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Arcane Lore from DRAGON(R) issue #166
More pages from the Arch-Mages
by Scott Waterhouse
(C)1990 TSR, Inc.
The battle raged across the plain beneath Astra's hill as
legions of hollow-eyed corpses clashed and locked in battle with
the human and elven armies of Sestar. The crashes and crescendos
of shattering magicks mingled with the screams of dying mortals.
A clap of thunder rang out above the tumultuous cries of the
battle as the Arch-Mage hurled another fiery spell at the walking
dead, then another thunderclap roared--from elsewhere in the
battle--and a lull in activity fell for a moment, the concussions
stunning even the skeletal contingents. The melee quickly resumed
with renewed fury, only to be interrupted again as two figures
sprang into existence--one of light, the other dark--rising above
the armies, dwarfing them. An angelic creature, nearly 50' high
and garbed in blinding white, and a gaunt, grotesque monstrosity,
twice as tall and robed in light-stifling darkness, took to the
field and swiftly wielded their coruscating magicks. The armies
at their feet, both living and dead, staggered back to give them
room. "The Arcane Contention," whispered the old wizard in awe,
his words lost in the fury of the ultimate magical engagement.
The following three magical works were created by powerful
mages for use by the same. As a result, there are several points
that the Dungeon Master should consider before these spell books
are placed as treasure in a campaign.
The value of these books is, perhaps, only exceeded by the
potential power they will give to PCs. Many of the spells in
these books are of high level, and the DM should carefully
consider the effect of allowing characters to get their hands on
these spells [before] they obtain the books. It is perfectly
acceptable to omit one or more of the spells that are supposed to
be in a book if deemed best for the campaign.
It should be obvious that many characters will want to get
these books, as demonstrated by the history of the tomes. But it
is quite possible that a PC's problems will only begin when he
acquires such a book, for any use of a unique spell will attract
attention--perhaps much more than the spell-caster bargained for.
Power is never free.
As the spells detailed herein are unique, not all details on
their effects may be available to the characters, even within the
books in which such spells are found. There is no need for the DM
to reveal everything about a spell to the players. Let them find
out themselves--the hard way, if necessary. That is where the fun
lies.
Finally, the history of each volume may be adjusted to fit
the nations, personalities, and circumstances of a DM's
particular campaign world with little difficulty. Otherwise, the
lands and personages referred to are assumed to lie outside the
usual campaign area.
Two previous books of this sort appeared in DRAGON(R) issue
#139, in "Bazaar of the Bizarre."
<Manor's Manual of Sight>
<Appearance>: This book has no cover or spine, but
consists rather of several plates of silver tied together with a
cord woven from gold thread. Each sheet of silver is about 1 1/2'
long and 1' wide. The front and back sheets are blank and are
much thicker than the middle sheets. There are no distinguishing
symbols or markings on either cover.
<History and description: [Manor's Manual of
Sight] has an ancient but relatively well-known history,
traceable from many centuries back. The exact origin of the book
is not precisely known, however, and it is acknowledged that
either Manor "the Blind" or his apprentice, the elven lord
Beltrin, could have fashioned the book. Manor is certainly the
most likely author, for the theme of the work--vision--is in
keeping with his personal interests. Manor was born blind, his
eyes completely black in color, but he surmounted the odds and
survived to become a powerful mage. Manor is probably most famous
for his highly efficacious [crystal balls], in addition to the
large number of spells he researched and perfected.
If Manor truly did lay down the spells in the [Manual of
Sight], he must have willed the book to Beltrin before his
disappearance, for Beltrin is known to have wielded the [mind
vision] spell during the attack on the Crystal Palace, in order
to avoid the treachery of the priest Patoun. Upon his own death,
Beltrin willed the book to the elven college of arcane arts in
the Twilight Forest, bequeathing this and other powerful tomes to
the university in hopes that other elves would not need to leave
their homeland, as he did, to learn magic.
Shortly thereafter, the [Manual of Sight] was stolen
from the elves in an arrogant and brilliant act of thievery by
the talented master thief Tribur, evidently so that he could gain
profit from its sale to the dark elves of the Low Empire. It
remained in the Silent School of the drow for over 300 years,
during which time the dark elves evidently benefited from its
presence in their continued wars with the other members of the
Underdark, as demonstrated by their brilliant tactical victories
in the battles of Umphelyon and Dark Reach Caverns, both of which
were fought in total darkness.
After that, the [Manual of Sight] was stolen from the
Silent School by the dark elf defectors Rathe and his brother
Sallas (the latter named "the Seething" by his brethren) and
taken along with several other magical tomes of great value to
the surface realms of Shalom. Sallas retained possession of the
book for several decades until he traded it back to the elves of
the Twilight Forest in return for protection from reprisals from
the Silent School. The Twilight elves maintained possession of
the tome for several decades until they again relinquished the
book, willingly this time, as they granted it to Iminthrese, the
mage ruler of the free city of Blue Bay, in return for his gift
of several lost elven tomes. The book was thought to have been
lost in the fantastic and fatal magical duel Iminthrese waged
decades later with a lich of unknown identity. Although the book
was believed to have been destroyed in the fire that consumed the
majority of Iminthrese's library, recently several of the Winter
Wizards have appeared in strange locations, inexplicably avoided
all manner of traps, and have made off with several valuable
treasures, causing the wizard Needram to speculate that the
mysterious Winter Wizards have gained possession of the [Manual
of Sight].
The notes of the scholars of the Twilight elves, in addition
to those of Iminthrese, provide full details about the magic
found within the book. The script of the book is clean and
flowing, perhaps showing that Beltrin wrote the book, not Manor,
whose writing was somewhat stiff and difficult to read even after
he gained his magical form of sight. The spells contained in the
book are all in standard form, and each takes up one silver
sheet. They are as follows: [clairvoyance, darksense] (unique
spell), [infravision, Manor's mindsight] (unique spell), [Manor's
mind vision] (unique spell), and [magic mirror]. The three unique
spells in the [Manual of Sight] are detailed as follows.
<Darksense >(Alteration)
Level: 3 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: 120' -- CT: 4 --
Duration: 1 hr./lvl. -- ST: None --
AE: Creature touched
When a mage evokes the power of a [darksense] spell,
he begins to transmit and receive high-pitched sounds, as many
bats do. From the transmission and reception of these sounds, the
caster is able to gain a clear "picture" of the physical area
that surrounds him. Colors are not perceived, nor are variations
in heat levels or distinctions between light and dark. Thus, some
actions such as the reading of scrolls are not possible while the
caster is under the influence of a [darksense] spell. The caster
is unable to detect any visual illusions, colored gases, clouds
of dust or mist, [mirror images], insubstantial beings such as
certain undead, etc. Any spell of [silence] will nullify this
spell.
The caster does not need to use any other sensory organs
besides his mouth and ears (thus he cannot be gagged or have
plugged ears if he is to use this spell); indeed, the caster may
even be blind, though he must close his eyes if he is not. No
concentration is required to maintain the spell, but the caster
may end the spell at any time before it expires. For the duration
of the [darksense] spell, the mage will suffer no penalties for
being in darkness or light. One drawback to this spell is that
any creature that is gaseous or insubstantial in nature will be
able to attack the caster as if he were blind, gaining a +4 to
hit.
The material components of the spell are two bats' ears and a
small silver tuning fork, which must be rung audibly upon
completion of the spell's casting. Neither component is consumed
by casting the spell. {[Compare this spell with the druid's
spell] bat sense, [from "Arcane Lore," DRAGON issue #132.}].
<Manor's Mindsight >(Alteration)
Level: 5 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: Special -- CT: 6 --
Duration: 1 turn/lvl. -- ST: None --
AE: Creature touched
By means of this spell, a wizard gains the ability to "see"
everything within a range of 20' plus 10' per two levels of
the caster, regardless of intervening objects of any sort. No
actual sensory organs are needed for the spell to function, and
thus the mage may be blindfolded or in a completely dark room
while using the [mindsight] spell. Furthermore, everything
within the radius of the spell is perceived simultaneously; hence
there is no need for the mage to look up or down to "see" objects
above or below him. [Mindsight] does not light a darkened
area, though, so the mage would still perceive a dark room as a
dark room, not a lighted one. The mage may overcome this obstacle
by using the [mindsight] spell in conjunction with a
[darksense, infravision], or [ultravision] (as per
[Unearthed Arcana]) spell.
When using [Manor's mindsight], a mage may not
perceive illusions or phantasms for what they really are (unless
his intelligence would normally allow him to distinguish between
the illusion and reality), nor may he distinguish between magical
objects and nonmagical items, or make distinctions of alignment.
Similarly, the mage cannot see traps, tricks, pits, magical
symbols, or other invisible or magically concealed items or
objects, unless he would be able to detect such items normally.
(For example, if an 15th-level mage with an intelligence of 17
has a 95% chance to detect an invisible being, as decreed by the
1st Edition [DMG] (page 60), he would be have the same
chance to see invisible beings up to 90' away, regardless of
barriers, with the [mindsight] spell.) A mage may also
surmount the problem by casting spells such as [detect
invisible, detect evil, detect magic], etc. previous to the
actual casting of [mindsight]. These spells may be used
with [mindsight] even if the radius of such spells are not
equal to the radius of the [mindsight] spell.
The mage may maintain the [mindsight] spell without
concentration, and may move, cast spells, and engage in other
activities while [mindsight] is in effect. If the mage
wishes to view anything through the spell, however, he must
concentrate and is then unable to move, cast spells, or engage in
any strenuous activities. If the mage is attacked while
concentrating on the [mindsight], the spell is not ruined
and the caster may resume viewing after combat is resolved. The
material component of the spell is the preserved eye of a blink
dog, which is reusable.
<Manor's Mind Vision> (Alteration/Divination)
Level: 7 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: Special -- CT: 8 --
Duration: 3 rds./lvl. -- ST: None --
AE: Creature touched
[Manor's mind vision] is essentially a more powerful
version of [Manor's mindsight]. It is subject to the same
restrictions and bonuses, in terms of movement, combat, and
concentration, as the [mindsight] spell, and has the same
range (20' plus 10' per two levels of the caster). The
[mind vision] spell also allows the caster to view all
objects within the radius of the spell simultaneously, as the
[mindsight] spell does. However, while using the [mind
vision] spell, the mage may also view unlit areas as if they
were brightly light. Furthermore, any illusions viewed will be
apparent as such, and the true form of any item or object viewed
can be easily determined. In addition, all invisible objects and
creatures may be seen, and all [polymorphed] objects and
creatures are seen as they truly are, with a hazy image
superimposed showing their [polymorphed] form.
Any magical item viewed with a [mind vision] spell is
recognized as such, as if the mage were seeing it while using a
[detect magic] spell. Pits, traps, secret and concealed
doors, [symbols], magical traps, and so on are seen for
what they are. Furthermore, the mage correctly perceives the
alignment of any creature viewed by the aura it projects (barring
the use of psionic disciplines). Finally, the mage may opt to
forgo the ability to view dark areas as if they were lit, and may
instead view them with either infravision or ultravision, though
once a particular type of vision is chosen it may not be changed
for the duration of the spell.
The mage does not need any functioning sensory organs for
this spell to work, and he may in fact be blind, blindfolded, or
even without eyes. The caster of the spell may view all objects
within a line of sight that he would normally perceive, under
existing light conditions and with his normal vision through the
[mind vision], while casting other spells or engaging in
combat. If he wishes to view more distant areas or areas on the
other side of solid barriers, concentration must be maintained.
The material component of the spell is two eyes of a being
originating on a plane other than the Prime Material plane,
immersed in a potion of [ESP] and a potion of [gaseous
form]. The components of the spell are consumed upon the
completion of the spell.
<Tymessul's Enchiridion of Travel>
<Appearance>: This "tome" actually consists of five
waxen papyrus scrolls, each tied shut with a ribbon of red silk.
Each ribbon has a small black symbol woven into it, in the form
of Tymessul's rune. Each scroll is quite long, nearly 10', and
each bears, at the top in silvery ink, the name of the work (the
[Enchiridion of Travel]) and the number of the scroll (one
through five). The five scrolls are held in a light-green box of
oiled wood, with a simple yet devious lock on the front. The box
is unremarkable except for the fact that it has survived for
nearly 350 years without apparent ill effects from age. The box
has a jade rune set in the top--Tymessul's symbol when he was
alive.
<History and description>: The rune of Tymessul
"the Wanderer" on the box and each of the ribbons makes the
origin of the work obvious to scholars of Shalomnese history. The
enchiridion's origins are further substantiated in this respect
by the fact that the work is written in the delicate spidery
glyphs of a tongue used on the upper outer planes, for the
Wanderer was the only resident of Tikkun Shalom to know this
language at that time. The Wanderer did acknowledge a secondary
source: Acheulea, an Arch-Mage from the para-elemental plane of
Magma, who was a long-time associate of Tymessul and often
accompanied Tymessul on his voyages to the outer planes.
Previous to his disappearance, Tymessul was renowned for his
prolonged trips to the outer planes, for his founding of the
alliance of Green Mages, and for the spells he had researched and
perfected (some of which are written in the [Enchiridion]).
Indeed, his castle, whose magical defenses remain unbreached
to this day, is rumored to contain numerous powerful magical
items and artifacts from the outer planes which he collected
during the decades of his voyaging, and must also contain several
previously unknown spells. Furthermore, although the exact date
of origin of the work is unknown, it is evident that the Wanderer
completed the scrolls at a time very near his disappearance, for
the scrolls contain many powerful spells, none of which he is
known to have used.
After Tymessul's official disappearance (which may have
occurred at a much earlier date, but only became apparent when he
failed to turn up for a meeting of the Green Mages), the
enchiridion was examined by his colleagues, the Green Mages. The
group is largely a neutral one, dedicated to the preservation of
the natural order on the Prime Material plane, and the use of the
combined magicks of mages and druids toward this end.
Accordingly, the group worked closely with the Sorrow Sea druids
in the southern part of Shalom, where the Green Mages are also
located. It was in the joint library that the two groups maintain
that the [Enchiridion of Travel] ended up, as did the rest
of Tymessul's works, when his disappearance was acknowledged.
This work apparently remained in that library until it was
loaned to the secretive monks of Saint Shastri, who wished to
examine the documents for clues that might help them in their
private battle against the demon Nuckalavee; this almost 350
years after Tymessul disappeared. While the monks were examining
the first two scrolls and consulting with Ghulam, a Hierophant of
the Cabal allied with the Sorrow Sea Druids, a ball of bright red
light, 2' in diameter, appeared in the room, scooped up the
scrolls and the box, and disappeared with them. The Green Mages
quickly instituted a magical search for the scrolls, which failed
to turn up anything. Ghulam later speculated that it was Acheulea
who abruptly took the scrolls to help his friend, but this theory
must remain purely speculation, for neither Tymessul or Acheulea
have been heard from in the intervening decade.
Fortunately, the contents of the work are well documented by
several of the members of the Green Mages who had occasion to
study the scrolls during the time they were in their library. The
notes of the Green Mages clearly show that the scrolls contained
in the work were of the type that Tymessul favored. The scrolls
also contain most of his major researches, to which he devoted
much time in order that he could continue the love of his life:
traveling to ever more exotic locations. From their notes then,
it is apparent that the first two scrolls were filled entirely
with text on the methods of traveling to the outer planes and
with various warnings and pieces of advice for planar travelers.
The next two scrolls contain numerous spells used for traveling
of all sorts, including all of the following, in standard form
and written in Common: [astral spell, blink, dimension door,
fly, gate, levitate, mount, succor, teleport, teleport without
error], and [Tymessul's cerulean traverse] (unique
spell). The final scroll of the collection contains the spells
that Tymessul found particularly useful during his travels, all
of which are written in Common but are otherwise in standard
form: [airy water, anti-magic shell, fireball, Leomund's
secure shelter, sink], and [Tymessul's planar pacifier]
(unique spell, apparently a gift from Acheulea).
The two unique spells described in the [Enchiridion of
Travel] are as follows:
<Tymessul's Cerulean Traverse> (Alteration/Enchantment)
Level: 9 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: Touch -- CT: 3 rounds --
Duration: 1 day/lvl. -- ST: None --
AE: The caster plus special
When a mage invokes this powerful enchantment, he enables
himself and a limited number of companions to journey through
space and across planar boundaries. The caster may affect one
companion for every six levels he possesses, in addition to
himself (all fractions rounded down). For example, a 23rd-level
mage could cast the spell upon himself and three companions.
Each recipient of the spell must hold hands with the caster
for the entire time that the spell is being cast, or be a part of
a circle that includes the recipients and the caster. Any
interruption of the circle will ruin the spell. Once the dweomer
is cast, the individuals affected by the spell may separate,
though the recipients must rejoin in a circle if they wish to
cross any planar boundaries. Although there is no saving throw
against a [cerulean traverse], it will not work on an
unwilling or unconscious subject; if this is tried, the entire
spell will be ruined for all involved.
The prime function of the [traverse] is to allow the
mage and his companions to move to other planes, as if they had
passed through a small, personalized [gate]. Each planar
boundary that is crossed, through the power of the [traverse,
]must be crossed by all the subjects of the spell in unison.
Concentration must also be maintained for one round while the
planar boundary is crossed. Each planar boundary so crossed
reduces the duration of the spell by one day. Furthermore, while
under the influence of this spell, no person may cross a planar
boundary by any means other than the [traverse], including
[wish, gate], a [well of the worlds], or even
through the presence of an artifact.
This spell grants certain lesser powers that may be utilized
by the recipients, with no need to stay in a circle. These
actions include the ability to fly, as per the mage spell
[fly], and the ability to enter into gaseous form at will
(along with all equipment) and move thus at three times the
normal movement rate. A person in gaseous form is extremely hard
to damage, not being subject to most magical attack forms and
virtually all physical attacks, but may not cross a magic circle
or [anti-magic shell].
The use of this spell in no way guarantees the safety of its
users once they reach their destination, and will in no way
protect them from any damage they may take during their journey
or while they are on a foreign plane. The material components of
the spell are a circular platinum chain large enough for all who
are to be affected by the spell to grasp, which must cost a
minimum of 10,000 gp for each person the spell-caster wishes to
enchant, and at least 1,000 gp of powdered emerald for each
subject, to be sprinkled in a circle enclosing the subjects. The
chain is not consumed by the spell, but the powdered emerald is.
<Tymessul's Planar Pacifier> (Alteration/Evocation)
Level: 9 -- Components: V,M --
Range: Touch -- CT: 1 per object --
Duration: 1 wk./lvl. -- ST: none --
AE: 1 object per 6 levels of the caster
The casting of a [planar pacifier] by a mage enables
some types of magical items to operate normally while being used
on a foreign plane. The magical items a [planar pacifier]
may affect include only those items that have "pluses"
--e.g., swords, shields, armor, [rings] and [cloaks
of protection] (but not [bracers of defense, luckstones],
and so on. The protection extends across one planar boundary
for every three levels of the mage casting the spell. While the
objects so enchanted remain within this limit, they operate at
their normal strength. Thus, a [shield +4] taken to the
first layer of the Nine Hells is still +4 in strength. However,
once the object becomes farther removed than this from its plane
of origin, it will lose one "plus" for each additional plane it
crosses, over and above the limit imposed by the level of the
caster. Thus, if an 18th-level wizard were to protect a [sword
+4], the sword would remain +4 on the Astral plane and on the
first five layers of the Nine Hells; on the sixth layer, it would
be reduced to +3; on the seventh, +2; the eighth, +1; and if it
is taken to the ninth layer, it would lose all magical power for
as long as it remains there.
The spell-caster loses 1 hp for each item he protects with a
[planar pacifier], investing this hit point as a bit of
energy from the Prime Material plane which surrounds the object
and simulates Prime Material plane conditions for the object.
Furthermore, the mage may protect only half as many items as he
has constitution points (even if he casts the [pacifier]
multiple times). The mage may regain his lost hit points
simply by touching the enspelled items within one day of the end
of the dweomer. If the magic is dispelled or otherwise removed
from the item (e.g., by means of [Mordenkainen's disjunction]
or a [rod of cancellation]), the hit points are
permanently lost and may be regained only by means of a [wish].
The [pacifier] cannot be removed by [dispel magic],
though more powerful magicks may dispel it.
Magical items from other planes may be protected in a similar
manner, but only if the caster comes from the same plane as the
item to be protected, or is able to expend a [wish] to
enhance the [pacifier's] power (which will also make the
[pacifier] permanent). In any case, the spell will work
only if cast while on the item's plane of origin. The material
components of this spell are a drop of the caster's blood and
5,000 gp worth of powdered diamond for each item to be protected.
Both substances are consumed when the spell is cast.
<Mylsibis' Codex of Contention>
<Appearance>: The [Codex of Contention] is a
small magical volume, 6" long and 3" wide. Both covers and
the spine of the book are fashioned from burnished and oiled
shadow wood, which still possesses a dull gray shine despite the
book's antiquity. On the inside is a spine made of leather, glued
to the wooden spine, to which are sewn 28 pages of high quality
vellum. The corners of the covers are reinforced by silver corner
caps. Silver hinges attach the covers to the spine, and both
covers are joined together on the right side by a silver clasp
with a simple lock on it, which was broken the last time the book
was examined. The symbol of Mylsibis (a red rose) has been
scribed on the cover of the book with crimson lacquer.
<History and description>: The [Codex of
Contention] was first mentioned in history when the elven
sage Anfiel acknowledged its existence in his diary 82 years ago,
after visiting the mage Mylsibis. Anfiel died shortly thereafter
under mysterious circumstances. No other known record exists from
that time that describes the book. Mylsibis seems to have shown
it to no other, and none of her six apprentices ever mentioned
seeing the text. Two years later, following the death of her
friend Anfiel, Mylsibis journeyed north to fight a
lich--Atropos, master of the mages of the Black Circle, and
conjectured to be an avatar--who had reunited the forces of the
Circle after several hundred years of inactivity. Mylsibis was
convinced that Atropos was involved in the death of Anfiel, and
she vowed to avenge her friend's death and bring down the much
hated and feared Black Circle.
Mylsibis met the lich in a sorcerous battle, bested him in
the previously unheard-of [Arcane Contention], and
scattered the remains of the alliance of evil mages. She returned
to her tower in Wraith Vale to heal from her wounds, but was
surprised by the Shadowflight assassins of Urckene, hired by the
remnants of the Black Circle, and she fell under their poisonous
blades. The [Codex of Contention] vanished after her death
and was not among the works recorded by her apprentices as being
in her library.
Three decades later, the work was apparently seen by the bard
Vadour in the library of the oracle at Starfall, though the
sighting was never verified. Vadour returned to "liberate" the
book but could not find it. Twelve years after this, the book was
found among other treasures in the lair of the red dragon
Sthicyns, after the mighty worm was brought down by a dwarven war
party from the Emerald Mountains assembled for that purpose. The
dwarves apparently retained possession of the book for nearly a
century, until recently when the dwarven king gave the book to
the mysterious figure named the Mountain Mage (thought by some to
be a dwarf) in return for his services in fashioning a new
magical throne for the dwarf king. The Mountain Mage is believed
to still possess the book.
The court magist of the dwarf king renders a complete
description of the book, a copy of which was sent to the
Sestarian Imperial University. The magist claims that the book
set forth many great offensive incantations, seemingly all that
Mylsibis knew. The book also apparently contained a scrap of
papyrus upon which Mylsibis had hastily written down a new spell,
[balance], that she had just finished researching. The
other spells were all set down in standard form, one per page,
and included: [burning hands, Bigby's clenched fist, Bigby's
crushing hand, Bigby's forceful hand, Bigby's grasping hand,
Bigby's interposing hand, chain lightning, cone of cold,
cloudkill, crystalbrittle, delayed blast fireball, energy drain,
eyebite, feeblemind, fireball, ice storm, incendiary cloud,
lightning bolt, magic missile, Melf's acid arrow, Melf's minute
meteors, meteor swarm, Mylsibis' arcane contention] (unique
spell), [Otiluke's freezing sphere, power word blind, power
word stun, ray of enfeeblement], and [shocking
grasp].
The two unique spells found in Mylsibis' [Codex of
Contention] follow.
<Balance> (Enchantment)
Level: 1 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: Touch -- CT: 2 --
Duration: 2 rds./lvl. -- ST: none --
AE: 1 person
When a mage casts a [balance] spell, he enables a
person to balance on one or both feet in a precarious position
where that person would otherwise fall. Thus, the mage or a
companion may walk a tightrope, cross a narrow or unstable ledge,
or fight near the edge of a cliff with no fear of falling. Any
unhindered balancing action requiring a dexterity check will
automatically pass. This spell does not modify the recipient's
armor class, fighting, missile bonuses, or climbing bonuses,
though no penalties to these factors are taken from balancing. If
other factors are introduced, such as being pushed, injured, or
exposed to high winds, the recipient must make a dexterity check
on 1d20, with a 20 indicating failure (otherwise, the recipient
is assumed to simply move his body to recover from the force
exerted on him). The material component of the spell is the hoof
of a mountain goat, which is reusable.
<Mylsibis' Arcane Contention> (Enchantment, Evocation,
Illusion/Phantasm)
Level: 9 -- Components: V,S,M --
Range: 10'/level -- CT: special --
Duration: Special -- ST: Special --
AE: Special
When a mage or pair of mages unleashes the spell of
[arcane contention], they enter into a magical duel of
extreme efficacy and potentially catastrophic effects for the
participants. The [arcane contention] creates twin
phantasmal creatures of awesome size, controlled by the
participants, which vie magically and physically to determine a
victor. The spell has been used historically primarily as a means
for settling disputes between powerful mages, and as a device to
keep the devastating forces mages wield against each other
limited in effect to the mages involved. At the same time, the
[contention] will not significantly reduce the magical
arsenal of the victor, and is also useful in its capacity to
inspire awe or fear among any onlookers.
When the [contention] is initially entered, only one
mage needs to have memorized the spell of [contention],
although both participants may do so. If only one mage has
memorized the spell, or if but one of the dueling mages
undertakes to cast the spell, that mage must initially issue
challenge to his opponent. The challenging mage must then cast
the first part of the spell, including the challenge. A challenge
may be issued to any mage within the range of the normal vision
of the challenger (thus, items such as a [crystal ball] or
[eyes of the eagle] may not be employed), regardless of
intervening magical barriers or mundane obstacles that would
otherwise prevent the opponent from hearing the challenge. The
challenge may then be either accepted or denied by the
opponent.
If the challenge is accepted, the mage who is challenged to
the [contention] must cast at least 10 spell levels of
spells (e.g., one eighth-level spell and one second-level spell,
or five second-level spells), or respond by casting an [arcane
contention] spell himself. All of these spells are absorbed
to power the [contention], and none of their normal
effects manifest in any way whatsoever. Once the mage has
accepted the challenge, he must make all possible effort to cast
the spells as soon as possible; if he delays, he will find
himself [compelled] to cast the necessary levels of
spells. When the mage which has been challenged completes the
casting of the requisite spell levels, the [arcane contention]
proper is joined.
If the opponent desires to deny the challenge, he must make a
saving throw vs. spells to avoid being inadvertantly drawn into
the contention. If his saving throw is successful, he may ignore
the challenge, and the spell will be lost from the challenger's
mind. If he fails his saving throw, however, he is automatically
drawn into the [contention] and is compelled to cast the
necessary spell levels to power the [contention]. If two
mages simultaneously cast [Mylsibis' arcane contention],
or if one mage casts the [spell] in response to
another's challenge (instead of casting 10 levels of spells),
then no saving throw applies for either mage, and the
[contention] must be joined without further delay.
Once the [arcane contention] proper begins, both mages
become immobile and absolutely vulnerable. Thus, although the
honor of most creatures will prevent them from attacking the
vulnerable mage (much as they would not throw an axe at the back
of a dueling fighter), it is best for a mage to be in a friendly
territory when the [contention] begins or to have prepared
some form of magical defense. As the duel begins, each mage must
choose a monster type to represent him in the battle. Any monster
may be chosen, but it must be a monster that the mage has
observed before or has read or heard about in detail. The monster
cannot be one that the mage has only heard about in passing or
from legend. The monster does not need to be of the same
alignment as the mage, but it cannot be a unique being or
specific individual. Once both mages have selected their
"champion monster," an insubstantial phantasm (apparently "real"
to observers) of each monster forms, at 10 times the creature's
normal size (which affects apparent size, number of hit dice, and
other applicable factors by a factor of 10, except damage per
attack, which is but three times normal). Hit points are rolled
for the monsters, and 2 hp are added to each monster's total for
each level of the controlling mage.
Each champion monster that is created has several abilities
it may use during the [contention]. Primary among these is
the ability to cast spells as the mage controlling it can, with
the actual type and level of spells available to the champion
corresponding to those currently memorized by the mage
controlling it (material spell components are not needed, and the
monsters may not learn [Mylsibis' arcane contention]). The
magical monsters are in all other respects identical to the stock
from which they are envisioned, including aspects such as special
abilities, resistances, intelligence, immunities, and so on, and
hence may draw on these often considerable powers during the
combat. Fortunately, the magical monsters may only damage each
other, whether the damage is caused by weapons, natural weaponry,
or spells, and may only take damage from another phantasmal
monster created by an [arcane contention] spell.
The champion monsters proceed to do battle with each other,
under the direction of the controlling mages, who select which
type of attack the monsters will make and the spells they will
cast. All movements, to-hit rolls, damage rolls, saving throws,
etc., are made exactly as they would be for a normal battle.
During the battle, each mage must maintain his concentration, or
control of his monster will be lost during the interruption. If
"uncontrolled," a monster may only attack physically (i.e., it
cannot employ spells unless the mage maintains
concentration).
Each monster may not attempt to end the battle prematurely by
using spells or physical movement to leave, and may not willingly
move out of sight of the opponent or either of the controlling
mages. The battle is concluded when one monster dies as a result
of damage accrued from the other monster.
The efficacy of the monsters is not totally predetermined by
the conditions mentioned, and each mage may affect the condition
or effectiveness of his phantasm in one of several ways, though
at considerable loss to himself in many cases. The hit-point
total of the monsters may be increased by channeling hit points
from the controlling mage to the phantasm, at a direct one-to-one
ratio, for hit points gained per hit points lost. Also, the
damage caused by spells or other attacks cast by the phantasms
may be increased in strength if the mage is willing to suffer a
loss of ability-score points. The mage may use all of his ability
scores for this purpose; every point so sacrificed increases the
damage of the attack by 1 hp. Lost ability-score points are
regained at the rate of one every two rounds for each ability
below normal. This loss of ability points is only illusory, but
no score may be reduced below zero; if any score is still at zero
at the end of the battle, the mage will die.
Additionally, the mages involved may also influence the
monsters by expending charges from any magical items they
possess. Each charge so used may increase the monster's hit-point
total by 1 hp, or increase the amount of damage done in an attack
by 1 hp. Any healing that the mage receives during the
[contention] may optionally be applied to his champion,
with the exception of a [heal] spell. Magical healing so
received by the monster becomes ineffective once more than twice
the monster's original number of hit points has been received in
total.
For example: A mage with 56 hp wishes to increase the
hit-point total of his monster (which currently has 200 hp) by 40
hp. The mage's new total will be 16 hp, and the monster's new
total will be 240. The mage also has a strength of 16 and a
constitution of 17. If the champion monster is directed to cast a
[fireball] spell that would normally do 67 hp damage, the
mage may opt to reduce both his strength and constitution scores
by 10 to 6 and 7, respectively, and have the monster cause 87 hp
damage to its opponent (saving throw applicable). Much later, the
monster is severely wounded and has but 42 hp remaining. The mage
drinks a potion of [extra-healing] and opts to use half of
the 20 hp he gains to heal himself, bringing his total up to 26
hp, and the monster's hit-point total up to 52.
When the battle is concluded, both phantasms vanish, and the
mage whose champion has lost the battle (i.e., is the first
monster to die) takes damage equal to one-tenth of the total
number of hit points in damage his champion suffered (no saving
throw), and loses from memory all the spells his champion cast
during the battle. The victor of the [arcane contention]
loses one-twentieth of the total hit-point damage his
champion suffered, but does not lose any spells from his memory
(besides [Mylsibis' arcane contention], of course). The
victor also gains experience points equal to half the
experience-point value of the vanquished mage. Additionally, all
enemies of the victor under 2 HD who viewed the battle must make
morale checks or suffer from the effects of [fear] spell,
and all those of 2-4 HD must make saving throws vs. spells or
suffer from the effects of a [scare] spell. All those
friendly to the victor gain a bonus of +1 on their next morale
check; this may be applied during a BATTLESYSTEM(TM) supplement
or D&D Companion Set "War Machine" battle.>
END FILE