Fiendish Arcana
Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting edition of Obscure Arcana, our article devoted to the pursuit of all things arcane and obscure (or, well, to new free spells each week, anyway). As you will no doubt know by now, we are celebrating the release of The Deluxe Guide to Fiend Summoning and Faustian Bargains, a 180-page book of otherworldly awesomeness that is available for as little as $17.99, and which promises to turn your view of handling evil outsiders in your games entirely on its head. Here are a few spells which may aid you in your aims when dealing with fiends.
EXORCISM
School abjuration; Level cleric 3, inquisitor 2, paladin 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF, M (a hand drawn picture of a sainted humanoid)
Range touch
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous and 1 day/level (see text)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You touch a creature, forcing any entity possessing that creature to go back whence it came. Both the target and the possessing entity are allowed a Will save to resist the effect.
This spell only affects spiritual, mental, astral or similar possessions, and has no effect on parasitic or strictly physical means by which a character might be “possessed.” This spell primarily functions on the malevolence ability of ghosts, the possession ability of goetics, and on characters under the influence of the spell magic jar or similar effects, but may affect other possession-related abilities, at the GM’s discretion. A character affected by this spell cannot be targeted by a possession-related ability again for a number of days equal to twice your caster level.
THEFT OF YEARS
School necromancy (evil); Level cleric 5, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (an obsidian knife marked with a seal of Solomon)
Range touch
Target touched humanoid creature; see text
Duration 1 round/level
In order for this spell to have any effect, it must be cast on a humanoid creature that has been ritually prepared for a number of hours equal to the number of years that they have been alive (minimum 1). Due to the nature of the ritual preparation, the target must either be willing or helpless during this time. Further, the target’s age must be less than the amount of time before the end of your life (either the amount of time before you die of old age, or the amount of time before any magical effects that specifically shorten your lifespan, such as giving up years of your life to a summoned fiend, would cause you to die).
Any time before the end of the spell’s duration, if you successfully kill the target with a melee weapon, then the amount of time before the end of your life (as defined above) increases by 1 year. This does not in any way prevent you from being slain by spells, violence, or accident, and only affects your maximum age and/or any magical effects which limit your lifespan.
Casting this spell often has the consequence of drawing the attention of outsiders, and every time you cast this spell, there is a 30% chance that an outsider chooses to take a personal interest in your affairs. The type of outsider who might be interested in you is determined randomly by the GM in secret.
VILE TRANSFERENCE
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 9, sorcerer/wizard 9, witch 9
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF, F (a wand crafted from your own elbow bone)
Range touch
Target living creature touched
Duration 1 year
Saving Throw Will negates, see text; Spell Resistance yes
You alter the very course of your soul and its resting place in the hereafter, creating a plan to prolong your life. If you die during the spell’s duration, the spell’s vile magic attempts to redirect your soul from its intended resting place into the body of the spell’s target, passing his soul on to the afterlife instead. At this time (but not when the spell is cast) the target may make a Will save to resist the effect. If this save is successful, your soul continues on to its intended resting place, instead. If the target fails his save, your soul inhabits his body, and his soul is cast out and moves on to the afterlife, instead. The target may make a secondary Will save (same DC). If he succeeds, his soul moves on to his own afterlife. Otherwise, his soul takes your place in the afterlife, which may or may not be worse than his own.
If this process is successful, you permanently come to inhabit the target’s body. The body retains its own ability scores and appearance for 1 hour before your soul overrides it and reforms it in your previous image. For the first hour after you gain possession of the target’s body, you retain only your mental faculties, and use the information for the target’s body, as the spell magic jar. After one hour, however, your new body fully transforms to match your old one at the time of your death, and you regain your own statistics. Any equipment you possessed at the time of your death remains with your previous body. All spell effects and other magical, supernatural, or other non-inherent effects affecting your old body end, including spells made permanent with permanency and similar effects. These are not transferred to the new body. This spell does not function if the target is on a different plane from the one that you are on at the time that you die.
If the target dies before you do, then the spell ends immediately, with no effect.