AD&D 2nd Edition

Everything I have for Second Edition

Category Archives: Arcane Magic


Hold Portal

This spell magically bars a door, gate, or valve of wood, metal, or stone. The magical closure holds the portal fast, just as if it were securely closed and locked. Any extraplanar creature (djinn, elemental, etc) with 4 or more Hit Dice can shatter the spell and burst open the portal. A wizard of 4 or more experience levels higher than the spellcaster can open the held portal at will. A knock spell or a successful dispel magic spell can negate the hold portal. Held portals can be broken or physically battered down.

Grease

A grease spell covers a material surface with a slippery layer of a fatty, greasy nature. Nay creature entering the area or caught in it when the spell is cast must save vs. spell or slip, skid, and fall. Those who successfully save can reach the nearest nongreased surface by the end of the round. Those who remain in the area are allowed a saving throw each round until they escape the area. The DM should adjust saving throws by circumstance; for example, a creature charging down an incline that is suddenly greased has little chance to avoid the effect, but its ability to exit the affected area is almost assured! The spell can also be used to create a greasy coating on an item-a rope, ladder rungs, weapon handle, etc. Material objects not in use are always affected by this spell, while creatures wielding or employing items receive a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect. If the initial saving throw is failed, the creature immediately drops the item. A saving throw must be made each round the creature attempts to use the creased item. The caster can end the effect with a single utterance; otherwise, it lasts for three rounds plus one round per level. The material component of the spell is a bit of pork rind or butter.

Gaze Reflection

The gaze reflection spell creates a shimmering, mirrorlike area of air before the wizard that moves with the caster. Any gaze attack, such as that of a basilisk, eyes of charming, a vampire’s gaze, the 6th-level eyebite spell, and so on, is reflected back upon the gazer if the gazer tries to make eye contact with the spellcaster (the spellcaster suffers no effects from the gaze attack). Such creatures receive a saving throw vs. their own gaze effect. The spell does not affect vision or lighting and is not effective against creatures whose effect comes from being gazed upon (such as a medusa). Only active gaze attacks are blocked by this spell.

Friends

A friends spell causes the wizard to temporarily gain 2d4 points of Charisma. Intelligent creatures within the area of effect at the time the spell is cast must make immediate reaction checks based on the character’s new Charisma. Those with favorable reactions tend to be very impressed with the spellcaster and make an effort to be his friends and help him, as appropriate to the situation. Officious bureaucrats might decide to become helpful; surly gate guards might wax informative; attacking orcs might spare the caster’s life, taking him captive instead. When the spell wears off, the creatures realize that they have been influenced, and their reactions are determined by the DM. The components for this spell are chalk (or white flour), lamp-black (or soot), and vermilion applied to the face before casting the spell.

Find Familiar

This spell enables the caster to attempt to summon a familiar to act as his aide and companion. Familiars are typically small creature, such as cats, frogs, ferrets, crows, hawks, snakes, owls, ravens, toads, weasels, or even mice. A creature acting as a familiar can benefit a wizard, conveying its sensory powers to its master, conversing with him, and serving as a guard/scout/spy as well. A wizard can have only one familiar at a time, however, and he has no control over what sort of creature answers the summoning, if any at all come. The creature is always more intelligent than others of its type (typically by 2 or 3 intelligence points), and its bond with the wizard confers upon it an exceptionally long life. The wizard receives the heightened senses of his familiar, which grants the wizard a +1 bonus to all surprise die rolls. Normal familiars have 2-4 hit points plus 1 hit point per caster level, and an Armor Class of 7 (due to size, speed, etc).

The wizard has an empathic link with the familiar and can issue it mental commands at a distance of up to 1 mile. Note that empathic responses from the familiar are generally fairly basic – while able to communicate simple thoughts, theses are often overwhelmed by instinctual responses. Thus, a ferret familiar spying on a band of orcs in the woods might lose its train of thought upon sighting a mouse. Certainly its communications to its master would be tinged with fear of the “big ones” it was spying on! The caster cannot see through the familiar’s eyes.

If separated from the caster, the familiar loses 1 hit point each day, and dies if reduced to 0 hit points. When the familiar is in physical contact with its wizard, it gains the wizard’s saving throws against special attacks. If a special attack would normally cause damage, the familiar suffers no damage if the saving throw is successful and half damage if the saving throw is failed. If the familiar dies, the wizard must successfully roll an immediate system shock check or die. Even if he survives this check, the wizard loses 1 point from his Constitution when the familiar dies.

The power of the conjuration is such that it can be attempted but once per year. When the wizard decides to find a familiar, he must load a brass brazier with charcoal. When this is burning well, he adds 1,000 gp worth of incense and herbs. The spell incantation is then begun and must be continued until the familiar comes or the casting time is finished. The DM secretly determines all results. Note that most familiars are not inherently magical, nor does a dispel magic spell send them away. Deliberate mistreatment, failure to feed and care for the familiar, or continuous unreasonable demands have adverse effects on the familiar’s relationship with its master. Purposely arranging the death of one’s own familiar incurs great disfavor from certain powerful entities, with dire results.

D20 Roll
Familiar*
Sensory Powers
1-5 Cat, black Excellent night vision & superior hearing
6-7 Crow Excellent vision
8-9 Hawk Very superior distance vision
10-11 Owl Night vision equals human daylight vision, superior hearing
12-13 Toad Wide-angle vision
14-15 Weasel Superior hearing & very superior olfactory power
16-20 No familiar available within spell range
*The DM can substitute other small animals suitable to the area.

Feather Fall

When this spell is cast, the creature(s) or object(s) affected immediately assumes the mass of a piece of down. The rate of falling is instantly changed to a mere 2 feet per second (120 feet per round), and no damage is incurred upon landing while the spell is in effect. However, when the spell duration ceases, a normal rate of fall occurs. The spell can be cast upon the wizard or some other creature or object up to the maximum range and lasts for one round for each level of the wizard. The feather fall affects one or more objects or creatures in a 10 foot cube, as long as the maximum weight of the creatures or objects does not exceed a combined total of 200 pounds plus 200 pounds per level of the spellcaster. For example, a 2nd-level wizard has a range of 20 yards, a duration of 2 rounds, and a weight limit of 600 pounds when casting this spell. The spell works only upon free-falling, flying, or propelled objects (such as missiles). It does not affect a sword blow or a charging creature. Note that the spell can be effectively combined with a gust of wind and similar spells.

Erase

The erase spell removes writing of either magical or mundane nature from a scroll or from one to two pages of paper, parchment, or similar surfaces. It removes explosive runes, glyphs of warding, sepia snake sigils, and wizard marks, but it does not remove illusionary script or symbols (see those spells). Nonmagical writings are automatically erased if the caster is touching them; otherwise, the chance for success is 90%. Magical writings must be touched, and are only 30% likely to be erased, plus 5% per caster level, to a maximum of 90% (for example, 35% for a 1st-level caster, 40% for a 2nd level caster, etc.)

Enlarge

This spell causes instant growth of a creature or object, increasing both size and weight. It can be cast only upon a single creature (or a symbiotic or community entity) or upon a single object that does not exceed 10 cubic feet in volume per caster level. The object or creature must be seen to be affected. It grows by up to 10% per level of experience of the wizard, increasing this amount in height, width, and weight. All equipment worn or carried by a creature is enlarged by the spell. Unwilling victims are entitled to a saving throw vs. spell. A successful saving throw means the spell fails. If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature or object attains the maximum possible size, bursting weak enclosures in the process, but it is constrained without harm by stronger materials – the spell cannot be used to crush a creature by growth.

Magical properties are not increased by this spell – a huge sword +1 is still only +1, a staff-sized wand is still only capable of its normal functions, a giant-sized potion merely requires a greater fluid intake to make its magical effects operate, etc. Weight, mass, and strength are affected, though. Thus, a table blocking a door would be heavier and more effective, a hurled stone would have more mass (and cause more damage), chains would be more massive, doors thicker, a thin line turned to a sizable, longer rope, and so on. A creature’s hit points, Armor Class, and attack rolls do not change, but damage rolls increase proportionately with size. For example, a fighter at 160% normal size hits with his long sword and rolls a 6 for damage. The adjusted damage roll is 10 (that is, 6 x 1.6=9.6, rounded up). Bonuses due to Strength, class, and magic are not altered.

The reverse spell, reduce, negates the enlarge spell or makes creatures or objects smaller. The creature or object loses 10% of its original size for every level of the caster, to a minimum of 10% of the original size. Thereafter, the size shrinks by 1 foot increments to less than 1 foot, by 1 inch increments to 1 inch, and by 1/10 inch increments to a minimum of 1/10 of an inch-the recipient cannot dwindle away to nothingness. For example, a 16 foot tall giant reduced by a 15th level wizard (15 steps) would be reduced to 1.6 feet (in nine steps), then to 6/10 of a foot or 7.2 inches (in one step), and finally to 2.2 inches (in the last five steps). A shrinking object may damage weaker materials affixed to it, but an object will shrink only as long as the object itself is not damaged. Unwilling creatures are allowed a saving throw vs. spell. The material component of the spell is a pinch of powdered iron.

Detect Undead

This spell enables the caster to detect all undead creatures out to the limit of the spell. The area of the effect extends in a path 10 feet wide and 60 feet long (plus 10 feet longer per level of the wizard), in the direction the caster is facing. Scanning a direction requires one round, and the caster must be motionless. While the spell indicates direction, it does not give specific location or distance. It detects undead through walls and obstacles but is blocked by 1 foot of solid stone, 1 yard of wood or loose earth, or a thin coating of metal. The spell does not indicate the type of undead detected, only that undead are present. The material component of this spell is a bit of earth from a grave.

Detect Magic

When the detect magic spell is cast, the wizard detects magical radiation in a path 10 feet wide and up to 60 feet long, in the direction he is facing. The intensity of the magic can be determined (dim, faint, moderate, strong, overwhelming), and the wizard has a 10% change per level to recognize if a certain type of magic (alteration, conjuration, etc.) is present. The caster can turn, scanning a 60 degree arc per round. A stone wall of 1 foot or more thickness, solid metal of 1 inch thickness, or a yard or more of solid wood blocks the spell. Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or string local magical emanations may confuse or conceal weaker radiation. Note that this spell does not reveal the presence of good or evil, or reveal alignment. Otherplanar creatures are not necessarily magical.