Empathic Wound Transfer (Necromancy)

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M

Duration: Permanent

Casting Time: 1 round

Area of Effect: Creature touched

Saving Throw: None

By casting this spell, a wizard transfers some of the wounds of another creature to him- or herself, thereby partially curing the recipient. Up to 2 hp per level of the caster may be transferred, so a 10th level necromancer could cure an ally of a 20-hp wound (but the wizard will then take 20 hp in damage).

The hit point loss could have originally resulted from physical attacks, certain poisons, spell effects, diseases, or curses (except those that cannot be removed by the remove curse spell). This spell cannot restore amputated limbs, drained life levels, or lost life. It also cannot undo any continuously acting poison or disease. The spell only temporarily reverses such harm, which will then continue to affect the victim.

The caster cannot drain his or her own life. Normally, a wizard can only transfer up to his or her current number of hit points. However, if the DM makes use of the rules for “hovering on death’s door” (page 75 of the DMG), then a necromancer might be voluntarily drained to the brink of death (–9 hp). Of course, the mage immediately loses consciousness in such a case (as noted in the DMG), but his or her condition does not deteriorate unless further wounded by another agent. At the DM’s discretion, this spell also enables a necromancer to immediately restore an incapacitated and dying victim, as per the 3rd-level priest spell death’s door. Unlike the priest version, however, hit points cured by the wound transfer are inflicted on the caster. Hit points lost by the wizard may be regained by normal healing or magic.

Finally, after the transfer is complete, the wizard temporarily loses four points of Constitution due to extreme exhaustion; each point may be recovered by six turns of complete rest. If the caster’s Constitution drops below 3, unconsciousness results, and full Constitution is not regained for 24 hours. The material components are hair and blood from both the recipient and the caster, two newt eyes, and two wolf teeth (each from a different animal). These components are consumed in the casting.

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