Low-Level Spells

Low-Level Spells

Magic Messenger

Level: 1

Range: touch

Duration: 12 hours

Effect: 1 message

Created by the magician Ilya Mordinev of Karameikos during his apprentice days, this spell enchants a small bird or animal (pigeons are the favourite choice) with a single message, of no more than twenty words, spoken by the caster at the time of casting; the creature then carries that message to its recipient, who speaks a release word (encoded into the spell), causing the animal to repeat the recorded message. The spell confers no control over the messenger; the creature must be trained, or otherwise magically controlled, to go to the correct recipient. The release word must be agreed between the sender and recipient beforehand. Mordinev devised this spell to exchange messages with his lover in the nearby town, and it is still used for romantic purposes; however, the ability to send messages which cannot be fall into the wrong hands, even if the messenger is captured, have made it very popular during wartime.

A 2nd-level variant of the spell allows a return message to be recorded, even if the sender is not a mage; the restrictions above still apply.

Glimmering Gemstone

Level: 2

Range: touch

Duration: see below

Effect: 1 gemstone

This ancient Sindhi spell has been lost to the world since the city of Bal’enquah was buried in the sands 1100 years ago. With it, the caster may enchant a single gemstone of any type or value, causing it to glow gently with inner fire. On command, the wielder (who can be anyone, not just the caster) can cause it to glow with the brightness of a Light spell; this effect lasts for one hour, unless commanded to dim prematurely, and may be called upon twice per day. This function of the spell causes no damage to the stone itself.

The spell has an offensive function; with a different command (all commands are set by the caster when casting the spell, and may differ with each Gemstone, if desired), the Gemstone releases a Magic Missile-like bolt at a chosen target; the effect is identical to the 1st-level spell Magic Missile, except the Gembolt does not automatically hit. A single bolt may be released per round; each Gembolt reduces the intrinsic value of the Gemstone by 10gp. Once the value of the stone is reduced to 0gp or lower, it crumbles into worthless dust. Glimmering Gemstones may be mounted in rings, necklaces, diadems, sword hilts etc., and any number carried by a single person, but only one may be used offensively by the same individual during any round. The Light function can be triggered on any number of stones simultaneously, but using the Gembolt effect of a lit stone cancels that stone’s Light immediately.

Unless consumed or dispelled, a Glimmering Gemstone can potentially last forever (until the Week of No Magic, of course, when all existing stones were dispelled). Adventurers might come across such a stone in Sindhi ruins; a Lore spell could reveal the powers and command words of the stone, and perhaps set the Adventurers on a quest to find the spell which created it.

Shroud of Flesh

Level: 3

Range: touch

Duration: permanent

Effect: 1 person

This is an ancient Taymoran spell, discovered on a roll of papyrus in the crumbling tomb of a Necromancer-King 1700 years ago by Fahvarim’s then-master, the Sorceror Lemchak the Pale. The spell allows the caster to heal one person at the cost of another. The Shroud of Flesh spell requires a piece of skin, removed from a creature that still lived at the time, to be placed on or wrapped around the wounded area prior to casting; the spell fuses this skin to the recipient, healing a total of 1d8+4 hp in the process. The skin used must have been removed from the "donor" no longer than seven days before (causing a similar amount of damage). Any skin may be used - human, Elf, Dwarf, even animal or reptile - but, since the skin becomes part of the healed individual, mixing different types can cause some repulsive-looking results. The spell only heals exterior wounds; unlike the clerical Cure spells, it cannot affect internal injuries of any kind.

Although not strictly evil, use of this spell is certainly amoral, and therefore would be frowned upon in most civilised areas. If the DM decides the spell is more commonly known in her campaign, it is most likely to be practised by humanoid Wokani (alter the level of the spell if necessary), who use the living skin of prisoners, captured alive in battle, to heal their own warriors’ wounds. Perhaps the Adventurers are those self-same prisoners, awaiting that grisly fate...

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