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Pythagorean Spells

May 11th, 2015

Alex Riggs

Obscure Arcana Archive

When I think of Greeks and Romans and spellcasting, I immediately think of Circe turning Odysseus's men to swine (baleful polymorph), and the oracle of Delphi (and there's a whole class about that). After that, I start thinking about Greek gods running around and doing things, and realize that there's not really a whole lot of spellcasting going on in Greek mythology.

But it turns out, if you do a little digging around on Wikipedia for inspiration on this topic, you might just learn that apparently everyone's favorite geometrist, Pythagoras, was purported to have some magical powers. As a result, today's spells are all inspired by magic feats supposedly performed by Pythagoras.

MULTIPORT
School conjuration (teleportation); Level cleric 9, psychic 8, sorcerer/wizard 9
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S, F (a locket with a picture of yourself, worth at least 5,000 gp)
Range see text
Target you
Duration instantaneous and 1 hour/level; see text

You instantaneously transport yourself to multiple destinations at once. This functions as the spell teleport, except that the spell also copies you and all of your gear, similar to an astral projection spell, sending each version of you to a different location. The spell creates a total number of versions of you equal to 1 + 1 per 5 caster levels, including the "original you," which is completely indistinguishable from any other version of you created by this spell, even after the spell ends. Each version of you has its own hit points and acts independently, with your personality and all of your memories prior to the spell being cast, but no knowledge of or information about the activities undergone by the other versions of you.

After the instantaneous transport, each version of you lasts for 1 hour per caster level. Each version of you shares spells per day, as well as the charges on any items on your person (and expendable items, such as potions). If one version of you expends one of these resources, that resource is expended for all versions of you. Each version of you is incredibly unstable, and if two of them are within 1 mile of each other, they must both make a Will save, and the one with the lower result ceases to exist.

If one of the other versions of you dies, all other versions of you gain 1 temporary negative level. These negative levels stack if more than one version of you dies. At the end of the spell's duration, each remaining version of you makes a Will save. The version with the highest Will save remains, while all others fade into nothingness. You cannot cast this spell while currently affected by a previous version of it.

 

OMINOUS PREDICTION
School divination; Level bard 2, cleric 2, druid 2, inquisitor 2, medium 2, occultist 2, psychic 2, shaman 2, sorcerer/wizard 2, spiritualist 2, witch 2
Casting Time 1 minute
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration instantaneous

You gain insight into a single event of importance that will take place within the next week, which is described to you in a cryptic phrase of 25 words or less. The event is one that will be of social, historical, military, or other significance in the general area in which you cast the spell, and not necessarily one that will be of particular significance to you.

 

SPEAK WITH RIVERS
School divination; Level bard 6, cleric 7, druid 6, medium 4, occultist 6, psychic 7, shaman 6, witch 6
Casting Time 1 minute
Components V, S, F (a worn river stone)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 min./level

You gain the ability to speak with babbling brooks, raging rivers, and sonorous streams. You can communicate with any body of running water, which can relate to you information about the creatures and objects that have passed along its banks recently, the conditions in and immediately around the river upstream or downstream up to 10 miles, and anything else relating to the river itself. The river's perspective, perception, and knowledge may prevent it from providing the details you are looking for.