Sirana's Wall of Shadows
By Brad Hoot (unaowl@coqui.net) January, 1997

This spell brings forth a curtain of shadows, a wall of deepest night. The wall created is an opaque sheet of up to 1 20-foot square per level of the caster, or a ring with a radius of up to 10 feet + 5 feet per level of experience of the caster. In either form, the wall of shadows is 20 feet high. The wall of shadows must be cast to where it is vertical in relation to the caster. Also, the wall of shadows cannot move, and is unaffected by spells, psionics, blows, missiles, cold, heat, electricity, etc. Spells and breath weapons cannot pass through it in either direction, although dimension door, teleport, and similar effects can bypass the barrier. The wall of shadows can be destroyed by a rod of cancellation, or a sphere of annihilation. Since the wall of shadows is intrinsically connected to the plane of shadow, any being coming in contact with the wall immediately suffers several debilitating effects:

1. The being touching the wall loses one strength point per every tenth of a round of contact with the wall. The wall is insubstantial, since it's just shadows, so beings attempting to pass through can, but must suffer the consequences. It takes about 1 round to pass through the wall, and if someone strikes the wall, contact is assumed to be one tenth of a round. All other contacts are of durations determined by the DM. So, someone attempting to pass through the wall would lose ten points of strength (one round of contact). Anyone reduced zero or less strength by this is dead, and lost in the plane of shadows. Strength points lost in this method are regained at a rate of 1 per turn after last contact. Any turn during which a being comes in contact with the wall, they do not regain strength points.

2. Beings coming in contact with the wall have a chance equal to level of the spell caster rolled on 1d100 to be pulled into the plane of shadow, and therefore killed and lost forever. Therefore, if the caster was at 14th level, the being touching the wall would have a 14% (a 14 or less on 1d100) chance of being lost.

3. A being touching the wall of shadows suffers 1d10 points of cold damage, since in shadow, heat is absent, per one tenth of a round of contact. Durations of contact are the same as the above. Beings immune or resistant to cold receive only half damage, but do get this half, since the cold of the plane of shadows is unearthly strong. Beings killed by the cold are lost in the plane of shadows. Points of damage are healed normally. If the DM has any rules on frostbite or hypothermia, these can be used as well at the DM's discretion.

4. During the time a being is inside the wall, or at least their eyes are, they are, obviously, unable to see due to absence of light. This does not cause them to be blind after leaving the wall, though. Also, the plane of shadow's total lack of all energy causes sound, while inside or on the other side of the wall, to be harder to hear, about 50% softer.

5. Equipment is affected by the cold at the DM's discretion. (Potions and water might freeze, or metal things might crack from the sudden change in temperature)

Now, to sum all of these up, a being passing entirely through a wall created by a 15th wizard, would lose 10 points of strength, suffer 10d10 points of damage, be blind while in the wall, could quite concievably lose some equipment, and have a 15% chance of being pulled into the plane of shadows. Ouch!! Or, if someone were to strike this wall, they would lose a point of strength, suffer 1d10 points of damage, and have a 15% chance of being sucked into the plane of shadows. Missiles launched into the wall are lost to the shadow plane. Weapons striking the wall have a chance equal to double the caster's level (on a wall cast by a 15th level mage, there would be a 30% chance) of shattering due to the sudden change in temperature. Also, if melee weapons are let go of in the wall, they are lost. All spells, psionics, electricity, heat, and cold enter the wall, and are lost. Any items tossed into, or dropped while inside, the wall are lost as well. Natural animals instinctively feel the type of substance the wall is, and will try not to enter if at all possible. If an animal being ridden upon is forced to enter, the moment it feels the bite of the shadows, even the most well trained animal will buck and rear, and try it's all to get away. The caster of the spell can pass freely through the wall. If the wall is cast in a space occupied by a being, that being gets a saving throw vs. death to notice the darkening and decline in temperature and notice before the wall is fully intact. If the save is made, the being gets out of the way without any ill effects. If the save is failed, the wall appears anyway, with the being caught inside. At this point, assuming that the person will leave, the victim is in contact with the wall for one half of a round (five tenths) as it tries to get out. Beings that come from the plane of shadows, or are connected to it, i.e. shadow elementals ( if there are such things), shadow dragons, and shadows, are not affected in any way by the wall of shadows.

The material components for this spell is a black sapphire worth at least 5,000 gp, and a piece of deep black satin.