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Saturday, September 22, 2018

Skyship Spells IX

             Welcome to the next 4 D&D BECMI spells. A complete index of skyship spells with links to their pages is listed at the end of this article:

1. Artificer's Range Distortion*
2. Artificer's Blinding Flare 
3. Artificer's Skyship Lure
4. Protection from Lightning

             Comments and suggestions are helpful to address loopholes and other design clunkers. Click here for the previous three spells.

Thanks!

Artificer’s Range Distortion*
Spell Level: 2 (School of Illusion)
Range: Own vessel
Duration: 1 hour per experience level
Effect: Makes a skyship look farther than it really is

                If the spell was cast before the affected skyship is first sighted, this vessel appears farther away than it actually is (no save). The caster’s experience determines how far away the recipient may appear, up to 100 yards plus 100 per experience level. The effect is dismissed at the caster’s discretion or if any attack is initiated from the recipient (q.v. invisibility spell). The actual ranges of weapons and spells cast from any of the involved vessels aren’t affected, though the victims’ range penalties to hit remain unchanged since they are based on perception. If it actually hits, an attack that should have reasonably fallen short due to the illusory range will dispel the recipient’s distortion effect. A spyglass or some other device enabling a closer look will not dispel the effect. This spell is reversible, causing the recipient to appear a lot closer than it actually is

Top Illustration: Lightning Airship by musegames
Digital Art/Drawings & Paintings/Illustrations/Conceptual©2011-2018 musegames.

Artificer’s Blinding Flare
Spell Level: 3 (School of Invocation)
Range: 100 yards +10 per experience level
Duration: Instantaneous
Effect: Create a large flash of light

                When cast at night, this ball of light is powerful enough to temporarily blind all who fail to shield their eyes. The spell has no effect in broad daylight. The primary area of effect is a sphere with a radius equal to half the spell’s range, centered at the point of impact. All victims within the primary area of effect must save vs. spells to avoid blindness (one collective saving throw per skyship is recommended—click here for details on skyship saving throws). Victims outside the primary area of effect receive a +1 bonus to their saving throws for every extra 100 yards radius. Blindness lasts 5 rounds +1 for every 6 experience levels of the caster; the effect can otherwise be negated individually (for those within a dispel magic’s area of effect). Reduce the duration for every extra 100 yards radius beyond the primary area of effect (1 round minimum). If the spell is cast at dusk or dawn, add a +2 bonus to saving throws and halve the effect’s basic duration. If cast during a moonless night (i.e. in pitch-black darkness, all lanterns doused), include a –2 penalty. (This spell is featured in the upcoming story introducing CAL2 On Wings of Darkness, June 2019.)

Artificer’s Skyship Lure
Spell Level: 1 (School of Illusion)
Range: 100 yards +100 per experience level
Duration: 1 hour per experience level
Effect: Create far away ship silhouettes

                This illusion can be cast at a vessel within spell range. The target is allowed a saving throw vs. spells (one single collective roll—click here for details on skyship saves.) The spell produces a small, barely identifiable skyship silhouette fading into view, at the limit of a victim’s sight range. The silhouette can be that of any vessel the caster has observed in the past. An additional silhouette can be duplicated for every 3 experience levels of the caster, behaving exactly like the first. Though these silhouettes are typically motionless, a high level caster may animate the illusions. At 9th level and above, the caster may change their bearings and make them appear to approach the victim’s vessel, or turn back and fade away in the distance. If the spell is cast at night, ship lanterns can simulate the presence of faraway skyships or mimic the gleam of an illusory lighthouse. A dispel magic cast upon any single victim will dismiss any and all of these illusions.

Protection from Lightning
Spell Level 1: (School of Abjuration)
Range: Own vessel
Duration: 1 hour + 1 Turn per experience level
Effects: Protects vessel and crew from lightning bolts

                When under this protection, a skyship and its crew are immune to non-magical lightning, such as those commonly encountered in a storm. These bolts are deflected, missing the vessel entirely. A protected skyship sustains half damage from magical lightning bolts, or a quarter if the vessel succeeds its saving throw vs. spells (click here for details on skyship saves.)
                The caster’s level determines how large a skyship can be protected. The spell affects vessels whose hull length fit within 30’ + 10’ per experience level above the first. So a 7th level sorcerer could affect a skyship up to 90’ long, including all its protruding masts. This spell was created by gnomish spellcasters to protect dwarven ironclads. A rare spell on Calidar, its original script requires skill in ancient gnomish in addition to being able to decipher magic. Ancient gnomish does not translate well into other arcane languages. Translated spells can malfunction—odds: 30% chance minus the caster’s Intelligence bonus times 5. Detecting magic is needed to verify whether the protection failed.

Skyship Spells Index
Spell Name
Level
School
Artificer’s Skyship’s Lure
1
Illusion
1
Alteration
1
Divination
Protection from Lightning
1
Abjuration
1
Abjuration
1
Abjuration
1
Divination
1
Divination
Artificer’s Range Distortion
2
Illusion
2
Illusion
2
Alteration
2
Invocation
2
Illusion
2
Alteration
2
Divination
3
Invocation
Artificer’s Blinding Flare
3
Invocation
3
Abjuration/Alteration
3
Alteration
3
Illusion
3
Enchantment
4
Abjuration/Invocation
4
Alteration
4
Illusion
5
Invocation
5
Invocation
6
Enchantment
6
Invocation or Necromancy


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