Alphatian spells unearthed
byThe StalkerThese are a few spells I come up with myself (well, I haven't seen spells too similar anywhere else, anyway). I thought I'd mail them to the list so that other people could also benefit from them if they like them. The first one "Alphas' Memorised Spells Nullifier" actually came about because I thought the Alphatians, being an empire of wizards, would naturally have come up with some way capture and incapacitate spell-casters without brutally knocking them below 1 hp (the AD&D rules state that all memorised spells are lost if one goes below 1 hp). Hmm, when I think of it the 'Nullifier' part doesn't sound quite right - it's a bit, ahem, un-Alphatian somehow. Maybe the spellbook I copied it from had changed it's original name. If you come across the original, do drop me a line! The "Transparency" spell came about after a huge argument between myself and another DM (he claimed that you could never see through the deception of Invisibility, while I maintained that it was an Illusion/Phantasm spell, and you should thus be able to see through the illusion. As a consequence I created an Invisibility-like spell that is NOT an illusion IMC). NOTE: As I've pointed out before, I use the AD&D rules, so the spells are listed in AD&D format, but I believe they would work perfectly well under OD&D, too.
ALPHAS' MEMORISED SPELLS NULLIFIER (Enchantment/Charm), New Spell
Level: 5 (Wizard)
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: Special
Area of Effect: One creature
Saving Throw: Special
This is a very unusual spell created long ago, and is used to make captured spellcasters harmless. It may be cast in two different ways, and so which version is desired must be decided before the caster begins casting the spell, although merely memorising the spell does not require the caster to choose a version.
If the most common version of the spell is used, it has a casting time of 5 (segments), and following the casting of the spell, the wizard gets only two rounds during which to touch the head of the intended victim. Once those two rounds have passed or the wizard has touched the intended victim's head the spell expires immediately. In order to touch the intended victim's head, the caster must roll a successful attack roll with a -4 penalty (because it is a Called Shot). If the attack hits, the victim must make a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the spell's effects. This saving throw is adjusted for the victim's Wisdom/Willpower.
However, the caster of the spell may also choose to touch the victim all the time while casting the spell by griping his head with both hands. In this case, the casting time is 2 rounds. If the casting is completed, the spell's duration is instantaneous. If the victim manages to prevent the casting for even an instant (as determined by the DM), the spell fails automatically. Naturally, the caster can rely on allies or other spells (such as Hold Person) to keep the victim motionless. The same would be true in the case of an unconscious or similarly defenceless victim. If this version of the spell succeeds, the victim gets no saving throw.
If the spell succeeds in either version, the victim immediately forgets any spells currently memorised, so that he can no longer cast any spells (this occurs even under the optional spell point rules from the Spells & Magic book). This is permanent only insofar that the caster cannot remember these spells anymore, but can easily restudy them if he can be allowed access to his spellbooks (in the case of wizards or bards) or be allowed to use his holy symbol to pray to his Immortal (in the case of priests, paladins, or rangers). Until such a time, though, the victim will not be able to cast any spells normally available.
ERIADNA'S SAFE TELEPORTATION SITE
(Enchantment/Charm), New Spell
Reversible
Level: 5 (Wizard)
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1d3 days
Area of Effect: One square up to 20 by 20 feet
Saving Throw: None
Eriadna the Wise, later Empress of Alphatia, created this spell after she learned the Teleport spell and discovered its uncertain nature. It horrified her that she could die from using the spell, and so she researched this spell to overcome the problem.
Basically, the spell is cast in one specific place chosen by the caster. As long as the spell is active, the caster may then teleport to that particular site without any chance of error (similarly to the 6th-level priest spell, Word of Recall). However, the caster must be the owner of the residence in which the safe teleportation site is to be cast. Normally, this means that the wizard must be the owner of the building of the site, but the DM must make a ruling on this in each case. If this is not the case the spell fails automatically. The caster may have one safe teleportation site at 9th level, and another for every three levels of experience after that.
The material component for this spell, apart from the site that the wizard must be the owner of, is large gem worth at least 5,000 gp. The wizard must crush the gem and use it together with other common materials worth 100 gp to create a fluid used to mark the safe teleportation site with the wizard's personal symbol. The process of creating the fluid and using it to mark the site takes at least 1d4 +2 weeks.
The reverse of this spell, Eriadna's Site Removal, removes one Safe Teleportation Site so that another may be created somewhere else instead. This is useful for wizards who wish another Site, but have already created as many as their level of experience will allow them to have. Using the reverse of the spell, they may then delete one Site and create another somewhere else, though they must still meet all requirements for Eriadna's Safe Teleportation Site for each new location. The reverse of the spell requires materials costing 1,000 gp.
TERARI'S MESSAGE TOKENS (Enchantment, Divination), New Spell
Level: 5 (Wizard)
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 hour
Area of Effect: One individual
Saving Throw: None
This useful spell may be used only in conjunction with the 5th-level wizard spell Sending. It was created by Terari, the Head-master of the University of Air Magics in Sundsvall, the capital of the Alphatian Empire. Terari has had many young apprentices over the years, some of whom he became rather close to. In order to keep in contact with them he created his message tokens, so that his apprentices could tell him news even if they were far away.
With each casting of the spell the caster may create one token at 9th level of experience and another for every three levels above that (a second token at 12th level, a third at 15th, etc.). Terari seems to prefer to make his tokens in the form of a small locket which is then opened and talked into, but it seems that the tokens may have just about any form or shape desirable, though they must always be jewelled and cost no less than 25 gp. The tokens must also always be inscribed with the caster's Wizard Mark, and may be used only by the individual they were given to. The wizard need not determine who this individual is when he creates them, but they cannot work until the wizard names a specific individual and then gives them to him.
Once the wizard has cast the spell on the tokens, he must immediately cast a Sending spell. Once this is done, the tokens are ready to be given to another individual. They will remain ready indefinitely until they are used or broken through physical abuse.
Essentially, the tokens, when used, function like a one-way Sending spell, in that the individual using the token may send the wizard a short message of 25 words or less. Note that the character need not know the wizard as described for the Sending as the wizard who created the token has already done this. Also, the token does not grant the wizard receiving the message an opportunity to immediately answer, though he may, of course, use the Sending spell to do so. A message token immediately breaks apart when used.
The material components needed for actually casting this spell, other than the tokens themselves, are various liquids and dust of gold and gemstones costing 50 gp for each casting of the spell.
TRANSPARENCY (Alteration), New Spell
Level: 5 (Wizard)
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 2 rounds + 1 round per level of the caster
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Creature touched
Saving Throw: None
While this spell seems very similar to the various Invisibility spells, there is one major difference in that this spell actually does make the recipient invisible - it is no illusion. Attacking does not make the recipient visible, though there sometimes are telltale traces like a shimmering effect around the transparent character which may allow an opponent to attack him. Even so, the transparent character must have somehow made his presence known as he can only be seen if his opponent specifically looks for him. The character can also be seen if the opponent uses spells such as Detect Invisibility or True Seeing.
Attacks made against the transparent character are still made with a -4 penalty to attack rolls, while the transparent character makes saving throws against spells directed against him with a +4 bonus as is usual for invisible characters.
This spell is slightly hazardous to use though. When the spell is cast and the caster touches the recipient, the recipient must make a system shock check. If this is failed, the spell fails and both caster and recipient suffers 1d6 points of damage each (if the caster is the recipient himself, he suffers only 1d6, not 2d6 points of damage).
The material component is a small transparent
glass figurine which the wizard crushes as he casts the spell.
These small glass figurines cast around 15 gp each.