Second Edition Spells
Hello everyone, and welcome to From the Workshop, where each and every week we give you some new little tidbit of rules crunch (and, on a good day, some juicy fluff, too). Today’s dark offering comes in the form of some spells from AD&D that didn’t quite make it.
“Why AD&D,” you ask? Well, mostly because I’ve recently rekindled my torrid love affair with Baldur’s Gate. But also because I happen to really like AD&D, or at least what little I’ve seen of it. I’m aware that at least one of these spells has been updated to third edition rules, in a kind of out-of-the-way Faerun book. Others may have been updated as well, but none of these can be found in Pathfinder. Oh, and some of the names had to be changed to protect the innocent, but I’m sure you know which spells belong to Larloch and his friends.
Chromatic Sphere
School: Evocation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
Target: One creature
Duration: See text;
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell creates a 4-inch diameter sphere that launches forth from the caster’s fingers and flies unerringly to its target. The effect the orb has on the target depends heavily on the power of the caster. Each effect is instead of, rather than in addition to, the effects that come before it. At 1st level, the sphere does 1d4 damage and sickens the target for 1 round. At 3rd level, the caster can instead choose to have the sphere deal 2d4 damage and blind the target for 1 round. At 5th level, the caster can instead choose to have the sphere deal 3d4 damage and leave the target fatigued for 1 minute. At 7th level, the caster can instead choose to have the sphere deal 4d4 damage and leave the target stunned for 1 round. Finally, at 9th level, the caster can choose to have the spell instead deal 5d4 damage and leave the target paralyzed for 1 round.
Friends
School: Enchantment Level: Bard 1, Cleric 1, Paladin 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: Concentration up to 1 minute/level (D)
This spell grants the caster a competence bonus on diplomacy checks. This bonus is equal to 5+ 1 per level, up to +15 at 10th level.
Mage’s Minor Drain
School: Necromancy Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: Short (25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels)
Target: One living creature
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell drains a small amount of life force from the target, dealing 1d4 points of negative energy to it and healing the caster the same amount. Any healing in excess of the caster’s maximum hit points is lost.
Mage’s Scorcher
School: Evocation [fire] Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: V, S
Range: 60 ft
Area: 60 ft line extending from the caster’s square
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Reflex half Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell inflicts 1d6 fire damage per caster level to each everything in its area. For each creature or object between a given target and the caster, however, that target gains a +2 bonus to its saving throw.
Vocalize
School: Transmutation Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Casting time: 1 standard action
Components: S
Range: Touch
Target: Creature Touched
Duration: 10 minutes (D)
Save: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes
The recipient of this spell is able to cast spells with verbal components as though they did not have them. For the duration of the spell, all spells cast by the target are affected as though by the silent spell metamagic feat, except that they do not take up a slot higher than they normally would, and their casting time is not increased, if the caster is a spontaneous caster. If the casting time of the spell is greater than the duration of vocalize, then once vocalize’s effect ends, the verbal component of the casting must resume or the spell will fail