Posted by EarthDragon on 11th October 2015. Incantations were introduced in the 3.5 supplement Unearthed Arcana.
Incantations are like spells, but they can be cast by characters who are not spellcasters. This variant enables characters who know the correct ritual gestures and phrases for an incantation to achieve powerful magic effects. Incantations don’t use spell slots, you don’t have to prepare them ahead of time, and you can use an incantation an unlimited number of times per day.
Incantations have drawbacks: They’re time-consuming to cast, and success isn’t assured. They are often expensive, and some require additional participants to complete the ritual. Some incantations work only under certain specific conditions, such as during a full moon.
Most important among the drawbacks, an incantation rarely fades away quietly if the caster fails to perform the ritual correctly. Instead it reverses itself on the caster, explodes with a cascade of magical energy, or weakens the barrier between worlds, enabling hostile outsiders to emerge onto the Material Plane.
This variant gives a measure of magical power to nonspellcasters, but the incantations themselves are usually too specific in effect to increase a character’s power in the general sense. Because many incantations require academic skills such as Knowledge, the characters best equipped to cast them are often spellcasters anyway.
Incantations are also the only way in which the dead may be brought back to life, barring divine intervention.
Obscure tomes and spellbooks filled with mystical ramblings, descriptions of magic theory, ordinary arcane spells, and utterly useless or incomprehensible magical writing often hide the instructions for performing incantations. In those dusty volumes, diligent readers can find incantations with real power—magical recipes that provide step-by-step instructions for achieving a powerful effect.
If the characters have access to a well-stocked library of magical information, finding a set of instructions for a particular incantation requires a successful Knowledge (arcana) check with a DC 10 lower than the DC for casting the incantation. Just being aware of the existence of a particular incantation requires a Knowledge (arcana) check with a DC 15 lower than the incantation’s casting DC.
At its simplest, casting an incantation is akin to preparing and cooking something according to a recipe. You must have the ingredients in hand, then use your skill in cooking to perform each step in order. In game terms, this means having the required incantation components, then succeeding on a number of skill checks—often Knowledge (arcana) checks—during the incantation’s casting time.
Each incantation description tells how many successful skill checks are required to cast the incantation. Unless otherwise specified, the caster makes a skill check every 10 minutes. If checks involving more than one skill are required, the checks may be made in any order, as desired by the caster. Failing one skill check means that 10 minutes have gone by, and the incantation is in danger of failing. If two skill checks in a row are failed, the incantation fails. Each incantation has a consequence associated with failure. Even if the incantation fails, the casting still consumes all the components (including expensive material components and experience points).
Because of the unusual outcomes possible on a failure, the DM may choose to make these skill checks in secret. Doing this prevents the player of the caster from knowing whether an incantation has succeeded or failed. If the consequence of failure is immediate and severe (such as death resulting from a failed Fires of Dis incantation), the effect is obvious, and concealing it serves no purpose.
Many incantations have a backlash component, which is an ill effect suffered by the caster at the conclusion of the casting or upon failure of the incantation (see Backlash, below).
If an incantation allows a save, the formula to calculate the save is included in the incantation’s description. For checks to overcome spell resistance, divide the incantation’s skill check DC by 2 to get the effective caster level for the spell resistance check. For example, the caster of a Fires of Dis incantation (DC 23) would add +11 to a d20 roll when attempting to overcome the spell resistance of the target.
Incantations take a long time to cast, but they aren’t as delicate and exacting as traditional spells. Casting an incantation does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and a caster can even pause the ritual for a short time in order to fight, cast a spell, or take some other action. For each round the incantation is interrupted, the DC of all subsequent skill checks to complete the casting increases by 1. Time spent during the interruption of an incantation does not count toward the incantation’s casting time.
As long as the caster of an incantation is not threatened or distracted, he may take 10. Incantations with backlash components or similarly harmful aspects count as threats that prevent the caster from taking 10. A caster may never take 20 when attempting to complete an incantation.
Most incantations require components not unlike those of spells, including verbal, somatic, focus, and material components. In addition, some require secondary casters (abbreviated SC in the Components line of a description), or cause some sort of backlash (abbreviated B), or cost the caster some amount of experience points (abbreviated XP).
Some incantations require multiple participants to have any hope of succeeding. These secondary casters are indispensable to the success of the incantation. However, no matter how many people are gathered in the dark room, chanting with candles, only one character—most commonly the one with the highest modifier in the relevant skill—is the primary caster who makes the relevant checks. Secondary casters can’t help the primary caster succeed by means of the aid another action, but their presence is required for certain aspects of the ritual nonetheless.
Often, an incantation is hosted with more than the minimum number of casters. If the primary caster or a secondary caster is killed or disabled, one of these bystanders can step into a role.
If an incantation requires a check involving a skill other than Knowledge (arcana), any secondary caster can make that check if he or she has a higher skill modifier than the primary caster. Casters who favor the Hrothgar’s journey incantation, for example, keep bards on hand if they aren’t highly skilled in Perform (oratory) themselves.
Some incantations damage or drain the caster in some way when they are cast. They have a backlash component: damage, negative levels, or some other effect. The caster experiences the backlash effect regardless of the success or failure of the incantation.
When two skill checks in a row result in failure (whether or not they’re made by the same character), the incantation as a whole fails. The character who failed the second check experiences the effect indicated in the incantation’s description. In general, the consequences of failure can be divided into the following categories. (Many of these effects are not mentioned in the sample incantations that follow; they are provided here for use in incantations that are yet tobe developed.)
A creature is called from elsewhere to battle the caster (and often any bystanders and secondary casters). The incantation’s description tells the GM what Challenge Rating the creature should have, how it behaves, and how long it persists.
The incantation was supposed to weaken or destroy its target, but it makes the target more powerful instead. An incantation that deals damage might heal its target or cause it to grow in power, for example.
The incantation seemingly succeeds, but the subject of the incantation (or, in rare cases, the caster) undergoes a dramatic alignment change. Over the next 1d6 minutes, the subject’s alignment becomes the extreme opposite of what it was previously (for instance, lawful good becomes chaotic evil, or chaotic neutral becomes lawful neutral; a neutral subject randomly becomes lawful good, lawful evil, chaotic good, or chaotic evil). The subject generally tries to keep its new outlook a secret.
Either the caster or the target takes damage as the consequence of failure.
Someone—usually the caster or the target—dies. Some incantations allow a saving throw to avoid this consequence of failure.
The caster believes the incantation had the desired effect, but in fact it had no effect or a very different one.
The incantation (typically a divination) delivers false results to the caster, but the caster believes the results are true.
The caster of the incantation is targeted by a harmful spell. The incantation description gives the specific spell, save DC, and other particulars.
The incantation has the opposite effect of what was intended.
The incantation affects the caster rather than the intended target.
The following incantations are among the better-known incantations in existence—which means that no more than a few eldritch scholars know about them. Characters can learn of their existence during the course of an adventure by making a Knowledge (arcana) check (see Discovering Incantations, above).
Call Forth The Dweller |
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|---|---|
| Divination | |
| Effective Level: | 6th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 20, 6 successive |
| Failure: | Falsehood |
| Components: | V, S, M, F, XP |
| Casting Time: | 60 minutes |
| Range: | Personal |
| Target: | You |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | None |
| Spell Resistance: | No |
| This incantation contacts the enigmatic, extradimensional being known as the Dweller on the Threshold, an entity that imparts knowledge about its specific obsession: doors and other entrances. | |
| To cast call forth the Dweller, the caster must inscribe forty-two mystic symbols around an open doorway, then begin the chants and supplications required for the incantation. | |
| If the incantation succeeds, an image of the Dweller—an inky mass of tentacles and mouths—appears on the other side of the doorway. The Dweller on the Threshold truthfully answers any questions it is asked about a particular door. For example, the Dweller can provide a magical password that unlocks a door, indicate how to disarm a trap on a door, reveal the weaknesses of a door’s guardian, or describe the room that lies beyond the door. Its answers are clear and fairly specific, if somewhat terse. The caster may well appreciate such concise answers, because one of the forty-two symbols inscribed around the doorway during the casting of the incantation fades away with each word the Dweller on the Threshold speaks—and when all the symbols are gone, the Dweller disappears. | |
| If the caster asks the Dweller on the Threshold a question that doesn’t involve doors, the Dweller responds with a cutting insult, often about something the caster thought was secret. Each word of the insult likewise makes a symbol disappear from the perimeter of the doorway. | |
| The exact nature of the Dweller on the Threshold is shrouded in mystery. Some contend that it is somehow connected to the god of secrets, although no one has ever found conclusive evidence that the Dweller on the Threshold is evil. | |
| Option | |
| If the doorway used as the focus is one that the Dweller has been asked about in the past, the caster gains a +4 bonus on the Knowledge (arcana) checks during the incantation. For example, if Boredflak uses call forth the Dweller to learn about the Gateway to Despair, then when he reaches the Gateway, he can use the Gateway as the focus and gain a +4 bonus when he uses the incantation to ask about the Arches of Certain Doom. | |
| Failure | |
| If the caster fails two consecutive Knowledge (arcana) checks, the Dweller on the Threshold gleefully lies, employing falsehoods that demonstrate its inclination toward mischief and cruelty. | |
| Material Component | |
| Forty-two mystic symbols inscribed around the perimeter of the focus doorway (requiring materials costing 500 tell). As described above, these symbols gradually disappear during the time the incantation is in effect. | |
| Focus | |
| An open doorway large enough to allow a Medium creature to pass through it. | |
| XP Componenet | |
| 400 XP | |
| Backlash | |
| After speaking with the Dweller on the Threshold, the caster is exhausted. | |
Fires of Dis |
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|---|---|
| Conjuration (Calling) | |
| Effective Level: | 6th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 23, 6 successes; Knowledge (religion) DC 23, 2 successes; Knowledge (the planes) DC 23, 1 success |
| Failure: | Death |
| Components: | V, S, M, XP, SC, B |
| Casting Time: | 90 minutes |
| Range: | Touch |
| Target: | 80-ft.-radius burst centered on caster |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | Reflex half (DC 19 + caster’s Cha modifier) |
| Spell Resistance: | Yes |
| This incantation, dreamed up by insane cultists, opens a fell rift between the Material Plane and the fires of Dis, the fiery, hellish home of various devils. This rift brings about a massive conflagration that destroys almost everything in the immediate area, then releases a powerful devil who capers over the smoldering ruins and begins to rampage across the countryside. The fires of Dis ignite everything they touch—except for the caster, who is transported to Dis as the result of the incantation’s backlash. | |
| When the incantation is complete, the fires of Dis fill an 80-foot-radius spread around the caster’s former location, dealing 18d6 points of fire damage (Reflex half) to all creatures and objects. Additionally, everything flammable in that radius is now on fire (as described in Catching on Fire). | |
| In the following round, a pit fiend comes through the rift, which then closes. The creature begins to destroy everything in sight. | |
| Failure | |
| Death of the character who failed the second consecutive skill check. | |
| Material Component | |
| Rare unguents and dark alchemical concoctions worth 5,000 tell. | |
| XP Componenet | |
| 1,000 XP. | |
| Backlash | |
| The caster is knocked unconscious and transported to Dis (no save). | |
| Extra Casters | |
| Six required; they chant choruses and supplications to various dark deities throughout the incantation. | |
Hrothgar’s Journey |
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|---|---|
| Conjuration (Teleportation) | |
| Effective Level: | 6th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 20, 2 successes; Perform (oratory) DC 20, 4 successes |
| Failure: | 5d6 points of fire damage to caster |
| Components: | V, S, M, SC, B |
| Casting Time: | 60 minutes |
| Range: | Touch |
| Target: | Caster plus four to twelve other creatures |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | Will negates (harmless) (DC 16 + caster’s Cha modifier) |
| Spell Resistance: | Yes (harmless) |
| Hrothgar’s journey is an incantation based on the tale of Hrothgar, a powerful barbarian hero from ages past. When the poetic epic of Hrothgar is recited in the stifling heat of a sweat lodge during the winter solstice, the orator and his listeners receive the same final reward that Hrothgar did: a one-way trip to the heavenly plain of Ida, where they can drink and make merry with the greatest warriors of myth. | |
| To cast the incantation, the caster must construct a small, windowless hut in the middle of the forest, then build a bonfire in the hut’s center. At least four and up to twelve others accompany the caster into the hut. Then the flames are lit and the telling of the tale of Hrothgar begins. | |
| Because the bonfire is large and the hut is small, the atmosphere inside quickly gets stiflingly hot. This is the incantation’s backlash; unlike most backlash components, it affects the incantation’s other targets as well as the caster. Any creature inside the hut must make a Fortitude save every 10 minutes or suffer the effects of severe heat (as described in Heat Dangers). | |
| Just as the tale of Hrothgar approaches its conclusion (near the end of the casting time), the bonfire’s flames light the hut on fire, which creates a great deal of smoke but no additional heat or damage. If the final skill check succeeds, the flames consume the hut’s roof and walls, revealing the plain of Ida on the plane of Nœlvådüth. | |
| Material Component | |
| A windowless, thatched hut in a forest. | |
| Backlash Component | |
| Severe heat. | |
| Extra Casters | |
| Four required; they provide the dialogue for other characters in the epic of Hrothgar. | |
Snatch From Death |
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|---|---|
| Conjuration (Healing) | |
| Effective Level: | 6th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 20, 2 successive, Knowledge (religion) DC 20, 2 successive, Perform (oratory) DC 20, 1 check, Diplomacy DC 20, 1 check |
| Failure: | The attempt to return the chosen target from the death fails, and another attempt cannot be made for 6 hours. |
| Components: | V, S, M, F, SC |
| Casting Time: | 60 minutes |
| Range: | Touch |
| Target: | Dead creature touched |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | None, see text |
| Spell Resistance: | Yes (harmless) |
| This incantation contacts the soul of a recently deceased individual and attempts to persuade it to return to its original body, rather than to give itself over to the natural cycle of reincarnation. | |
| This ritual may only be performed on a body that has been dead for less than 1 day per caster level of the primary caster of the ritual, and deceased for no longer than 7 days in any case. After 7 days, the soul has passed beyond the caster's reach and is being judged by their respective god(dess) for eventual reincarnation, apotheosis or damnation. | |
| If the incantation succeeds, the deceased being returns to life, with all of their wounds healed and any normal poisons or diseases cured. Magical diseases or poisons still linger and may require further treatment (or may simply kill them again) and, if the body was not whole at the time of casting, the body may still be missing parts. | |
| The individual returning to life loses 1 level or Hit Die as though they have lost a level or Hit Dice to an energy-draining creature (or 2 Constitution points if it was first level - if this reduces it to 0 Constitution, then it cannot return to life in this manner and the ritual fails). This loss is permanent and cannot be removed by any means. The returned individual has 50$ of their normal spell or power points or 50% of their normal available weaves for the day and selusid are weary upon return to life in this manner. Vitality points on return are equal to the individual's Hit Dice upon return, and further rest and healing is usually recommended. | |
| This ritual will not restore someone who has been killed, turned into an undead and then destroyed. It will not retore someone who dies of old age, constructs, elementals, outsiders or undead. | |
| In order for this ritual to work, the returned individual's soul must be willing to return to its original body. If the soul is unwilling and wishes to either return through the usual reincarnation process, or believes that they are likely to achieve apotheosis, then the ritual will fail. A willing soul gets no saving throw, and the ritual simply returns them to their body if the primary caster is of high enough level to draw them back given the passage of time since their death. | |
| Failure | |
| If the Knowledge (religion) check fails, the ritual will fail and the casters will all receive a minor negative effect from the deity most closely associated with the deceased. This negative effect is generally fairly mild (equivalent to a bestow curse spell for a few hours, but can be anything from something moderately serious that can impact combat or other adverture scenarios through to something amusing but downright annoying, depending on the nature of the deity involved. Whether the deceased was religious or not has no bearing on this, while they may have had no pretentions toward religion, the deities of the world of the Unification pay close attention to those who achive things in the world and often select individuals as "favourites". | |
| Material Component | |
| The material components for this ritual are 5,000gp worth of diamonds. | |
| Focus | |
| The foci for this ritual are the previously mentioned diamonds, which are laid out around the deceased and two large, traditional bronze coins that are laid over the eyes of the deceased. | |
| XP Componenet | |
| 200 XP | |
| Extra Casters | |
| A minimum of three are required to cast this ritual properly, but up to five can work together effectively, any more hinder the ritual. | |
Return From the Grave |
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|---|---|
| Conjuration (Healing) | |
| Effective Level: | 8th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 25, 2 successive, Knowledge (religion) DC 25, 2 successive, Perform (oratory) DC 30, 3 successive, Diplomacy DC30, 4 successive |
| Failure: | The attempt to return the chosen target from the death fails, and another attempt cannot be made for 24 hours. |
| Components: | V, S, M, F, SC |
| Casting Time: | 110 minutes |
| Range: | Touch |
| Target: | Dead creature touched |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | None, see text |
| Spell Resistance: | Yes (harmless) |
| This incantation is designed to return life to a creature, regardless of the state of its body (so long as at least some small part is at hand), and even if it has already been reincarnated according to the natural cycle, up to a point. | |
| To cast the spell, the primary caster must have at least a small portion of the deceased's remains. If the deceased was destroyed with a disintegrate spell, then the leftover dust counts as sufficient for this ritual. The time lapsed between death and the casting of this ritual is considerably longer than the Snatch From Death ritual - the deceased can be for up to 10 years per caster level of the primary caster, with an upper limit of 100 years. If the deceased was not reincarnated, but had achieved apotheosis, they cannot be returned in this fashion, nor can the damned. | |
| Unlike the Snatch From Death ritual, the deceased is returned to life at full strength and vigour, with full vitality points, no loss of spell or power points, no loss of available weaves per day, and no weariness for selusid. All diseases and poisons are cured (including magical ones), however, the deceased still loses 1 level or Hit Die as though affected by a level-draining creature (or 2 Constitution points if 1st-level, unless this reduces them to 0 Constitution, in which case they do not return to life). This loss of level, Hit Die or Constitution cannot be reversed by any means. | |
| This ritual will restore someone who has been killed, turned into an undead and then destroyed. It will not retore someone who dies of old age, constructs, elementals, outsiders or undead (other than as noted previously). | |
| In order for this ritual to work, the returned individual's soul must be willing to return to its original body. If the soul is unwilling and wishes to either return through the usual reincarnation process, or believes that they are likely to achieve apotheosis, then the ritual will fail. A willing soul gets no saving throw, and the ritual simply returns them to their body if the primary caster is of high enough level to draw them back given the passage of time since their death. | |
| It is also worth noting that, if the deceased has been dead for longer than 7 days, then they have already been reincarnated. If the spell is cast shortly after the expiration of the 7 days, and if the deceased was only a minor player in the plans of the deity who has chosen to meddle the most in their lives, then the reincarnated form is most likely either still unborn or is at least relatively young (and possibly not even a sentient being if they're being "punished" for some imagined slight). If, however, someone on high regards them as a major player (or at least moderately important) in their plans, then they may have been reincarneted fully grown, complete with a backstory and full set of memories and a family with associated memories and backstory. For this ritual to work, the casters are effectively asking for the soul they want back to kill off that new life and leave their new loved ones (who are woven into the fabric of the world with full memories of a long life with the about-to-be-deceased) in order to return to their old life (which is why there are higher performance and diplomacy requirements). This might upset carefully laid plans and annoy divine beings who are not known for long fuses and patient dispositions. | |
| Failure | |
| If the Knowledge (religion) check fails, the ritual will fail and the casters will all receive a major negative effect from the deity most closely associated with the deceased. Because the deceased has already been accepted by the deity who has most closely intertwined themselves in their lives and judged and sent for reincarnation, this ritual interferes with that plan, athus attracting the attention (and wrath) of the deity in question. This usually manifests as an increase in Taint (even though returning someone to life is not normally considered a tainted act) and loss of 1 level or Hit Die each (which cannot be reversed or undone by any means). | |
| Material Component | |
| The material components for this ritual are 10,000gp worth of diamonds and a burial cloth worth 1,000gp. | |
| Focus | |
| The foci for this ritual are the previously mentioned diamonds and burial cloth, which are laid out as though around the deceased is covered by the cloth and surrounded by the diamonds and two large, traditional bronze coins that are laid over where the eyes of the deceased would be (assuming no whole remains are available, otherwise laid out accordingly on the actual remains). | |
| XP Componenet | |
| 600 XP | |
| Extra Casters | |
| A minimum of three are required to cast this ritual properly, but up to five can work together effectively, any more hinder the ritual. | |
Part the Mists |
|
|---|---|
| Conjuration (Healing) | |
| Effective Level: | 9th |
| Skill Check: | Knowledge (arcana) DC 30, 2 successive, Knowledge (religion) DC 30, 2 successive, Perform (oratory) DC 35, 5 successive, Diplomacy DC35, 6 successive |
| Failure: | The attempt to return the chosen target from the death fails, and another attempt cannot be made for 24 hours. |
| Components: | V, S, M, F, SC |
| Casting Time: | 150 minutes |
| Range: | Touch |
| Target: | Dead creature touched |
| Duration: | Instantaneous |
| Saving Throw: | None, see text |
| Spell Resistance: | Yes (harmless) |
| This incantation is designed to return life to a creature, regardless of the state of its body (so long as at least some small part is at hand), and even if it has already been reincarnated according to the natural cycle. | |
| To cast the spell, the primary caster must either have some sort of remains or be able to unambiguously identify the deceased in some fashion (such as by reciting their exact date, time, place and circumstances of birth or death). The time lapsed between death and the casting of this ritual is considerably longer than the Snatch From Death ritual - the deceased can be for up to 10 years per caster level of the primary caster and, unlike Return From the Grave, there is no upper limit. Also, unlike Return From the Grave, this ritual will return a (willing) soul that has achieved apotheosis or that has been damned, which will most certainly attract the attention (and ire) of the deity with whom the soul was merged or who had consumed the soul. Taking a soul that had achieve apotheosis (fused with their deity) or been damned (been consumed) reduces the power of said deity, something that never goes unpunhished. | |
| Unlike the Return From the Grave ritual, the deceased is returned to life at full strength and vigour, with full vitality points, no loss of spell or power points, no loss of available weaves per day, and no weariness for selusid. All diseases and poisons are cured (including magical ones) and there is no loss of level or Constitution. | |
| This ritual will restore someone who has been killed by a death effect or killed, turned into an undead and then destroyed. It will also retore elementals and outsiders, but not constructs or undead, nor can it raise one that has died of old age. | |
| In order for this ritual to work, the returned individual's soul must be willing to return to its original body. If the soul is unwilling and wishes to either return through the usual reincarnation process, or believes that they are likely to achieve apotheosis, then the ritual will fail. A willing soul gets no saving throw, and the ritual simply returns them to their body if the primary caster is of high enough level to draw them back given the passage of time since their death. | |
| It is also worth noting that, if the deceased has been dead for longer than 7 days, then they have already been reincarnated. If the spell is cast shortly after the expiration of the 7 days, and if the deceased was only a minor player in the plans of the deity who has chosen to meddle the most in their lives, then the reincarnated form is most likely either still unborn or is at least relatively young (and possibly not even a sentient being if they're being "punished" for some imagined slight). If, however, someone on high regards them as a major player (or at least moderately important) in their plans, then they may have been reincarneted fully grown, complete with a backstory and full set of memories and a family with associated memories and backstory. For this ritual to work, the casters are effectively asking for the soul they want back to kill off that new life and leave their new loved ones (who are woven into the fabric of the world with full memories of a long life with the about-to-be-deceased) in order to return to their old life. This might upset carefully laid plans and annoy divine beings who are not known for long fuses and patient dispositions. | |
| If the soul in question has achieved apotheosis and been merged with their deity, their soul is one that has been nurtured and watched for centuries and through countless reincarnations, growing in power until it was worthy of merging and adding that power to the patron divine. As such, while the soul may be willing to return, the god(dess) who has devoted such time and energy to the soul with the ultimate aim of fusing it to themselves and growing their power are less willing and certainly less understanding. | |
| If the sould in question was damned, then it was either one that was nurtured by a god for eventual apotheoisis but was deemed unsuitable for some reason (usually by betrayal or some other action that ran counter to their plans), or was nurtured by a rival and successfully snatched from their grasp. Damned souls are also used to add to the power of the divine entities, though not by fusing their energies to the gods directly, instead, they are consumed by being devoured and their energies absorbed and broken down for assimilation. Needless to say, most damned souls are willing to return, but those who have gained their power by consuming them are less willing to part with them. | |
| Failure | |
| If the Knowledge (religion) check fails, the ritual will fail and the casters will all receive a major negative effect from the deity most closely associated with the deceased. Because the deceased has already been accepted by the deity who has most closely intertwined themselves in their lives and judged and sent for reincarnation, this ritual interferes with that plan, athus attracting the attention (and wrath) of the deity in question. This usually manifests as an increase in Taint (even though returning someone to life is not normally considered a tainted act) and loss of 1 level or Hit Die each (which cannot be reversed or undone by any means). | |
| Material Component | |
| The material components for this ritual are 25,000gp worth of diamonds and a burial cloth worth 5,000gp. | |
| Focus | |
| The foci for this ritual are the previously mentioned diamonds and burial cloth, which are laid out as though around the deceased is covered by the cloth and surrounded by the diamonds and two large, traditional bronze coins that are laid over where the eyes of the deceased would be (assuming no whole remains are available, otherwise laid out accordingly on the actual remains). | |
| XP Componenet | |
| 1,000 XP | |
| Extra Casters | |
| A minimum of three are required to cast this ritual properly, but up to five can work together effectively, any more hinder the ritual. | |
| General Factors for Incantations | |
|---|---|
| Factor | Check DC Modifier |
| Skill Checks | |
| Requires checks involving more than one skill | -1 |
| Requires a skill not on san-li class skill list | -1 |
| Casting Time | |
| 1 hour between checks | -1 |
| Casting time is restricted (only during full moon, for example) | -4 |
| Casting time is severely restricted (only during lunar eclipse, for example) | -8 |
| Range | |
| Touch to close/close to touch | +2/-2 |
| Close to medium/medium to close | +2/-2 |
| Medium to long/long to medium | +2/-2 |
| Area | |
| Doubling area/halving area | +3/-3 |
| Target | |
| Unwilling target must be helpless | -2 |
| Limited targets (by HD, creature type, and so on) | -3 |
| Single target to multiple targets | +4 |
| Duration | |
| Rounds to minutes/minutes to rounds | +2/-2 |
| Minutes to hours/hours to minutes | +4/-2 |
| Hours to days/days to hours | +6/-2 |
| Days to permanent or instantaneous/permanent or instantaneous to days | +10/-4 |
| Focus and Material Components | |
| Expensive material component (500 tell) | -1 |
| Expensive material component (5,000 tell) | -2 |
| Expensive material component (25,000 tell) | -4 |
| Expensive focus (5,000 tell) | -1 |
| Expensive focus (25,000 tell) | -2 |
| XP Component | |
| Per 100 XP (max 1,000 XP) | -1 |
| Extra Casters | |
| 10 or fewer secondary casters | -2 |
| 11-100 secondary casters | -6 |
| 101 or more secondary casters | -10 |
| Backlash | |
| Per 2d6 points of damage | -1 |
| Caster is exhausted | -2 |
| Per negative level caster gains | -2 |
| Caster reduced to 0 vitality points and rendered unconscious | -3 |
| Caster infected with disease | -4 |
| Backlash affects secondary casters too | -1 |
Designing incantations is a tricky business and can seriously impact game balance by allowing characters access to powerful magic before they (or, potentially, the game) are ready for it. Because of this, any new incantations designed by players must be approved by the primary DM prior to use, and should be constructed using the guidelines below, which was drawn from the 3.5 supplement Unearthed Arcana. These guides will help determine how powerful the incantation is.
When you design an incantation, first decide which school or schools the incantation would fit into if it were a spell. Each school has a specific DC, which serves as the base skill check DC for the incantation you’re designing. Consult the descriptions of the schools of magic if you aren’t sure which school an incantation should belong to. If you’re designing an incantation that could qualify for more than one school, choose the most important one to provide the base DC. Other schools add one-third their DC to the total. For example, the fires of Dis incantation has conjuration as its most important school (because of the pit fiend it calls) and evocation as a second school (because of the fiery burst it creates). Thus, the fires of Dis incantation has a base DC of 41 (30 + 11) for all skill checks made during its casting.
Each summary below specifies the range, target, duration, and other aspects of an incantation associated with a particular school.
DC 32; Range: Close; Target: One or more creatures, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart; Duration: Minutes; Saving Throw: Will negates; Spell Resistance: Yes.
DC 30; Range: Close; Target: One creature; Duration: Hours (Instantaneous for teleportation subschool); Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless).
DC 30; Range: Long; Target: Personal; Duration: Minutes; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No.
DC 32; Range: Close; Target: One living creature; Duration: Minutes; Saving Throw: Will negates; Spell Resistance: Yes.
DC 34; Range: Medium; Area: 5-ft.-wide bolt or 20-ft.-radius burst; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: Reflex half; Spell Resistance: Yes.
DC 32; Range: Touch; Target: One living creature or 20 cu. ft. of matter; Duration: Minutes; Saving Throw: Will disbelief; Spell Resistance: No.
DC 34; Range: Close; Target: One or more creatures or corpses; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No.
DC 32; Range: Medium; Target: One creature or 20 cu. ft. of matter; Duration: Rounds; Saving Throw: Fortitude half (often harmless); Spell Resistance: Yes.
Next, determine modifications to the base DC based on the specifics of your ritual; see the table below for a list of general factors and how they change the skill check DC. Increasing the base range of an incantation, for example, is a factor that increases the DC. Reducing the duration of an incantation, on the other hand, is a factor that reduces the DC.
Finally, set the effective level of the incantation. Incantations are like 6th- through 9th-level spells, so you can set the effective level of the incantation by comparing what the incantation does to what spells of that level can accomplish. The effective level determines a number of aspects of the incantation: how many total successes are required, the exact save DC of the incantation, and sometimes the incantation’s precise range and duration.
Equal to the incantation’s effective level.
10 + incantation’s effective level + caster’s Cha modifier.
Assume a caster level of twice the incantation’s level, using the same formula a spell would. For example, an incantation with a duration of “minutes” would last 12 minutes if it’s effectively a 6th-level spell. The same incantation with a range of medium can affect a target up to 220 feet away.