not reflect the lesser value that gold commands in that city). The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
A spellcaster can make Ardesalf’s instant appraisal permanent on himself (but not others) with the permanency spell. The minimum caster level is 10, and the cost is 5,000 gp.
Ardesalf’s Preservation
This spell is prized by wizards and witches who view themselves as “naturalists,” and collect various specimens for research, as well as by those who work with spell components that must be used “fresh,” but which can be difficult to acquire, especially on short notice. When the spell is cast, it causes all non-living organic material contained in the spell’s target to be perfectly preserved for the spell’s duration. Such objects remain fresh, and do not decay in any way. They do not dry out, if they are usually moist or damp, and, in the case of food items, they do not grow stale. The objects are immune to any mundane funguses, molds, or other bacteria that may be within the container, but not to monstrous funguses, molds, or bacteria, nor are they protected from any vermin that might be within the storage container.
Living creatures, undead creatures, and inorganic objects within the container are unaffected. The container can be opened and closed again without breaking the spell, though leaving the container open for longer than 10 minutes at any given time ends the spell immediately. If the spell is re-cast again on the same container before the first spell’s duration expires, the duration of the effect is extended by that amount of time.
Ardesalf’s preservation can be made permanent with a permanency spell. The minimum caster level for this is 9, and the cost is 2,000 gp.
Extraplanar Stash
This spell functions as secret stash, except as noted here. The space created is extraplanar, meaning that the size of the object is no longer a factor. The caster could now, for instance, create their storage space inside a thin sheet of paper, and still be able to store a dagger inside it without any outward signs of its presence. The storage space is slightly larger now, and can hold a total volume of five cubic feet (although, depending on the target object, the opening may be much smaller). The DC to locate the secret compartment of an extraplanar stash is 35.
At the end of the spell’s duration, any items stored in the space appear in the nearest empty space adjacent to the target object. If there is no empty space within 100 feet, the objects are instead deposited in the ethereal plane.
An extraplanar stash can be made permanent via the permanency spell. The minimum caster level for this is 11, and the cost is 10,000 gp.
Secret Stash
This spell creates a secret compartment in a mundane object, hollowing out a space and creating a way to access it. A book, for example, might have its pages hollowed out to create an empty space, or a statue may become hollow inside. The maximum area the spell can create is enough for a single object of Tiny size or smaller (about the size of a small dog or large cat), but is limited by the amount of space actually available in the object (a single sheet of paper, for example, wouldn’t have room to hide any objects).
The secret compartment is difficult to detect (Perception DC 25), but can be opened by anyone who can find it. The inside of the compartment is treated as though it is lined with a thin sheet of lead for the purpose of spells such as detect magic, which can be blocked by such a substance (no actual lead is used, however). The compartment does not radiate a magic aura, and it cannot be dispelled.