Originally published by February 2001, the Wizard’s Codex contains a collection of custom spells created by authors at Heroes Only. All of these spells have been used and tested within the gaming environment, but of course you should consider their effects on your own campaign before adopting them.
This list of spells is updated from time to time, with the “last modified” timestamp appearing at the end of the article.
First Level Spells
Chill 1
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 10′
Duration: 2 rounds
Effect: This spell does 1d4 points of damage to one creature within range. Furthermore, the creature must save vs paralysis or suffer -1 to melee hit and damage rolls for 1d6 rounds. A large heat source nearby gives a +2 to save. The caster may use this spell on one target up to 2 rounds after casting.
Author Notes: Another classic spell concept (also known as Chilling Touch). This one is modeled more after the spell Ice Knife from an adventure in Dungeon Magazine #47.
Keepsake
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: touch
Duration: permanent
Effect: When keepsake is cast on your magic book, it disallows use of your book by anyone not mentioned in the spell casting. The spell can even allow you to distinguish which spells which people may or may not look at. If someone attempts to read your spell without your authority (decided when you cast the spell), a note appears saying “naughty, naughty.” However, keepsake does not stop anyone from destroying the spell book.
Mana Shield
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 6 turns
Effect: Protects the caster, effectively giving him 2d4 extra mana hp for the duration of the spell. Damage is taken from the mana shield first. Despite the nature of the spell, multiple spells are not cumulative.
Power
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: ?
Duration: ?
Effect: This spell is totally unpredictable, doing something weird and different every time, or may do nothing at all. The DM really should determine the effect as randomly as possible (though effects should be weird and unexpected, not necessarily powerful).
Author Notes: This spell is a tribute to the spell of the same name from the classic game Eamon. It’s the all-purpose magical tool that DMs can provide to do “special things” in adventures. For example, I had one adventure where a magical doorway would only open a portal (dimension door) when this spell was cast upon it.
Stoneskin 1
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 0
Duration: 1 turn
Effect: Protects the caster against attacks by turning the his/her skin hard and stone-like. The caster gains a -2 bonus to AC vs melee and hand-thrown attacks, and a -4 bonus to fired missles. (No bonus vs. giant missiles like thrown boulders.)
Author Notes: Just your classic stoneskin spell, as found in many RPG settings. In particular, the SMAUG MUD comes to mind.
Second Level Spells
Acid Splash
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 90′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell fires one or more missiles of acid. The total damage the spell inflicts is 3d6 points of damage. The caster must decide before casting the spell how many missiles to fire, and the total damage will be distributed among them evenly (rounded down, even to zero). Each creature that takes damage may make a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures made of stone are not affected by this spell.
Author Notes: The idea of this spell came from the spell of the same name in Wizardry 7 [2].
Electrapulse
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 60′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell fires a charge up to 60′ away that bursts into a pulse of electrical energy with a 10′ diameter. The electrapulse does 4d4 points of damage with a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures resistant to lightning automatically take half damage and may make a save to take no damage.
Author Notes: I went through a phase where it bothered me that there weren’t any attack spells on level 2 and that low level wizards hardly ever had anything to do in battles. I also thought spells with fixed damages were more appropriate to the game than ones that grew with the caster’s level.
Flame Bolt
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 30′
Duration: instant
Effect: This spell shoots a bolt of fire at one creature up to 30′. The flame bolt does 2d10 points of damage with a save vs spells for half damage. Creatures resistant to fire automatically take half damage, and may save to talk no damage.
Prismatic Orb
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 90′
Duration: 1 round
Effect: Creates an orb of randomly changing colors which can be fired at one creature within range. The color the orb happens to be when it strikes the color (determined by the table below) determines the effects of the orb. The DM may add colors and effects to this table.
[easytable]
1d8,Color,Effect
1,Red,”2d8 fire dmg, save for half”
2,Orange,save or be charmed for 1d4 rounds
3,Yellow,save or be confused for 2d4 rounds
4,Green,save or be slowed for 1d4 rounds
5,Blue,”2d8 lit dmg, save for half”
6,Violet,”save or pain for 2d4 rounds (-1 AC, saves, hit/dmg)”
7,White,”2d8 cold dmg, save for half”
8,Black,save or blind 1d4 rounds
[/easytable]
Third Level Spells
Riding Disc
Author: Jeff Querner
Range:
Duration:
Effect: A larger version of Floating Disc that can support 2 (heavily laid down) or 3 people. The disc moves 15 feet a round.
Fourth Level Spells
Absorb
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 1 hour
Effect: Absorbs 1 point per die from all damage taken.
Magic Mirror 1
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 10′
Duration: 1 turn per level
Effect: Turns a reflective surface within range into a magic mirror through which the caster can view other creatures or areas. The caster must name the area or creature. The caster and any other creatures viewing the mirror will be able to see the images, but only the caster will hear sound from the viewing. Detection and vision spells can be cast into it, allowing the caster to detect magic, see invisible, etc in the area he is viewing.
Meteor
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 120′
Duration: instant
Effect: This fires a meteor at a target, doing 1d6 points of damage per level of caster of impact damage (with a save for half). It then explodes into a fireball of diameter 15′, doing another 1d6 points of fire damage per level of caster to all creatures within that area (with a save for half).
Fifth Level Spells
Dream 1
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: special
Duration: special
Effect:This allows the caster to visit and communicate with another creature through the victim’s dream. The caster must have met the creature, and must name the creature, but the spell is otherwise unlimited by distance. This spell does not cause the victim to fall asleep: if the victim is not sleeping the spell fails. If the victim knows the dream is spell induced and does not wish to have the dream, he can make a save vs spells to wake up. Within the dream the caster may visit the victim, communicate with the victim, or even attempt to attack the victim in the dream. However nothing in the dream has any real effect, and the victim wakes up if killed in the dream.
Sixth Level Spells
Infinite Image
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 0
Duration: 2 hours
Effect: An advanced version of mirror image that creates 3d4 images instead of 1d4.
Steal Items
Author: Jeff Querner
Range: 240′
Duration: instant
Effect: Takes 1d4 random items from the person it’s cast on. The spell might affect items the victim is equipped with or carrying. The spell places the items in the wizard’s backpack or bag.
Ninth Level Spells
Nexus
Author: Angelo Bertolli
Range: 30′
Duration: permanent
Effect: When this spell is cast upon a creature, it “shuffles” its abilities scores. The victim may save vs spells to avoid the effects. This dreaded attack is non-reversible, and can cause special problems for characters with minimum attribute requirements (DM’s discretion). One method of randomly determining the shuffle is to roll 1d6 for each attribute and swap that attribute with the number of the attribute indicated by the roll. It is possible to end up with the same attributes. This spell is almost useless against monsters because most monsters are considered to have the “average” score for all their abilities (DM’s discretion).
Author Notes: Another unoriginal attempt at spell writing on my part–inspired by certain monster attacks in the free game Angband.
Tenth Level Spells
Spells of this circle are generally unattainable by mortals without sufficient aid from greater powers.
Notes:
- This spell was featured in the Basic Fantasy Olde Dungeoneer’s Almanack 2008. You can find a more complete compendium of spells in the Libram Magica.