Scaly Spells
Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting edition of Obscure Arcana, where we are devoted to excellence in spellcraft. This past week, we’ve been celebrating the kobold, who, as we all know, has had a long and storied history with sorcery which stretches back at least a few years. This article celebrates that tradition with a collection of simple spells made to help the kobold against the world which is, it seems, always arrayed against them.
CREATE TRAP
School conjuration (creation); Level bard 5, ranger 4, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a small nail)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect one mechanical trap
Duration 1 round/level or until expended
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance no
You create a mechanical trap within the spell’s range, which is triggered by creatures passing within 5 feet of it. The trap created is of any type you choose, provided the CR is less than or equal to 1/2 your caster level. The trap otherwise functions like a mundane version of that trap’s type. Once triggered, the trap is automatically destroyed. This causes pit traps to vanish harmlessly, depositing creatures safely back at surface level after taking fall damage.
If you are a kobold, the summoned trap can be of any type whose CR is equal to or less than your caster level, instead.
DRACONIC MIGHT
School transmutation; Level druid 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a scale from a chromatic dragon)
Range touch
Target reptilian humanoid touched
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
The target is filled with the savage power of his distant blood cousins and becomes more like them. The target’s type changes to dragon for the spell’s duration (do not recalculate HD, base attack, skills, or saving throws). Additionally, for the spell’s duration, he gains a +4 racial bonus to Strength and Constitution, energy resistance 5 to the energy type of your choice, and wings which grant a 20-foot fly speed with average maneuverability.
DRAGON GUISE
School illusion (figment) [mind-affecting, fear]; Level bard 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a tooth from a chromatic dragon)
Range 30 ft.
Area 30-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
You assume the appearance of a massive dragon, and creatures within this spell’s area, or that enter the area during the spell’s duration, must succeed on a Will save, or they become frightened for the rest of the spell’s duration. Creatures that succeed on their saving throw are shaken, instead. Creatures that leave the area and come back must save again to avoid being affected by the spell.
If you are a reptilian humanoid, the saving throw is equal to 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier, if that is higher than the normal saving throw DC that the spell would have.
HIDE IN THE DARK
School illusion; Level bard 2, ranger 2, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components S, M (a dead mole)
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 hour/level
You become as one with the dark, drawing on its power to remain unseen. You cannot be seen by darkvision or blindsight, or be detected by blindsense or tremorsense. Characters attempting to observe you with those senses treat you as invisible, and you have total concealment against them. This spell does not prevent any creatures, including creatures with those senses, from observing you using normal vision; thus, a dwarf could still see you using regular vision, unless you were hidden from his sight (such as by being in an area of darkness and making a successful Hide check).
REMOVE SENSITIVITY
School transmutation; Level alchemist 1, bard 1, cleric 1, druid 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (oil from a nightflower)
Range touch
Target humanoid creature touched
Duration 24 hours
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
With a touch and a whispered word, you awaken the target’s vision to the world around him, causing him to become less sensitive to harsh lights. However, this has the downside of dimming one’s vision in darkness. The target loses the light sensitivity weakness, if he has it, and gains low-light vision; however, if the target has darkvision, he loses it for the duration of the spell.
UNMAKE TRAP
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a tiny hammer)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one mechanical trap
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You disarm a single mechanical trap by magically unmaking it. When you cast this spell, make a Craft (traps) check with a DC equal to the DC used to create the trap, which, if successful, causes the trap to become unmade, reducing it to its base components and effectively destroying it. In order to use this spell, you must be aware of the trap, though you do not necessarily need line of effect to all of its mechanisms; line of effect to any part of the trap, including the trigger device, is sufficient to target it with this spell.