Western Spells
Today is the final day of Western Week here at Necromancers of the Northwest, a week devoted to cowboys, deserts, and all the other classic things you’d expect from the Western genre. Now, when you think of cowboys, you may not think of magic spells, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t put together a few spells that capture the spirit of the Old West for any spellslinger to use.
FLASH DRAW
School conjuration (teleportation); Level antipaladin 1, bloodrager 1, inquisitor 1, magus 1, paladin 1, psychic 1, ranger 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 immediate action
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets up to two unattended light or one-handed weapons you own
Duration instantaneous and 1 round; see text
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You immediately bring up to two weapons into your hands, ready to be used. This spell can conjure only weapons that are either on your person or are unattended, and the weapons must be ones that you own. The weapons are conjured immediately into your hands. If the weapons need to be loaded (such as crossbows or firearms), you can choose to have them be loaded as part of the spell’s effects, provided that such ammunition is present within range (and meets the same criteria of belonging to you and being either unattended or on your person). Additionally, for 1 round, you gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls made against creatures that haven’t acted yet this combat.
HIGH NOON
School illusion (glamer) [light]; Level cleric 4, druid 4, inquisitor 4, magus 4, medium 4, mesmerist 4, occultist 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of grit or sand)
Range 120 ft.
Area 120-ft.-emanation
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw see text; Spell Resistance see text
You conjure an illusory sun and a bright blue, cloudless sky, making the affected area appear to be in the midst of high noon. This increases the light level in the area to bright (although objects that would block sunlight from directly overhead may still produce areas of shade in which the light level is lower).
Creatures that suffer negative effects when exposed to sunlight are entitled to a Will save each round to disbelieve the effect, and any spell resistance they possess applies, but otherwise are affected by this spell as though the light it created was natural sunlight. Creatures that are damaged or substantially weakened by sunlight (such as vampires and shadow demons, but not creatures with light sensitivity or similar weaknesses) are shaken for as long as they remain within the spell’s area, even if they succeed on their saving throw or the spell fails to overcome their spell resistance.
At the beginning of its turn each round, each creature in the spell’s area can choose a single creature also within the spell’s area that he can see. He gains a +2 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls made against that creature, and treats the critical multiplier of any weapon he wields as one higher than it is for the purposes of attacks made against that creature. These bonuses are doubled if he chooses a creature who also chose him for this purpose during that creature’s last turn.
TUMBLEWEED SPIES
School divination; Level druid 3, occultist 3, psychic 3, ranger 2, shaman 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a bit of sagebrush)
Range 6 miles
Effect 1 tumbleweed spy/level
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You create a number of magic, animated tumbleweeds, which wander the land and provide you with sensory input. You do not have direct control over the tumbleweed spies, which wander the spell’s area at random. The tumbleweed spies do not move continuously, but rather roll about in fitful bursts, much like real tumbleweeds, with long periods of rest in between. Anyone that spots one of your tumbleweed spies that succeeds on either a DC 15 Knowledge (nature) check or a DC 25 Perception check notices that they do not always move in the direction the wind is blowing, which may arouse suspicion or attract attention. The tumbleweed spies have an AC of 6 and 5 hit points each.
As a standard action, you can direct your senses to one of your tumbleweed spies, allowing you to clearly see and hear everything within 60 feet of it, in a manner similar to clairaudience/clairvoyance. While doing so, your body is treated as blind and deaf. You receive a mental alarm whenever a Small or larger creature comes within 60 feet of one of your tumbleweed spies, and whenever one of your tumbleweed spies is touched or damaged. You cannot direct your senses to a tumbleweed spy that has been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points.
The GM should roll at the normal rate to determine if the tumbleweed spies happen upon any random encounters. If you are searching for a particular creature, there is generally a 1% chance per tumbleweed spy per hour that one of your tumbleweed spies encounters that creature, if it is within the spell’s area.