I'm Magic and You're Glue
Welcome to Obscure Arcana, now in its new Wednesday slot. As always at the beginning of the new year, it’s time for reflection, but today’s spells are a reflection of a different sort. The following spells are designed to allow you to turn the target’s strengths into liabilities which you can exploit in order to defeat them. Enjoy.
BECOME BANE
School transmutation (polymorph); Level druid 6, sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 6
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, F (a cracked mirror)
Range personal; see text
Target you; see text
Duration 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates, see text; SR no
You transform yourself into an exact copy of another creature within 100 feet of yourself. That creature may make a Will save, and if the saving throw is successful, the spell fails, and you are not transformed. Otherwise, you transform into an exact duplicate of the creature, as though with the spell shapechange, except that you can only change shape once, rather than once per round, and you look exactly like the creature that you copied, and can easily pass for that creature, at least as long as you are not closely scrutinized. You gain a +40 bonus on Disguise checks made to appear as the copied creature.
The nature of the duplication is inherently combative, and as long as you are transformed in this way, you are plagued by a strong desire to slay the creature you copied, and vice versa. For the spell’s duration, as long as you are within 30 feet of the creature you copied, at the beginning of your turn you must succeed on a Will save (DC equal to become bane’s saving throw DC) or else be compelled to attempt to slay the creature. Similarly, for the spell’s duration, the creature you copied must succeed on a saving throw whenever it is within 30 feet of you, or else be compelled to attempt to kill you.
INVERT STRENGTH
School transmutation; Level antipaladin 3, bard 3, cleric 4, inquisitor 3, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round/3 levels or 1 round/level; see text
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; SR yes
This spell inverts the target’s physical might, transforming mighty warriors into puny wretches, and feeble old men into powerful combatants. For the spell’s duration, any Strength bonus that the target might possess is treated as a penalty, and any Strength penalty is treated as a bonus, instead (for example, a creature with a Strength score of 8 would have a total bonus of +1 on Strength checks, while a creature with a Strength score of 18 would have a total penalty of -4 on Strength checks). Regardless of what a creature’s Strength score is, they cannot suffer a Strength penalty of more than -5 as a result of this spell (so even a creature with a Strength score of 22 or higher would still only be treated as having a -5 penalty to Strength checks). This applies to all things dependent on the creature’s Strength score, including attack and damage rolls.
If the target’s Strength score is 16 or higher, then the spell’s duration is equal to 1 round per 3 caster levels you possess. Otherwise, the spell’s duration is equal to 1 round per caster level you possess.
KNIGHTBANE LIGHTNING
School evocation [electricity]; Level druid 3, magus 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a copper coin that has been struck by lightning)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Reflex half; SR none
A bolt of lightning flies from your fingertips and strikes the target unerringly. The bolt deals 2d6 points of electricity damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage for each point of armor or shield bonus to AC that the target currently possesses (for example, a creature wearing full plate and a heavy steel shield would take a total of 13d6 points of damage). You cannot inflict more dice of damage in this way than your caster level +5 (using the previous example, if your caster level was 6, you would inflict only 11d6 points of damage, instead of the full 13d6).