Coven to Get Ya
Today is the final day of Coven Week, which, you may already know, is all about the coven magic system that we created long, long ago with our book A Necromancer’s Grimoire: Secrets of the Witch. We’ve decided that we wanted to make an effort to provide a little more support for those products that could use it, and Secrets of the Witch seemed like a pretty good place to start. So, without further ado, the first coven spells to be created since Secrets of the Witch was printed, just about two years ago.
Just a reminder before we get to the spells, if you haven’t picked up Secrets of the Witch yet, you’re running out of time to do so. It’s currently on sale for $1.25, but that price won’t last through the weekend, so get while the getting’s hot.
COVEN COMMUNION
School divination [coven]; Level witch 7
Casting Time 10 minutes
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target you, and each additional caster participating in casting the spell
Duration see text
This functions as the spell commune, except that the number of questions that you can ask is equal to the combined caster level of each caster that participates in casting the spell (for example, if the spell were cast by a 15th-level witch, a 13th-level wizard, and an 8th-level sorcerer, they would be able to ask a total of 36 questions). Further, the questions do not need to be able to be answered with a simple yes or no, but all answers received by the spell are cryptic, and no answer is more than 10 words. Any character that participated in casting the spell can ask a question (each character that participated in casting the spell can ask a single question on each of his or her turns, until all the questions are used up), and each character that participated in casting the spell can hear all answers provided by the spell telepathically. As commune, the spell lasts as long as it takes for all the questions to be answered.
The entity contacted by this spell is typically the primary caster’s witch patron, and the answers received sometimes reflect this fact (by being skewed in the favor of that patron’s personality or goals). If the primary caster does not have a witch patron, the spell instead contacts the witch patron that is most closely associated with the primary caster’s philosophical outlook.
Ritual Casting: There is no benefit to casting this spell with the aid of others, except that doing so grants the ability to ask more questions.
COVEN CONNECTION
School enchantment [mind-affecting]; Level cleric 2, druid 2, inquisitor 3, magus 3, sorcerer/wizard 2, summoner 3, witch 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target up to one creature/2 levels
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
You form a mental and magical link between yourself and each of the targets, allowing you to form a sort of pseudo-coven. For the spell’s duration, you and each of the targets are treated as belonging to a single coven. This allows you to cooperatively cast spells with the coven descriptor, although any targets that are not able to cast spells are not able to participate in casting such spells (they still count as members of the coven for the purposes of effects that specifically affect all members of a coven, instead of just those coven members actively participating in casting the spell). This spell does not allow you to cast spells as described in the Coven Initiate feat: it only allows you and the other targets to cooperatively cast spells with the coven descriptor.
COVEN DOMINATION
School enchantment (compulsion) [coven, mind-affecting]; Level witch 8
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature
Duration concentration
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You reach out with your mind and take control of the target, controlling his every action telepathically. This functions as the spell dominate monster, with a few exceptions. Not only do you gain the ability to control the target, but so does each other member of your coven that participated in casting the spell. If the target is given mutually exclusive orders from different coven members, an opposed Charisma check determines which one it follows. Otherwise, it does its best to obey all orders issued to it by anyone that participated in casting the spell.
Additionally, any character that participated in casting the spell may take direct control over the target’s body as a standard action. This functions as though that character had used magic jar to control the target’s body, except that no magic jar is required, and the distance between the controlling character and the target is irrelevant. If one character that participated in casting the spell attempts to use this ability while another character that participated in casting the spell is already controlling the target in this way, the two make opposed Charisma checks, and the loser’s mind is expelled from the target’s body, returning safely to his or her own body, regardless of distance.
Finally, the spell’s effect lasts indefinitely, but only as long as concentration is maintained. Any character that participated in casting the spell may concentrate on the spell in the usual fashion for concentrating on spells. If a full round passes without anyone concentrating on the spell, the spell ends immediately.
Ritual Casting: Each member of the coven that aids in casting this spell gains the ability to control the target, and to concentrate to maintain the spell. Only one caster needs to maintain concentration at any given time. Additionally, for every two additional casters beyond the primary caster, the saving throw DC of any additional saving throws that the target makes due to being forced to take actions against its nature are increased by +1. This only applies to additional saving throws made due to being forced to take actions against its nature, and has no effect on the initial saving throw to resist the spell.