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Sixth-Level Spells
Age Creature: Any person killed by this spell must roll a
successful saving throw vs. spell or become a ghost.
Intentionally killing a person with this spell calls for a
Ravenloft powers check. The reverse of this spell, restore
youth, functions normally in the Demiplane of Dread.
In campaigns utilizing the Requiem rules, the guidelines
in that accessory should be used to transform characters
into ghosts.
Conjure Fire Elemental/Dismiss Fire Elemental: A
conjured elemental cannot leave Ravenloft by means of a
dismiss fire elemental or any similar spell. It must find its
own escape from the Demiplane, just like those player
characters who wish to flee the Mists.
Also, the priest has more difficulty controlling the
summoned creature in Ravenloft. Upon arriving, the
creature makes a saving throw vs. spell with a -2 penalty; a
successful roll allows it to act freely. This does not mean
that the elemental automatically attacks the priest who
summoned it, but it very well might once it learns that it
cannot quickly return to its home.
Find the Path: This spell cannot find locations outside the
domain in which it was cast. If Mists surround the domain,
the caster can focus on them in order to reach the border.
The spell still provides an escape from maze spells and
helps the caster bypass traps.
Some exits from the Demiplane are physical locations. If
such an exit is within the domain, this spell can guide the
caster to it, provided the caster knows the nature of the exit.
In this case, the spell lasts only one round per level of the
caster. As some portals appear only under specific
conditions, find the path has no effect if the portal is not
present when the spell is cast.
The Great Circle/the Black Circle: Undead are stronger
in Ravenloft than on other planes. Thus, the great circle
has a reduced effect in the Demiplane of Dread. This spell
destroys any undead with 6 Hit Dice or fewer in the area of
effect. All other undead suffer 1d6 points of damage per
priest in the circle. Creatures of evil alignment receive 1d4
points of damage per priest in the circle. In the latter two
cases, the victim may roll a saving throw vs. death magic
to halve the damage.
The black circle works as described in the Tome of
Magic. However, casting it requires a powers check for
each priest in the circle.
Group Mind: Of course, self-willed undead have the
ability to raise a barrier of false thoughts, effectively
blocking this spell. If such a creature chooses to enter into
a rapport with a priest, it has a choice of actions: It can
feed innocent thoughts and emotions via the barrier, or it
can allow the priest a true glimpse of its malevolent inner
self. Since the participants choose which thoughts and
emotions to share, the undead creature need not reveal
anything of importance.
Any normal person who gets a close look at the twisted
mind of a self-willed undead monster must make a madness
check. For this reason, an undead monster may allow the
priest access to its mind, knowing the possible effects.
Land of Stability: This spell does not supersede the
domain lord's control of the land. If the lord's defined
powers specify control over the land (or any effects
described in the spell), he can override the effects.
However, he may decide to let the spell work
normally.
Sol's Searing Orb: The light from this spell is
considered to be the equivalent of daylight. Therefore,
in addition to normal damage inflicted by this
spell, it harms creatures affected by daylight as if
they were standing outside on a bright summer day.
Word of Recall: This spell works normally, with a
few exceptions: It cannot transport the character off
the Demiplane or across a closed domain border.
Seventh-Level Spells
Astral Spell: Since Ravenloft lies in the Ethereal
Plane, this spell does not function here.
Breath of Death: This spell is the reverse of
breath of life. Casting breath of death requires the
caster to make a Ravenloft powers check.
Conjure Earth Elemental/Dismiss Earth
Elemental: A conjured elemental cannot leave
Ravenloft by means of a dismiss earth elemental or
any similar spell. It must find its own escape from
the Demiplane, just like those player characters who
wish to flee the Mists.
Also, the priest has more difficulty controlling the
summoned creature in Ravenloft. Upon arriving, the
creature makes a saving throw vs. spell with a -2 penalty;
a successful roll allows it to act freely. This
does not mean that the elemental automatically
attacks the priest who summoned it, but it very well
might once it learns that it cannot quickly return to
its home.
Energy Drain: This spell is the reverse of
restoration. Any person killed by this spell must roll
a successful saving throw vs. spell or become an
undead creature. In campaigns utilizing the Requiem
rules, the guidelines presented in that accessory
should be used for characters who become undead.
Casting this spell requires a Ravenloft powers
check.
Gate: The gate created by this spell leads into (but not
out of) Ravenloft. Thus, a summoned creature must find
another exit, just like any other being. This entrapment
often infuriates the monster, provoking an attack on the
caster and any companions.
Using this spell to summon an evil being calls for a
Ravenloft powers check.
Holy Word/Unholy Word: Casters can use either version
of this spell only on their home plane. Hence, only
Ravenloft native player characters (created with the rules in
this book) can use the holy word spell in the Demiplane of
Dread. Those from other realms will find that the spell fails
when cast.
Even if the spell does function, the Mists somewhat alter
its effects. For example, neither this spell nor its reverse
can drive creatures from the Demiplane. If a caster
attempts to force creatures from Ravenloft, the spell
randomly transports the targets to another location in the
Land of the Mists (though not across closed domain
borders). Following this, the transported creatures
cannot come within sight of the caster for a full day.
Casting unholy word warrants a Ravenloft powers
check.
Reincarnation: In Ravenloft, the target of this
spell has a 1% chance of being reincarnated as an
undead creature.
If this happens, the person becomes a monster
type with Hit Dice are equal to his former
experience level. Like raise dead, this spell cannot
create undead more powerful than vampires.
In campaigns utilizing the Requiem rules,
characters raised as undead should be converted
according to the guidelines presented in that
accessory.
Casting this spell requires a Ravenloft powers
check.
Resurrection/Destruction: If the target of a
resurrection spell fails his resurrection survival roll,
he becomes an undead creature of a type equal in
Hit Dice to his former level. Vampires are the most
powerful creatures a resurrection spell can create
in this fashion, and they retain any abilities they
had in life. In campaigns utilizing the Requiem
rules, characters raised as undead should be
converted according to the guidelines presented in
that accessory.
Casting this spell or its reverse, destruction,
requires a Ravenloft powers check.
Shadow Engines: When this spell expires or is
cancelled or disrupted for any reason, it has a
50% chance of causing a small horde of real
shadows (as described in the Monstrous Manual
tome) to rise up from the shattered illusions. A
roll is made for each engine as it dissipates. Each
engine can spawn 2d8 shadows, which will almost
certainly attack those around them (including the
caster).
Spirit of Power: This spell normally enables
several priests of high level to call down an avatar
of their deity. An unspoken law of nonintervention
by the powers of the multiverse makes this spell
inoperable in Ravenloft. However, the caster has a
25% chance of summoning some other extraplanar
creature. The nature of the summoned creature will be
mandated by the home plane of the deity being contacted.
Thus, a call to a deity of fire might result in the arrival of a
fire elemental.
Should a creature appear in response to this spell, it must
make an immediate reaction check to determine its
impression of the summoners. If hostile, it will likely attack
at once. When the creature learns that it is trapped in the
Demiplane of Dread, it will probably seek revenge on those
who have imprisoned it.
Attempting to summon the avatar of an evil deity is cause
for a powers check.
Succor: Neither this spell nor its reverse can transport
anyone or anything out of Ravenloft or across a closed
border. Otherwise, it functions normally.
Uncontrolled Weather: Domain lords can sometimes
control weather, or at least exert certain influences upon it.
If a lord's control is at odds with this spell, the domain lord
automatically wins. In many cases, however, he does not
bother to contest the spell. Still, if a domain lord has the
ability to counter this spell, he will be aware that it has been
cast even if he does not opt to thwart it.
Quest Spells
Animal Horde: Some domain lords can control the animals
in their lands, or at least some species. Any of those not
under the control of a domain lord may answer the
summons of this spell. However, the domain lord's control
always takes precedence over that of the spell. Still, the lord
frequently allows the animals to answer the summons in
order to discover the priest's plans. Once he knows, he may
or may not choose to override the priest's hold on the
animals.
Circle of Sunmotes: The light from the motes can harm
creatures vulnerable to normal sunlight. Beyond that, the
spell functions normally.
Conformance: This spell does not affect the chances of
fear, horror, madness, or powers checks.
Elemental Swarm: At the end of this spell's duration,
summoned elementals cannot return home, which tends to
infuriate them. Since the spell has expired, the priest no
longer has any control over them, so the Dungeon Master
can decide whether or not they attack.
Etherwalk: This spell transports the priest and his party
into the Border Ethereal. Once there, however, they find
themselves unable to travel any deeper into the Ethereal
Plane. They can re-enter Ravenloft at the location from
which they left whenever they choose.
Highway: This spell cannot cross closed domain borders.
Imago Interrogation: Normally, this spell enables the
priest to travel the planes, and even through time (in spirit
form). Here, he can travel only around the Demiplane,
though not across closed domain borders.
In Ravenloft, this spell can easily traverse the barrier of
time. Attempts to travel back in time to a period before
Ravenloft existed may be catastrophic, however. The instant
a priest enters a time prior to the coming of Castle
Ravenloft, he is briefly plunged into an icy cold darkness.
The spell ends at that point, and the priest must make a
madness check.
Planar Quest: The Mists of Ravenloft severely restrict
this spell. Only three planes have sufficient connections to
the Demiplane of Dread to affect this spell: the Border
Ethereal, the Demiplane of Shadow, and the Negative
Energy Plane. Even those planes do not allow the traveler
from Ravenloft to do anything more than walk their shores;
the traveler must either remain on the fringes of these
planes forever or return to Ravenloft (to the location from
which he left).
Revelation: Even when using this spell, priests cannot
discern good or evil in Ravenloft. All of the restrictions for
the true seeing spell apply to this one as well.
Storm of Vengeance: The power of a domain lord to
control the weather takes precedence over any spell. If the
domain lord has the power to control the weather, he can
calm this storm automatically. In addition, such domain
lords are instantly aware that such magic has been
employed.
Undead Plague: This spell works far better in Ravenloft
than on the Prime Material Plane. Here, it has an area of
effect totalling forty thousand square yards (an area two
hundred yards per side), which translates to four thousand
skeletons. The skeletons are turned as zombies.
Casting this spell calls for a Ravenloft powers check.
Ward Matrix: This spell can join distant wards into a
network so that each experiences the cumulative effects of
all the wards. In Ravenloft, this spell cannot breach the
borders of a domain. Thus, only wards in the same domain
as the caster can be included in the matrix.
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