Spells of the Body
This week’s Obscure Arcana is a transmutation special, as we take a look at four new spells in the vein of ice body and iron body. They may not all be pretty, and some of them may be downright scary, but they’re all effective in their own right.
BALLOON BODY
School transmutation [air]; Level alchemist 1, bloodrager 1, druid 1, magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1, witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 10 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
You cause the target’s body to swell up with air as his skin becomes taut and stretched, giving him the overall appearance of a bloated balloon. The target gains a fly speed of 10 feet with a maneuverability of clumsy, but suffers a –4 penalty to Dexterity due to the swelling caused by the spell. Additionally, if any creature successfully confirms a critical hit against the target with a piercing weapon, the spell abruptly ends with a loud “pop,” causing the target to fall to earth if he is currently flying.
GELATINOUS BODY
School transmutation; Level alchemist 4, bloodrager 4, druid 4, shaman 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, summoner 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
Your body transforms into an ooze-like gel, causing you to resemble a partially-melted version of yourself. Although the transformation appears excruciating to onlookers, it is completely painless. You are able to adjust the solidity of your body as you wish, allowing you to harden certain parts of yourself in order to manipulate objects, while leaving other parts of you intangible and liquid. Overall, this transformation renders you immune to critical hits and precision-based damage, as well as paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning. You also gain DR 5/bludgeoning, though your natural armor bonus to AC (if any) is halved, and you suffer penalties for any armor you are wearing as though you were not proficient.
In addition to these effects, your body is malleable enough that you can pass through any opening large enough for water to pass through. This process is slow and cumbersome, however, and if the space is too small for you to squeeze into normally, you can move only 5 feet per round. Additionally, you do not gain the ability to make objects you are wearing or carrying malleable in this fashion, and so they must be left behind (unless they are also able to fit through the space).
LIGHTNING BODY
School transmutation [electricity]; Level alchemist 5, druid 5, magus 5, shaman 5, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 minute/level (D)
You transform yourself into living lightning. Your lightning body is incorporeal for most purposes, though you can’t fly or pass through solid objects or creatures. However, you can move at twice your normal speed along any surface, including horizontal and vertical surfaces, and you are never slowed by difficult terrain. You also gain all the benefits of the elemental subtype, and whenever you would suffer electricity damage, you heal that much damage instead.
You can speak and cast spells and perform mental actions, but you have no physical substance and cannot manipulate objects or attack physically, although your touch (delivered as an incorporeal touch attack) deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per two caster levels. You cannot use this ability to heal yourself. Your equipment merges with your lightning body, so you can’t cast spells with a material component unless those spells are prepared with Eschew Materials.
While in this form, your body is incredibly unstable and at risk of dissipating. Each round that you do not end your turn in contact with a metal object of your size or larger, you suffer 2d6 points of damage as some of the energy that makes up your body leeches away. Additionally, whenever you damage a creature with your electrical touch attack, you suffer an amount of damage equal to half of the damage you dealt, as the energy flows from your body. This damage is not electricity damage, and does not heal you. Finally, coming into contact with liquid damages you: an amount of water equivalent to a bucket or puddle deals 4d6 points of damage, exposure to rain deals 5d6 points of damage per round, and immersion in a larger body of water deals 10d6 points of damage per round.
If you die while affected by this spell, your body (and all your gear) dissipates harmlessly into energy, leaving no remains.
WOODEN BODY
School transmutation; Level alchemist 3, bloodrager 3, druid 3, ranger 3, shaman 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3, witch 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates; Spell Resistance yes
The target’s body is transformed into wood, with not just their skin turning to bark, but the muscles and bone beneath becoming solid wood as well. The target’s natural armor bonus to AC increases by +3, and he gains DR 5/slashing. Additionally, he is immune to bleed, paralysis, poison, polymorph, sleep effects, and stunning. The target’s body is highly flammable, however, and he gains fire vulnerability, suffering half again as much (150%) damage from any source that deals fire damage, and suffering a –4 penalty on saving throws made to resist fire effects and effects that deal fire damage.