From: Tommy the Terrorist <[m--yd--y] at [super.zippo.com]>
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc,rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Magic 101: Advanced Topics in Illusionism
Date: 14 Jun 1998 07:51:54 GMT

[Note:  the following text makes sporadic references to rules of games
put out by the TSR corporation, but it is *not* a TSR product and is
*not* approved by TSR.  I don't think they would even pass this stuff on
"ethics", in fact.  Pity...]

Anti-Copyright (A) 1993 by Tommy the Terrorist.  This text is explicitly
public domain and can be copied, modified, used, etc. by anyone.

Illusionary Familiar (Illusion/Phantasm)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 1
Frequency: Very Rare
Range: Special
Components: V, S, M
Materials: 
Duration: Until disbelieved or dispelled
Casting Time: Special
Area of Effect: Special [one "creature"]
Saving Throw: Special
   This spell allows an illusionist to bring into being an imaginary
"creature" as a loyal companion.  To cast the spell the caster must
resolve to spend several days meditating upon the features, movements,
and habits of a particular type of real creature (no larger than a pet
dog or cat), of which he has one or more living models.  He must study a
living model throughout the period of meditation.  This model must be a
normal creature of its type:  use of a polymorphed, disguised, charmed,
or otherwise falsified model will guarantee failure, as the illusionist
will never achieve the needed insight into its behavior.  During the
period of study the caster may not engage in strenuous activity such as
adventuring, and must spend nearly all of his time withdrawn in
concentration, although he is still able to take time for study, prayer,
exercise, etc. as appropriate for his character class(es).
   After studying for 1-4 days (DM rolls secretly), the illusionist will
for one instant only be granted a fundamental insight that allows him to
imagine everything about how the creature looks and acts.  This insight
may come at any time of day or night, and when it comes the caster must
immediately cast the illusionary familiar spell, or else all chance of
success with this type of creature is lost.
   The result of the casting is that what appears to be a creature of the
studied type appears before the caster.  It is obviously of a friendly
disposition, and will try its best to follow simple verbal directions
provided they don't seem too dangerous, boring, or otherwise
objectionable.  (What is regarded as dangerous or boring will depend on
the creature!)  If the familiar senses danger it will attempt to warn the
caster by mewing, nuzzling, etc.  It usually takes too long for the
creature to notice something and warn the caster for this to affect a
surprise roll, but the creature can be very effective for waking him up
when someone is getting ready to stab him in his sleep.
   Nonetheless the familiar is in fact only an illusion.  It affects all
senses including touch, and someone who does not specifically state that
he disbelieves in its presence has no chance to save against the effect. 
However, it cannot carry any item however small, nor affect any physical
object in any way. What it can "carry" is information.  It can lead a
person to a specific place or person, or use scent to follow a trail,
just as well as the real animal.  If someone attaches a real message to
it, they will see an illusory message carried away while the force of the
phantasm causes them to ignore the real message left behind; what is
amazing is that the recipient will usually be able to read the illusory
message.  (This only works if the sender knows the content and meaning of
the message, because it is his mind which unknowingly imprints this
information on the illusion.  Otherwise the message will only show
legibly what the recipient knows, while the rest will be illegible for
whatever reason the recipient would find easiest to believe.)  As an
illusion, the familiar does not require food or water, but it has a
strong opinion to the contrary and won't give the caster peace until he
agrees!  
   If attacked, the familiar will take the amount of damage that from the
viewpoint of the real creature it would normally expect to take. 
Non-obvious forms of attack (hold spells and many other magics, etc.) are
completely ignored.  If the familiar takes enough damage to die, it
reappears immediately, unharmed, although quite confused since it doesn't
know that it is an illusion; it will flee immediately if possible.  If
anyone successfully disbelieves the familiar, or if dispel magic or
dispel illusion is cast, the familiar is forever slain.  Repeated "death"
by violence may also endanger the familiar, because the GM may rule that
it begins to doubt its own reality.
   The familiar is capable of all special abilities that one would expect
it to have.  This includes forms of sensation, movement, and attack, but
any senses beyond the caster's yield what the caster would expect it to
see rather than any real information, and all forms of attack cause only
illusionary damage and "death", from which the target can usually recover
rapidly.  After recovering from an illusionary attack from the creature,
the affected targets automatically disbelieve (and slay!) the familiar
upon sight.
   Once the caster has his insight once, he can never again create the
same type of illusionary creature.  If he has had a long and favorable
relationship with the familiar, it may return of its own accord within
the area of effect of unrelated illusion spells that he casts, taking on
briefly the shadow of its former existence.   

Pox (Illusion/Phantasm)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 2
Frequency: Very Rare
Range: 10 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Materials: Discharge (pus) from the sore desired, etc.
Duration: Until disbelieved or dispelled
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: Special [one creature, plus contagion]
Saving Throw: Special
   This spell causes one creature who fails his saving throw to believe
that he is infested with a disease of the caster's choice. This disease
may or may not be modeled on a real disease.   The caster may choose the
type of disease at the time of casting, but must have on hand an
appropriate material component: a small amount of pus, exudate, phlegm,
etc. from a person with the real disease. If the caster invents a
fanciful disease to inflict, he must still come up with a real disease
that seems most closely related to the effect he wishes to cause.  For
example, if the victim is to believe his skin is turning into reptilian
scales, the caster could take a scraping from the skin of someone with
psoriasis.  The caster must touch the sample (with his hand) while
casting and be subject to contagious effects (if any) thereof; perhaps
(perhaps not) this is why diseases of a social nature are most often
preferred... In general, the DM should assess a chance of contraction of
the disease represented by the material component at twice normal chances
for the method of presentation (i.e., handling).  For example, a disease
only spread by blood would not affect the caster, though a disease like
smallpox would.  
   Only the person affected is permitted a wisdom-adjusted saving throw
to disbelieve at the time of casting, but this save is at -4. Additional
checks may be made at intervals based on intelligence as for charm
person.  In addition, the subject of the spell may disbelieve normally
(as an action) once per turn.  Others may disbelieve, but do so at -4
(since the person affected himself believes!) and must have some reason
to suspect illusion.  Cure disease does not help the afflicted person, as
he is not in fact ill (but if the pox mimics a real disease, and
appropriate treatment is given, everyone gets a +4 bonus to all saving
throws). Dispel magic will end the effect, but only if cast specifically
to counter the spell effect.  Remove curse alleviates the condition
immediately.
   The effects of the disease are mostly cosmetic; the caster may reduce
the target's charisma to 50% of its original value.  This loss is based
on sheer physical repugnance; if the disease carries a specific social
stigma this is role-played separately and in addition to charisma loss. 
In addition the pox may also interfere with any other attribute(s), but
all saving throws against the spell are +1 for each additional point
lost.  The only exception to this is if the pox is modeled on a real
disease, in which case the pox may subtract 3 additional points without
saving throw bonuses, provided those points are lost by people with the
real disease. (This bonus is given because the victim actually expects
the losses to occur)  The pox is not contagious, although it is rumoured
that higher level, communicable variants exist.

Intimidating Suggestion (Illusion)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 3
Frequency: Unique
See Also: fireball, intimidating reality
Range: 10 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Materials: Bat guano, sulfur
Duration: 1d4 days
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Negates
   Wellitall's Intimidating Suggestion is designed to keep someone put
via their fear of fire.  When cast, a great ball of fire seems to appear
in a location some distance away from the target.  Both fireball and
target must be within range of the caster at the time of casting.  There
is also a low audible roar consistent with what one might expect to hear.
 If the target chooses to move, the fireball will first move directly
toward the target's initial position, then follow its exact path --- only
moving twice as quickly.  Thus the target cannot move any further than
its original distance from the fireball without coming into close
proximity of the fireball.  Once the fireball approaches within five
feet, it will approach no faster than one foot per round regardless of
the target's speed, while the target feels an ever-increasing illusion of
heat.  It will do no more than match position with the target if the
target is in free fall.  When the last foot is to be crossed, the
fireball rushes to envelop the target, which suffers the full damage of
an -illusory- fireball.
   The verbal, somatic, and material components of this spell are
designed to resemble those of the fireball spell quite closely.  It
requires a Spellcraft proficiency check at -5, minus any other penalties
for frequency, to distinguish them.  Thus "the wizard points his finger
and speaks the range (distance and height) at which the fireball" is to
first appear, and uses a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur as material
component. The target is specified by a quick gesture and a dirty look
common to the intimidating suggestion spell and the intimidating reality
spell (a similar spell which produces a real fireball which behaves in
the same manner).

Shadow Gate (Illusion/Phantasm)
Reversed Name: shadow escape
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 3
Frequency: Rare
Range: 10 yards/level
Components: S, M
Materials: Star sapphire (300 gp), Eye of blind creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: Up to 10-foot by 10-foot square area
Saving Throw: None
   This spell affects a 10-foot by 10-foot square, or portion thereof, of
flat surface which is well-illuminated by a source that casts definite
shadows.  This surface need not be solid; a sharply bounded cloud of
steam will also work.  To cast the spell, the caster holds the eye of a
congenitally blind creature (which may be dried but must be intact), such
as a cave fish or cave salamander, or in some worlds, a bat, above a star
sapphire.  With suitable gestures the reflective "star" which gives the
gem its name can be lured out of the gem and convinced to move to the eye
instead, and the caster need then only point out the area desired with
his finger and toss the eye, which vanishes.  Only the "star" of the star
sapphire is consumed --- afterwards it is a regular sapphire. With a good
eye for gems the caster can cut the net cost of the spell to 300 gp
(400-600 gp for the original gem and 100-300 back for the gem minus star).
   The effect of this spell is more straightforward in theory than in
practice.  It simply makes a direct connection between the world of
shadows and the physical world.  Thus a person can then shoot an arrow
through the gate, and it will be transformed into the shadow of an arrow
that will continue to move across the surface outside the gate, even
around corners or across painted details, until it reaches an area (or a
bend of the surface) which is in shadow.  It strikes this area as a solid
object, and remains permanently embedded in the shadow that it strikes. 
If the target hit was an inanimate object, the only affect is that the
shadow will ever afterward have an arrow pointing out of it; but if it is
a creature the damage will be felt as a sort of sinister, agonizing
coldness in the area affected.  The damage should be treated as
illusionary damage (i.e. it can force a system shock check and the belief
of "death") however it cannot be disbelieved, and everyone can see the
arrow sticking out of the target's shadow.  The target will have
difficulty moving, and will be unable to heal, just as if the real arrow
were present and not pulled out of the wound in question.  A person is
(naturally) protected from this attack if another shadow blocks the arrow
before it reaches him, but armor will not protect him unless it is
several inches thick; indeed, the arrow ignores the armor-based AC of the
person affected and pierces straight through to the flesh.  Once the
arrow has imbedded in a target's shadow it is part of that shadow, and
cannot be broken or pulled out with the shadow of another object.  The
arrow can be removed by using the shadow gate spell to reach through and
pull it out (see below), remove curse, or dispel magic (which makes the
arrow and associated damage real and imbedded in the target). 
   More than just arrows can pass through the gate!  A creature (or part
thereof) or any other object may enter through the gate, but it is very
dangerous.  Unless an object is becomes firmly embedded in a shadow and
becomes part of that shadow, it must treat all shadows as solid,
immovable objects.  A housefly's shadow becomes a ram with crushing
force, and can cut a foolish adventurer in half.  However, use of this
spell can be a convenient way to remove effects of this spell (by
reaching through and pulling out shadow-arrows).  Combined with the
reverse shadow escape (which allows a shadow-person to cast a similar
spell to create a gate to reality), this spell can allow a person to
travel through some areas where he otherwise could not (for instance, an
area protected by a wall of force becomes accessible since it casts no
shadow).  Finally, the spell may be used as a trap, although it should be
pointed out that
1) a creature stepping on a bespelled area gains a saving throw to dodge
out and away
2) such a creature, if moving in the right direction, can continue to
step forward, pushing back against its own shadow (an eerie sensation
like constantly tipping over a precipice)
3) in worlds where creatures have any psychic sensitivity worth speaking
of, such potential death-traps will raise hackles
   If the spell ends normally while an object or creature is still in
shadow form, a save vs. spell is allowed for the affected thing to be
ejected whole from the surface.  Failure indicates that the object or
creature is embedding half-into, half-out of the surface (thus
destroyed!); exact success indicates that it is sent to the plane of
Shadow.  If the shadow gate is actually cast upon the surface of a living
creature, the creature is granted two saves: once at the time of casting,
and again to prevent an object or creature from becoming embedded.  If
the creature whose surface is in question makes its save, but the
shadow-object does not, the shadow-object is sent to the plane of Shadow.
   The reverse of this spell, shadow escape, allows creatures gated into
shadow to escape elsewhere by creating another region.  This region is
exactly the same as that created by shadow gate; the reversal merely
affects the place from which the spell can be cast. The reverse of the
spell also will have some effect on the plane of Shadow, allowing someone
to leave, although the precise destination, or unusual effects on those
passing through, may be hard to predict.

Wizard Paint (Illusion)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 2
Frequency: Rare
See Also: wizard mark
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Materials: Diamond dust (100 gp), Pigments   
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: Up to 1 square foot
Saving Throw: None
   This "improvement" of the wizard mark spell allows the caster to mark
an object permanently with a bright or even fluorescent pattern, which
may be turned on and off at command (switched between visible and
invisible states), and which is not limited to any set number of
characters.  (The casting time does not impose a limit, as the wizard
first paints the pigments in the desired pattern, taking as long as he
would like, then casts the spell creating the mark.)
   As with an ordinary wizard mark, this mark does no damage to the
surface on which it is drawn, may be either invisible or of a specific
coloration, cannot be dispelled, but can be removed by the caster, or by
an erase spell, or by slow fading through normal wear in the case of a
living being.  It is detectable by detect magic, detect invisibility,
true seeing, a gem of seeing, or a robe of eyes.
   This mark, when visible, may be preset to fluoresce to be sufficiently
bright be used for reading a page 1 foot away, or any lesser brightness,
or it can resemble a drawn or etched surface which does not glow at all. 
The level of fluorescence when visible cannot be changed after the spell
is cast.  However, the wizard may turn the mark on and off (from visible
to invisible and back) when within 10 feet merely by murmuring a word
decided when drawing the pattern. The mark may be cast initially in
either state.

Moving Picture (Illusion)
Reversed Name: VCR
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 2
Frequency: Rare
See Also: 2'Dlusion cantrip
 Range: 30 feet
Components: S, M
Materials: Glass lens or object from the scene depicted
Duration: Special [time of concentration]
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: Rectangle 10' or less on each side
Saving Throw: Negates
   This spell is a greatly improved version of the 2'Dlusion cantrip
which is freed from many of the restraints even of higher-level
illusions.  Although it is no more believable than the original cantrip
(transparent from behind, obvious from a 45 degree angle or more), it
allows the caster a great deal of control over the illusion portrayed,
and in particular can allow him to illustrate a tale or document a real
event in detail, depending on which form is memorized.
   The first form requires a glass lens for its material component, which
is reuseable, and allows the caster to continuously alter what is
portrayed as he desires.  When he concentrates fully on the projection,
he can portray any amount of static detail, and up to twice his level (or
three times his level if he is an illusionist) of moving objects.  He may
also include some rudimentary sound, limited to the volume of one person
speaking, and only one type of sound at once, which is obviously
illusionary in nature.  The caster may partially relax his attention to
move, answer questions, etc. but must make an Intelligence check to
maintain full control of the scene in this case; otherwise the projection
begins to waver up and down, sound is garbled and extra clicks enter
whether desired or not, and streaks and lines will run up and down the
picture.  After this degeneration has occurred, only the caster's full
concentration and a roll of 20 on 1d20 (rolled once per round) can
restore proper picture.  The caster may use this form of the spell to
illustrate a tale, but the picture portrayed can only be as accurate (and
truthful) as his memory thereof and his skills as an wizard allow; any
detail which he did not notice at the time may either be left out, or,
even without the caster's knowledge, may be misrepresented as something
else that makes more sense to him.
   The second form in which this spell may be cast requires an object
from the scene (which had resided there for some time, not part of the
caster's possessions) which was in direct view of at least part of the
action, and exposed to open air (or vacuum, ether, whatever) for the full
duration of the scene to be depicted, which is consumed with the casting.
 The caster must also have been present at the same event.  The caster
may switch freely to portray precisely what was visible to him, or from
the perspective of the object used.  This form of the spell has the
(dis)advantage of being completely accurate.  Everything the caster sees,
including blinks, hallucinations, visions, detect spells, scryings,
stars, infravision and ultravision (displayed as very ruddy or pale
violet, but normally visible, hues) etc. is portrayed when his viewpoint
is used.  Alternatively, from the viewpoint of the object, only effects
visible to ordinary sight (including infra-and ultravision, but displayed
in that form as well!) are included. The caster may jump to any point in
time during the picture at any time, but cannot show it at other than the
rate at which it happened.  Magical effects do not work via the picture. 
Magical writings may be read by the caster only, but only if he cast read
magic while originally witnessing them.  Writings affected by comprehend
languages appear in the language to which the caster wanted them
translated at the time of his original witnessing.  As they are illusions
when displayed, no writings or other objects portrayed on the screen can
serve as a target for any form of spell; all must be copied to paper
(which in the case of magical writing is impossible) before any type of
comprehension spell can be cast.  Audio effects and effects of relaxed
caster attention are the same as for the first version.
   The reverse of this spell, VCR, (hypothesized by the sages of Almuth
to be a reference to V'crinth, an antediluvian demigod of that city,
demon of swamps, so by extension presumably patron of papyrus...) allows
the caster to deliberately prepare a scene to be played back
realistically with fewer annoyances.  He casts the spell on a glass lens
which serves as a second viewpoint for later casting of the second
(forward) form of moving picture.  This extends all sight-affecting spell
effects to the lens, and endows it with a stability of motion which tends
to cause it to move in smooth arcs as he holds it, so as to produce
satisfactory cinematographic effects.  Only minimal concentration is
necessary to maintain this spell, but with greater effort the caster may
see what the recording will look like, and can even cut and splice the
recording as he desires.  The caster may not cast other spells until he
has finished recording.  The lens may then be used for the second
(forward) version of moving picture normally, but is not consumed in the
casting; thus the same sequence of events may be depicted as many times
as desired.  The lens may be used to make as long of a recording as
desired (subject to the prohibition against other spell-casting during
the duration), but once finished the contents cannot be altered or added
to by a subsequent casting. Wellitall... is currently said to be working
on another spell to permit cutting and splicing of scenes recorded on
different lenses, and addition of imaginary sequences from the form of
the spell.

Fast One (Illusion/Phantasm)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 3
Frequency: Very Rare
Range: 60 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Materials: Fleece, Weasel's tongue
Duration: 1 round/caster level
Casting Time: 3
Area of Effect: 400 sq. ft. + 100 sq. ft./level
Saving Throw: Special
   This spell duplicates, to a limited extent, the phantasmal force
spell, causing a visual illusion, without sound, smell, or sensation of
temperature, within the area of effect.  This illusion may only be of a
single, inanimate object which is incapable of moving itself, such as a
bridge, a rope, or even a pocket of air underwater.  Unlike the
first-level spell, however, this spell actually grants these objects a
measure of reality based on the demi-plane of Shadow, which allows those
who believe in them to use them as if they are real.  Thus a character
could run across an illusionary bridge.
   Willing or not, creatures are given two opportunities for a saving
throw and for magic resistance:  once upon first viewing the fast one,
and again at some random time (rolled secretly by the DM) while directly
making use of the spell effect.  Anyone saving against or resisting the
fast one is completely unable to perceive it from that time onward,
although characters supported by it may be plainly visible.  Magic
resistance dispels the fast one entirely if made while directly in
contact with the spell effect.  The saving throw versus spells is
modified for wisdom and as follows:
+1---per previous "successful" save vs. this spell
-1---per intelligence point below 6
+1---per intelligence point above 15
-2---Effect duplicates an object subject knows was formerly present
-4---Creature follows another creature that uses the effect
+2---Creature examines effect closely for any reason
+4---Creature told that it is an illusion
+4---Creature voluntarily attempts to disbelieve
-1---Per three levels of caster (-1 at 3, -2 at 6, etc.) (This modifier
may be reduced voluntarily during casting)
plus additional modifiers at DM's option.
   The caster is not automatically immune to or even at a bonus to save
against this spell, because the process of casting makes the knowledge of
the illusion seem very remote and unconnected to what is at hand;
however, as the caster must view the area when the spell is cast, and
thus must save each time he casts this spell, he may quickly accumulate a
large bonus based on previous times that he has seen through the
illusion.  Casters receive no modifier to their saving throw based on
illusionist specialization, as their bonus against illusion is balanced
by the specialist penalty to viewer's saves.
   The material components of this spell are a bit of fleece and a
weasel's tongue.

Phantasmal Playmate (Illusion/Phantasm)
Reversed Name: 
Author: Wellitall... (the gnome)
Level: 4
Frequency: Very Rare
Range: 60 yards + 10 yards/level
Components: V, S, M
Materials: ?
Duration: 
Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Special
   This (more useful, Wellitall... would say) variant of the phantasmal
killer spell produces a phantasm that inexorably pursues the target,
passing through all barriers, for it exists only in the victim's mind...
but far from being the most horrible beast the target can imagine, it is
the most attractive and desirable, the image to which all others are
compared, and fall short.  The phantasm "attacks" as a 4 HD, well, I
wouldn't call it a monster... As with a phantasmal killer, the phantasmal
playmate cannot be damaged or escaped by any means other than a single
roll to disbelieve, or when either the caster or target becomes
unconscious.  The disbelief check is the same as that for phantasmal
killer, except that effects that oppose fear are replaced by effects that
oppose love for determining bonuses to the roll, or an additional check. 
If the "victim" has a helm of telepathy and saves, he can turn the effect
on the caster.
   If the playmate "hits" (caresses, hugs, kisses, etc.) the target, he
is so overwhelmed that he can no longer put anything before his immediate
desires.  A player character effectively becomes an NPC for the duration
of the spell.  The precise course of action depends on what the affected
person's fantasies are. Thus a bold warrior might begin to undress in the
midst of combat, expecting his playmate to be stimulated by the clash of
swords and the scent of danger all around him, while a refined and
genteel fellow might take as much as hours to take his playmate to an
expensive restaurant, "share" a bottle of champagne, and book adjoining
rooms at an expensive hotel.  Note that once a character fails his first
check to disbelieve, nothing but magic can give him a second chance:  he
can come up with any explanation he wants for why his playmate is
invisible to others, can pursue him through bolted doors, etc. --- except
for the truth.  In any case, the spell terminates when either the caster
or the target becomes unconscious (such as when he dozes off, exhausted,
in the late hours of the morning...)