Improved Permanence
by Carl QuaifHere's a possible solution to the Permanence-cancelling effects of that furshlugginer Day of Dread. Please let me know what you think.
Improved Permanence:
The advent of the Day of Dread - that awful time on the last day of the year when all magic fails on Mystara - in 1010 AC caused a shake-up in the way magic is viewed. Until this time, many spells with a "permanent" duration could indeed last forever; and, thanks to the 8th-level spell Permanence, many other spells could be granted a similar duration. This spell provided a cheap method of creating simple magic items, or granting innate powers to living creatures (although, since the spell could be Dispelled by a higher-level caster, such enchantments were far less durable than those used to create properly Enchanted items).
The Day of Dread (DoD) changed all that. Now, the maximum possible duration for any Permanent spell is one year. Since 1011 (when Mystarans realised that the DoD was a recurring phenomenon), Mages across the globe began furiously researching ways to combat magic-cancelling effect. Fortunately, Permanence itself is an 8th-level spell, which allows for an improved version to be created. The basic version of this new spell - currently gaining popularity amongst Archmagi across the Known World - is outlined below:-
Improved Permanence
Level: 9
Range: 5'
Duration: permanent until dispelled
Effect: causes one magical effect to become permanent
This spell, as the name suggests, is a more powerful version of the
standard Permanence spell. As per the 8th-level version, this spell
grants magical spells of 7th-level or less an indefinite
generation. It has no effect on spells with either instantaneous
(e.g. Fireball, Lightning Bolt) or permanent (e.g. Continual Light)
durations. The enchantment lasts until Dispelled by either the
caster or another spellcaster of equal or higher level; both spells
are cancelled at the same time.
Unlike Permanence, this spell is not destroyed by the effects of the DoD; instead, Improved Permanence and its dependent spell merely go dormant for the day, returning to normal function the next morning. A weapon can take up to three Improved Permanence spells (as opposed to five for Permanence); living creatures and non-weapon objects can hold only one each. Further castings of the spell on the same target cancels all such spells. Weapons have a 35% chance (for each casting after the first) of being destroyed utterly from the stresses of holding such powerful magic, causing 10d6 explosion damage to all beings within 10' (including the caster). A creature or weapon which has reached its limit of Improved Permanence spells can still receive additional castings of Permanence, however; 1 for creatures, 2 for weapons (allowing for the failure and destruction rule, above).
One useful aspect of this spell is that it can work to preserve one-shot magic items such as Potions, which would otherwise be spoiled by the absence of magic - items so treated recover their efficacy on the following day.
Note: If a creature or object is the subject of both Improved Permanence and Permanence enchantments, then only the spell affected by Permanence is cancelled on the DoD. The Improved Permanence-enchanted spell returns from dormancy the next day, as usual.
This version of the spell, however, is far from the only one to spring up in the last few years. The following spells are a sampling of other, more idiosyncratic versions:-
Eternal Life
Level: 9
Range: 10'
Duration: permanent until dispelled
Effect: causes one magical effect to become permanent
This unpleasant Permanence-variant was created by the Denagothian
Necromancer Yemrath Verdiak in 1012 AC. Although he is no longer to
be found on Mystara (either dead, or journeying through the
Planes), his spell found its way into a number of spellbooks before
(and since) he went missing.
The spell functions similarly to Improved Permanence, above; like the earlier spell, Eternal Life is not cancelled by the DoD, instead going dormant for 24 hours. Verdiak designed his spell to use the life-force of sentient beings to fuel its power. For every level of the spell to be made permanent, the caster must ritually sacrifice twice as many HD-worth of sentient beings (e.g. to make a Fly spell - a 3rd-level enchantment - permanent requires the sacrifice of one 6HD being, two 3HD creatures, etc).
A curious side-effect of Eternal Life causes the occasional enchanted object (never a creature) to develop sapience, as the soul of the sacrifice becomes tied into the enchantment. This is always a new persona, lacking the memories and skills (but sharing the Alignment) of the original. The chances of this happening are a base 5%, plus 1% per level of spell incorporated, multiplied by the number of spells made permanent on that item - hence, a weapon is far more likely to attain sentience than another object. If sentience is achieved, use the "Sword Intelligence, Communication, and Speech" rules in the Rules Cyclopaedia to determine the level of that sentience for individual items.
Use of this spell is an Evil act.
Brigadoon's Fading Enchantment
Level: 9
Range: 10'
Duration: permanent until dispelled
Effect: causes one magical effect to become permanent
Created by the Wizard Brigadoon, an Alphatian émigré
now living on Sclaras Island, this Permanence-variation employs a
unique method of avoiding the DoDs effects; aware that the
cessation of magic only occurred on the Prime Plane, Brigadon chose
to incorporate a Plane-shifting aspect into his spell.
Any object or being treated with Brigadon's Fading Enchantment will, at the moment the DoD begins, phase into the Ethereal Plane, remaining there for twenty-four hours; when magic returns to Mystara, so does the enchanted creature/item. No saving throw is permitted to resist this effect. A powerful character might easily use magic to return to the Prime Plane at any time, but doing so during the DoD will, of course, destroy the Fading Enchantment and its dependent spell.
Whilst on the Ethereal, items (and creatures) are at the mercy of that Plane's native denizens; it is therefore advisable to conceal items within thick stone walls or behind lead plates before the shift occurs, to minimise the chances of them being moved or stolen before the day is over. Living beings are less easy to protect; encounters with Ethereal natives are almost assured (DMs should roll at least twice for encounters during the day, unless extraordinary measures are employed); fortunately, any magic the character possesses will still be available and useable whilst on the Ethereal. Nevertheless, Brigadon's Fading Enchantment is rarely used to grant permanent powers to living creatures.
Spiritual Sustenance
Level: 7 (Clerical)
Range: touch
Duration: permanent until dispelled
Effect: causes one magical effect to become permanent
Following the advent of the DoD, many Mages sought a solution to
the disrupted Permanence spell - and not only Mages; high-ranking
members of many religious orders sought out methods to achieve the
same effect. The result, Spiritual Sustenance, was formulated by
and provided to the High Clerics of half-a-dozen different
Immortals at roughly the same time, which suggests collusion
amongst the Immortals themselves - perhaps, in part, as recompense
for the Immortals' part in forcing the creation of the DoD in the
first place.
Spiritual Sustenance functions in exactly the same way as Improved Permanence (see above), going dormant on the DoD but returning the day after, with two notable differences; the range of effect, and the necessity to maintain the spell's power on a regular basis. Specific rituals (which vary according to which Immortal provided the spell in the first place) must be performed over the spell's recipient at various times of the year (again, depending on the Immortal worshipped - usually on High Holy Days, and varying in duration, detail and frequency - DM's should provide the details). These should be performed by the casting Cleric, another Cleric of the same faith, or the recipient/carrier of the item - assuming the latter is a follower of that Immortal. This is vital, as sustaining the item requires an investiture of power by the Immortal, however minuscule it may be; the rituals replenish the energies within the enchanted object or person.
The Immortals will usually forgive one missed ritual during the year; however, if more than one is missed, or the rituals are neglected entirely, the Spiritual Sustenance spell will fail permanently on the next DoD. If the neglect was the fault of the casting Cleric, she may find herself denied access to the Spiritual Sustenance spell in future, at least until restitution is made. One advantage of this is that stolen items will eventually lose their powers, unless the thief cannot maintain the rituals - the casting Cleric is not penalised in this instance, so long as she has made some effort to recover the item.
Unlike the other Permanence-based
spells listed here, this one affects both Clerical and Magical
spells of 6th level or lower (DMs should carefully judge whether
certain spells, once made permanent, would be unbalancing to the
Campaign, in which case these are disallowed, By Order of The
Immortals). The first Immortals to provide the spell were Ixion,
Rathanos, Valerias, Ordana, Frey and Freyja (under their various
guises), but other Immortals - of every Sphere - have begun to
provide some version of it, too, in recent times.