Ravenloft is a land of darkness and macabre fates.
While the sinister nature of the Demiplane of
Dread may seldom affect the life of a common
man, those who dabble in the black arts must
confront the machinations of the Mists on a regular basis.
Of Magic and Magicians
Conjuration and Summoning
A wizard who casts certain conjuration or summoning spells
may find the results limited by circumstance. A wizard can
summon animals and enchanted creatures only if they exist
within the domain in which he casts the spell. If the description for a given domain does not indicate which animals live
there, assume that the local fauna includes everything from
similar habitats in other realms. For ease of reference,
Dungeon Masters can assume that the Core domains are
similar in ecology to the nations of central and eastern
Europe. Thus, a summoning attempt would not bring forth a
tiger or elephant in most domains. The Dungeon Master
should choose an appropriate creature from the domain.
Ravenloft is cut off from the rest of the multiverse, which
creates a problem for wizards who attempt to summon
planar creatures. In general, a creature still responds to the
summoning, though it is rarely what the wizard intended
and often unfriendly, especially when the creature attempts
to return home and discovers that it cannot depart from
the Demiplane.
Necromancy
Certain spells, particularly those of the school of
necromancy, function more effectively in Ravenloft. Wizards
should be warned that casting such spells with abandon can
affect the caster in the most sinister of ways.
Elementalist
The elementalist does not use newly discovered spells as
much as he uses the old spells in a new fashion. Instead of
organizing them by school, he thinks in terms of nature's
elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Ravenloft, for all its
strange and mysterious twists, does not differ from any
other realm in this regard. As such, of all the practitioners of
the art, elementalists suffer the fewest changes to their
spells in the Land of the Mists.
Metamagicians
Metamagic basically uses spells to affect other spells. This
magic holds little concern for the dark powers. Hence, these
spells function somewhat normally in Ravenloft. Like
elementalists, metamagicians are generally untouched by
the ebb and flow of the Mists.
Wild Mages
Wild mages seek to discover and employ the theoretical
underpinnings of magic. This breed of sorcerer is as interested in how magic works as he is in using it. They have
discovered the secrets of chaos and can use the principles
of uncertainty to chart a steady course through the arcane
arts. The abilities of wild mages change little in Ravenloft,
though the Mists have affected a few of their spells.
It is important to remember that the rules of Ravenloft
take precedence over the effects of wild surges. A wild
surge can never remove a curse or undo the effects of a
failed Ravenloft powers check. It cannot enable a wild mage
to magically distinguish good from evil, negate the ability of
self-willed undead to disguise themselves mentally, or allow
characters to walk the planes. Any wild surge that would
detrimentally affect a domain lord has a 50% chance to
affect a different target instead. Annoying and beneficial
effects of wild surges function normally in Ravenloft.
Altered Wizard Spells
Table 25: Altered Wizard Spells
* Could require a Ravenloft powers check
Table 25 lists the common wizard spells with
altered effects in Ravenloft. A description of
changes to each spell follows the table,
supporting the text in the Player's Handbook and
the Tome of Magic. For more convenient referencing, the
reverse of a spell is listed beside its counterpart (following a
slash). If either version of the spell works normally in
Ravenloft, it appears in parentheses.
Just as the Realms of Terror alter the magical
powers of priests, so too do they distort the powers
of wizards. The following sections provide a general
overview of wizardry in Ravenloft. Descriptions of
specific spell effects follow later in this chapter.
Chill touch * (1st)
Monster summoning III (5th)
Conjure spell component * (1st)
Summon shadow * (5th)
Detect undead (1st)
Teleport (5th)
Find familiar * (1st)
Bloodstone's spectral steed * (6th)
Metamorphose liquids (1st)
Conjure animals (6th)
Detect evil/detect good (2nd)
Death spell * (6th)
ESP (2nd)
Ensnarement (6th)
Know alignment/(undetectable alignment) (2nd)
Geas (6th)
Nahal's nonsensical nullifier (2nd)
Lorloveim's shadowy transformation * (6th)
Spectral hand * (2nd)
Monster summoning IV (6th)
Alternate reality (3rd)
Reincarnation * (6th)
Clairaudience (3rd)
True seeing (6th)
Clairvoyance (3rd)
Banishment (7th)
Feign death * (3rd)
Bloodstone's frightful joining * (7th)
Hold undead (3rd)
Control undead * (7th)
Lorloveim's creeping shadow * (3rd)
Finger of death * (7th)
Monster summoning I (3rd)
Monster summoning V (7th)
Vampiric touch * (3rd)
Shadowcat (7th)
Contagion * (4th)
Shadow walk (7th)
Dimension door (4th)
Suffocate * (7th)
Enervation * (4th)
Teleport without error (7th)
Locate creature (4th)
Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting * (8th)
Magic mirror (4th)
Horrung's random dispatcher (8th)
Mask of death * (4th)
Monster summoning VI (8th)
Monster summoning II (4th)
Astral spell (9th)
Remove curse/bestow curse * (4th)
Energy drain * (9th)
Summon lycanthrope * (4th)
Estate transference (9th)
Animate dead * (5th)
Gate * (9th)
Conjure elemental (5th)
Monster summoning VII (9th)
Contact other plane (5th)
Succor (reversible) (9th)
Dismissal (5th)
Wail of the banshee * (9th)
Khazid's procurement (5th)
Wish (9th)
Magic Jar * (5th)
