Bloodline Spells
Part II
It’s Sorcerer Week this week, and we’re celebrating the release of our new book—wait, what? It’s not Sorcerer Week? That was last week? Well, curses! There go my plans for this week’s article! What’s that, you say? Last week’s article wasn’t finished? There’s a part two that still needs doing? With exciting new bloodline-inspired spells for the five remaining bloodlines from A Necromancer’s Grimoire: Sorcerous Blood? Well, I guess that solves that, then. Let’s take a look at what the other half of the bloodlines came up with for their signature spells.
CURSE OF THE ZARTOL
School conjuration (summoning) [evil, law]; Level cleric 6, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 6
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration permanent
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
The Zartol are well-known for their dealings with devils, and their ability to call upon fiendish allies to do their bidding. This spell was developed to allow the Zartol to mark their enemies, and allow their infernal minions to harry and hunt them. Your touch burns a metaphysical mark onto the subject. This mark cannot be seen by the naked eye, but can be seen with detect magic or similar effects, and acts as a beacon to outsiders, which can automatically sense the target’s presence within 100 feet per caster level, and have their starting attitude towards the target reduced by one step per five caster levels you possess (helpful becomes friendly, friendly becomes neutral, and so on).
Additionally, once per day, the mark causes an outsider with the evil subtype to be summoned within 500 feet of the target. The strength of these evil outsiders is proportional to the strength of the target: the CR of the summoned creature cannot exceed the CR of the target, and should not be more than three CRs below the target’s CR, if possible. The spell cannot summon creatures whose CR is higher than 11, however, so if the target’s CR is 15 or above, the summoned creatures are still only CR 11.
While the effect of the mark is permanent, the mark only continues to summon creatures to attack the target for a number of days equal to your caster level. After that time, the only effect of the spell is the influence that the mark has on creatures of the outsider type. The mark can be removed with a break enchantment spell or more powerful magic.
FAULKHOR CONDITIONING
School abjuration; Level cleric 3, inquisitor 3, paladin 2, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a strip of boiled leather)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 10 min./level
Masters of torture, the Faulkhor know its dangers more than anyone else, and so usually have this spell on hand, just in case. You deaden yourself to fear and pain. For the spell’s duration, you are immune to all effects with the fear or pain descriptors. Additionally, any creature attempting to use the Intimidate skill against you for the spell’s duration suffers a penalty to their check equal to 1/2 your caster level (rounded down, minimum 1). This spell does not negate any penalties from pain or fear effects that you may already be suffering from, nor does it in any way prevent you from taking damage of any kind.
LIGHT OF THE LUMINA
School evocation [good, light]; Level cleric 4, inquisitor 4, paladin 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range 60 ft.; see text
Area 60-ft.-radius emanation, centered on you; see text
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude partial, see text; Spell Resistance yes
The evil-hating Luminas are well known for their love of this spell, which causes you to shed radiant, golden light. The light level within the range of the spell is increased to bright, and you increase the light level by one step for an additional 60 feet beyond that (darkness becomes dim light, dim light becomes normal light, and so on). Creatures that take penalties in bright light take them while within the 60-foot radius of this magical light. Despite its name, this spell is not the equivalent of daylight for the purposes of creatures that are damaged or destroyed by such light.
Though the light is not capable of damaging or destroying creatures sensitive to sunlight, it does pulse with a magic power all its own, which harms evil creatures touched by the light. Whenever a creature of evil alignment enters or begins its turn within the 60-foot-radius area of bright light created by this spell, that creature must succeed on a Fortitude save or suffer 1d4 points of damage. Evil creatures in the area of increased light (between 60 and 120 feet from you) are affected as well, but gain a +5 bonus on saving throws made to resist this damage.
The first time that a creature with spell resistance would take damage from this spell, roll to determine whether or not you overcome its spell resistance. If you do, the creature is affected by the spell normally for the spell’s duration. If not, then the creature is immune to the spell for the spell’s duration.
SHAPE OF THE SAMARKIN
School transmutation (polymorph); Level druid 6, sorcerer/wizard 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 min./level
The Samarkin, with their talent for changing shape and taking the forms of animals, have developed one of the most versatile polymorph spells in existence. This functions as beast shape III, except that you may choose to take a new form once per round as a swift action.
SHOKAR SHURIKEN BLESSING
School evocation [air, earth, fire, water]; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets up to 50 daggers or pieces of ammunition
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw varies, see text; Spell Resistance no
The Shokar are well known for their love of mixing steel and sorcery, especially in the form of daggers and shuriken. This spell imbues a collection of ammunition with one of four elemental effects, tied to the four gods that supposedly imposed the duty of protecting peace and order upon the Shokar. For the spell’s duration, whenever an affected dagger or piece of ammunition deals damage to a creature, it has one of the four following effects, determined at random:
Air: The target is knocked off-balance by a gust of wind, and suffers a -2 penalty to AC and CMD until the beginning of the attacker’s next turn. A successful Reflex save negates this effect.
Earth: The target’s body becomes rigid and inflexible, and he suffers a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls until the beginning of the attacker’s next turn. A successful Fortitude save negates this effect.
Fire: The target takes an additional 1d6 points of fire damage.
Water: The target slips and falls prone in his square. A successful Reflex save negates this effect.
And there you have it, the end of Sorcerer Week, just one week late. If you’re still on the fence about picking up A Necromancer’s Grimoire: Sorcerous Bloodlines, I don’t think anything will convince you. At a mere $0.50 per bloodline, it’s not just one of the most exciting books out there for Pathfinder sorcerers, it’s also one of the most economical.