Patronizing Spells
Today marks the end of Patron Week, which, as you’re hopefully aware by now, is the week that we have set aside to celebrate the release of our latest book: Otherworldly Invocations, which attempts to transform the witch’s patron from what is, in essence, a list of bonus spells, and turn it into a much more robust and exciting combination of archetype, NPC, and plot hook. There are 10 new patrons in the book, each with an extensive write-up on their background, personality, habits, goals, and desires, plus mechanical benefits and drawbacks for witches who choose the patron as their own.
Of course, it’s important to find the right patron for you, because, now that they can be more than just a list of spells, and have their own personalities and ideas, a careless witch runs the risk of being saddled with a patron whose personality just doesn’t match her own. It seems like some kind of sampler is in order, and what better way to get to know each of the new patrons than with a series of spells, one for each of them? The following spells are designed to highlight and tie into some aspect of the patron that they are associated with, to give you some idea of the kinds of patrons in the book, while keeping a little bit of mystery for ourselves.
AL’RAJAN’S ENSLAVEMENT
School enchantment (compulsion) [curse, mind-affecting]; Level bard 5, sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 6
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one humanoid
Duration 1 week/level
Saving Throw Will negates and Will partial, see text; Spell Resistance yes
You lay a powerful curse upon the target, which compels him to perform any request or demand that is made of him for the spell’s duration. If the target succeeds on his initial Will save, the spell has no effect. Otherwise, for the spell’s duration, any time that any creature makes a request or demand of the target, he must succeed on an additional Will save or do his best to perform that action. If he succeeds on one of these secondary saving throws, he is able to refuse that request, and any further requests to perform the same activity (as adjudicated by the GM) without having to make an additional saving throw for 1 week, after which he can be ordered to perform that task again. A remove curse spell is not sufficient to end the effect, but a break enchantment spell, or similarly powerful magic, is.
EAR OF THE SILENT ONE
School divination (scrying); Level bard 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a journal)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You create a mystic connection between the target and the journal used as the focus of the spell. For the spell’s duration, regardless of the distance between the target and the journal, every word the target speaks and every noise that the target makes are recorded faithfully in the journal, creating a written record of what the target says during the spell’s duration. The writing is neat and legible, and uses up one page of the journal for every five minutes of the spell’s duration, regardless of how much is actually recorded. If the target speaks in an unusual language, the written record is written in that language (even if that language uses a different set of letters). Any non-language sounds that the target makes (including grunts, whistles, and the like) are recorded as well, in a descriptive but concise fashion.
IRASHEN’S IRON BLADE
School conjuration (creation) [good]; Level cleric 2, paladin 2, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a chunk of cold iron that has been blessed by a cleric)
Range 0 ft.
Effect one iron blade
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You bring into being a single weapon made of a powerful cold iron alloy, which appears in your hand. The weapon can take any form you like (such as that of a greatsword, longsword, mace, greataxe, etc.). The weapon overcomes damage reduction as though it were made of cold iron and good-aligned. Further, the weapon deals double its normal damage (including the wielder’s Strength bonus and any bonus from Power Attack or similar feats or abilities, but not extra damage dice, such as from flaming or similar) against targets that have damage reduction that can be overcome by cold iron and/or good-aligned weapons. Finally, the weapon automatically confirms any critical threats made against targets that have DR that can be overcome by cold iron and/or good-aligned weapons. This last effect does not apply if the weapon is affected by a spell or ability that gives it a special effect related to critical hits, such as gaining the keen or vorpal special abilities.
SYLTHAVRA’S VULNERABILITY
School transmutation; Level cleric 5, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a strip of bloody flesh)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature
Duration 10 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
You heighten the target’s sensitivity to pain, making his skin respond more violently to various stimuli, and heightening his mind’s response to painful sensations. For the spell’s duration, the target suffers a -4 penalty on saving throws made to resist spells and abilities with the pain descriptor. Additionally, if the target is affected by a spell or ability with the pain descriptor while under the effects of Sylthavra’s vulnerability, if that spell or ability inflicts any damage, the target suffers twice as much damage as he normally would, and if that spell or ability imposes a penalty of any kind, that penalty is doubled. Any penalties doubled in this way return to the normal penalty if Sylthavra’s vulernability ends before the spell or ability that imposed the penalty does.
TESHERAZZ’S ENFORCED HONESTY
School necromancy [curse]; Level bard 2, cleric 3, inquisitor 2, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You lay a powerful curse upon the target, which punishes him if he speaks any falsehoods. For the spell’s duration, whenever the target deliberately speaks something that he knows is untrue, regardless of his motive or reason for doing so, he suffers 2d6 points of damage. If 5 or more points of damage are inflicted in this way from a single falsehood, the damage causes a visible wound (a bleeding cut, a bruise, a burn mark, etc.) to appear somewhere on the target’s person, making the lie clear to those who are aware of the spell. Dispel magic cannot end the curse, but a remove curse spell, or more powerful magic, can end the effect.
Had enough? No? Good. There are five more patrons who will each be getting spells next week, but you don’t even need to wait for that, if you don’t want to. To get the scoop on these five patrons and more right away, pick up your copy of Otherworldly Invocations now for only $7.99.