Fourth-level Spells

Detect Animal Attacker (Divination)

Sphere: Animal

Range: Touch

Components: V, S, M

Duration: Instantaneous

Casting Time: 1 turn

Area of Effect: 1 creature

Saving Throw: None

Depending on how it is cast, detect animal attacker gives the druid a visual image either of a creature that injured an animal or of an animal that attacked any victim.

While casting the spell upon any victim of an attack by a natural animal (a victim whose body still bears the marks of claws, fangs, or other natural weapons), the druid touches the victim's wound. This brief touch gives the caster a fleeting vision of the animal that caused the injuries as it looked at the time of the attack.

Likewise, a druid casting the spell upon an injured real-world animal can touch its wound and receive a vision of the person, monster, or animal that harmed it.

Even if the caster receives a vision of an unfamiliar attacker, the character usually can get an idea of its size, primary attack method, and alignment. (The druid senses good, evil, or neutrality.)

In addition, if the creature still lives and fails a saving throw vs. spell, the caster senses its current position, location, and direction of travel.

Detect animal attacker works only within one hour per level of the caster after the victim receives the injury in question. The spell is effective regardless of whether the attack proved fatal.

The material component is the priest's holy symbol.

Earthmaw (Alteration)

Sphere: Elemental (earth)

Range: 50 yards

Components: V, S, M

Duration: 1 round

Casting Time: 7

Area of Effect: 10-foot diameter circle

Saving Throw: Neg.

Earthmaw causes a patch of ground 10 feet in diameter to open and form a gigantic mouth with stalactite teeth. The mouth springs forth on a short serpentine neck, much like a water weird, and attacks once in a direction the caster dictates. Then it retracts into the earth and closes solidly. The site of an earthmaw spell appears as if the ground has been tilled recently.

The mouth can attack one large creature, two man-sized creatures, or four small-sized creatures within 10 feet of its outer edge. It can strike multiple creatures only if they remain clustered within a 10-foot diameter circle adjacent to the maw.

The earthmaw attacks as a monster with Hit Dice equal to the caster's level. Creatures standing on the site of the maw suffer a +3 penalty to Armor Class for purposes of this attack only. Creatures standing next to the maw suffer no AC penalty.

A successful hit inflicts 1d4 points of damage per level of the caster. An unmodified roll of 19 or 20 means the maw has swallowed the victim whole, burying the character 2d4 feet below ground. Victims can be dug out manually, with appropriate spells (such as dig), or with magical items (such as a spade of colossal excavation). A creature trapped underground will suffocate unless freed within a number of rounds equal to one-third its Constitution score.

Earthmaw may be cast on any area of loose or packed earth, sand, or vegetation-covered soil. It may be cast indoors on an earthen surface: for example, on the dirt floor of a barn or basement, but not on the marble floor of a home or temple. It may not be cast on an area containing a tree, any portion of a building, or any type of pavement.

An object present on the site of the maw (such as a campfire or a tent, etc.) counts as a creature of that object's size in attacks.

The material component is a tooth from any predatory creature.

Hunger (Alteration)

Sphere: Animal, Plant

Range: 10 yards

Components: V, S, M

Duration: 1 day/level of caster

Casting Time: 7

Area of Effect: 1 person

Saving Throw: Neg.

Those affected by hunger no longer gain sustenance from food. No matter how much they eat, they still feel hungry. If the spell did not end, victims eventually would starve, visibly wasting away.

After one day under the spell's effect, victims' concentration suffers (due to their preoccupation with their constant hungry feeling), causing them to suffer a -2 penalty to all ability and proficiency checks. On the eighth day without food, victims who have been maintaining normal activity levels lose 1 Strength point; on the ninth day, they lose 1 Constitution point. This alternating pattern continues until one of the character's ability scores falls to 3; at this point, the character becomes comatose. If a score reaches 0 before the hunger spell ends, the recipient dies. The victim regains lost points after the spell ends at a rate of 1 Strength and 1 Constitution point per day.

When casting the spell, the character secretly whispers a particular type of food; by eating the specified food, the victim breaks the spell. It must be a single, natural food (such as lamb, honey, or an apple) but can be exotic (dragon meat) as long as the caster has tasted it personally at some point.

Hunger cannot be dispelled, but can be broken by the remove curse spell. Failing all else, a sufferer must wait to find relief until the spell's duration elapses.

The spell's material component is a pinch of the food that can end the spell.

Knurl (Alteration)

Sphere: Plant

Range: 5 yards/level of caster

Components: V, S, M

Duration: 1 turn/level of caster

Casting Time: 7

Area of Effect: 1 person

Saving Throw: Neg.

Casting a knurl spell transforms a creature's arm into a tree branch of the same thickness, covered with bark and twigs. The new limb possesses neither elbow nor wrist joints not even a hand. The "arm" remains attached to the shoulder. The spell's recipient can use it as a club but not to manipulate tools, weapons, or spell components.

The caster chooses which of the recipient's arms to affect. A character could use multiple knurl spells to transform both arms of a humanoid. The arm is treated for all purposes as a tree branch: It becomes subject to fire, wood-altering spells, and tree diseases. Dispel magic ends the spell's effects.

The material component is a small twig.

Needlestorm (Alteration)

Sphere: Plant

Range: 60 yards

Components: V, S, M

Duration: Instantaneous

Casting Time: 7

Area of Effect: 1 tree or plant

Saving Throw: Save vs. spell for half damage

A favorite of cold-forest and desert druids, needlestorm causes the spines on any pine tree or similar needle-bearing plant to spray out in a deadly barrage. The shower of needles has a radius of approximately 1 foot for every 2 feet of the subject plant's height.

Everyone within this area suffers one attack, which inflicts 1d12 points of damage for every three full levels the caster has achieved. Thus, a spruce tree enchanted by a 7th-level character attacks with a THAC0 of 16 and inflicts 2d12 points of damage.

The material component is a spine from a needle-bearing tree or plant.

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