Gathering Spells
Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting edition of Obscure Arcana, where we bring you new spells to supply your casters with more options when pursuing their magical studies. We talk a lot about a certain card game called Magic: the Gathering here on the website. Ok, usually it’s Alex talking about Magic: the Gathering, and you’ll get a chance to hear from him a little bit later on in the week, but I’m also a big Magic fan, and I think it’s time I start playing around with the lines between tabletop games. As a result, each spell I’ve got for you today is inspired by a randomly-selected Magic: the Gathering card.
For those of you playing along at home, see if you can guess what card each spell is based on. The answers will be at the bottom of the article.
Burning Slavery
This spell functions identically to the spell dominate person, except that the target must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw each round, or take an amount of damage equal to your caster level.
Call Centipedes
This spell summons a number of centipede swarms which fight on your behalf. The summoned centipede swarms appear wherever you desire within the spell’s area, though all swarms must appear adjacent to each other. The swarms can hear your telepathic commands, provided they remain within 100 feet of you at all times, and they obey your telepathic commands to the best of their ability. The exact number of swarms depends on the type of terrain you’re on when you cast the spell, as indicated below.
Clear Minds
All ongoing spells and effects of the enchantment school within the spell’s range are automatically dispelled, as though by a successful application of dispel magic,and all effects which can be cured or ended by the spell break enchantment are also immediately ended. Furthermore, spells of the enchantment school cannot be cast within the spell’s radius for 24 hours after the spell is cast, unless its caster succeeds on a caster level check (DC 10 + ½ your caster level + your primary spellcasting ability score modifier (Wisdom for clerics, Charisma for oracles, etc.)).
Cloak of Fog
When you cast this spell, thick fog obscures your form, enshrouding you and the 5-foot square you’re standing in. Until the beginning of your next turn, all attacks against you suffer a miss chance of 5% per caster level you possess. Each attack made against you beyond the first during this time reduces this miss chance by 10% (to a minimum of 5%).
Destroy Item
By means of this spell you can suppress or even destroy magical items. If you succeed on a caster level check (DC 10 + the target item’s caster level), the magical properties of the item are suppressed for the spell’s duration. If you exceed the DC by 10 or more, you may instead choose to destroy the item utterly, reducing it to useless ashes unless it succeeds on a Fortitude saving throw. Artifacts are immune to this spell.
Mental Struggle
This spell allows you to lock minds with your opponent, mentally forcing him into submission. You and the target make an opposed Charisma check. If desired, both you and the target can draw on your own life energy to power this spiritual battle, willingly taking any number of points of damage you choose. For every 5 points of damage taken in this way, you gain a cumulative +1 bonus on the opposed Charisma check. This damage must be taken before the check is actually made.
If you succeed on the opposed check, the target falls under your control as the spell dominate monster, except that the target is not entitled to additional saving throws to end the effect. Instead, each day at dawn, a new opposed Charisma check is made. This continues until the spell’s duration ends, or the target succeeds on an opposed Charisma check with you.
If the target succeeds on the opposed check, you take 1d4 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma damage, and the spell immediately ends.
Righteous Light
White light fills the spell’s radius, punishing the wicked. Non-good creatures within the spell’s area must succeed on a Fortitude save or be stunned for one round. Evil creatures who fail this save are also blinded for 1 hour.
Tremors
This spell causes a minor localized earthquake, spreading from the spot you touched. When the spell is first cast, and at the beginning of each round during its duration, all creatures in contact with the ground in the spell’s area must succeed on a Reflex save or be knocked prone. Creatures that are already prone at this time take 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage per three caster levels you possess (no save).
And for those of you wondering, here’s the cards the spells are based on:
Burning Slavery: Slave of Bolas
Call Centipedes: Worm Harvest
Clear Minds: Tranquility
Cloak of Fog: Heavy Fog
Destroy Item: Reality (from Illusion//Reality)
Mental Struggle: Illicit Auction
Righteous Light: Blinding Light
Tremors: Tremor