Grognard's Grimoire

[calithena]

Just to save Jensen the effort! Submit your new spells here. Thanks!

[jensen]

I was going to call it 'Rock-Hard Rituals', just so I could complete my terrible pun-trifecta.

[jensen]

Betrayal's Piercing Barb

The target's armour and clothing (and other coverings) are turned inside-out; in most cases only a nuisance to the victim. However, a person wearing spiked armor will be in for a dreadful experience, as all the sharp nasty bits wind up on the inside of their armor, digging into flesh and rupturing arteries. The target will suffer damage as normal for being exposed to armor spikes, and will suffer an equal amount of damage every time they try to move.
This will also affect creatures with spiky scales or spines, such as dire porcupines or manticores (although they probably won't be affected by their own poison, being immune).

[jensen]

Yoink

First, a large lush carpet is conjured directly under a number of people (size depends on caster level); then, the carpet is abruptly pulled out from underneath their feet, forcing them to make Dexterity checks (with a -1 penalty per 20 lbs of equipment) to avoid being tripped and falling over. The carpet disappears immediately afterwards, although a higher-level version, Greater Yoink, will allow the caster to control the carpet for a duration, wrapping opponents in it or pinning them beneath it when they've fallen over.

[jensen]

Verminheart

The target's blood is turned into centipedes, beetles, spiders, small scorpions etc. This has no immediate effect, apart from the purely visual - the target's skin will squirm and writhe with the tiny critters milling about inside, possibly nauseating faint-of-heart onlookers.
When the target is struck in combat, falls into a trap or otherwise suffers damage that will break the skin, the blood-vermin will spill out of the wound and attack the target, biting and stinging the skin around the wound. This will cause 1d4 points of damage during the following round. This is a cumulative effect, so that each slashing or piercing wound, or any wound that causes bleeding, will do this amount of damage; e.g., if the target gets stabbed by three dagger-toting hobgoblins, the 'bleeding' will do an additional 3d4 points of damage the following round.
If this spell is cast on a target larger than a human, their blood will be transformed into correspondingly larger vermin. For example, an ogre would bleed snakes and scorpions, while a storm giant might be filled with dire rats and bats. The damage caused by bleeding wounds should be increased accordingly.

[kesher]

Yoink ---> Verminheart = Tunnels & Trolls ---> Carcosa.

[jensen]

Fatal Magnetism

Casting this spell on a character makes them powerfully attractive to metal objects; any ranged weapons fired within 30 yards/caster level will have a 50% chance of striking the Magnetized individual in stead of their intended target. The Magnetism affects arrows, crossbow bolts, sling bullets, hand axes, javelins, darts etc., but not if they’re made of non-metallic materials (e.g. wood, bone or obsidian).
Spells and attacks that involve electricity, such as Lightning Bolts and Blue Dragons’ breath, will also be attracted by Magnetized characters. Area effects will change direction when they enter the Magnetic field, heading directly for the Magnetized character, and then continue in a straight line after passing through the target. Note that this can lead to situations where a spellcaster standing within the Magnetic field, casting an electricity-based spell directly away from the Magnetized person, will be struck by their own spell as it turns back 180° towards the living Magnet.

[jensen]

Gordon Kainen’s Voracious Circus-Squirrel
Duration: 1 hour/level

When this spell is cast, it conjures a glowing reddish-orange entity vaguely resembling a squirrel. The spirit will sit on the caster’s head or shoulders, illuminating the surroundings as a Light spell. However, if someone casts a Fireball spell anywhere within 100’ of the caster, the squirrel will charge at blinding speed towards it and gobble up the Fireball-seed in a single gulp. The caster can then direct the squirrel mentally, ordering it to run far away or climb on top of an enemy, even burrow into pants or shirt collars to make it as difficult as possible to dislodge it. The squirrel can run 200’ per round. After 1d4 rounds, the squirrel explodes with the same force as the Fireball spell it devoured, leaving a faint aroma of roasting chestnuts.

[cadriel]

Dalturri's Dreadful Fence

This spell creates a barrier one inch wide, six feet high, and up to 10 feet in length per level of the caster. It can have any contour desired by the caster. Any sentient creature attempting to cross over the Dreadful Fence is immediately confronted with his or her worst fear realized - for instance, a person afraid of heights will find that the Fence is in fact on the precipice of an infinitely high cliff, even if it seemed only a moment ago to be on perfectly level ground. Any character trapped thus is unable to move in reality, although he or she may seem to move in the illusion, unless a saving throw is made. Physically moving outside of the narrow strip defined by the Fence, or being forced out of its grip, ends the illusion. The Dreadful Fence lasts one hour per caster level. It does not affect the undead, purely magical creatures, and otherwise non-thinking characters.

[Deleted]

Labyrinthine Darkness (Level 3, Range 120’, Duration 12 turns): Creates a mass of murky, disorienting shadows similar to a darkness spell. The first time a creature tries to move out of the darkened area, it must make a successful saving throw vs. spells to find its way out. On a failed save, the creature meanders around the darkened area, unable to escape. A trapped creature may make another saving throw at the end of any round in which it is attacked.

Troglobitic Transformation (Level 3, Range 60’, Duration 24 turns): Devolves a creature to resemble a cave-dwelling species. The target becomes colorless and translucent; more importantly, it goes blind. Meanwhile, its other senses—hearing, smell and touch—become far more sensitive. The target suffers only half of the usual penalties for blindness and cannot be deceived by invisibility and concealment effects. In addition, its enhanced senses increase its Hear Noise chance by +2 and provide a 50% chance of detecting a thief or other creature that successfully moves silently. The target may gain similar bonuses to hear, smell or feel other things, at the DM’s discretion.

[Deleted]

Rather than a spell, a special ability for magic-users only (not elves): Spellweaving. (Alternately, Spellhacking?)

When a magic-user has accumulated enough XP to gain a new level, the character’s player has the option to instead work out with the DM additional, alternate, “specialized” versions of one (and only one) of the spells the character already possesses. The exact nature of the variation, in terms of both fluff and mechanics, is for the DM and player to agree upon. For every new spell the character would have been entitled to had s/he advanced in level, s/he may develop one specialized alternate version of the spell, and add it to hir spellbook. Such alternate versions do not use up spell slots; they are altered applications of a spell that is already known. Also, they are of the same “spell level” as the original source spell (even if the character would have been entitled to higher-level spells at hir new experience level). The character does not advance in level or gain new hit points at this time.

When additional XP has been accumulated equal to the amount earned between the magic-user’s previous level and the point at which s/he chose to spellweave, the character may again choose to either advance in level or to develop new spellweavings, as above. However, at this point the additional spellweavings must either be developed from the same original spell as the previous ones, or from one of the previous spellweavings so derived.

This may continue for as many iterations as desired.

If and when the magic-user chooses to advance in level, s/he must choose traditional spells (rather than spellweavings) as is standard. However, hir previously-developed spellweavings also remain in hir spellbook, and available to hir.

At any point after having gained a new level as above and then, once again, earned enough XP to gain a further level, the magic-user may again choose to develop further spellweavings. These spellweavings may be derived from the previous original spell or from a new one.

With every intervening rise in level, the magic-user may use one additional existing spell as a source for spellweavings. Furthermore, such source spells may be combined in a single spellweaving (assuming the player and DM can agree upon how), at the cost of lessening the total number of new spellweavings the character can make. (Thus a spellweaving combining elements of two spells lowers the total number of new spellweavings allowable by one; a weaving combining bits of three spells lowers it by two, etc.)

[calithena]

Hi FredH! That's a good idea. It might be a good way to encourage PCs to develop new spells more often than they actually do in my experience, for one thing. With your permission, I might tweak it and work it up into a short article for #11 - what do you think?

P.S. Love the Learyism. I have sometimes used sHe/hir myself....

[Deleted]

^By all means, long as I get credit!

[jensen]

Willfully Crossing the Great Divide

Duration: 10 minutes*CL

This spell only affects ethereal or astral targets, including immaterial undead (e.g. Ghosts, Wraiths, Shadows or Spectres). 1d4 spirits per 2 caster levels can be targeted, so a 7th-level magic-user can enchant 3d4 spirits, whilst a 10th-level caster could use the spell on 5d4 targets.

The spirits are forced to assume the shape of a bridge, a boat, or some similar medium of transportation. Each spirit will yield material enough for a 10'x10' length of a bridge, or a boat large enough for one human - so 5 spirits could be merged into a 50' bridge, or a boat that could hold 5 persons (heavy equipment or beasts of burden can also be carried, but count against the carrying capacity according to GM fiat).

The spirit-vessel can carry physical goods and beings, but is itself impervious to physical damage, and will even insulate its passengers against environmental damage, to some extent. People riding a spirit-boat across a lake of lava or acid would not be harmed, although they would still feel an uncomfortable heat from the molten rock, or hear a foreboding, angry hissing as the acid tried to eat its way through to them.

The spirits themselves are very upset by this treatment, constantly howling and wailing their displeasure. Intelligent targets (undead or otherwise) will verbally threaten their captors, conjuring up all manner of fearful images. The spirits' screams rise to a crescendo when they are trodden or sat on, making the use of the spirit-vessel a highly unpleasant experience (note that this spell does not affect the spirits' ability to cause terror and dread in living beings).

[jensen]

Death by Chocolate

A large, sumptuous cake is conjured out of thin air (one layer per caster level), studded with several red birthday candles that burn with a pleasant temperature of 37½ degrees centigrade (body temperature), and give off a sweet aroma of fresh blood - mouth-wateringly irresistible for any hungry dead that may be roaming within 100 yards.

However, as soon as anyone approaches the cake, the candles will multiply until they match the number of years that individual has spent in (un)life. This is mostly harmless for young adventuring types, who rarely live to a ripe old age, but if, say, a vampire were to take a closer look at the tempting pastry, it would be much more interesting: for each full half-century that the target has existed, the heat from the birthday candles will deal 1d6 heat damage - so, a 200-year old wight would suffer 4d6 points of damage.

Should multiple targets approach the cake, it will sprout candles matching the age of the oldest of them. Other long-lived creatures, e.g. water elementals, dragons, etc. would also trigger the fire damage-effect of the cake, but would be less likely to be lured by blood-scented cake.

[jensen]

Autumnal Rubescence

This spell only affects plants and vegetative matter. Cast on a living tree or bush, it will force the plant to pass through the seasonal cycle within a matter of seconds, until it reaches its autumn colors. Any fruits or berries it might normally possess will quickly grow and mature, providing sustenance for 2d4 human-sized individuals.
If the spell is cast on an object made of plant material (paper, cotton clothes etc.), the item will change colors to one of the following:

1-2: Crimson
3-4: Fiery orange
5-6: Sunset yellow

Rubescence can also be cast on plant creatures, such as treants and Giant Venus Flytraps. These targets will suffer 1d6 damage as they're compelled to slough off their rapidly darkening leaves and branches. This can also be used to break the hold of magically animated vines that are constricting a character, for instance.

Nature spirits like dryads and nymphs must save vs. enchantment or all their clothes will drop off.

[jensen]

Van Fitzenlieker's Scrumptious Transmutation

A spell designed by Gnomish seafarers to avoid the perils of scurvy; this is accomplished by transforming any ready supply of food (including such maritime staples as hardtack, beef jerky, and really smelly cheese) into an equal mass of fresh fruit and vegs. Given the Gnomish penchant for adding insult to bilberry, there is a 50% chance of fruit-related mishaps, e.g. a stray banana peel 'accidentally' lands under an unwary foot, or a conjured tomato is found to be rotten, hurled over one's shoulder, and immediately strikes another sailor full in the face.

[calithena]

Good to see you back around!