By means of this spell, a wizard can force a creature or object into the very
earth or floor upon which it stands. When casting the spell, the wizard must
chant the spell for the remainder of the round without interruption. At that
juncture, the subject creature or object becomes rooted to the spot unless a saving
throw vs. spell (for a creature) or disintegration (for an object with magical
properties) is successful. (Note: “magical properties” include those of
magical items as listed in the Dungeon Master Guide, those of items enchanted or otherwise of magical origin, and those of items
with protection-type spells or with permanent magical properties or similar
spells upon them.) Items of a nonmagical nature are not entitled to a saving throw.
If a subject fails its saving throw, it becomes of slightly greater density
than the surface upon which it stands.
The spellcaster now has the option of ceasing his spell and leaving the
subject as it is, in which case the spell expires in four turns, and the subject
returns to normal. If the caster proceeds with the spell (into the next round), the
subject begins to sink slowly into the ground. Before any actions are taken in
the new round, the subject sinks one-quarter of its height; after the first
group acts, another quarter; after the second group acts, another; and at the end
of the round, the victim is totally sunken into the ground.
This entombment places a creature or object in a state of suspended animation.
The cessation of time means that the subject does not grow older. Bodily and
other functions virtually cease, but the subject is otherwise unharmed. The
subject exists in undamaged form in the surface into which it was sunk, its upper
point as far beneath the surface as the subject has height--a 6-foot-tall victim
will be 6 feet beneath the surface, while a 60-foot-tall subject will have its
uppermost point 60 feet below ground level. If the ground around the subject
is somehow removed, the spell is broken and the subject returns to normal, but
it does not rise up. Spells such as dig, transmute rock to mud, and freedom (the reverse of the 9th-level spell imprisonment) will not harm the sunken creature or object and will often be helpful in
recovering it. If a detect magic spell is cast over an area upon which a sink spell was used, it reveals a faint magical aura of undefinable nature, even
if the subject is beyond detection range. If the subject is within range of the
detection, the spell's schools can be discovered (alteration and enchantment).
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