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The Dragon's Bestiary from DRAGON(R) issue #162
A weaver of spells and disaster
(C)1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
by Ed O'Connell
<Spell Weaver>
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: [Any]
FREQUENCY: [Very rare]
ORGANIZATION: [Solitary]
ACTIVITY CYCLE: [Any]
DIET: [Herbivore]
INTELLIGENCE: [Genius (17-18)]
TREASURE TYPE: [Magical items (see text)]
ALIGNMENT: [Neutral]
NO. APPEARING: [1 (2-5 if on raid)]
ARMOR CLASS: [2]
MOVEMENT: [12]
HIT DICE: [10]
THACO: [11]
NO. OF ATTACKS: [Variable (spells)]
DAMAGE/ATTACK: [As per wizard spells]
SPECIAL ATTACKS: [Surprise bonus when] invisible[ep]
SPECIAL DEFENSES: [Immune to effects of pain and to psionic
and fear-based attacks; planar impenetrability; innate spell
powers] (detect magic [and] detect invisibility);
invisibility [at will]
MAGIC RESISTANCE: [50%]
SIZE: [M (5' tall)]
MORALE: [Champion (16)]
XP VALUE: [10,000]
Spell weavers are nonhuman spell-casters of great power,
originating from an alternate Prime Material plane. Only vaguely
humanoid in appearance, they have a combination of mammalian,
reptilian, and insectoid features. Aloof and inscrutable, spell
weavers are generally regarded as intelligent, if bizarre.
Although the race usually expresses little interest in humanity,
a history of destructive encounters has earned them mankind's
fearful respect.
Spell weavers are totally silent, using telepathy (10-mile
radius) to communicate among themselves. Humans find that
telepathic communication with spell weavers is extremely
difficult and even dangerous, resulting in temporary insanity for
any individual who attempts [ESP] or telepathic rapport and fails
a save vs. spells (wisdom bonuses apply; insanity lasts 1d6 days,
with effects as per the mage spell, [confusion]). Spell weavers
have left written messages for humans, but such messages are
often cryptic and confusing. Infrequent alliances with humans in
order to acquire magical devices have been reported, however.
Spell weavers possess a keen interest in magical items and
phenomena of all kinds. A group will organize to steal a unique
magical device in a commando-like raid of hellish ferocity,
[invisibly] bypassing outer guards to appear near the item
itself. The group will destroy or incapacitate the guards, then
seize the item and escape. Spell weavers automatically [detect
magic] and [detect invisibility] in a 100' radius. Each can
[plane shift] once per day, shifting only from its home plane to
an alternate one or back again (the latter usually at the end of
a raid).
Spell weavers are solitary creatures, though it is possible
to meet more than one if they are on a raid. They reproduce
through a magical fissioning process that results in two
identical spell weavers of half the size and strength of the
original. It would appear they have no control over this process,
as they have been known to fission even during crisis situations
(1% chance per meeting of this occurring; process takes 5-10
rounds, during which time the individual makes no attacks). A
spell weaver is immune to fear, including all magical fear-based
attacks, though they will retreat if common sense so dictates.
Their peculiar decentralized nervous systems render them
resistant to pain and to all psionic attacks.
All spell weaver activities appear to be confined to the
Prime Material planes. Each spell weaver can create a region of
planar impenetrability around itself (200' radius) once per day
for 10 rounds. All scrying attempts and planar travel into, out
of, or through this area, whether by spell, artifact, psionics,
or intrinsic ability, results in failure. This ability requires
no expenditure of energy on the part of the spell weaver,
although this effect will not be activated in a round in which
the spell weaver has been surprised. The activation of this
planar shield takes a full round of concentration during which
the spell weaver cannot cast any spells.
Each spell weaver possesses a fixed assortment of spells that
it casts solely through the use of complex arm and hand gestures,
using no verbal or material components; the casting time for such
spells is the same as for humans. Some of these spells are
previously unknown to humanity, but usually they are mage spells
of up to the 6th level (cast at the 12th level of ability). The
segmented brain of a spell weaver supports magical multitasking,
allowing it to cast multiple spells simultaneously. To cast a
spell, a spell weaver uses as many arms as the spell has levels;
thus a single creature could cast a fourth-level spell using four
arms, while simultaneously casting a second-level spell with its
other two arms. Spell weavers use this ability whenever they face
multiple attackers. A spell weaver may cast two or more identical
spells simultaneously (two [fireballs], for example).
A spell weaver has a number of "spell points" (one point for
each spell level, a first-level spell being equal to one, a
second-level spell equal to two, etc.) equal to its hit points.
It can use each spell in its arsenal any number of times within
the limits of its spell-point total. Thus, a spell weaver with 43
hp can cast a number of spells each day adding up to 43 spell
points. Spells are selected at the time of casting.
Spell weavers have the unsettling habit of lying dormant and
[invisible] for months in various areas of magical interest
(magical temples, castles, portals, dungeons, etc.), becoming
active only if detected. When encountered in this fashion, they
are generally murderous and implacable. They always carry magical
items (1-2 per creature); one item is always of the conventional
sort (random roll for type, none cursed), and the additional item
(if any) is a unique device that humans call the [chromatic
disk], described later. Any magical item may be employed at the
same time a spell weaver casts any spells, devoting one or two
arms (as necessary) to the effort.
A [chromatic disk] is a 6"-diameter disc of an
unknown, indestructible substance; it glows with a bright light
that slowly shifts through the visible spectrum, becoming red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet in a matter of
seconds. The disk is a vessel of magical power that spell weavers
can tap, thus increasing their effective spell-point total by a
total of 10 points. Each disk releases magical energy as it is
used, allowing the spell weaver to cast more of its spells. The
disk is consumed in the process, evaporating as its energy is
exhausted. A spell weaver may employ a disk in combat, devoting
one arm to holding the disk.
All recorded human attempts at employing [chromatic disks]
have resulted in explosive disaster (10d4 hp explosion in a 30'
radius; material items must save vs. crushing blow). It is
rumored that spell weavers use arcane means of their own to
create such disks by drawing the magic out of enchanted items
(such as swords, wands, or scrolls) that they have captured. This
process permanently destroys the magical properties of the
objects so used.
Spell weavers make their lairs in a bewildering variety of
locations, including underground, outdoors within giant mutated
trees, on magical floating platforms disguised as clouds, etc.
All spell-weaver lairs contain 1-8 unusual pillars, being
10'-tall stone or wood columns covered with magical runes that
are indecipherable to humans. Stolen magical items are sometimes
(10%) found atop a pylon. While prolonged study of the runes on a
column can be mentally damaging (save vs. petrification once per
round or be [confused] for d10 rounds), incidental viewing
produces only mild headaches. Touching the runes may have
unpredictable magical effects (at the DM's whimsy).
The accompanying tables may be used to generate a spell
weaver's bank of usable spells. A 1d4 roll is made on the Spell
Weaver's Spells table for each being; then the particular spells
each spell weaver has are generated using the Spell Selection
Tables. A spell weaver can cast only these spells and no others.
Feel free to augment the lists and manipulate the results in
order to produce an interesting spell weaver.
Spell Weaver's Spells
<1d4 -- Spell selection>
1 -- 2 offensive, 2 defensive, 1 utility (maximum spell level
5) --
2 -- 3 offensive, 3 defensive, 2 utility (maximum spell level
6) --
3 -- 4 offensive, 4 defensive, 3 utility (maximum spell level
6) --
4 -- 4 offensive, 4 defensive, 4 utility (maximum spell level
6) --
Spell Selection Table:
Offensive Spells
<1d20 -- Spell (level)>
1-2 -- [Magic missile] (1) --
3 -- [Web] (2) --
4 -- [Ray of enfeeblement] (2) --
5 -- [Fireball] (3) --
6 -- [Hold person] (3) --
7 -- [Lightning bolt] (3) --
8 -- [Slow] (3) --
9 -- [Confusion] (4) --
10 -- [Evard's black tentacles] (4) --
11 -- [Fear] (4) --
12 -- [Ice storm] (4) --
13 -- [Cloudkill] (5) --
14 -- [Cone of cold] (5) --
15 -- [Conjure elemental] (5) --
16 -- [Chain lightning] (6) --
17 -- [Death spell] (6) --
18 -- [Disintegrate] (6) --
19 -- [Stone to flesh] (6) --
20 -- Unique spell (DM's creation) (1-6) --
Spell Selection Table:
Defensive Spells
<1d20 -- Spell (level)>
1 -- [Armor] (1) --
2 -- [Feather fall] (1) --
3 -- [Shield] (1) --
4-6 -- [Invisibility] (2) --
7 -- [Wizard lock] (2) --
8-12 -- [Dispel magic] (3) --
13 -- [Protection from normal missiles] (3) --
14 -- [Fire shield] (4) --
15 -- [Polymorph self] (4) --
16 -- [Stoneskin] (4) --
17 -- [Wall of fire] (4) --
18 -- [Anti-magic shell] (6) --
19 -- [Globe of invulnerability] (6) --
20 -- Unique spell (DM's creation) (1-6) --
Spell Selection Table:
Utility Spells
<1d20 -- Spell (level)>
1 -- [Darkness, 15' radius] (2) --
2-3 -- [Levitate] (2) --
4 -- [Clairvoyance] (3) --
5 -- [Fly] (3) --
6 -- [Dimension door] (4) --
7 -- [Wizard eye] (4) --
8-10 -- [Passwall] (5) --
11-15 -- [Teleport] (5) --
16 -- [Wall of iron] (5) --
17-18 -- [Contingency] (6) --
19 -- [Invisible stalker] (6) --
20 -- Unique spell (DM's creation) (1-6) --
END FILE