AD&D 2nd Edition

Everything I have for Second Edition

Tag Archives: Enchantment/Charm


Taunt

Range: 60 yds
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: 30 ft radius
Saving Throw: Neg.

A taunt spell enables the caster to jape and jeer effectively at a single type of creature with an intelligence of 2 or greater. The caster need not speak the language of the creatures. His words and sounds have real meaning for the subject creature or creatures, challenging, insulting, and generally irritating and angering the listeners. Those failing to save vs. spell rush forth in fury to do battle with the spellcaster. All affected creatures attack the spellcaster in melee if physically capable of doing so, seeking to use body or hand-held weapons rather than missile weapons or spells. Separation of the caster from the victim by an impenetrable or uncrossable boundary (a wall of fire, a deep chasm, a formation of set pikemen) causes the spell to break. If the caster taunts a mixed group, he must choose the type of creature to be affected. Creatures commanded by a strong leader (i.e., with a Charisma bonus, with higher Hit Dice, etc) might gain a saving throw bonus of +1 to +4, at the DM’s discretion. If used in conjunction with a ventriloquism spell, the creatures may attack the apparent source, depending upon their Intelligence, a leader’s presence, and so on.

Sleep

When a wizard casts a sleep spell, he causes a comatose slumber to come upon one or more creatures (other than undead and certain other creatures specifically excluded from the spell’s effects). All creatures to be affected by the sleep spell must be within 30 feet of each other. The number of creatures that can be affected is a function of Hit Dice or levels. The spell affects 2d4 Hit Dice of monsters. Monsters with 4 +3 Hit Dice (4 Hit Dice plus 3 hit points) or more are unaffected. The center of the area of effect is determined by the spellcaster. The creatures with the least Hit Dice are affected first, and partial effects are ignored. For example, a wizard casts sleep at three kobolds, two gnolls, and an ogre. The roll (2d4) result is 4. All the kobolds and one gnoll are affected (1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 + 2 = 3 1/2 Hit Dice). Note that the remainder is not enough to affect the last gnoll or the ogre. Slapping or wounding awakens affected creatures but normal noise does not. Awakening requires one entire round. Magically sleeping opponents can be attacked with substantial bonuses (see “Modifiers to the Attack Roll” in Chapter 9: Combat). The material component for this spell is a pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a live cricket.

Hypnotism

The gestures of the wizard, along with his droning incantation, cause 1d6 creatures within the area to become susceptible to a suggestion – a brief and reasonable-sounding request (see the 3rd-level wizard suggestion spell). The request must be given after the hypnotism spell is cast. Until that time, the success of the spell is unknown. Note that the subsequent suggestion is not a spell, but simply a vocalized urging (the caster must speak a language the creature understands for this spell to work). Creatures that successfully roll their saving throws are not under hypnotic influence. Those who are exceptionally wary or hostile save with +1 to +3 bonuses. If the spell is cast at an individual creature that meets the caster’s gaze, the saving throw is made with a penalty of -2. A creature that fails its saving throw does not remember that the caster enspelled it.

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.

Charm Person

This spell affects any single person it is cast upon. The term person includes any bipedal human, demihuman or humanoid of mansize or smaller, such as brownies, dryads, dwarves, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, half-elves, halflings, half-orcs, hobgoblins, humans, kobolds, lizard men, nixies, orcs, pixies, sprites, troglodytes, and others. Thus, a 10th level fighter could be charmed, but an ogre could not. The person receives a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect, with any adjustment due to Wisdom (see Table 5). If the person receives damage from the caster’s group on the same round the charm is cast, an additional bonus of -1 per hit point of damage received is added to the victim’s saving throw. If the spell recipient fails his saving throw, he regards the caster as a trusted friend and ally to be heeded and protected.

The spell does not enable the caster to control the charmed creature as if it were an automation, but any word or action of the caster is viewed in the most favorable way. Thus a charmed person would not obey a suicide command, but might believe the caster if assured that the only chance to save the caster’s life is for the person to hold back an onrushing red dragon for “just a minute or two.” Note also that the spell does not endow the caster with linguistic capabilities beyond those he normally possesses (i.e., he must speak the victim’s language to communicate his commands). The duration of the spell is a function of the charmed person’s intelligence and is tied to the saving throw. The spell may be broken if a successful saving throw is rolled, and this saving throw is checked on a periodic basis, according to the creature’s intelligence (see the following table).

If the caster harms, or attempts to harm, the charmed person by some overt action, or if a dispel magic spell is successfully cast upon the charmed person, the charm spell is broken. If 2 or more charm effects simultaneously affect a creature, the result is decided by the DM. This could range from one effect being clearly dominant, to the subject being torn by conflicting desires, to new saving throws that could negate both spells. Note that the subject has full memory of the events that took place while he was charmed.

Intelligence Score    Time Between Checks
3 or less 3 months
4-6 2 months
7-9 1 month
10-12 3 weeks
13-14 2 weeks
15-16 1 week
17 3 days
18 2 days
19 or more 1 day

Note: The period between checks is the time period during which the check occurs. When to roll the check during this time is determined (randomly or by selection) by the DM. The roll is made secretly.

Cantrip

Cantrips are minor spells studied by wizards during their apprenticeship, regardless of school. The cantrip spell is a practice method for the apprentice, teaching him how to tap minute amounts of magical energy. Once cast, the cantrip spell enables the caster to create minor magical effects for the duration of the spell. However, these effects are so minor that they have severe limitations. They are completely unable to cause a loss of hit points, cannot affect the concentration of another spellcaster, and can only create small, obviously magical materials. Furthermore, materials created by a cantrip are extremely fragile and cannot be used as tools of any sort. Lastly, a cantrip lacks the power to duplicate any other spell effects. Whatever manifestation the cantrip takes, it remains in effect only as long as the wizard concentrates. Wizards typically use cantrips to impress common folk, amuse children, and brighten dreary lives. Common tricks with cantrips include tinklings of ethereal music, brightening faded flowers, glowing balls that float of the caster’s hand, puffs of wind to flicker candles, spicing up aromas and flavors of bland food, and little whirlwinds to sweep dust under rugs. Combined with the unseen servant spell, it’s a tool to make housekeeping and entertaining simpler of the wizard.