Level 8 spells.
Lightning storm.
(Evocation).
Components: V,S,M.
Range: .40 yds. +10yds./level.
Save: 1/2.
Duration: 1 round.
Area of Effect: 70'-diameter sphere.
This spell creates electrical discharges within a spherical area. Bolts of lightning leap repeatedly about within this area, regardless of the presence or location of metal, water, or other conductors. All beings within this area take 6d12 points damage (unless immune to electrical damage), and all items must make a saving throw against electricity. The magic prevents lightning from travelling along conductive paths out of spell range; a man in full armor and a bather in a moat, both just outside the spell's area of effect, will be unharmed.
The caster of a lightning storm is unharmed by the spell (even if he stands in the center of the storm) or by any other electrical attacks or effects during the spell's duration. The material components include a shard of glass, a scrap of fur, a piece of silver, and a flint.
Deathshroud
(Necromantic)
Level: 8
Components: V,S,M
Range: Touch
CT: 8
Duration: Special
Save: Neg.
Area of Effect: 1 creature/2 levels of the caster
By casting this spell, the wizard draws upon the Negative Material plane and surrounds himself with a shroud of negative power. While the spell-caster suffers no ill effects from this magical energy, it may have dire consequences for anyone who comes into contact with him.
To activate the deadly power of this spell, the wizard must touch his victim by successfully rolling an attack roll against his target. Any creature touched must immediately make a saving throw versus death magic with a -4 penalty. If the roll is successful, the victim is unharmed. If the save is failed, a black haze will form about the victim, draining 20% of his current hit points each round until the unlucky individual dies at the end of the fifth round. The deathshroud also protects the wizard; anyone who touches the spellcaster or attempts to strike him with any hand-held object or weapon must make a saving throw versus death magic at normal chances or be affected by the deathshroud in the same manner.
The following spells remove the deathshroud from an affected inclividual: cure critical wounds, heal, limited wish, wish, or a successful dispel magic spell. As a last possibility, if the afflicted individual is somehow able to reach the Positive Material plane within five rounds, the negative energy of the spell will be destroyed and the victim will be saved. Once a being has successfully saved against the effects of a particular deathshroud, that being cannot be affected again during that spell's duration.
The deathshroud remains in effect until the wizard has attacked or been attacked by a number of creatures equal to one-half of his level (round down), or the spell's duration of two rounds per level of the wizard has elapsed. Creatures from the Outer Planes and undead beings are not affected by this spell; if an undead creature is attacked with a deathshroud, it immediatety gains 1 HD and the wizard must save against death magic or suffer the effects of the spell himself.
In order to cast this spell, the spell-caster must have the following material components available: a mixture of crushed black opal and diamond (worth 5,000 gp), dust from either a vampire or lich, and a piece of smoky quartz.
Explanation/Description: This spell is similar to the empath spell, except that it allows the caster to transfer a hit-point disability (of up to 2 hp/level of the caster) between any two creatures, excluding the caster. The magic-user must be able to grasp both the creature with the disability and the creature about to receive the disability without having to make to-hit rolls, so the two beings involved must either be willing to undergo the spell or else be sleeping or unconscious. The recipient of the disability is entitled to a saving throw vs. spells if unwilling. If the recipient's saving throw succeeds, the exchange is incomplete and nothing further happens.
If the recipient fails the saving throw, the disability passes through the magic-user, inflicting him for an instant. If such a wound would normally place the magic-user below zero hit points, it immediately does so, and the spell ceases; the creature that first bore the hit-point loss is healed, and the recipient is unharmed.
The material components for the spell are the same as the empath spell, except for a ruby (worth at least 5,000 gp), which is shattered as the disability passes through the caster. If the risks of some of these spells seem to outweigh the benefits, remember that these spells deal with life and death - dangerous territory for magic-users. But these spells offer new options in role-playing. Empath and life force transfer allow magic-users to perform heroic acts of self-sacrifice without stepping on the hem of the cleric's cloak. Arnvid's unseen limb allows limbless victims to limp along until a high-level cleric can be found. With exchange, black wizards can trade lives and white wizards can save them.
Mage-Killer
Level: 8
Range: 10'
Duration: 3 days
Effect: Creates Mage-Killer
This nasty, provocatively-named spell was devised by a reclusive, chaotic
Blackheart-based wizard known as "the Ebon Cowl"; it creates a short-lived
simulacrum, whose sole purpose is to kill one particular wizard. The spell requires the
caster to sculpt a candle in the shape of the mage he wishes to slay. This requires pure,
virgin beeswax, crushed amethysts, rare spices and other esoteric ingredients (the total
cost of the candle should be between 5,000 - 10,000gp), plus a strand of hair or nail
clipping from the victim. A Save vs. Spells (or, if you use skills in your campaign, a
successful skill roll) must be made upon completion; if it fails, the candle is useless,
and the caster must start again. The spell itself takes 12 hours to cast (another Save vs.
Spells to see if the caster falters), then the candle is lit; a Mage-Killer will form from
the smoke in 1d4+3 rounds. When first created, a Mage-Killer is a brutish, mindless,
unformed creature, driven by instinct to seek out its prey; as it draws closer to the
victim, however, its mental link with the victim enables it to gain both intelligence and
appearance approximating that of its target. The Mage-Killer has three major advantages in
combat; firstly, its strength (18 in oD&D, 18/00 in AD&D), which few
wizards can match; secondly, the Mage-Killer has access to the entire spell selection of
its foe at the moment it was created (so the creature will probably retain more spells
than its adversary); thirdly and most importantly, the mental link allows the Mage-Killer
to know its opponent's plans the moment they are formed, and can counter them accordingly.
The Mage-Killer vanishes in a puff of smoke once it has killed its opponent; it also
vanishes if the candle which created it is snuffed out, or burns out - a Mage-Killer
candle burns for exactly three days from the time it is first lit.
The Ebon Cowl is currently the only wizard with knowledge of this spell. He (or she) has
successfully used it to kill other wizards five times in the last 10 years. Since the use
of this spell counts as a Wizard's Duel, it is possible that the Cowl is using the spell
to help complete his/her Task in a bid for Immortality. PCs might come into conflict with
the Ebon Cowl, and gain awareness of the spell, if hired to protect a paranoid Blackheart
wizard who fears for his life, or perhaps they are hired by said mage's executors to
quietly solve the mystery of his murder. Once they have their hands on this information,
of course, they have a decision to make; do they destroy the information to keep it out of
the hands of other evil wizards, sell it to the highest bidder (which might result in more
assassinations at a later date), or keep it for their own use (which could be very
dangerous if powerful enemies learn of the spell's existence...)
(Note: Since the Mage-Killer's form is so dependent of its target, I haven't bothered to
work up stats for it; if you use it in your campaign, the creature should have maximum
human strength (see above), dexterity at least 1 or 2 points above its opponent, and +1 to
its saving throws (to reflect its foreknowledge of its victim's battle plan). All other
stats, hp, spells, innate powers, etc. are as per the target mage, but the creature has
none of the target's magical items.)
Contribution from:CQuaif@aol.com
Rebirth by Valdemar
Level: 8
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Area: the caster and a woman
My long research on reversing undeath brought me to this spell. The way is long and hard,
but there is this way back. Rebirth must be cast by an undead to a fertile, willing woman.
Effectively, the spell makes the woman pregnant, and places the soul of the necromancer to
the unborn baby, thus leaving the caster's body uninhabited. When the baby is born, it has
no memories of it's previous life, but it has all the mundane skills it had. Thus, there
might be a baby very adept in babbling in arcane languages. The personality is also the
casters. As the baby ages, every month he remembers five months of his previous life,
regaining also his character, arcane abilities, maturity and personality. When the child
is physically ten years old, he probably is very potent mage again.
A contribution from Markus Olavi Montola.
Soul Surge by
Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany
Level: 8
Range: 30m
Duration: 30min
Area: one victim
The Soul Surge removes the soul of one person from the body, and lets the necromancer
transform it to an overwhelming surge of power. The first victim gets to save vs. death
magic, if he makes the roll, the spell is cancelled. If he fails, he dies as the soul is
drawn from the body and absorbed in a great flash of light. Note that the body doesn't
die, but the person inside does. The necromancer will get one point of power per victim's
level for the duration of the spell. A power point may be either used to fire black bolts
of lightning (one target only, save for half, maximum of 20d6 per bolt) for d6 per
expended power point, or to temporarily increase the caster's level for one level per two
power points, or to instantaneously re-memorize one spell level per two power points. The
victim can never be raised. The burning energies of the Soul Surge cause one hitpoint of
damage to the necromancer per victim's level.
A contribution from Markus Olavi Montola.