Budika and Sombras and Sombras' Spells
By Beau YarbroughBUDIKA
Chaotic Neutral (Evil) female half-ogre fighter, Glantri and beyond
A native of the Broken Lands, Budika is Sombras' partner in crime, bodyguard and (according to some stories) his lover.
While less monstrous than most ogres, she is startling in appearance, seven feet tall with limp black hair spilling down over her broad shoulders, with dark eyes gleaming from beneath a heavy brow and a propensity for wearing as little as possible - which incidentally shows off the scars that cover her body. Powerful physically (19 strength), she's faster (16 dexterity) and brighter than most humans would assume (12 intelligence), and is savage with her battle axe.
She is an eager bandit and kidnapper, enjoying the easy life preying on humans and demihumans can give her and she's extremely fond of Sombras. She's uncomfortable talking to anyone other than Sombras or their victims, as she typically believes they're looking down on her, and as a result is both quiet and surly. Budika knows the Broken Lands very well, and speaks a number of humanoid languages.
Heedless of the startled reactions she sometimes evokes, Budika is a very sexual being, and is often dressed provocatively and loves to pamper herself with perfumes and cosmetics.
SOMBRAS
Chaotic Neutral male human transmuter, Glantri and beyond
Sombras, although a native of Glantri and a graduate of the Great School of Magic, has spent most of the past few years roaming the Known World with his partner in crime, Budika, engaged in confidence schemes, banditry, kidnapping and smuggling. A slight man of unassuming appearance, Sombras dresses drably, his stoop shoulders and limp dark hair blending in with his typical undyed or grey hooded robes.
His life of crime has meant that he's learned a bit of a lot of skills, including sailing, riding, appraising, forgery and lock-picking. Combined with his compelling personality (charisma 14), it's surprising that he and Budika haven't been more successful at their criminal endeavours. In large part, that's due to his personality: Sombras is deceitful and lazy, but also not particularly cold-blooded; he's more mischievous than he is dangerous.
Sombras believes he's cleverer than everyone he meets (intelligence 15) and enjoys lies and manipulations for their own sake. He has an excellent sense of humour and is, in his own ratty way, a very likeable guy.
Sombras has contacts in the criminal underworld in Karameikos, Darokin, Minrothad and Ierendi. His contacts in Glantri are fewer, since he's careful to leave the country as a safe home base, but he does pay well for information on criminal opportunities outside the nation's borders. He speaks several humanoid languages, and is skilled in negotiating with the tribes of the Broken Lands.
He has a bad habit of nasally giggling and cackling when especially pleased with himself.
Equipment: Wand of Wonder, Ring of Free Action, Robe of Deeppockets (as the spell), Snake Pellets (pottery balls the size of a robin's egg - when broken, they release an angry poisonous serpent), Potion of Strange Masking
Sombras' Facial Erasure
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One action
Range: Touch
Effect: One creature
Duration: Special
Saving Throw: Endurance
Spell Resistance: None
The facial erasure spell causes one randomly determined facial feature (1d4: 1. Eyes, 2. Nose, 3. Mouth, 4. Ears) to vanish from the victim's face, covered over with smooth skin.
Victims whose eyes disappear are, naturally, blinded and suffer a -4 penalty to hit and opponents gain a +4 bonus to attack them.
Victims whose nose disappears are unable to smell and gain a nasal voice. Their spectacles typically fall off as well.
Victims whose mouth disappears cannot cast the verbal component of any spell, eat, drink or speak although they may grunt (and seem likely to).
Victims whose ears disappear are rendered deaf for the duration of the spell, gain a -1 penalty to surprise rolls and have a chance (21% -1%/level) to miscast any spells with a verbal component.
Multiple castings of the spell on the same victim always erase a new facial feature. The unfortunate soul who loses both mouth and nose to this spell begins to suffocate in a number of minutes equal to 1/6 of their Constitution, rounded up.
The spell lasts until it is dispelled by the caster, or dispel magic, a polymorph or shapechange spell is cast on the victim or until the victim makes a successful saving throw, saving once a minute.
Sombras' Miraculous Key
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One minute
Range: Touch
Effect: The caster's finger
Duration: 1 minute/level or until dispelled Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None
When cast, the miraculous key lengthens and transforms the index finger on the caster's primary hand, turning it into a perfect match to a locking mechanism the caster wishes to open, which is touched during the casting of the spell.
While the finger is now a perfect lock, this spell offers no protection from trapped keyholes, makes a stuck lock particularly easy to open or has any affect on other locks, bars or other means of sealing a door or chest. This spell cannot overcome a hold portal spell or wizard lock, although it can unlock a mundane mechanism set within the otherwise sealed portal.
The affected finger is numbed and stiff while the spell is in effect, and the caster's dexterity is effectively reduced by three while the spell is in effect, with all the penalties that go along with it.
Sombras' Strange Masking
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One action
Range: 5 feet/level
Effect: One person
Duration: 5 minutes + 1d4 minutes/level Saving Throw: Endurance
Spell Resistance: Yes
This simple spell is used by Sombras both as a disguise and a means of sowing confusion in the ranks of his enemies. He has also used the spell in the preparation of a thick tasteless potion with similar effects.
The physical appearance of the subject changes by approximately 10 percent to each characteristic. Thus the subject's height, weight and the size of all their features changes by 10 percent in either direction. A person could become taller and lighter weight, with their brow becoming heavier and hairline receding or, conversely, become shorter, heavier, with a low hairline and pronounced jaw. Even skin and hair colour is affected. These changes are minor enough that a tall man with brown hair might become an average sized, heavy-set man with light brown hair, but that's the limit of the changes. The subject remains recognisable in terms of race, gender and age but little else.
The subject's mind and abilities are never affected.
Material component: The caster must have a fine coating of wet clay on the palm of his hand, which is then lashed in the direction of the subject, spraying the magically charged clay towards the victim.
Sombras' Watery Eruption
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One action
Range: 5 feet/level
Effect: 10 square feet/level
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Endurance
Spell Resistance: Yes
Watery eruption causes standing water at least six inches deep to erupt into 10 foot high orange flames.
One inch's worth of water burns away per minute, and if all the water is used up, the spell ends early.
Those passing through the flames suffer 2d4 points of damage, plus 1 point per level of the caster. Although hot, no damage accrues beneath the surface of the water, allowing the effects of the spell to be circumvented in certain cases.
Rain or snow, natural or otherwise, extinguishes the watery eruption in one minute and heavy fog reduces the damage caused by the flames by half.
Sombras originally developed this during his smuggling days in the Sea of Dread, with spectacular results during battles at sea.
Spell resistance cuts the damage caused by the spell in proportion to the level of resistance.
This spell can be cast in conjunction with permanency, provided a steady supply of water feeds the area of effect.
Material component: A mouthful of flammable oil, which must be spit into the water to be affected.
Sombras' Cone of Constriction
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One action
Range: A cone 5 ft./level (up to 60 feet) with a maximum width equal to half its length
Effect: A cone emanating from the caster's hand Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Reflex special
Spell Resistance: Yes
The shimmering cone of constriction causes the clothing or armour of those caught in its beam to shrink tightly and painfully to the victim's body, making it difficult for them to move and possibly rendering them unconscious due to asphyxiation.
The spell has no effect on beings not dressed in something that can be made to constrict. Those that are dressed in some manner, however, must make a reflex save or be affected.
If they fail, they then must make an endurance save or pass out for 1d6 minutes plus 1 minute per caster's level. Beings that do not breathe, including the undead, cannot be made to pass out, but are affected by the spell's other effect.
Those that make the endurance save or succeed at the initial reflex save find themselves constricted but still able to move. But they lose a foot of movement for every point of armour class and suffer a -1 to hit for every two points over 9 (not including dexterity bonuses, shields or magic), with a minimum of a -1 to hit. This effect lasts 1 minute per caster's level.
Magic resistance cuts the spell's duration based on the level of magic resistance afforded.
Material components: A wand, magical or otherwise.
Sombras' Flesh to Gold
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One minute
Range: 20 feet/level
Effect: 1 creature
Duration: 1d4 rounds + 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Yes
Spell Resistance: Yes
Flesh to gold transforms a single living being into gleaming solid gold, along with all of the possessions on their person. While more resistant than flesh, the gold is soft enough to be damaged by physical attacks (at half damage) or heat-based spells.
The spell can be dispelled at the will of the caster, or by casting a dispel magic or polymorph or shapechange spell on the victim.
Spell resistance lowers the duration of the spell in accordance with the level of resistance (ie 50% spell resistance cuts the duration of the spell in half).
Sombras is reportedly deeply frustrated at being unable to effect a permanent transformation by means of this spell.
Material components: A golden object, roughly the size of a (non-magical) gold ring or gold coin, which vanishes during casting.
Sombras' Ray of Rusting
Alteration
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One action
Range: 15 feet/level
Effect: 2 pounds of ferrous metal/level Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Special
Spell Resistance: No
When the reddish-orange beam of a ray of rusting strikes a creature (or object), any ferrous metal on their person begins to rust away into useless junk immediately, up to 2 pounds of metal per level of the caster. Assuming the ray hits (it is exceptionally narrow, and the caster receives a -2 to hit with it), the objects receive a saving throw against the effect, with magical objects gaining a saving throw bonus for each "plus" it is enchanted with. Affected metal corrodes and falls away immediately.
The spell does 1d8/level damage to creatures made of ferrous metal, such as an iron golem.
It is rumoured another version of this spell - Sombras' Ray of Ruin - exists, but given that the creator of the spell is a thief and bandit, the ability to affect all metals, including silver, gold and platinum, has meant that it has seen little use.
Material components: A wand, magical or otherwise.
Some notes: Under 3E, ray effects will have to roll to hit, as though the caster were making a touch attack. Under previous versions of AD&D/OD&D, a save versus spells (with the modifier mentioned in the spell) to see if the ray hits would be appropriate before then making the item saving throw.
A limit on the amount of metal affected has been added (much less than the 7th level clerical spell can affect), along with making it harder to hit with the beam.