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#1 cwslyclgh Nov 05, 2005 15:10:36

In the cellars deep beneath the stacks of the Ducal library at Leukish is a sealed door long forgotten by all save the chief librarian and a few of the Dukes most loyal advisors. The door, trapped and triple locked, as well as the small square chamber beyond stand in a permanent anti-magic field. This small room contains the items left behind by the mysterious archmage known only as the Seer, when he was exiled from the duke’s court more then twenty years past. Most of what sits gathering dust in the forgotten room are nothing more then volumes of books on magical theorem, minor, if somewhat uncommon magical items, and rare spell components and foci for equally rarely known spells. Amongst this relatively useless detritus however, a rare and wondrous gem awaits rediscovery. In a delko-wood box in the corner of the chamber, buried and hidden from view by piles of old and dusty books, are a set of two dozen rolled up scrolls made of wyvern skin parchment. The scrolls themselves are not magical items; instead they comprise one of the most bizarre spellbooks to be found in the Flanaess. Known among scholars as the Wyrmkin Scrolls, these fragile parchments represent the only copy thought to be in existence. How they came to be in the Seers possession is a matter of some conjecture, although the most likely explanation is that he seized them from the temple of Boccob during the Temple Coalition Revolt, when he was the trusted advisor of then Duke Justinian. The last known appearance of the Scrolls, before they turned up in a catalogue of those possessions that the Seer left behind upon his exile from Urnst, was nearly a decade earlier. No less of a personage then Mordenkainen himself is known to have traded them to a lesser known mage, and priest of Boccob named Whithermore the Wonderworker for unknown services rendered. This Whithermore vanished from the Free City of Greyhawk sometime after that, and has been lost to history. Mordenkainen is thought to have found the Scrolls in the dungeons of castle greyhawk, where they had lain undisturbed since the time of Zagig Yragerne. As for the Wyrmkin Scrolls ultimate origin, Zagig is said to have received them as a gift from Argentwing, a silver dragon of his acquaintance. They were given to him in response to his questions about the nature of draconic magic, and it is thought that Argentwing herself wrote them in order to help the human better gain a better understanding. Argentwing was an ancient dragon at the time of her meeting with the mad archmage, and was already a powerful wizard in her own right. It is said that she still lairs someplace in the howling hills, where she keeps watch over the ancient evils that lurk there, and preys upon the servants of Iuz that venture into her territory. Argentwing rarely travels to the cities of men these days, preferring the comfort of her hidden lair. It is likely that Argentwing has spellbooks of her own containing the same spells as the Wyrmkin scrolls, and perhaps more unique spells besides. Each of the twenty-four scrolls is covered front and back with cramped draconic writing. They contain many notes on how dragons view arcane magic, as well as the following spells commonly used by dragons: alarm, arcane mark, arcane sight, coat of coins, enduring breath, energy claws, guards and wards, greater energy claws, identify, immunity switch, improved enduring breath, legend lore, mage hand, obscuring mist, sparrows grace, stone shape, swallow item, tongues, unseen servant, vertigo and wyrmrage. (underlined spells described below). Coat of Coins Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 Components: V,S,F Casting Time: 1 full round Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 hour/level Coins magically affix themselves to your body providing an armor bonus to your armor class. This bonus is equal to 4 plus 1 for every three caster levels you possess beyond 3rd (to a maximum armor bonus of +8 at 15th level). The coins affixed to your body have a weight in pounds equal to the number of coins divided by fifty, and they have no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance. When the spells duration expires the coins clatter to the ground or floor around your feet. Focus: the coins themselves, which the caster must roll around or lay in, and can be of any type. The number of coins needed is variable based upon the casters size category: A tiny caster needs at least 125 coins present, a small caster 250, a medium caster 500, large 1,000, huge 2,000, gargantuan 4,000, and a colossal caster at least 8,000. Enduring Breath Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 4 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level or until discharged The next breath weapon you use that deals energy damage, if used with in the spells duration, only inflicts half the normal amount of dice of damage (normal saving throws apply). The following round any creature that was affected by the breath weapon takes damage again, this is energy damage that inflicts half the normal amount of dice of damage that your breath weapon does (normal saving throws apply once again). If you lack a breath weapon that deals energy damage and cast this spell it has no effect. Enduring Breath, Improved Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 7 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level or until discharged As enduring breath above, except that your breath weapon inflicts its full damage amount of damage dice, as does the secondary damage the next round. Energy Claws Evocation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 0 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level For the duration of the spell your natural weapons are surrounded by flickering energy and deal one additional point of energy damage with each successful attack. This energy damage is of the same type as your breath weapon. If you do not have a breath weapon that deals energy damage then this spell will not have any affect when cast. The spell is considered to have the energy desctiptor of the type of energy damage that it deals. Energy Claws, Greater Evocation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level As energy claws above, except that the bonus energy damage is 1d6 points per successful attack. Immunity Switch Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: touch Target: creature touched Duration: 10 minutes/level (D) Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) This spell is only effective when cast upon a creature with one or more energy immunities (that is immunity to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). For the duration of the spell the target loses one of its normal energy immunities and gains immunity to energy of a different type. For example a red dragon could cast this upon himself to lose his immunity to fire and replace it with immunity to cold, electricity, acid, or sonic energy for the duration of the spell. Sparrow’s Grace Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: touch Target: creature touched Duration: 10 minutes/level (D) Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless) The creature touched is given added speed and agility in the air. Affected creatures gain +10 feet to their fly speed and have their maneuverability class increased by one rank (to a maximum of perfect maneuverability) for the duration of the spell. Creatures that cannot fly are not affected by this spell, although the means of flight does not matter (for example it could affect a wizard under the influences of a fly spell, or wearing a cloak of the bat). Swallow Item Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 6 Components: V,S,F Casting Time: 1 full round Range: touch Target: magical object touched Duration: 1 month Saving Throw: Will negates (item, harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes (item, harmless) The object touched becomes encapsulated in a field of force that will protect it from your natural bodily function, if swallowed you can then gain the benefits of the item as if you were wearing or using it. This spell does not increase the ability of the caster to swallow items in any way, so the size of the object to be swallowed is dependent upon the casters size category. A small or medium sized caster can swallow nothing much larger then a coin or ring, while a larger caster can swallow proportionately larger objects (as determined by the DM’s best judgment). As long as the object remains in the swallower’s system the swallower can use the item as if wearing or using the item (in the case of worn or use activated items). When the spells duration expires the swallower loses the ability to benefit from the object and it finishes passing through the swallower’s system like any other food object. Once the swallowed object has come out the force field that encapsulates it dissipates, leaving it exactly like it was before it was swallowed. A creature can only have one swallowed item inside of it at a time, if another swallow item spell is attempted while a first is in effect both items are immediately ejected from the body and the subject takes 5d6 points of damage with no saving throw. A swallowed item still counts against your normal limits of items by type (it will not alow the use of a 3rd ring for example). Focus: the object to be swallowed. Vertigo Enchantment (mind-affecting) Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Medium (100ft.+10ft/level) Target: Once creature Duration: 1 round/level Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: yes The target is over come by feelings of dizziness and disorientation. An affected creature is considered to be staggered for the duration of the spell. A staggered character may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can she take full-round actions). Wyrmrage Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8 Components: V,S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: personal Target: You Duration: 1 round/level (D) When you cast this spell you become stronger and tougher, similar to the effects of a barbarian’s rage ability. For the duration of the spell you gain a +4 enhancement bonus to strength and constitution, giving all the benefits of having the higher ability score modifier such as +2 to melee attack and damage rolls, +2 hit points per hit die, and a +2 bonus on fortitude saves. In addition any natural attacks that you might posses deal damage as if you were one size category larger then you truly are (this has no affect on casters who are already of colossal size). Unlike a barbarian’s rage you are not prevented from spell casting or using other actions that require patience and concentration while under the effects of this spell. The spells presented here could be of immediate use to any character that could somehow gain access to them. Although generally more useful to dragons, nothing prevents these spells from being cast by non-draconic casters. A Dungeon Master might let a character research one or more of the spells presented in this article, or perhaps even let a dragon teach one or more of them to a character for some sort of service rendered. A Dungeon Master could work the Wyrmkin scrolls or the spells there in into a campaign in any number of ways. Dragons that the party encounters could well know some or even all of the spells presented here, and make good use of them if the encounter turns to combat. Perhaps the room that contains the scrolls could be burglarized and the Duke could hire the party to recover the stolen objects, including the scrolls, or perhaps the player characters are the ones doing the stealing, approached by Argentwing to bring back to her the gift that she gave Zagig Yragerne long ago. Of course there is no need to use the World of Greyhawk setting to incorporate the Wyrmkin Scrolls into your campaign, the spells contained there in would be universally useful to dragons regardless of setting.