Subject: Suggestion for Replacement Spell
From: [email-masked] (Ken Arromdee)
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:13:14 GMT

I was looking through the Great Net Spellbook, and got rather tired of
iceballs, improved fireballs, delayed blast steamballs, and such.  The
following spell is suggested as a replacement for all the redundant fireball
spells in the GNSB.

There also seem to be a number of occurrences of "1 yard + 1 yard per level"
in the GNSB, and these seem to be errors that should be fixed to 10 feet or 10
yards instead.

Comments?
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Grand Unified Blast (Invocation/Evocation)

Level: Special
Range: 10 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: Same as level
Area of Effect: 20-foot radius sphere
Saving Throw: 1/2

This spell is actually a class of spells, which have been researched in many
forms by many different magic users.  The spell creates a blast in a 20 foot
radius, which does 1D6 per level damage, with a save for half damage.  In the
Invocation versions, the spell creates a condition in the area of effect; this
version does not expand to its full volume in confined spaces.  The Evocation
version creates a small point of fire, cold, or whatever, which instantly ex-
plodes to full radius.

The most basic form of the spell is the Fireball.  Other versions include Ice-
ball, Steamball, etc.  A magic user who knows any one version of this spell
can research any other version at 50% of normal cost; he may also research,
for free, versions of the same spell that differ only in the kind of damage
done, after experience in the appropriate elemental plane.  If you use "maximum
number of spells known per level" in your game, extra versions of this spell
of the same level as versions already known do not count towards the limit.

The basic version of the spell is level 3 and does a maximum of 10d6 points of
damage.  Versions of this spell above level 3 exist, the spell level being
determined by the following additions:

Free  Different damage type. (Iceball, Steamball, etc.)
 +1   Invocation version. (does not expand in confined spaces)
 +1   Spell does 1d6+1 or 1d8 damage per level. (same maximum number of dice)
 +1   Can be reduced to half radius at casting time, which adds an additional
      +1 point per die damage and gives -2 on saving throws.
 +2   Spell does a maximum of 15 dice of damage.
 +3   Delayed blast for up to 5 rounds. (cannot be used with invocation
      version, since there is no explosion to delay)

For instance, a Delayed Blast Fireball that did 1d8 damage per level would be
a 7th level spell (+1 for damage, +3 for delay).

The material component is a small ball made of bat guano and a relatively
common substance associated with the type of damage caused by the spell: sulfur
for Fireball, salt from boiled water for Steamball, etc.
--
"On the first day after Christmas my truelove served to me...  Leftover Turkey!
On the second day after Christmas my truelove served to me...  Turkey Casserole
    that she made from Leftover Turkey.
[days 3-4 deleted] ...  Flaming Turkey Wings! ...
   -- Pizza Hut commercial (and M*tlu/A*gic bait)

Ken Arromdee ([email-masked], [email-masked])

Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 17:05:38 EST
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Subject: spells

Steady Faith (Enchantment/Charm)

Sphere: Charm, Thought
Level: 1
Range: Touch
Components: V
Duration: 1/2 day/level
Casting time: 4
Area of effect: 1 person
Saving Throw: None

This spell allows the priest to help a person be steady in their faith.  The
person will not feel doubts about his religion, and will more easily resist
temptations.  The subject gets a +1 bonus to any saving throws or checks which
make him act in a way contrary to his religion, and gets a normal saving throw
in such situations where not normally allowed (such as a Helm of Opposite
Alignment).  The spell may be cast only upon a willing subject, and is normally
cast only on those of the same or compatible religions.

Water to Wine (Alteration)

Sphere: Creation
Level: 1
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting time: 4
Area of effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

This spell allows the priest to transform one glass of water per level to
wine.

Spread Healing (Necromantic)  Reversible

Sphere: Healing
Level: 2
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 hour
Casting time: 5
Area of effect: Personal
Saving Throw: None

When the priest casts any cure wounds spell while this spell is active, he
may have the spell absorb part of the healing, which he may then release on
another person or people.  (this requiring 1 round per person)  It is possible,
therefore, to cure 6 hit points of wounds, spreading it between two people, one
damaged by 2 and another by 4.  Excess curing may be saved up to the end of the
spell duration.  The priest under this spell can sense when a person is fully
healed and thus when it would be wise to heal the wounds of others instead.

Priests who may cast cause wounds spells may reverse this spell to Spread
Wounds.  Either version of the spell works only for cure (or cause) wounds
spells personally cast by the priest during the spell duration.

Miscount (Alteration)

Sphere: Numbers
Level: 2
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Special
Casting time: 5
Area of effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

The priest who casts this spell then deliberately miscounts any number of
similar objects (of maximum weight 5 pounds per level of the priest total).
The magic of the spell causes the number of objects to actually become this new
number.  The priest may change the number to anything from double the original
quantity to one fifth.  The number of objects remains the same until one turn
per level has passed or until any creature tries to count them.

Revive Plant (Necromancy)

Sphere: Plant
Level: 4
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting time: 1 turn
Area of effect: Special
Saving throw: Special

This spell allows the priest who casts it (normally a druid) to restore the
life-force of any plant or any monster of vegetable nature.  The spell works
on any one tree or on any area of small plants or shrubs of size 2 square
yards per level.  The plant or area of vegetation can have been dead for 10
years per level of the druid.  The spell regenerates all missing parts, so it
may be used to restore a living tree from a decades-old tree stump, or a
flower patch from a bunch of dried flowers.  Plants which normally grow in
soil may be revived only in soil.

Lightning Strike (Evocation)

Sphere: Combat, Weather
Level: 4
Range: 60 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting time: 7
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: 1/2

The _lightning_strike_ spell causes a bolt of lightning to streak down out of
the sky and hit the target, for 6d8 of damage, save for half.  The target must
either be exposed to open sky, or be separated from it by a barrier that
lightning strikes can blast through: an inch of wood or half inch of stone
per level of the cleric, to a maximum of a foot of wood or half foot of stone.

Sex Change (Alteration, Evocation)
 
Sphere: Chaos, Charm, Necromantic
Level: 4
Range: 2 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting time: 7
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Neg.

Except as noted above, this spell is identical to the fifth level wizard spell
of the same name.

Pass Via Water (Alteration)

Sphere: Elemental, Travellers
Level: 6
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 2 rounds/level
Casting time: 8
Area of Effect: Personal
Saving Throw: None

The first effect of this spell is to allow the priest to walk on water, as per
the 3rd level spell _water_walk_.  The spell's major effect, however, is to
allow the priest to transport himself via any moving body of water in a
distance of up to 1/8 mile per level; the priest walks on the water, takes a
step upstream or downstream, and is instantly transported the desired distance;
those along the way can see a fleeting image of the priest if they happen to
be looking at the body of water at the time.

The priest may only transport himself once during the spell duration, though he
may walk on the water surface until it ends.  If the current starts/ends before
the specified distance, the priest's travel ends there.

Stop the Sun (Alteration, Illusion)

Sphere: Sun, Time
Level: 7
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting time: 1 turn
Area of effect: Special
Saving Throw: None

When the priest casts this spell, the sun immediately seems to stop in the
sky, over any populated area which the priest can see the major part of.  The
area actually experiences extra turns of daytime; as far as those outside the
area are concerned, the whole period of extra time happened in one instant.

---------

Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 17:38:08 EST
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Spells

Please don't use the Steady Faith spell.  I just realized it's much too
close to the Faithfulness spell already in the book....

I did it again (Lightning Strike).  Whether or not this spell is different
enough from the one already in the spellbook is your decision, but at any
rate it has to be at least renamed....

Date: Fri, 4 Dec 92 23:29:38 EST
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Net Spellbook: LAST CALL for new spells

Here are two spells for the spellbook.  Neither is really original with me;
the first is a heavily revised version of a spell one of my players researched
years ago when I ran a few games over Bitnet, and the second is a revised sex
change spell (AD&D guide to sex), inspired by some recent r.g.f.dnd posts.

Meral's Minor Bang (Evocation)
 
Level: 5
Range: 10 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special
 
This spell brings into being a microscopic quantity of anti-matter wherever
the wizard decides within range.  The anti-matter will detonate instantly with
whatever matter happens to be there, doing considerable damage to creatures,
depending on the range from the blast.  If it materializes in a vacuum,
embedded in a force field, or other place without matter, the spell dissipates.

The major effect is to cause a fireball-like blast affecting things within 20
yards of ground zero, causing 1D6 points per level of the caster (max 12D6),
save for half damage.  Targets immune to fire or normal physical attacks take
only half of the result, and targets immune to both take none.

The spell will also affect creatures made of living tissue as follows,
depending on the distance from the center of the blast:

Center to 20 yards: The creature will die of radiation sickness in 2-12 days
unless a cure disease spell is cast on it or unless it is immune to disease,
and it will be permanently blinded (until cured), its optic nerves destroyed.

20-40 yards: Unless immune to disease, the creature will be afflicted with
radiation sickness that will cause it to die in 2-4 weeks.  Furthermore, it
will be blinded for a period of one month.

40-60 yards: 1 hour later, the creature will become violently ill with
radiation sickness, with an effective -2 each to constitution, dexterity, and
strength, until a month passes or it rests for 1/2 day per level of the spell
caster.  Blindness lasts 1-6 days.  The penalties for radiation sickness also
apply to terminally ill creatures at 0-40 yards.

60-80 yards: The creature will become mildly ill (no game effect), and will be
blinded for one day.

The target makes a separate saving throw for radiation/blindness damage, and
if it succeeds it keeps making saving throws until it fails.  Each success
reduces the effect to that of one level farther out.

The radiation passes through solid objects, but each 6 inches of stone or yard
of water reduces the effect to the next outwards level.  A sufficiently wide
barrier, such as a wall, will eliminate the blindness entirely.

Creatures not made of flesh, like xorns, but that still see using eyes, are
affected by the blindness, but not the radiation.  Creatures such as elementals
or golems are unaffected by either.  Undead and creatures from the lower planes
are not blinded by the light, but take extra damage from it of 3D6, 2D6, 1D6,
or nothing depending on distance from ground zero.

The spellcaster can optionally materialize the anti-matter inside a creature or
thing.  A creature gets a save versus petrification, and an object a save
versus crushing blow.  If it fails, it takes double damage, but all others
automatically make the saving throw for half damage and 1 saving throw against
the radiation.  This version works only against corporeal creatures.  Against
fortifications, the spell does 1 structural point per level if materialized
inside, 1/2 otherwise.

The material component of the spell is a mushroom.

Sex Change (Alteration, Evocation)
 
Level: 5
Range: 5 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Neg.
 
This spell causes the victim's sex to change.  Thus, a male becomes female and
vice-versa.

The mage can choose to change either only the target's sex, or to change the
target's sex and entire body, as if the target was born the new sex.  The
target's clothes may, also at the mage's option, change to fit it.  The change
takes 1 round; to dispel the spell, Dispel Magic must be cast during this
period.

At the mage's option, the target may be made to actually think and act as
though it was the new sex.  The chances of this are the same as for assumption
of a new form's personality when polymorphed: if a D20 roll, made each day, is
less than or equal to 20 minus the target's intelligence, the target no longer
wishes to return to its own sex and finds it natural to act as its new sex.