AD&D 2nd Edition

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Category Archives: 3rd Level


Glyph of Warding

Sphere: Guardian
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent until discharged
Casting Time: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special

A glyph of warding is a powerful inscription magically drawn to prevent unauthorized or hostile creatures from passing, entering, or opening. It can be used to guard a small bridge, to ward an entry, or as a trap on a chest or box.

The priest must set the conditions of the ward; typically any creature violating the warded area without speaking the name of the glyph is subject to the magic it stores. A successful saving throw vs. spell enables the creature to escape the effects of the glyph. Glyphs can be set according to physical characteristics such as creature type, size, and weight. Glyphs can also be set with respect to good or evil, or to pass those of the caster’s religion. They cannot be set according to class, Hit Dice, or level. Multiple glyphs cannot be cast on the same area; although if a cabinet had theee drawers, each could be separately warded.

When the spell is cast, the priest weaves a tracery of faintly glowing lines around the warding sigil. For every five square feet of area to be protected, one round is required to trace the warding lines of the glyph. The caster can affect an area equal to a square the sides of which are the same as his level, in feet. The glyph can be placed to conform to any shape up to the limitations of the caster’s total square footage. Thus a 6th-level caster could place a glyph on a 6′ x 6′ square, shape it into a rectangle 4′ x 9′, a band 2′ by 18′, or a single strip 1′ by 36′. When the spell is completed, the glyph and tracery become invisible.

The priest traces the glyph with incense, which, if the area exceeds 50 square feet, must be sprinkled with powdered diamond (at least 2,000 gp worth).

Typical glyphs shock for 1d4 points of electrical damage per level of the spellcaster, explode for a like amount of fire damage, paralyze, blind, deafen, and so forth. The DM may allow any harmful priest spell effect to be used as a glyph, provided the caster is of sufficient level to cast the spell. Successful saving throws either reduce effects by one-half or negate them, according to the glyph employed. Glyphs cannot be affected or bypassed by such means as physical or magical probing, though they can be dispelled by magic and foiled by high-level thieves using their find-and-remove-traps skill.

The DM may decide that the exact glyphs available to a priest depend on his religion, and he might make new glyphs available according to the magical research rules.

Flame Walk

Sphere: Elemental (Fire)
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 round +1/level
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Creature(s) touched
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell, the caster empowers one or more creatures to withstand nonmagical fires of temperatures up to 2,000° F. (enabling them to walk upon molten lava). It also confers a +2 bonus to saving throws against magical fire and reduces damage from such fires by one-half, even if the saving throw is failed. For every experience level above the minimum required to cast the spell (5th), the priest can affect an additional creature. This spell is not cumulative with resist fire spells or similar protections.

The material components of the spell are the priest’s holy symbol and at least 500 gp of powdered ruby per affected creature.

Feign Death

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Touch
Components: V
Duration: 1 turn +1 round/level
Casting Time: 1/2
Area of Effect: Person touched
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell, the caster or any other willing person can be put into a cataleptic state that is impossible to distinguish from actual death. Although the person affected can smell, hear, and know what is going on, no feeling or sight of any sort is possible; thus, any wounding or mistreatment of the body is not felt, no reaction occurs, and damage is only one-half normal. In addition, paralysis, poison, or energy level drain does not affect a person under the influence of this spell, but poison injected or otherwise introduced into the body becomes effective when the spell recipient is no longer under the influence of this spell, although a saving throw is permitted. However, the spell offers no protection from causes of certain death- being crushed under a landslide, etc. Only a willing individual can be affected by a feign death spell. The priest is able to end the spell effect at any time, but it requires a full round for bodily functions to begin again.

Note that, unlike the wizard version of this spell, only people can be affected, and that those of any level can be affected by the priest casting this spell.

Dispel Magic

Sphere: Protection
Range: 60 yards
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 30-foot cube or 1 item
Saving Throw: None

When a priest casts this spell, it has a chance to neutralize or negate the magic it comes in contact with as follows:

First, it has a chance to remove spells and spell-like effects (including device effects and innate abilities) from creatures or objects. Second, it may disrupt the casting or use of these in the area of effect at the instant the dispel is cast. Third, it may destroy magical potions (which are treated as 12th level for purposes of this spell).

Each effect or potion in the spell’s area is checked to determine if it is dispelled. The caster can always dispel his own magic; otherwise the chance depends on the difference in level between the magical effect and the caster. The base chance of successfully dispelling is 11 or higher on 1d20. If the caster is higher level than the creator of the effect to be dispelled, the difference is subtracted from this base number needed. If the caster is lower level, then the difference is added to the base. A die roll of 20 always succeeds and a die roll of 1 always fails. Thus, if a caster is 10 levels higher than the magic he is trying to dispel, only a roll of 1 prevents the effect from being dispelled.

A dispel magic can affect only a specially enchanted item (such as a magical scroll, ring, wand, rod, staff, miscellaneous item, weapon, shield, or armor) if it is cast directly upon the item. This renders the item nonoperational for 1d4 rounds. An item possessed or carried by a creature has the creature’s saving throw against this effect; otherwise it is automatically rendered non-operational. An interdimensional interface (such as a bag of holding) rendered nonoperational is temporarily closed. Note that an item’s physical properties are unchanged: a nonoperational magical sword is still a sword.

Artifacts and relics are not subject to this spell, but some of their spell-like effects may be, at the DM’s option.

Summary of Dispel Effects
Source of Effect Resists As Result of Dispel
Caster None Dispel automatic
Other caster/innate ability    Level/HD of other caster    Effect negated
Wand 6th level Effect negated
Staff 8th level Effect negated
Potion 12th level Potion destroyed
Other magical item 12th unless special *
ArtiFact DM discretion DM discretion

* Effect negated; if cast directly on item, item becomes nonoperational for ld4 rounds.

Note that this spell, if successful, will release charmed and similarly beguiled creatures. Certain spells or effects cannot be dispelled; these are listed in the spell descriptions.

Cure Disease

(Abjuration) Reversible

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Creature touched
Saving Throw: None

This spell enables the caster to cure most diseases by placing his hand upon the diseased creature. The affliction rapidly disappears thereafter, making the cured creature whole and well in from one turn to 10 days, depending on the type of disease and the state of its advancement when the cure took place. (The DM must adjudicate these conditions.) The spell is also effective against parasitic monsters such as green slime, rot grubs, and others. When cast by a priest of at least 12th level, this spell cures lycanthropy if cast within three days of the infection. Note that the spell does not prevent reoccurrence of a disease if the recipient is again exposed.

The reverse of the cure disease spell is cause disease. To be effective, the priest must touch the intended victim, and the victim must fail a saving throw vs. spell. The severity of the disease is decided by the priest (debilitating or fatal). The exact details of the disease are decided by the DM, but the following are typical:

* Debilitating – The disease takes effect in 1d6 turns, after which the creature loses 1 point of Strength per hour until his Strength is reduced to 2 or less, at which time the recipient is weak and virtually helpless. If a creature has no Strength rating, it loses 10% of its hit points per Strength loss, down to 10% of its original hit points. If the disease also affects hit points, use the more severe penalty. Recovery requires a period of 1d3 weeks.

* Fatal – This wasting disease is effective immediately. Infected creatures receive no benefit from cure wound spells while the disease is in effect; wounds heal at only 10% of the natural rate. The disease proves fatal within 1d6 months and can be cured only by magical means. Each month the disease progresses, the creature loses 2 points of Charisma, permanently.

The inflicted disease can be cured by the cure disease spell. Lycanthropy cannot be caused.

Cure Blindness or Deafness

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Creature touched
Saving Throw: Special

By touching the creature afflicted, the priest employing the spell can permanently cure some forms of blindness or deafness. This spell does not restore or repair visual or auditory organs damaged by injury or disease.

Its reverse, cause blindness or deafness, requires a successful touch (successful attack roll) on the victim. If the victim rolls a successful saving throw, the effect is negated. If the saving throw is failed, a non-damaging magical blindness or deafness results.

A deafened creature suffers a -1 penalty to surprise rolls, a + 1 penalty to its initiative rolls, a 20% chance of spell failure for spells with verbal components, and can react only to what it can see or feel. A blinded creature suffers a -4 penalty to its attack rolls, a +4 penalty to its Armor Class, and a +2 penalty to its initiative rolls.

Create Food & Water

Sphere: Creation
Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 1 cubic foot/level
Saving Throw: None

When this spell is cast, the priest causes food and water to appear. The food thus created is highly nourishing if rather bland; each cubic foot of the material sustains three human-sized creatures or one horse-sized creature for a full day. The food decays and becomes inedible within 24 hours, although it can be restored for another 24 hours by casting a purify food and water spell upon it. The water created by this spell is the same as that created by the 1st-level priest spell create water. For each experience level the priest has attained, one cubic foot of food or water is created by the spell. A 2nd-level priest could create one cubic foot of food and one cubic foot of water.

Continual Light

Sphere: Sun
Range: 120 yards
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 60-foot-radius globe
Saving Throw: Special

This spell is similar to a light spell, except that it is as bright as full daylight and lasts until negated by magical darkness or by a dispel magic spell. Creatures with penalties in bright light suffer them in this spell’s area of effect. As with the light spell, this can be cast into air, onto an object, or at a creature. In the third case, the continual light affects the space about one foot behind a creature that successfully rolls its saving throw vs. spell (a failed saving throw means the continual light is centered on the creature and moves as it moves). Note that this spell also blinds a creature if it is successfully cast upon the creature’s visual organs. If the spell is cast on a small object that is then placed in a light-proof covering, the spell effects are blocked until the covering is removed.

Continual light brought into an area of magical darkness (or vice versa) cancels the darkness so that the otherwise prevailing light conditions exist in the overlapping areas of effect. A direct casting of a continual light spell against a similar or weaker magical darkness cancels both.

This spell eventually consumes the material it is cast upon, but the process takes far longer than the time in a typical campaign. Extremely hard and expensive materials might last hundreds or even thousands of years.

The reverse spell, continual darkness, causes complete absence of light (pitch blackness), similar to the darkness spell but of greater duration and area.

Call Lightning

Sphere: Weather
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 360-foot radius
Saving Throw: 1/2

When a call lightning spell is cast, there must be a storm of some sort in the area – a rain shower, clouds and wind, hot and cloudy conditions, or even a tornado (including a whirlwind formed by a djinn or air elemental of 7 H1t Dice or more). The caster is then able to call down bolts of lightning. The caster can call down one bolt per turn. The caster need not call a bolt of lightning immediately – other actions, even spellcasting, can be performed; however, the caster must remain stationary and concentrate for a full round each time a bolt is called. The spell has a duration of one turn per caster level. Each bolt causes 2d8 points of electrical damage, plus an additional 1d8 points for each of the caster’s experience levels. Thus, a 4th-level caster calls down a 6d8 bolt (2d8 + 4d8).

The bolt of lightning flashes down in a vertical stroke at whatever distance the spellcaster decides, up to 360 yards away. Any creature within a 10-foot radius of the path or the point where the lightning strikes suffers full damage unless a successful saving throw vs. spell is rolled, in which case only one-half damage is taken.

Because it requires a storm overhead, this spell can only be used outdoors. It does not function under ground or under water.

Animate Dead

Sphere: Necromantic
Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Pet manent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

This spell creates the lowest of the undead monsters, skeletons or zombies, usually from the bones or bodies of dead humans, demihumans, or humanoids. The spell causes these remains to become animated and obey the simple verbal commands of the caster, regardless of how they communicated in life. The skeletons or zombies can follow the caster, remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific type of creature) entering the place, etc. The undead remain animated until they are destroyed in combat or are turned; the magic cannot be dispelled.

The priest can animate one skeleton or one zombie for each experience level he has attained. If creatures with more than 1+ Hit Dice are animated, the number is determined by the monster Hit Dice. Skeletal forms have the Hit Dice of the original creature, while zombie forms have 1 more Hit Die. Thus, a 12th-level priest could animate 12 dwarven skeletons (or six zombies), four zombie gnolls, or a single zombie fire giant. Note that this is based on the standard racial Hit Die norm; thus, a high-level adventurer would be animated as a skeleton or zombie of 1 or 2 Hit Dice, and without special class or racial abilities. The caster can, alternatively, animate two small animal skeletons (1-1 Hit Die or less) for every level of experience he has achieved.

The spell requires a drop of blood, a piece of flesh of the type of creature being animated, and a pinch of bone powder or a bone shard to complete the spell. Casting this spell is not a good act, and only evil priests use it frequently.