Arcane Spells (Arden-Vul)

Arden-Vul > Rules > Magic > Arcane Spells

1st Level

Affect Normal Fires

• (Alteration)
• Range: 15'/level
• Components: V, S
• Duration: 2 minutes/level
• Casting Time: 1
• Area of Effect: 10' radius
• Saving Throw: None
• This spell enables the wizard to cause nonmagical fires--from as small as a torch or lantern to as large as the area of effect--to reduce in size and brightness to become mere coals or increase in light to become as bright as full daylight and increase the illumination to double the normal radius. Note that this does not affect either fuel consumption or damage caused by the fire. The caster can affect any or all fires in the spell's area. He can alter their intensities with a single gesture as long as the spell is in effect. The spell lasts until the caster cancels it, all fuel is burned, or the duration expires. The caster can also extinguish all flames in the area, which expends the spell immediately. The spell does not affect fire elementals or similar creatures.

Basil's Torch Treatment

• (Alteration)
• Range: 200’
• Duration: see below
• Area of Effect: 2 torches + 1 torch/level
• Components: V, S, M
• Casting Time: 1 segment
• Having grown tired of seeing his minions’ torches gutter out in the midst of his explorations, the mage Basil Bracteros devised this simple spell to triple the life of torches (ordinary torches now burn for 3 hours). The material component for this spell is a bit of firefly or glowworm phosphorous.

Detect Magic

• (Divination)
• Range: Caster
• Duration: 2 rounds/ caster level
• Area of Effect: Path 10 ft wide, 60 ft long
• Components: V,S
• Casting Time: 1 segment
• The caster perceives the shimmering colors of magical radiations in a path 10' wide and 60' long, in the direction they are facing. They can turn, scanning a 60-degree arc per round. A stone wall of 1' or more thickness, solid metal of 1" thickness, or a yard or more of solid wood blocks the spell. Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or strong local magical emanations may confuse or conceal weaker radiations. Note that this spell does not reveal the presence of good or evil, or reveal alignment. Other-planar creatures are not necessarily magical.
  • The rough type (holy, arcane, primal, demonic, etc).
  • The intensity of the magic can be determined (dim, faint, moderate, strong, overwhelming)
  • 20% + 10% chance per level to recognize the school of the magic.
  • 20% + 10% chance per level to determine the sphere of the magic.

Identify

• (Divination)
• Range: Touch
• Duration: 1 round / level
• Area of Effect: 1 item / level
• Casting Time: 1 round, (optional) 1 hour purification
• Components: V, S, M
• Each round 1 item can be inspected (spread across one or many items) to gain an insight.
  • The caster must hold or wear each item as intended for use (e.g. sipping a potion, drawing a sword), placing themself at risk of a cursed item (with any normal saves or rolls to resist).
  • If the caster spends an uninterrupted hour purifying the items, removing stray influences that blur and corrupt their auras, insights are guaranteed. Without this, there is only a 10% per level (max 90%) chance of gaining an insight, and a 96-00 results in false information (DM rolls secretly).
• Insights include:
  • Enhancement bonus, and any special case bonuses (e.g. +1, +2 vs goblins).
  • A magical effect / trait / ability, including the corresponding command word or means of activation.
    • Any time an ability with limited uses or charges is identified, the number of them is also learned, and any special means of recharging (drinking blood, recharges in the light of dawn, etc).
  • A price or drawback to the item.
  • That an item is sentient or bestowed with alignment or purpose, and some degree of insight into its nature.
  • Duplicating the effect of Read Magic, revealing the spell on a scroll.
• If an item has multiple abilities or traits, it takes multiple insights to learn them all.
  • After each insight, the mage can sense if undiscovered qualities remain and their rough type (e.g. item has charges, or has an enhancement bonus, would be sensed only if the item does have charges or an enhancement bonus).
• When the spell ends, the caster loses 8 Constitution, regaining 1 point per hour of resting. If the caster drops below 1 Constitution, they fall unconscious and regain 1 point per 3 hours, not awakening until fully recovered (24 hours later).
• The material components are an owl feather steeped in wine, drunk prior to the casting. For each insight sought, a pearl worth at least 100 gp must be sacrificed (the caster needn't query as many times as their level permits).
  • Simply casting the spell grants a sense of what undiscovered qualities there might be, so the spell could be allowed to end there, without consuming any pearls.
• Notes
  • Some powerful items, such as artifacts and relics, may limit or defeat the capabilities of the spell (reducing % chance of insight, revealing only minor abilities, or remaining entirely inscrutable).
  • Apparatuses and architectural enchantments might also be suitable for identification. The caster can study one and determine if so, and what manipulations would be needed to "use the item as intended".

Magic Missile

• (Evocation)
• Range: 60 ft + 10 ft/ caster level
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Area of Effect: 1+ creatures in a 10 × 10 ft area
• Components: V,S
• Casting Time: 1 segment
• Saving Throw: None
• When this spell is cast, missiles of magical energy dart forth from the caster’s fingertips, striking unerringly at his or her intended target(s), even if the target(s) are in melee or are partially concealed. The missiles inflict 1d4+1 points of damage each. For every two caster levels beyond first, the caster gains an additional missile; thus, a first-level magic user can cast one missile, a third-level caster may cast 2, a fifth-level caster may cast 3, and so on.

Read Magic

• (Divination, Reversable)
• Range: caster
• Components: V, S, M
• Duration: 2 minutes/level
• Casting Time: 1 minute
• Area of Effect: Special
• Saving Throw: None

• By means of a read magic spell, the wizard is able to read magical inscriptions on objects--books, scrolls, weapons, and the like--that would otherwise be totally unintelligible. (The personal books of the wizard, and works already magically read, are intelligible.) This deciphering does not normally invoke the magic contained in the writing, although it may do so in the case of a cursed scroll. Furthermore, once the spell is cast and the wizard has read the magical inscription, he is thereafter able to read that particular writing without recourse to the use of the read magic spell. The wizard must have a clear crystal or mineral prism, which is not expended, to cast the spell.
  • Magical writing that is part of an arcane enchantment, but isn't a spell, can be interpreted as a kind of brief statement of purpose; e.g. a warding glyph might be read as "I scorch the one who touches me".
• The reverse of the spell allows the magic user to make magical writings indecipherable for the spell’s duration, and is cast upon the writing rather than upon the caster themself.

Sleep

(Enchantment, Charm)

• Range: 30 ft + 10 ft/ level
• Duration: 5 rounds/ level
• Area of Effect: See below
• Components: V,S,M
• Casting Time: 1 segment
• Saving Throw: None
• This spell affects a circular area with a 15 ft radius. A number of creatures within this radius (determined by their HD) fall into a deep magical slumber with no saving throw allowed. Magically sleeping creatures may be killed or tied up at a rate of one per round by a single person, or can be attacked at twice the normal rate with an automatic hit for maximum damage, if the attacker chooses not to kill or bind them. A sleeping creature requires a full round to waken and must be shaken or slapped to bring it to consciousness; mere noise, however loud, will not disturb the enchanted slumber of a sleep spell’s victim. The number of enemies affected by the spell is a function of their hit dice. If there are creatures of different hit dice in the area, the weaker ones will be affected first. Creatures with hit dice over 4+4 are not affected by the spell.
  • HD 1 or less: 4d4
  • HD 1+ to 2: 2d4
  • HD 2+ to 3: 1d4
  • HD 3+ to 4: 1d2
  • HD 4+1 to 4+4: 0 or 1 (d2-1)

Level 2

Rope Trick

• (Transmutation)
• Range: Touch
• Duration: 2 turns / level
• Area of Effect: One piece of rope
• Components: V,S,M
• Casting Time: 2 segments
• This spell enchants a rope (5' to 30' long) to become a portal into an extra-dimensional pocket of unreality. The rope rises into the air and hangs suspended by its connection to the extra-dimensional hideaway. Up to 6 Medium creatures can hide in the space (only 5, if the rope is pulled up and into the space as well). At the spell’s expiration, any inhabitants or contents of the space fall into normal reality. True reality is visible through the portal as if through a 3' x 5' window, but the inside and outside worlds cannot affected each other across the boundary. The material components of this spell are powdered corn extract and a twisted loop of parchment.
  • Warning: creating or taking extradimensional spaces into other extradimensional spaces is hazardous.

Level 3

Gust of Wind

(Transmutation)

• Range: 0
• Duration: 1 round
• Area of Effect: a path 10' wide x 30' / level long
• Components: V,S,M
• Casting Time: 3 segments
• Hand outstretched in the final somatic gesture of this spell, the magic user summons forth a powerful blast of air (~30 mph).
  • Unprotected flames smaller than a campfire are extinguished. Larger flames flare back 1d6 ft. Even shielded flames have a 5% chance per caster level of being extinguished.
  • The wind is strong enough to hurl a small flying creature backwards by 1d6 × 30 ft, and will hold medium-sized creatures back from moving against it. Large or bigger flying creatures are slowed by 50%.
  • Blows over light objects, disperses most vapors, and forces back levitating or gaseous creatures.