Magic and Spells(1), Ksiazki, Occult Collection
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he world of Toril is literally a magical place. All
existence is infused with magical power, and poten-
tial energy lies untapped in every rock, every
stream, every living creature, even the air itself. Raw magic is the
frozen stuff of creation, the mute and mindless will of being, suf-
fusing every bit of matter and present in every manifestation of
energy throughout the world.
Magic permeates the peoples of Faerûn as well as the lands. Every
town is home to mighty temples venerating the deities and housing
clerics who call upon divine power to heal injury, ward against evil,
and defend
the lives and property of the faithful. Subtle and astute
wizards stand by (and sometimes behind) the throne of every land,
turning their formidable powers to the service of their lords. Aber-
rations made by ancient tragic seethe and hunger in the dark spaces
beneath the world's surface, awaiting the chance to feed. Even the
most unimaginative fighter or most brazen rogue quickly learns to
respect the power of magic, or sees her career as an adventurer come
to a spectacular and ghastly end.
The exact nature of the Weave is elusive because it is many things
simultaneously. The Weave is the body of Mystra, the goddess of
tragic. Mystra has dominion over magic worked throughout Toril,
but she cannot shut off the flow of magic altogether without ceasing
to exist herself. The Weave is the conduit spellcasters use to channel
magical energy for their spells, both arcane and divine. Finally, the
Weave is the fabric of esoteric rules and formulas that comprises the
Art (arcane spellcasting) and the Power (divine
spellcasting)
.
Every-
thing from the texts of arcane spellbooks to the individual compo-
nents of spells is part of the Weave. Magic not only flows from
source to spellcaster through the Weave, the Weave gives spellcast-
ers the tools they need to shape magic to their purposes.
Whenever a spell, spell-like ability, supernatural ability, or magic
item functions, the threads o£ the Weave intertwine, knit, warp,
twist, and fold to make the effect possible. When characters use div-
ination spells such as detect magic, identify, or analyze dweomer,
they glimpse the Weave. A spell such as dispel magic smooths the
Weave, attempting to return it to its natural state. Spells such as
antimagic field rearrange the Weave so that magic flows around,
rather than through, the area affected by the spell.
Areas where magic goes awry, such as wild tragic zones and dead
magic zones, represent damage to the Weave.
Wild Magic
In some areas of Toril, the Weave is so warped or frayed that magic does
not function reliably. This damage may be due to some magical disaster,
such as those that were common during the Time of Troubles in 1358
DR, or due to some powerful effect that distorts the Weave, such as a
mythal (see Elven High Magic, below). Most zones of wild magic creat-
ed during the Time of Troubles have since disappeared, but small pock-
ets of wild magic remain, especially underground and in wilderness areas
The weave
DETECTING WILD MAGIC ZONES
Wild magic zones are generally unnoticed until they make some spell
or effect go awry. A character who views a wild magic zone with a
detect magic spell detects the presence of magic on the first round
and the existence of a wild magic zone on the second. If the charac-
ter studies the area for 3 rounds, he can attempt a Spellcraft check
(DC 25) to determine the exact borders of the affected area.
Some clever wizards
use
existing wild magic zones to defend their
towers or strongholds. With careful study, they chart the boundaries
of the wild magic effect and then use this information to best advan-
tage when
fighting on their home
ground against enemy spellcasters.
Mortals cannot directly shape raw magic. Instead, most who wield
magic make use of the Weave. The Weave is the manifestation of
raw magic, a kind of interface between the will of a spellcaster and
the stuff of raw magic. Without the Weave, raw magic is locked
away and inaccessible-an archmage can't light a candle in a dead
magic zone. But, surrounded by the Weave, a spellcaster can shape
lightning to blast her foes, transport herself hundreds of miles in
the blink of an eye, even reverse death itself. All spells, magic items,
spell-like abilities, and even supernatural abilities such as a ghost's
ability to walk through walls, depend on the Weave and call upon it
in different ways.
T
MAGIC
26-40
Nothing happens. The spell does not function
. Any material
components are used up. The spell or
spell slot is used up, and
charges or uses from an item or
spell-like ability are used up.
Nothing happens. The spell does not function
. Any material
components are not consumed. The spell is not
expended from
the caster's mind. (Thus, a spell slot or
prepared spell can be
used again.) An item does not lose charges, and the use does
not
count against an item's or spell-like ability's use limits.
The spell functions, but shimmering colors swirl around
the
caster in a 30-foot radius for 1d4 rounds. Consider this a
glit-
terdust
effect with a save DC of 10
+
spell level of the spell
that generated this result.
The spell functions normally.
The spell functions normally, but any material components
are not consumed. The spell is not expended from
the
caster's mind. (Thus, a spell slot or prepared spell can be used
again.)
An item does not lose any charges that would have
been
expended, and the use does not count against an
item's
or spell-like ability's use limits.
The spell
functions at increased strength. Saving throws
against the
spell suffer a -2 penalty. The spell is maximized
as if with
the Maximize Spell feat. If the spell is already
maximized, this result
has no further effect.
EFFECTS OF WILD
MAGIC ZONES
Any spell or
spell-like ability whose caster is within a wild
magic
zone is vulnerable
to the effects of wild magic. (Wild magic
does not
affect supernatural,
extraordinary, or natural abilities.) The caster
must roll a caster level check
(DC 1S + spell level). For a magic item,
use its caster level for the
caster level check.
If the caster level check fails, roll on.
Table 2-1: Wild Magic
Effects to determine if the spell
actually goes awry, and if so, how.
Spells or spell-like abilities cast
from outside a wild magic
zone
at
targets inside the zone are not affected by
the zone, nor are mobile
effects brought into a wild magic
zone. Only magic originating
inside the zone is affected.
41-SO
51-55
S6-8S
86-95
TABLE
d%
01-10
-1 :
WILDMAGIC
Effect"
The spell rebounds on the
caster with normal effect. If
the spell cannot affect the
caster, it fails.
The spell affects a random
target or area. The DM should
randomly choose a different target
from #mong those in
range of the spell or relocate the point
of origin of the spell
to a random place within range of the
spell. To generate the
direction in which the point of origin is moved
randomly, roll
1d8 on the Grenadelike Weapons diagram on
page 138 of the
Player's Handbook. To generate how
far the point of origin is
moved from its intended position randomly, roll
3d6. Multi-
ply the result by S feet for close-range
spells, 20 feet for
medium-range spells, or by 80 feet
for long-range spells. It is
possible for the spell effect to extend outside
the wild magic
zone; however, its point of origin cannot
exceed its range. If
the result generated would do that,
adjust the point of origin
to the limit of the range in the randomly
generated direction.
Spells whose range is personal or touch simply
fail.
11-2f
96-100
SUPPRESSING WILD MAGIC
Through hard-earned
experience,
Faerûn's
spellcasters have stumbled
across a couple of
methods for dealing with a wild magic zone. An
area dispel use of dispel magic
cast into a .wild magic zone causes
magic in the area covered by
the spell to function normally for 1d4
minutes. An area dispel
use of greater dispelling causes magic to
work
normally for 1d4x10 minutes.
A
wish
or miracle spell permanently
repairs all wild magic zones in
a
30-foot-radius
area (or a 30-foot-
Mystra
and the weave
Open any
three books describing the magic and
mage lore of
Faerûn, and you're apt to find three conflicting accounts of
the
origins and true
nature of -magic. Some of this apparent
contra-
diction is
deliberate falsehood designed to restrict the
mastery of
magic to
those beings properly trained. Much of the rest of it
arises from strange
views or outright mistakes often
unwittingly"
reproduced by
later scholars.
Hear now
the truth of things, as best it is understood
.
To speak
simply, all known worlds
and planes swarm with ever-present ener-
gies. Large and small,
free-flowing or bound by physical barriers or
magical effects (themselves
merely energies shaped and designed to
restrict or hold other energies),
these surges. and dissipations of
energy give light and life
and movement to
everything.
They are
the stuff of life itself,
and they would be present even if all
living
and once-living things on
Toril were stripped away to bare rocks.
What some folk
refer to as magic and wizards speak of as the
Art is the means by
which some beings can call on the ever-pres-
ent .energies and
wield
them
to create effects. Sorcerers do this
instinctively through
an innate gift and the incredible force of
their personalities .
Bard songs waken echoes o£ the songs of begin-
ning, the music of creation
itself. Wizard's construct processes-
spells-enabling them to bend
the Weave to their will in order to
do what they desire. The divine
power infusing any cleric holding
the spells of her god or goddess can
do the same, shaping the
Weave through the lioly (or unholy)
power granted her.
Many types of magic - rune magic,
shadow magic (not to be
confused with the Shadow Weave),
gem magic, elemental magic,
even the elven high magic of
old-
have
been spoken of down the
years, but these are all merely different
processes or paths to the
same mastery of natural energies. This
endless, ever-shifting web
of forces is known as the Weave.
Humans refer to the entity or
awareness that is bound to the Weave of Toril as
Mystra, and wor-
ship her as their goddess of magic.
The present Mystra is a recently ascended mortal
woman, who
took over
from her exhausted predecessor during the Time of
Troubles
. Mystra exists to give magic to all creatures and to con-
trol
its use. In ancient times, the archmages of Netheril
ignored
the
dictates of
Mystryl, goddess of magic at the time. One, the
wizard
Karsus the Mad, tried to seize divinity by the
casting of
mighty spells that would have wrecked Toril'sWeave
. Mystryl sac-
rificed
herself to save the Weave. Her successor Mystra decreed
that
no mortals would be allowed to wield such terrible
magic
again-and that decree holds to this day:
Mystra
wards the Weave against those powerful or reckless
enough
to damage it further. Until the world changes or
the
divine
powers themselves lay down their guardianship over
human
affairs, the high
and perilous magic of the past remains locked
away under Mystra's
eye.
MAGIC
radius portion of a larger wild magic
zone). None of these spells, how-
ever, are effective against wild magic
effects caused by a mythal.
by far the
more powerful ofthese rare and precious talents. It is a
random
gift bestowed
upon only a handful of women and men in a generation
.
Spellfire
in any form is refined, controlled raw magic. In
benefi-
cent manifestations, it is a font of silver light
and healing energy.
In,battle, it is a searing blue-white jet of
all-consuming radiance.
Dead Magic
In some areas
of Toril, the Weave is absent altogether. The Weave has a
tear or hole, and the
area effectively has no magic at all Like the rare
wild
magic zones, many
regions of dead magic were created during the
Time
of Troubles
and have since faded or retreated. Dead magic zones often
persist in places
where extreme concentrations of magical
power were
abruptly scattered
or destroyed-in the vicinity of a shattered
mythal,
at the spot
where an artifact was broken, br at the scene of a god's death.
SILVER FIRE
This powerful supernatural ability is unique
to the Chosen of
Mystra. Manifesting as a beautiful
silver-white flame that sur-
rounds the wielder and fills the area
into which it is projected, silver
fire can be used for different effects. It can act as a
ring of warmth
or a ring of mind shielding, allow the user
to
breathe water, or
banish all external magical compulsions upon
the user as if agreater
dispelling spell were cast upon her. Only one of.the
above effects can
be used at any time.
The user
can call upon silver fire
to revitalize her, allowing her
to function without food or drink
for up to seven days. (This func-
tion can only be used
once a tenday.) Once every 70 minutes she
may unleash silver fire as a
blast of flame. This blast may be in an
area 5 feet wide and up to 70 feet
long, breaking through barriers as
a lightning bolt would
and overcoming magical barriers and spell
resistance automatically.
This blast deals 4d12 points of fire damage
(Reflex half DC 23).
Alternately, the silver fire can be unleashed in
a 70-foot cone, dealing
no damage but permanently restoring dead
magic zones within the
cone to normal and dispelling (as a greater
dispelling spell) any antimagic,
field effects that contact the cone.
This cone effect is
draining on the Weave, and Mystra discourages
its use except for emergencies
.
All effects function as
if cast by a 20th-level sorcerer.
DETECTING DEAD
MAGIC
Spellcasters
and creatures with spell-like or supernatural
abilities
immediately
notice when they enter a zone of dead magic
. Spell-
casters
are attuned to the Weave, and they feel uneasy and
uncom-
fortable
in dead magic zones. A Weave user
can take a move-
equivalent action to note the exact boundary of a
dead magic zone.
Shadow Weave users are not attuned to the Weave and
experience
no such unusual sensations in regions of dead
magic.
Any spellcaster, Weave or Shadow Weave, can
use a detect magic
spell to delineate the extent of any dead magic within
the spell's range.
Naturally, a Weave user must be outside the
affected area in order to
employ
this tactic.
EFFECTS
OF DEAD MAGIC
A dead magic zone functions in most respects as
an antimagicfield
spell, except that it does not impede the
spells or spell-like abilities
of Shadow Weave users, nor does it interfere
with the operation of
Shadow Weave magic items. Divination spells
cannot detect subjects
that are within dead magic zones
. Finally, it isn't possible to use a
teleportation effect to move into
or out of a dead magic zone.
A dead magic area cannot temporarily
be returned to normal function.
A wish or miracle spellpermanently
repairs all dead magic zones in a 30-
foot-radius area (or a 30-foot-radius
portion of a larger dead magic zone)
SPELLFIRE
Persons
gifted with the spellfire ability can do amazing things,
dependent
upon their skill, talent, and the amount of magical
energy
they have within them at the time. In general, spellfire can
be
used
to
heal,
create blasts of destructive fire, or absorb magical
effects
it contacts, although the exact effects vary by circumstance
and user. Talented
wielders can release multiple blasts at once or
even fly
using
the
ability.
A spellfire
wielder can ready an action to absorb spells targeted
at her as if she were
a rod ofabsorption. She gets one level of spell-
fire
energy for every spell level absorbed and can store a number
of spellfire
energy levels equal to her Constitution score.
spellfife
Spellfire is the raw energy of the Weave.
It can be manipulated in two
ways. Mystra gives the silver fire
ability to her Chosen and certain other
favored servants. The spellfire
ability-the wielding of true spellfire-is
The
Story
of spellfire
Right or wrong, legends
hold that only one person in all Faerûn
is
gifted with true
spellfire at a time. Gossip identifies that one
person today as
the lass Shandril Shessair, an orphaned
kitchen-
maid from a
tavern in Highmoon of Deepingdale.
Shandril has spellfire,
yes, and a hundred mages hound her for-
it, Zhentarim
and
Thayans and Cult of the Dragon and independ-
ents, slaughtering
each other in their ruthless pursuit of her power.
Learn this, if you heed
nothing else in this book: Legends lie.
Mystra's
Chosen wield lesser spellfire, if they care to call
on it,
and some
among them command true spellfire.
A mage
hiding'in the Border Kingdoms possesses true spellfire,
and
a cruel and arrogant noble of Chessenta, and
the wizard R
but
fm sure you grasp my point.
-
I could go on. So can anyone who cares to spend
the years in
study
at Candlekeep that I did before I chose to flee to
this name-
less backwater keep and cloak myself in squalor and obscurity.
Why did h spend my fortune and my eyesight,
and then-steal
away to here, to grow wizened and ugly and bent?
Why? Well, because I have true spellfire too, of
course. Come
looking for me, and I will blast you to
dust, and then lay waste to
all your descendants, ancestors, and the
realm you came from,
every last tree and stone of it. Why? Well,
it's what I usually do.
s
In the
early Sword Coast North, the ranger Haelam
Sunder-
-Baerendra
Riverhand, Sage of Spandeliyon
stone undoubtedly possessed spellfire. He stood
alone against an
ore horde pouring south past the Coldwood - and
turned them
into smokes and scorch scars.
MAGIC
As a standard action, she may expend these spellfire energy levels
as a ranged
touch attack (maximum range 400 feet), dealing
1d6
points of
spellfire damage per level expended (Reflex half DC 20).
Spellfire damage is half fire damage and half raw magical power,
just like the damage of
aflame strike spell is half fire and half
divine energy.
Creatures with immunity, resistance, or protection
against fire apply
these effects
to
half the damage.
A spellfire wielder can also heal a target by touch,
restoring 2 hit
points per spellfire energy level expended
for this purpose.
Unlike most supernatural abilities,
spellfire is affected
by
spells
and magic items that affect spell-like abilities, such as
a
rod
of
absorption or a rod of negation (if pointed at
the manifestation
rather than the wielder). It
can be thwarted or counterspelled by
dispel magic, and theoretically a spellfire wielder could
counterspell
another's spellfire. However, spellfire is
a supernatural ability and
does not provoke an attack of
opportunity when used, nor is it sub-
ject to spell resistance.
with runes, and the wreckage of ancient
dweomers lie scattered across
the land in the form of a portal network riddling the fabric of space.
The
Shadow
weave
During the course of her eternal war with the goddess Selûne, the
goddess Shar created the Shadow Weave in response to Selûne's cre-
ation of Mystra and the birth of the Weave. If the Weave is a loose
mesh permeating reality, the Shadow Weave is the pattern formed
by the negative space between the Weave's strands. It provides an
alternative conduit and methodology for casting spells.
Shar, being the goddess of secrets, has mostly kept the secret of
the Shadow Weave to herself. Over the millennia some mortals,
mainly her servants, have been allowed to discover the Shadow
Weave or have stumbled across it in their researches.
Shadow Weave users enjoy several advantages. First, they ignore
disruptions
in
the Weave. A Shadow Weave effect works normally
in a dead magic or wild magic zone. (An antimagic field, which
blocks the flow of magic, remains effective against Shadow Weave
magic,
as does spell resistance.) Skilled Shadow Weave users are able
to cast
spells that are extraordinarily difficult for Weave users
to
perceive, counter, or dispel.
Shadow Weave users also
suffer some disadvantages. First, Shar
has full control over the
Shadow Weave and can isolate any creature
from it or silence it entirely without any harm to herself. Second,
the secrets of
the
Shadow
Weave are disquieting and injurious to the
mortal mind
.
Without
assistance from Shar, a Shadow Weave user
loses a bit of his or her mind. Third, while the Weave serves equally
well for any kind of spell, the
Shadow Weave is best for spells that
sap life or muddle the
mind and senses, and is unsuited to spells that
manipulate energy or matter-and cannot support any spell that
produces light. (See the Shadow
Weave Magic feat in Chapter 1:
Characters for details.)
Finally, the more familiar
a mortal becomes with the secrets of the
Shadow Weave, the more divorced she becomes from
the
Weave. An
accomplished Shadow Weave user can work spells that Weave users find
difficult to detect, dispel, or counter, but the Shadow
Weave user also
becomes similarly unable to affect spells worked through the Weave.
secret Lore
Since the days when elves, dwarves, giants, and dragons ruled
a
Faerun of trackless forest and unspoiled wilderness, those who could
manipulate the Weave have sought deeper understanding, greater
power, and hidden knowledge in the hope of gaining an advantage
over their enemies. The early human empires were no different. The
Imaskari mastered the lore of gates and portals, transporting thou-
sands of hapless slaves from other worlds to serve their arcane
might. The Netherese studied the art of devising magic devices, cre-
ating marvels and terrors that still slumber under the sands of
Anauroch. The Raumathari blighted Faerun forever by summoning
hordes of ore warriors to serve in their war against old Narfell and
then losing control of their own warriors.
Wizards dream of secret schools of magic, paths of spells made
possible by a new understanding of the Art, and forbidden studies
leading
to awesome new powers. Dozens of paths to power and
understanding have been tried and abandoned, and new research-
some
founded in meticulous study, some inspired by fevered flights
of
horror-routinely unveils some new methodology of arcane spell-
casting or results in spells never . before seen in Faerun.
Stories abound of the legendary spells of old Netheril and
the van-
ished
elven realms, spells whose power dwarfed that of the
mightiest
wish
possible today. Wizards have unlocked the secrets
of a dark Weave
unfettered by Mystra's power, clerics and adepts draw potent spells
SHADOW
WEAVE MAGIC ITEMS
Magic items created by those who use the Shadow
Weave are rare
and dangerous. Only the clergy of Shar
and Shar's few arcane devo-
tees create any number of Shadow Weave items. Shadow adepts
unal-
The Magister
At any time in
Faerun, one wizard is anointed by Mystra and
Azuth as the Magister
. Most believe that this office is usually
gained through competition
(seizing it from the incumbent in an
often fatal
spell duel). Holding it confers special powers on its
owner. It also imperils
its holder by making him or her. the target
of many
ambitious and powerful mages all over Faerun.
The
Magister is,the personal champion of Mystra. This doesn't
mean the Magister
fights on Mystra's behalf, but rather that the
office is intended
to further the influence and power of Mystra by
making
magic more available to any who would seek to know its
secrets. Magisters
often goad or teach other wizards to develop
new spells, improve
old ones, and increase their own magical
powers as pupils or challengers of
the Magister.
A Magister gains special
powers and access
to
many spells
s
unknown to normal
wizards and sorcerers. Mages who come from
competitive
lands such as Thay inevitably see ascensiol to Magis-
ter as
a way to become the most powerful wizard in Faerun. They
crave the special powers
of the office to use them to slay old foes
and
potential rivals and to seize any magic that interests them. The
violent history of the office reflects the ambitions of such deadly
and selfish
wizards. However, Magisters who allow themselves to
be guided by
higher purposes are taught, cajoled, and guided per-
sonally by the god Azuth, and given tasks that spread magic.
To most mortals
of Faerun, a serving Magister is someone who
appears without
warning to bestow magic, issue a warning, or hurl
or prevent
a spell. Why create Magisters, and have them behave
thus? As the
old
wizards'
maxim says: "Gods work in mysterious
ways, and magic is the greatest
mystery of all."
57
MAGIC
lied
to Shar's church are rare and reclusive enough that only a hand-
ful of magic
items are manufactured as Shadow Weave items.
Shadow Weave items are nearly identical to items created
by
Weave users, but the differences are profound.
Spell-like effects generated from Shadow Weave
items have the
same benefits and limitations that a Shadow Weave
spellcaster has:
Effects from the schools of Enchantment,
Illusion, and Necroman-
cy gain a +1 bonus on their save DCs and a +1
bonus on caster level
checks to overcome spell resistance. The same
benefits apply to
effects with the darkness designator.
Effects from the schools of
Evocation and Transmutation have their
caster levels reduced by
one (though their costs are based on the original caster
level). The
reduced caster level affects the spell's range,
duration, damage, and
any other level-dependent variables the effect
might have. The
effect's save DC is reduced by -1 and caster level
checks to overcome
spell resistance suffer a -1 penalty.
The DC to dispel Evocation or
Transmutation effects from a
Shadow Weave item is 11
+
the
reduced caster level. In general, Shadow
Weave users do not bother
to create items that
include Evocation or Transmutation effects.
Shadow Weave items
cannot generate effects with the light designator.
Shadow Weave items can
pose a serious danger to users who are
not familiar
with the mysteries of the Shadow Weave. Activating a
Shadow Weave item
through spell completion, spell trigger, or com-
mand word deals
1d4 points of temporary Wisdom damage to the
user unless
the user has the Shadow Weave Magic feat. A use-acti-
vated Shadow Weave
item deals 1 point of temporary Wisdom
damage the first time it is
used each day unless the user has the
Shadow Weave Magic
feat. If the item functions continuously, the
temporary Wisdom
damage occurs at dusk each day or when the
user takes off or puts aside
the item, whichever comes first.
CREATING
RUNES
If you know Inscribe Rune, any divine spell you currently have
prepared can instead be cast as a rune. A rune is
a temporary mag-
ical writing similar to a scroll. It can be triggered
once before it
loses its magical power, but it lasts indefinitely
until triggered. A
rune written or painted on a surface fades
away when expended,
erased, or dispelled. A rune carved into a
surface remains behind"
as a bit of nonmagical writing even after its magic
is expended.
Inscribing a rune takes 10
minutes plus the casting time of the spell
to be included. When you create a rune, you
can set the caster level at
anywhere from the minimum caster level necessary to
cast the spell in
question and no higher than your own level. When
you create a rune, you
make any choices that you would normally make
when casting the spell.
You must provide any material components orfocuses
the spell requires
If casting the spell would reduce
your XP total, you pay this cost upon
beginning the rune in addition
to the XP cost for making the rune itself.
Inscribing a rune requires a Craft
check against a DC of 20
+
the
level of the spell
used. The Craft skill you use is anything appropri-
ate to the task
of creating a written symbol on a surface (metal-
working, calligraphy,
gemcutting, stonecarving, woodcarving, and so
on).
You paint, draw, or engrave the rune onto a surface and make
the check.
(Dwarves usually engrave their runes in stone or metal in
order to take
advantage of their racial affinity for these items.)
If the
check fails, the rune is imperfect and cannot hold the spell.
The act of
writing triggers
the
prepared spell, whether or not the
Craft check is successful,
making the spell unavailable for casting
until you
rest and regain spells. That is, the spell is expended from
your currently
prepared spells, just as if it had been cast.
A single
Medium-size or smaller object can hold only one rune.
Larger objects can hold one rune per 2S square feet (an area S feet
square) of surface area. Runes cannot be placed on creatures. The
rune has a base price of the spell level x caster level
x
100 gp (a 0-
level spell counts as 1/2 level). You must spend 1/2S of its base price
in XP and use up raw materials costing half this base price. A rune's
market value equals its base price.
,
In ancient tines, before the Weave took on its present form, the
rules
of
magic were different. Many beings experimented with powerful
dweomers
that produced larger and much more potent effects than are
possible today,Many minor and major artifacts date back to these
times.
Just as one can find ancient artifacts scattered across Faerûn,
one also
can find
ancient and powerful magical effects still lingering (and usual-
ly
functioning erratically) today. The most famous of these
is the .
mythal
of Myth Drannor (see the section on the forest of Cormanthor
in Chapter 4:
Geography). A mythal is an ancient form of elven magic
created by a group of spellcasters working together to
create a lasting
magical effect over a large area. Mythals that remain today usually
are
beginning to fail but resist attempts to dispel them. They can
produce
any number ofbizarre effects, including wild magic
(see the Wild Magic
section above). The exact nature of such effects
varies with each mythal.
TRIGGERING
RUNES
Whoever touches the rune triggers the rune and becomes the target
of the spell placed in it. The rune's creator may touch the rune
safely
without triggering it, or deliberately trigger it if he so desires.
(Runemakers often carry healing or restorative runes for just this
purpose.) The rune itself must be touched in order to trigger it, so
an object with a rune may be handled safely as long as care is taken
to avoid contacting the rune. If the spell only affects objects, then
an object must trigger the rune.
As with a symbol spell, a rune cannot be placed
upon
a weapon
with
the intent of having the rune triggered when the weapon strikes a foe.
Unlike the spell glyph ofwarding, the rune spell
is not concealed
in any way and is obvious to anyone inspecting the
object holding the
rune. A read magic spell allows the caster
to
identify the spell held
in a rune with a successful Spellcraft check (DC 1S +
the spell's level).
Rune Magic
In the snowbound mountains of the North, dwarves
and giants have
dwelled for uncounted years as rivals
and enemies, and their deeds
are only rumored in human lands. In the lore
of the shield dwarves,
runes-carefully inscribed symbols from the secret
characters of the
dwarven alphabet-can be carved to hold spells
of great potency.
DISARMING RUNES
Runes can be disarmed or deactivated in several ways. A
successful
erase spell deactivates a rune (DC 1S + your caster level).
Touching
the rune to erase it does not
trigger the rune unless the erase spell
fails to deactivate the rune.
A dispel magic spell targeted on an
untriggered rune can dispel its
magic if successful (DC 11 +
your caster level). Untriggered runes are
not subject to area dispels. Finally,
a rogue can use her Disable Device
skill to disable runes (DC 2f + the spell's
level), like any magic trap.
LEARNING THE RUNES
In order to use rune magic, a character
must learn the Inscribe Rune
feat (see Chapter 1: Characters). Rune
magic is strongly tied to the
dwarven and giant deities
and is thus the province of divine spell-
casters. Some students of
rune magic choose to virtually abandon
the normal practice of magic
in order to concentrate on their
chosen medium, becoming
runecasters of great power.
Elven
High Maqic
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