AD&D 2nd Edition

Everything I have for Second Edition

Tag Archives: Reversible


Protection From Evil

When this spell is cast, it creates a magical barrier around the recipient at a distance of 1 foot. The barrier moves with the recipient and has 3 major effects:

First, all attacks made by evil (or evilly enchanted) creatures against the protected creature suffer -2 penalties to attack rolls; any saving throws caused by such attacks are made with +2 bonuses.

Second, any attempt to possess (as by a magic jar attack) or to exercise mental control over (as by a vampire’s charm ability) the protected creature is blocked by this spell. Note that the protection does not prevent a vampire’s charm itself, but it does prevent the exercise of mental control throughout the barrier. Likewise, a possessing life force is merely kept out. It would not be expelled if in place before the protection is cast.

Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by creatures of an extraplanar or conjured nature (such as aerial servants, elementals, imps, invisible stalkers, salamanders, water weirds, xorn, and others). This causes the natural (body) weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil, if such attacks require touching the protected being. Animals or monsters summoned or conjured by spells or similar magic are likewise hedged from the character.

This protection ends if the protected character makes a melee attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. To complete this spell, the wizard must trace a 3 foot diameter circle on the floor (or ground) with powdered silver. This spell can be reversed to become protection from good; the second and third benefits remain unchanged. The material component for the reverse is a circle of powdered iron.

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.

Comprehend Languages

When this spell is cast, the wizard is able to understand the spoken words of a creature or read an otherwise incomprehensible written message (such as writing in another language). In either case the wizard must touch the creature or the writing. Note that the ability to read does not necessarily impart understanding of the material, nor does the spell enable the caster to speak or write an unknown language. Written material can be read at the rate of one page or equivalent per round. Magical writing cannot be read, other than to know it is magical, but the spell if often useful when deciphering treasure maps. This spell can be foiled by certain warding magic (the 3rd level secret page and illusionary script spells), and it does not reveal messages concealed in otherwise normal text. The material components of this spell are a pinch of soot and a few grains of salt. The reverse of this spell, confuse languages, cancels a comprehend languages spell or renders a writing or a creature’s speech incomprehensible, for the same duration as above.