AD&D 2nd Edition

Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent until broken
Casting Time: Special +1
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Special

This spell forces the creature’s life force (and its material body) into a special prison gem enchanted by the spellcaster. The creature must be seen by the caster when the final word is uttered. The spell can be triggered in one of two ways. First, the final word of the spell can be spoken when the creature is within spell range. This allows magic resistance (if any) and a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect. If the creature’s real name is spoken as well, any magic resistance is ignored and the saving throw vs. spell suffers a penalty of -2. If the saving throw is successful, the prison gem shatters. The second method is far more insidious, for it tricks the victim into accepting a trigger object inscribed with the final spell word, automatically placing the creature’s soul in the trap. To use this method, both the creature’s true name and the trigger word must be inscribed on the trigger item when the gem is enchanted. A sympathy spell can also be placed on the trigger item. As soon as the subject creature picks up or accepts the trigger item, its life force is automatically transferred to the gem, without the benefit of magic resistance or saving throw. The gem prison will hold the trapped entity indefinitely, or until the gem is broken and the life force is released, allowing the material body to reform. If the trapped creature is a powerful creature from another plane (which could mean a character trapped by an inhabitant of another plane when the character is not on the Prime Material Plane), it can be required to perform a service immediately upon being freed. Otherwise, the creature can go free once the gem imprisoning it is broken. Before the actual casting of the trap the soul spell, the wizard must prepare the prison, a gem of at least 1,000 gp value for every Hit Die or level of experience possessed by the creature to be trapped (for example, it required a gem of 10,000 gp value to trap a 10 Hit Die or 10th level creature). If the gem is not valuable enough, it shatters when the entrapment is attempted. (Note that while characters have no concept of level as such, the value of the gem needed to trap an individual can be researched. Remember that this value can change over time as characters advance.) Creating the prison gem requires an enchant an item spell and the placement of a maze spell into the gem, thereby forming the prison to contain the life force.