The Sorcerer's Spells
Hello everyone. I recently watched Disney’s new movie “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and thought that some of the stuff in there would make for a fun addition to the D&D family of spells and magic items. So, whether you’re about to roll up a prime merlinian or just want some nifty tricks for your run-of-the-mill wizard, these are for you.
Spells
Mirror Trap
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target reflective surface touched
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance none
At the completion of this spell, the reflective surface begins to shimmer and ripple as it transforms into a portal to the demiplane of mirrors. If the target surface is larger than one 5-foot square per caster level, only part of the surface is transformed in this way, centered on the point touched.
Once the portal is opened, any creature who comes into physical contact with it must succeed on a Will save (always DC 20) or be pulled into the demiplane against his will. On the demiplane of mirrors, the creature will find himself in a place that looks nearly identical to where he left, except reversed, as though viewed in a mirror.
Creatures on the demiplane of mirrors can see and hear creatures on the material plane that are near a reflective surface (including the portal created by the spell) as reflections on that surface, even though they are not present on the demiplane of mirrors. The same is true of creatures on the material plane, making communication between the two planes relatively easy.
The only way for a creature to leave the demiplane of mirrors (other than spells and abilities such as planeshift and gate) is to find another reflective surface. All reflective surfaces on the demiplane of mirrors serve as one-way portals to the material plane, making it very easy to leave the plane. There are a few things which make the matter more complicated for victims of this spell, however.
Firstly, as long as the spell is active and the reflective surface is being used as a portal from the material plane to the demiplane of mirrors, it is unable to transport creatures in the other direction, making it impossible to use the same reflective surface to return as long as the spell remains active.
Secondly, the spell itself makes it more difficult for a creature to return through the same reflective surface, even after the spell has ended. Any creature trying to travel back through the same reflective surface that the spell used to send him to the demiplane of mirrors must succeed on a Will save at a -4 penalty in order to travel through it. Each failed save increases the penalty by 2, making it progressively harder to go through. Once the creature makes his way out of the demiplane of mirrors, this restriction goes away, so if he is later trapped by a different mirror trap spell, he can safely exit through the reflective surface used in the first mirror trap spell, assuming they are different surfaces.
Finally, the demiplane of mirrors is not very easy to navigate, making it difficult for trapped creatures to track down a second reflective surface to use to escape. The plane is filled with a thick white fog which makes it impossible to see more than five feet or so ahead of you. This fog recedes the closer one gets to a reflective surface, effectively making the demiplane an ocean of fog dotted with islands of clarity. The fog is magical in nature and is an inherent part of the plane, so it cannot be blown away by gust of wind or similar spells, nor can it be seen through with blindsight or similar abilities. Travelers on the demiplane of mirrors without a good sense of direction can quickly become lost.
Quickrug
School conjuration (creation)/transmutation; Level druid 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target one nonmagical rug or carpet, up to one 5 ft. square/2 caster levels
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance no
At the completion of this spell, the touched rug becomes a potent and deadly trap. No immediate physical change occurs, but the next time a creature walks over the middle of the rug, a delayed transformation occurs, transmuting the rug into a magical liquid substance similar to quicksand. An extraplanar space is also created which allows the “quickrug” to be deep enough to be more than just a puddle without destroying whatever the rug is laid on top of.
The rug’s appearance is not changed by the spell, and the change is impossible to detect unless something triggers it, though the rug does generate a magic aura once the spell is cast, and can be detected that way.
When the trap is triggered, any creature on the rug is entitled a Reflex save, with a success allowing her to take a single 5-foot step before the transformation is complete. If this movement does not take her off the rug, she is still affected by the trap, though she may be in better position to pull herself out.
Once the rug is fully transformed, it is nearly impossible to swim or wade through, and all swim checks made in the rug suffer a -20 circumstance penalty. Characters attempting to walk through the rug must succeed on a DC 20 Strength check in order to move at ¼ their movement speed, and sink two feet into the trap for each five feet of movement they make (see below). Creatures who fail the Strength check also sink two feet.
Additionally, the rug itself actively pulls creatures down into its depths. At the beginning of each affected creature’s turn, she must succeed on a DC 10 Swim check (the penalty still applies) or sink one foot deeper into the pool. Alternatively, if the creature has something secure she can grab onto (a rope, pole, or piece of furniture, or even the floor at the edge of the trap, if she can reach), she need only succeed on a DC 10 Strength check to hold her position. Once the creature’s head goes below the surface she begins drowning as normal for being underwater.
If the creature can grab onto something secure (see above) she can also attempt to pull herself out as a move action, making a DC 15 Strength check to pull herself 5 feet closer to the edge. Alternatively, rescuers with a pole, rope, or similar can attempt to pull the victim out: in this case the rescuers makes the DC 15 Strength check, though the victim must still succeed on a DC 10 Strength check or else lose her grip on the object.
Magic Items
Grimhold
Aura strong abjuration; CL 17th
Slot -; Price 300,000gp; Weight 2+ lbs, see text
DESCRIPTION
This six inch tall, black, featureless wooden nesting doll is actually a very powerful magic prison. Once per day, its bearer can attempt to trap a single creature within 30 feet inside the doll. The target must succeed on a DC 27 Will save or become imprisoned within the doll. This effect is similar to the imprisonment spell, except that the creature is trapped inside the doll, rather than under the ground, and even a freedom spell cannot necessarily free the target (though there are other ways to do so, see below).
Whenever a creature is trapped by the grimhold, an additional nesting doll is created around the most recent doll, bearing the image of the trapped creature. Each doll is 1 inch taller and 1 lb heavier than the previous doll, meaning that a grimhold holding three creatures would be nine inches tall and weigh 14 lbs.
The dolls are incredibly magical, and resistant to almost all forms of damage, making them very difficult to destroy. Only the outermost doll is accessible at any given time. Opening a doll frees the creature imprisoned within that doll (meaning that the first creature imprisoned can only be released after every other imprisoned creature has been released). The dolls are not easy to open, however, and are held magically shut using the trapped creature’s own life energy. In order to open one of the dolls, a character must do one of the following: cast freedom on the doll, freeing the most recent prisoner; succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 25 + imprisoned creature’s HD) (this process takes one hour); succeed on a Strength check (DC 15 + imprisoned creature’s HD); or destroy the doll (hardness equal to imprisoned creature’s HD, hit points equal to 10x imprisoned creature’s HD, resistance to all energy types equal to its hardness, and SR equal to imprisoned creature’s HD +10), which frees the outermost creature but leaves the rest of the dolls unaffected.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, freedom, imprisonment, stoneskin; Cost 150,000gp
Ten Year Jar
Aura strong abjuration; CL 17th
Slot -; Price 120,000gp; Weight 25 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
When opened, this jar magically traps creatures nearby inside of it, imprisoning them for 10 years (to the day). As soon as it is opened, all creatures within 20 feet of the jar must succeed on a Will save (DC 23) or be affected as though by the spell imprisonment, except that the creature is imprisoned with the jar, rather than beneath the ground, and the effect automatically ends after 10 years. The jar automatically reseals itself once this is completed. If the jar is destroyed while creatures are stillimprisoned inside it, those creatures must succeed on another Will save (DC 23) or be lost forever, unable to be recovered until the jar is made whole again. Casting freedom on the jar releases all creatures held inside.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, imprisonment, freedom; Cost 60,000gp