A Man on Fire
Over the course of your average campaign, you’re going to encounter a lot of people you’re going to want to set on fire. Kings and other annoying quest-givers, goblins in all their great numbers, and, if your PCs are running around setting folks on fire all the time, more than likely a paladin, a wizard, and a rogue. Sadly, the options for setting people on fire are surprisingly low; you can use alchemical items or just aim a flaming sphere on your victim, but if you just want some sure fire spells for torching a fellow, you’re out of luck… until now. This week’s Obscure Arcana is devoted solely to the art of burning your foes alive.
INFECTIOUS FLAME
School evocation [fire]; Level, magus 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (ashes from an incinerated rat)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex negates; Spell Resistance yes
With a touch, you cause the target to burst into flames, which enshroud his body and can leap to other nearby creatures. You must succeed with a melee touch attack in order to use this spell. The target must succeed a Fortitude save or catch on fire, suffering 2d6 points of fire damage each round until the flames are extinguished (the DC of the Reflex save to put out the flames is equal to this spell’s saving throw DC). Additionally, as a standard action, as long as the target is currently suffering fire damage, you can cause flames to lash out and consume any creature adjacent to the target. The adjacent creature must succeed on a Reflex save or become enshrouded in flames, suffering 1d6 points of fire damage each round until the flame is extinguished. At the end of the spell’s duration, all fires are immediately extinguished.
DIMINISHING FLAME
School transmutation [fire]; Level magus 6, sorcerer/wizard 7
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (ashes from an incinerated horse and housefly)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex partial, Fortitude partial; Spell Resistance yes
With a touch, you cause the target to shrink in size, converting their excess mass into fire which immediately enshrouds and falls in upon the victim. You must succeed with a melee touch attack in order to use this spell. Each round, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be reduced in size by one size category and suffer 4d8 points of fire damage as his mass is reduced. If this would reduce his size below Fine, he suffers an additional 4d8 points of fire damage, instead (for a total of 8d8 damage that round). A successful Reflex save halves all fire damage dealt by this spell.
SMOKING FLAME
School evocation [fire]; Level sorcerer/wizard 6, magus 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (ashes from a fir tree)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude partial; see text; Spell Resistance yes
You lay your fingers on the target, causing him to erupt in fire and spew smoke into the air. By focusing on the smoke created by this spell, you can cause it to flare up with extreme, blinding light. You must succeed on a melee touch attack. If successful, the target suffers 3d6 points of fire damage each round and emits a cloud of thick smoke in the 15-foot radius area around him. This smoke dissipates at the end of the spell’s duration, or when dispersed. This smoke behaves in all ways like normal smoke, except that, as a standard action at any time during the spell’s duration, you can cause it to flare a bright crimson color, potentially blinding creatures in the area. All creatures in the area of the smoke at that time must succeed on a Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Creatures that succeed their save are dazzled, instead.