There are 24 4th-level magic-user spells in AD&D, up from 16 in OD&D (all of which made the transition at the same level). Of the eight spells unaccounted for, all are brand new except for fire trap, which was previously presented in the PHB as a druid spell.
Charm Monster: Like charm person, but can affect any living creature. The target will regard the caster as a friend and follow reasonable requests, but has a percentage chance every week of breaking free (with a higher percentage based on the creature's level/HD). Multiple creatures of 1 to 3 HD can be affected, but at 4 or above it only works on one target.
The OD&D version affected all creatures, with no stated requirement that they must be living. The number of creatures of 3 HD or lower affected was determined on 3d6, which is much higher than the AD&D numbers (which allow for 8 at most). In general, creatures in OD&D had a smaller percentage chance of breaking the spell.
Confusion: This spell functions like the 7th-level druid spell, but with a higher range (12" compared to the druid's 8"), a slightly longer duration (2 rounds + 1 round/level as opposed to 1 round/level), a larger area (6" x 6", as opposed to the druid's 4" x 4") and a quicker casting time (4 segments, compared to 9). It also affects a base number of 4-16 creatures, whereas the druid spell only affects 2-8; this number can be modified upwards if the strongest creature affected is of lower level than the caster. Every creature affected will take a random action: wander away for 1 turn, stand confused for 1 round, attack the nearest creature for 1 round, or attack the druid and his allies for 1 round. Its material component is three nut shells.
The OD&D spell automatically affected creatures of 2 HD or less, and had a delayed effect against higher-level targets (based on a d12 roll minus the caster's level). Only creatures of 4 HD or more got a saving throw against it. There was no option for the targets to wander away, and a higher level caster got a bonus to the random roll, to influence the confused targets away from attacking the caster's allies. It had a duration of 12 turns (much higher than that I detailed above for AD&D) and a range of 12" (which has been unchanged).
Dig: Creates a 5' x 5' hole that is 5' deep per caster level. Holes deeper than 5' have a chance to collapse (15% per extra 5'), and that chance is even greater in sand and mud. Creatures caught in the middle of the pit when it's created will fall in, and those at the side must make a saving throw (against their Dexterity score, which is an unusual one in AD&D) to avoid it, as must anyone caught moving rapidly towards it. The material components are a small shovel and bucket which the caster must hold while the pits are excavated (which confirms that multiple pits can be created during the spell's duration).
Dimension Door: Teleports the caster 3" per level. There's no error in the teleportation: the caster lands exactly where he desires. There's still danger, though, because if that area is inside solid matter the caster will be trapped in the Astral Plane, with the only way out being rescue by some other creature. There's also falling damage to consider if the caster appears in mid-air. The caster can teleport with his gear, to a maximum weight of 5,000gp. He can also take living matter to half that weight, so I guess you could pick up another party member and take them along. It takes the caster 7 segments to recover from using the spell, though it's not clear what exactly this entails; possibly that they can take no actions, or are easier to hit?
In OD&D the spell teleported an "object" up to 36" with no error. The range was, of course, much greater than in AD&D, but the big difference was that the spell could be cast on another person or thing. In AD&D, it's limited to the caster. There was also nothing about being caught in the Astral Plane, or recovery time.
Enchanted Weapon: Makes a weapon effectively +1, although it doesn't actually confer that bonus. It just means that the weapon can affect monsters that are only hit by magic weapons. It affects one large weapon, or two small, but missile weapons lose the enchantment after being used. Everything else lasts for 5 rounds/level. The material component is powdered lime and carbon.
It's a useful spell, but only in very specific circumstances. Most parties with access to this spell will be loaded down with +1 weapons, and your average 7th-8th level magic-user probably has better attack options than this. It's perhaps more useful in scroll form for low-level parties.
Extension I: This spell can be used to extend the duration of a previously cast spell of 1st-3rd level by 50%. It's said to only work on spells where duration is meaningful, which almost certainly rules out making a fireball burn for longer. The OD&D version of the spell was exactly the same.
Fear: All creatures caught within a 6" long cone must make a saving throw or flee from the caster at top speed. There's also a chance they'll drop any items being held (60% for 1st-level targets, modified down by 5% per level higher than 1st). The material component is the heart of a hen or a white feather.
The OD&D spell worked similarly, but targets had a flat 50% chance to drop what they were carrying, unmodified by level. The duration was 6 turns, whereas in AD&D targets will run for a number of rounds equal to the caster's level. The spell had a range of 24", while the AD&D spell only goes to 6". The OD&D spell functioned like the fear wand, though, so it's still a 6" cone. Does this mean that OD&D casters could designate the beginning of the cone anywhere within 24"? It feels a little odd, but I guess it's not that different from lightning bolt. The AD&D spell almost certainly originates from the caster.
Fire Charm: The caster causes a normal fire to be surrounded by a 'gossamer veil of multi-hued flame'. Any creatures observing the flame must save vs. magic or be forced to stand transfixed. While in this state, they are subject to a suggestion of 12 or fewer words (saved against at a -3 penalty). The trance will be broken by an attack, an object passing between a victim and the flame, or the end of the spell. The material component is a super-thin piece of silk that must be thrown on the fire. This is a new spell that fills an important niche: a mid-level charm spell that can work on a large crowd. There's mass charm, but it's so high-level as to be inaccessible in most games, and has a Hit Dice restriction that limits the number of creatures that can be affected.
Fire Shield: Appearing surprisingly for the first time, this one was often the bane of my existence when playing the Gold Box CRPGs. It surrounds the caster with a wreath of flame with two possible variations. The blue-green flame protects against cold spells, but makes the caster more vulnerable to fire. The blue-violet flame protects against fire, but makes the caster more vulnerable to cold. Those aren't the most irritating effects, though. What it also does is damage anyone who hits the caster in melee: the caster takes normal damage, but the attacker takes that same damage doubled, which is a real kick in the balls for a fighter with 18/00 Strength, or a girdle of giant strength. The upside is that it only works on the caster, and magic-users have low hit points. If it could be cast on stronger targets, it would be a game-breaker.
Fire Trap: This spell is new to the PHB, but it appeared earlier as a druid spell. It can be cast on any object that can be opened. The caster can open the item safely, but anyone else will discharge the trap, a 5' radius explosion which deals 1d4 damage +1 per caster level (save for half). This explosion doesn't harm the object of the fire trap. It's also twice as hard to detect as other traps (the regular chance is halved) and any failure to disarm it will set it off.
There's a lot of business about how the spell interacts with hold portal, wizard lock and knock spells. If an item has hold portal and fire trap cast on it, only the first spell cast will work (and both are negated if they're cast simultaneously). Wizard lock is a little more complicated. A fire trap cast after a wizard lock will negate the fire trap. Simultaneous casting will negate both. If the fire trap is cast before the wizard lock there's a 50% chance for both to be negated. Nothing is said about what happens otherwise, but the implication is that both spells will be in effect. As for knock, it has no effect at all on a fire trap spell.
For the material component, the caster must "trace the outline of the closure" with a bit of sulphur or saltpeter. Does that powder have to remain in place, or can it be swept up after the spell is cast? Probably the latter. Besides, there are certainly objects which will be moved around after the spell is in place.
I'm often struck by just how little damage a lot of AD&D spell deal. Seriously - 1d4, +1/level? Is it really as ineffectual as I think, or have I just been corrupted by the numbers bloat of 2nd and 3rd Edition?
Fumble: Makes one target super-clumsy for 1 round/level. The target will fall whenever they try to run, and will drop any item held. Recovery from these takes about a round. Even creatures that make their saving throw are affected as if by a slow spell, so this is actually a great spell for reducing the effectiveness of a single powerful foe. It's material component is a dab of solidified milk fat.
Hallucinatory Terrain: With this spell you can change the appearance of wilderness terrain, such as making a pond look like a grassy field. It persists until hit with a dispel magic or touched by an intelligent creature. It's material components are a stone, a twig and a bit of green plant. My main concern with this spell is the area: it affects a 1" square per caster level, which just seems too small for a lot of the effects you might want to use it for. There's also the definition of "terrain" to be considered. As written it seems as though it's meant for use in the wilderness, but there's nothing stopping it from being used indoors, or in a dungeon.
The OD&D spell is similar, if a bit more vaguely worded. It doesn't have a specific area of effect, it's simply said that it affects a "large area". It had a range of 24", whereas AD&D has as range of 2"/level.
Ice Storm: As usually cast, it creates a storm of hail stones in a 4" diameter that cause 3d10 points of damage (with no saving throw). It can also create sleet in an 8" diameter, which I've never seen used: this blinds all creatures within, and makes the ground icy, reducing movement by 50% and causing anyone who tries to move to slip half the time. Its material component is a pinch of dust and a few drops of water.
The OD&D version doesn't have the sleet option, and affects a 3" cube. It had a duration of 1 turn, but that's undoubtedly a case of OD&D mixing up its turn/round terminology. It had a flat range of 12", whereas AD&D has a range of 1"/level.
Massmorph: With this spell, 10 man-sized creatures per caster level can be made to appear as trees. They can be passed through or touched without revealing their true nature, but wounding them will do so (because the trees bleed, which is a neat touch). The spell persists until hit with dispel magic, or dismissed by the caster, but what happens when the creatures attack? Do they still look like trees as long as they're within the area of effect? Speaking of the area, it's said to be 11' x 1" square/level. The 1" square/level I get, but that 11' sticks out. Is that the height?
The OD&D version of the spell affects up to 100 man-sized creatures, which sounds great but will eventually be surpassed by AD&D casters. It had a range of 24" (it's 1"/level in AD&D) and no stated area of effect.
Minor Globe of Invulnerability: Creates a 1" diameter globe around the caster that completely blocks all 1st-3rd level spells. The one exception to this is dispel magic, which can take the globe down. The caster inside the globe can fire whatever spells he likes out of it, without affecting the globe at all. The material component is a glass or crystal bead. It's an essential part of the magic-user's buffing arsenal, and I'm surprised to see it entering the game so late.
Monster Summoning II: Works like monster summoning I, but summons 4-6 monsters of 2nd-level. With no DMG out at this point for guidance, I'll go to the OD&D dungeon encounter charts to see what sort of things might appear: mostly it's a lot of humanoids (hobgoblins, bugbears and gnolls), some undead (zombies, ghouls), and a few weird monsters (giant ants, giant toads, carrion crawlers). There's certainly a lot of variations in power level here: summoning 6 carrion crawlers could end just about any threat with the right dice rolls.
In OD&D the number of monsters summoned was limited to 1 or 2.
Plant Growth: Works exactly like the druid spell, in that it causes vegetation to grow to form a barrier that is difficult to penetrate. The magic-user version has a duration of 1"/level (druids get a flat 16"), an area of effect of 1" x 1" (druids get 2" x 2") and a casting time of 4 segments (druids take a full round).
The OD&D version of the spell affected up to 30 square inches, and had a range of 12", a much more powerful spell.
Polymorph Other: This is one of the more problematic spells in D&D's history, and it fittingly has one of the longest entries in the PHB. It transforms one creature into any other type of creature that the caster desires. Apparently a creature can't be polymorphed into something with a higher intelligence than its original form, but the later examples seem to put a lie to that: one shows an orc being transformed into a white dragon, and another shows a human fighter being changed into a blue dragon. (Actually, I might be wrong here. Orcs and white dragons both have an Int of Average (low). Blue dragons are listed as Very Intelligent, but there's no reason a fighter couldn't match that.)
The polymorphed creature gets all of the abilities of the creature, but must pass a system shock roll to survive. There's also a chance that the creature will take on the mentality and outlook of their new form: it starts at 100%, and is brought down by 5% for every point of Intelligence. The difference in Hit Dice between the two forms also modifies this roll, making it harder to pass if you're put in a stronger form. This roll is made every day, so it's inevitable that the polymorphed creature will eventually succumb, but before then they can still use all of the abilities of their former body as well. There's also an implication that the target retains its old hit points: the example of a brontosaurus changed into an ant being impossible to squash is given. It's not clear if this works in reverse (i.e., an ant changed into a brontosaurus having only 1 hp). The spell is permanent, and can only be broken by a dispel magic. The material component of this spell is a caterpillar cocoon.
The OD&D version of the spell didn't require a system shock roll, and had nothing about the target eventually losing their minds to the new form. It had a range of 6", whereas in AD&D it's 1/2" per level. Basically, it was an amazing spell with no drawbacks whatsoever.
Polymorph Self: The caster can assume a form from "as small as a wren to as large as a hippopotamus". It doesn't grant any of the new creature's special attacks or defenses, but it does grant their forms of movement (such as flight, swimming, sliding under doors, etc.). There's no risk of system shock, though, and no chance of taking on the mentality of the new form. The caster can change their form as many times as they want during the spell's duration, with each change requiring 5 segments. Upon returning to their normal form, the caster restores 1d12 hit points if they were damaged while polymorphed.
The OD&D spell says that the caster can turn into anything, though it seems that the intention here is for living creatures and not rocks or doors or a nuclear missile. It had a duration of 6 turns + 1 turn per caster level (AD&D has a duration of 2 turns/level). There was no mention of healing when returning to original form, but otherwise the spell is the same.
Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer: Allows the caster to retain the memory of a number of spells equal to three spell levels. So that would be three 1st-level spells, a 1st and a 2nd, or one of 3rd-level. It can be used to instantly memorise those spells, or to retain a spell just cast. Its material components are a piece of string, an ivory plaque worth 100gp, and ink made of squid secretion and either the blood of a black dragon or the digestive juice of a giant slug, all of which disappear when cast. It's a handy spell to have, but that 100gp expenditure every time would make me reluctant to ever bother.
This is the first in-game appearance of Rary, a magic-user played quite early on in the game's history by Brian Blume. Apparently he played the character until 3rd level, when he could then be introduced as 'Medium Rary', then retired the character altogether. There are a lot of later developments in TSR's Greyhawk history, wherein Rary becomes a powerful archmage, but these two accounts don't have to be mutually exclusive. Either Rary went on adventures outside the confines of Greyhawk Castle, or he gained his levels through study (which is probably not allowable by the rules, but something I'm fine with as long as it takes a lot of time and exorbitant amounts of money).
Remove Curse: This spell works exactly like the 3rd-level cleric spell, with the only difference being that the casting time is 4 segments instead of 6. It will remove any curse. Though it doesn't permanently remove a curse from a magic item, it does allow a character with a cursed item to get rid of it. The spell can also be reversed as bestow curse, which afflicts the target with a random effect: reduce an ability score to 3 (50%); -4 penalty to hit and saves (25%); or drop items half the time (25%).
The OD&D version of this spell could remove any curse, and turn a cursed item into a normal item. It wasn't reversible.
Wall of Fire: This is the same as the 5th-level druid spell, except that it has a range of 6" (druids have 8"), and a casting time of 4 segments (druids take 7 segments). The fire created by a magic-user is reddish or violet blue, which is different from the yellow-green or amber fire summoned by druids. It inflicts 2-12 damage +1 per caster level to any creature passing through (2-16 +1/lvl for druids).
Now we need to do some interpretation: the druid spell deals 2-8 damage to creatures within 1", and 1-4 damage to those within 2". Nothing is said about these being different for magic-users, but it stands to reason that if the base damage for passing through the wall is altered, then so should the damage for standing nearby. I would have the magic-user spell deal 1-6 damage to those within 1" and 1-3 damage to those within 2", which is roughly proportionate to how it works for druids. Whatever the damage, only the side facing away from the caster radiates heat. Creatures susceptible to fire may take more damage, and undead always take double.
The spell lasts for as long as the caster concentrates on it, or for 1 round per level. The area of effect is either a sheet of fire up to 2" square per caster level, or a ring with a radius of up to 1" plus 0.25" per level. The sheet is stationary, but the ring can move with the caster. The material component is some phosphorus.
The OD&D version of the spell ends as soon as the caster stops concentrating on it. Creatures of under 4 HD can't pass through at all, and any other creatures takes 1d6 damage. It's still doubled for undead. The spell can still be a wall or a ring; the wall can be up to 6" wide, and the ring is always 3" in diameter.
Wall of Ice: Creates a wall of ice that is one inch thick per caster level, and covers an area of 1" square per level. The length and height can be decided by the caster, as long as it's within the area limit. Creatures breaking through the ice take 2 points of damage per inch of thickness; fire-using creatures take more, and cold-using creatures take less. The wall can be created to fall on creatures underneath, and in that case it works like an ice storm. Strong magical fire will melt the wall in 1 round (resulting in a cloud of fog that lasts for a turn), but regular fire and smaller magical fire has no effect. The material component is a piece of quartz or rock crystal.
The OD&D spell was always 6 inches thick, up to 6" long and 2" high. It's said to "negate the effect of creatures employing fire and/or fire spells", which seems to be pretty much the opposite to how the AD&D spell works. It could only be broken through by a creature of 4 Hit Dice or more, and doing so resulted in 1d6 damage (doubled for fire-using creatures). There was nothing about using the wall to crush your foes, and nothing about fog (fair enough given that magical fire seemingly doesn't work against it). Its range was 12", whereas in AD&D it's 1" per level.
Wizard Eye: Creates an invisible eye that can be controlled by the caster. It covers 3" per round, or 1" if you want it to examine the floor, ceiling and walls as it travels. It can see 10' in the dark (like infravision) or 60' in a lighted area. The material component is a bit of bat fur.
The OD&D version of the spell had a range limit of 24", whereas AD&D seems to have no limit except for that imposed by the spell's duration. The eye moved at 12" per turn, which is fast, and seems to make the 24" range even more ridiculously limiting. It had a duration of 6 turns, as opposed to 1 round per level in AD&D.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Thursday, September 07, 2017
AD&D Players Handbook part 40: 3rd-Level Magic-User Spells
There are twenty-four 3rd-level spells for magic-users in AD&D. In OD&D there were 18, and all but one of them has made the transition at the same level (rope trick got demoted to level 2). Phantasmal force got bumped up to 3rd-level (it was 2nd in OD&D). Five spells are brand-new: blink, feign death, flame arrow, gust of wind, Leomund's tiny hut, and tongues (although feign death and tongues have appeared previously in the PHB).
Blink: This spell causes the caster to "blink" in and out of the material plane in a random pattern. The segment of the round in which the magic-user disappears is randomly determined using 2d4. When the magic-user reappears, he will have moved to a space 2' distant from where he started, in a random direction. There's a chance here that the caster can reappear in a solid object, which might result in being trapped in the Ethereal Plane. The caster can't be attacked for the rest of the round after he reappears, unless it's by an attack that can reach both his starting position and the place he reappeared (such as an area affect like a fireball). While blinking, the caster can make melee attacks normally, but any other activity has a 25% chance of failure. This is a great spell, with just enough minor risk involved to deter players from over-cheesing it.
Clairaudience: Allows the caster to listen in on any area that he's familiar with, regardless of range (although it only works on the plane where it was cast). It can also be cast to listen in on unfamiliar locales that are obvious and close by, such as the opposite side of a door, but it can be blocked by a thin metal sheet. Its material component is a silver horn worth 100gp, which is consumed in the casting.
The AD&D version of the spell is now far more powerful than it used to be. In OD&D it could only be used to listen to areas close by, although this could be extended by using a crystal ball. The older version of the spell could be blocked by over 2' of solid rock, or a thin sheet of lead, whereas the new version is stopped by any type of metal. It also didn't require the silver horn; I'd be tempted to allow for short-range use of the spell without the horn.
Clairvoyance: This spell works like clairaudience, except that the caster can magically see from the area he chooses. As with clairaudience the spell has an unlimited range within the same plane on which it was cast, provided that the area chosen is familiar, but sight is dependent on light being present in the area to be "clairvoyed". (It must be a word, Gary uses it in the spell description.) If it's dark, vision extends to 1", otherwise it's to the extent of normal vision. Metal sheeting or magical protection will block it. The material component is powdered pineal gland from a humanoid creature. It's odd that this spell has a less valuable component than clairaudience; I would have thought sight more useful for scrying than hearing, or at the very least equal in importance.
The OD&D version of the spell only had a range of 6", so it's much less powerful. It last longer, though: 12 turns as opposed to 1 round/level. Lead stopped the OD&D spell, whereas the AD&D spell is stopped by any metal. It also wasn't necessary to powder some poor buggers eyeball to cast it, either. Like clairaudience, I might be willing to let a caster use the short-range version if they don't have the necessary component.
Dispel Magic: Works like the cleric version of the spell, but its range is doubled and its casting time is halved.
The OD&D version of the spell was written as dispell magic. It had a range of 24", as opposed to 12" in AD&D. It also had a duration of 1 turn, whereas in AD&D the duration is "permanent". For some discussion of what this "permanent" duration means, and the new method for determining if a dispel is successful, follow the link above. My conclusion then was that the OD&D spell is much more likely to succeed.
Explosive Runes: The caster can place these runes on a book, map, scroll or similar object, and anyone who reads them will trigger a blast that does 12-30 damage to the reader (no save) and the same amount to everyone within 1" (save for half). The object the runes were placed on will also be destroyed, unless it's immune to magical fire. The caster, and anyone else they instruct, can avoid triggering the runes. A magic-user has a 5% chance per level of detecting them; thieves can also find them, but they only get a 5% chance in total. The runes last forever, until dispelled, or until removed by the caster.
In OD&D the runes could only be placed on parchment, whereas AD&D allows the caster to place them on anything that contains writing. This means that in OD&D there was no need to specify that some of these items won't be destroyed in the blast. The blast only affected the reader, and dealt 4-24 damage. There was nothing about thieves being able to detect explosive runes, but magic-users two or more levels higher than the caster had a 50% chance to find them and a 75% chance to remove them. Obviously, this spell's been upgraded to be more difficult to detect, and can only be magically removed with dispel magic.
Feign Death: This spell is new to AD&D, but appeared earlier in the PHB as a cleric spell. It allows the caster to place himself or a target equal to or lower than his own level in a death-like trance. (Clerics don't have this limit, and can use the spell on creatures of any level/Hit Dice). The target can hear and smell, but can't see or feel, and won't react to being wounded. Any attack on the body only deals half damage. (I think I said this when I covered the cleric spell, but the implication here is that half of all damage is due to shock and mental trauma.) The target is immune to paralysis, poison and energy drain, but can still be poisoned (which takes effect when the spell wears off). It only works on a willing target, and can be ended by the caster at any time.
Fireball: Hey look, it's fireball, aka the best of all spells. I'm sure nobody reading this needs me to go over what it does, but here goes. Fireball creates a 2" radius explosion that deals 1d6 damage per caster level (save for half). The fire ignites combustibles, and can melt soft metals (you know, gold, silver, copper, all the valuable ones). Basically, any item caught in the fireball needs to make a saving throw to avoid destruction, although items on a person who makes their save are considered unaffected. Here's a new one on me: the caster actually has to point their finger and speak the range at which the fireball will explode. I don't think there are any other spells that require this, and perhaps Gary meant it to apply to the player rather than the character, but a guy shouting "150 feet" before loosing destruction is weird enough for me to like it. A fireball "conforms to the shape of the area in which it occurs, thus covering an area equal to its normal spherical volume". As I understand it this means that a fireball expands to fill 33,000 cubic feet, but I find the wording a little vague. And then there's the bit where Gary says that it fills "33,000 feet [or yards]" - is this an error? I thought the feet-to-yards conversion when outside only applied to spell ranges, not area of effect. As everyone knows, the material component for fireball is a ball of sulphur and bat guano. Or as we call it in the real world, "poo".
In OD&D the spell was written as fire ball (two words), and didn't require the caster to shout the range out loud. The language used to describe the fireball expanding to fill its space is clearer in OD&D - it actually uses the word elongate, so there's no ambiguity at all. The OD&D spell had a range of 24", whereas in AD&D it's 10"+1"/level. Otherwise, it's the same in damage and area, but there was nothing about it destroying items.
Flame Arrow: The caster can ignite arrows and crossbow bolts by touching them. One such missile can be ignited per segment, and the spell lasts for 1 segment per caster level. These missiles are considered to be magical, and they deal +1 damage against creatures vulnerable to flame, but otherwise they get no bonuses at all. The missile must be fired within 1 round, or it will be consumed by fire. Its material components are a drop of oil and a small piece of flint. Is it just me, or is this spell super-weak? Sure, you can set things on fire from a distance, and damage creatures that can only be hit by magic weapons, but what else? If you fired it an ogre, would you really only get a +1 damage bonus and nothing else? There's no way it's worthy of being 3rd level.
Fly: Lets the target fly at a speed of 12" per move. The speed is halved when ascending, and doubled when diving. The spell lasts 1 turn/level + 1d6 turns, and the duration is always kept secret from the caster so that there's a chance of the spell ending while they're still in mid-air. This spell hasn't changed one bit from OD&D, which is a genuine rarity. Its material component is a bird's wing feather.
Gust of Wind: Creates a "strong puff of air" that can blow over light objects, blow out candles and torches, possibly extinguish lanterns (5% chance per caster level), fan larger fires out 1' to 6', force small flying creatures back, check the movement of man-sized flying creatures, and slow large flying creatures by half. It's range is 1" per caster level, and the material component is a legume seed. It's another spell that seems under-powered for 3rd level as written, but I could definitely see some creative uses for it.
Haste: Causes all targets (one per caster level) within a 4"x4" area to move and act at double speed. This means that movement rate is doubled, as well as number of attacks, although it doesn't apply to spell-casting. (Possibly there's a level of precision and timing involved with spell-casting that means it can't be performed any faster than usual.) It negates the slow spell. There's a line here about recipients of the spell being prematurely aged, but no numbers are given (they'll presumably come in the DMG). It's material component is a shaving of licorice root
The OD&D version of this spell was called haste spell, and it was hella-vague. It was said to be the opposite of a slow spell, but that spell had no effect described either: all it said was that it affected up to 24 creatures in a maximum area of 6" x 12". To get an effect, we need to go all the way back to the wargame Chainmail, which says that the haste spell increases movement by 50%. The AD&D version affects far less creatures, but is more powerful in that it increases attacks as well as movement. Also, there was nothing in OD&D about the spell ageing its recipients.
Hold Person: This one's like the 2nd-level cleric spell, being able to paralyse up to four "persons". The fewer targets that are designated, the harder the spell is to save against. Here's something I've never noticed before: if the spell is partially negated (a ring of spell turning is given as a possible example) then the spell acts as a slow spell. We get a precise list of all the creatures that the spell affects: brownies, dryads, dwarves, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, half-elves, halflings, half-orcs, hobgoblins, humans, kobolds, lizard men, nixies, orcs, pixies, sprites, and troglodytes. I appreciate a list like this, but it comes with its own problems in that it necessitates the spell description being updated every time a new Monster Manual comes out.
The OD&D hold person was odd in that it was said to be a more powerful version of charm person (although I'm pretty sure there's anecdotal evidence from the earliest players to suggest that it was used as a paralysis spell, as it is in AD&D). Like the AD&D spell, it was more effective when cast at a single target (although the save penalty was -2 as opposed to -3 in AD&D, and there was no difference to saves when the spell targeted 2 or 3 creatures). The duration was 6 turns + caster level (it's 2 rounds/level in AD&D), and the range was 12" (which hasn't changed). The OD&D spell, as an extension of charm person, affected "two-legged, mammalian figures" of man-size or less. Some monsters were specifically cited, but it's notable that lizard men and troglodytes wouldn't count as mammalian, and so wouldn't be affected by the original hold person spell.
Infravision: Grants the target the ability to see in infrared. It's noted that this type of vision is adversely affected by strong heat sources nearby, and that it can't detect creatures that are invisible. It's material component is a pinch of dried carrot or an agate.
The OD&D spell also granted the ability to see in infrared, but there was nothing about heat sources or invisible creatures noted. In OD&D the duration of the spell was a whole day, whereas in AD&D it's been reduced to 2 hours, plus 1 hour per level. The range of this sight was 40'-60' in OD&D, and it's a flat 6" in AD&D. I do wonder how to adjudicate the variable range given in OD&D. Is it a random determination when the spell is cast, or a rough guideline to be used by the DM in various conditions? I'd go with the latter for simplicity's sake.
Invisibility 10' Radius: This spell works like invisibility, in that the targets remain invisible until they attack someone. I'm still unsure exactly how this spell works, though. It's said to have a single target, and an area of a 10' radius around the target. Okay, but is it just that it affects every creature within that radius when the spell is cast, and those affected remain invisible regardless of where they move? Or is it an area affect that moves with the target, necessitating that those wishing to remain invisible must stay close by? Given that the creatures made invisible by this spell can't see each other, it seems logical that the former would be true. It's certainly a more useful spell that way. As with invisibility, its material components are an eyelash and a bit of gum arabic.
The OD&D spell was similarly vague. It had a range of 24", whereas the AD&D version requires the caster to touch the target.
Leomund's Tiny Hut: Leomund makes a second appearance, with a spell that creates a globe of force around the caster that keeps out winds up to 50mph and maintains a comfortable temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (about 21 degrees Celsius, as the civilised world would measure it). Temperatures below 0 degrees lower this on a 1 for 1 basis, and those above 105 degrees raise it in a similar ratio. The caster can also control the ambient lighting within the globe. From outside the globe can't be seen through, but it's transparent from inside. Up to 6 man-sized creatures can fit inside (along with the creator), and the spell ends when the caster leaves. It's not stated what happens if more creatures try to enter, but the globe provides no protection from attacks. The most surprising thing about this spell for me is that it's not actually a hut, it's just a boring old globe. An actual hut might be a little silly, but D&D could use a bit more silliness. The material component is a crystal bead that shatters when the spell ends.
Lightning Bolt: It's like a fireball, but electric, and in a straight line. The caster designates the bolt's starting point and it blasts out from there, dealing 1d6 damage per level. It can destroy wooden doors, about a foot of stone, and like fireball will melt most valuable metals. The caster also decides the dimensions of the bolt: it can either be 1" wide and 4" long, or it can be 1/2" wide and 8" long. If the bolt is blocked by a non-conducting barrier, it will extend backwards to its full length. (Note that it says non-conducting; it won't rebound off metal walls, for instance.) Material components required are a bit of fur and a rod made out of glass, amber or crystal.
The OD&D lightning bolt did the same damage, but it had fixed dimensions of 3/4" wide and 6" long (funnily enough, that still works as a mid-point between the two AD&D options). It still had the rule about extending backwards if the bolt hits an obstacle. The spell had range of 24", and the end of the bolt could never extend beyond that range. In AD&D, the range is 4" + 1"/level, but that range designates the beginning of the bolt; there's no maximum range, it just keeps growing indefinitely as you gain levels.
Monster Summoning I: Summons 1d8 creatures of 1st level within 1-4 rounds, that will attack the caster's enemies or perform some other task within their abilities. They appear in the spot designated by the caster, so presumably they are magically summoned rather than wandering in from the surrounding area. The monsters that appear are either randomly determined or decided by the DM, but there's no table given for what sort of creatures to expect, and with no DMG available at the time there weren't any random encounter tables to use either. The best bet at this point in the game's history was probably the dungeon encounter charts from OD&D, which would turn up things like kobolds, skeletons or spiders (or gelatinous cubes, which could be fun). The material component is a tiny bag and a small candle.
Indeed, this is the method used in the OD&D version of the spell. It's interesting that the older spell had provisions for doubling the amount of creatures summoned if they're particularly weak or small. The default number summoned in OD&D was 1-3, and they arrived after 1 turn. The spell lasted 6 melee turns (as opposed to 2 rounds +1/level in AD&D) and had a range of 1" (3" in AD&D).
Phantasmal Force: Creates a visual illusion that can affect anyone looking at it, to the point where it can even inflict actual damage. The spell doesn't create sound, so obviously there'll be some illusions that just won't be believable. Anyone who disbelieves the illusion gets a saving throw, and if successful can confer a +4 bonus to their mates by telling them about it. The illusion will disappear if struck, although the caster can stop this by making the illusion react accordingly. It also disappears if the caster stops concentrating on it. Moving will break this concentration, as will being damaged. The material component for this spell is a bit of fleece.
In OD&D this spell was 2nd level, and was called phantasmal forces. It worked like the AD&D version, but there was nothing said about it being unable to create sound. There were also no rules about disbelief provided. It had a range of 24", whereas in AD&D it's 8" + 1"/level. This spell has been simultaneously moved up a level, and lowered in effectiveness, which is an odd combo. Its guidelines are vague enough that it could probably work at 4th level; it's certainly very effective in the hands of a creative player or DM.
Protection from Evil, 10' Radius: It's the same as the 1st-level protection from evil (hedging out enchanted and summoned evil creatures, -2 on attacks from evil creatures, +2 on saves from evil attacks), except that it affects a 10' radius area around the target. It also takes an extra segment to cast. The material component is powdered iron and silver.
In OD&D the spell lasted for 12 turns, whereas in AD&D it lasts for 2 rounds/level. It also had -1/+1 modifiers on defense, instead of the -2/+2 in AD&D.
Protection from Normal Missiles: Completely protects the recipient from non-magical missiles and small stones, and reduces 1 from each damage die on attacks from magical missiles and larger stones. It doesn't give any protection against spells. The material component is a bit of tortoise or turtle shell.
The OD&D version of the spell protected against normal missiles, but it also went on to clarify that it didn't protect against missiles projected by men that were "above normal". I'd previously wondered if this meant that the spell was useless against high-level characters, but the AD&D spell indicates that it wasn't intended to be taken this way. There was nothing in OD&D about damage reduction against magic missiles, either. The range was 3" (it's a touch spell in AD&D) and the duration was 12 turns (it's 1 turn/level in AD&D).
Slow: Halves the movement and attack rate of creatures within a 4"x4" area (affecting 1 creature per level). It can stack as well, which is a new one on me; two or three doses of this spell would render a lot of monsters useless. There's nothing here about spell-casting being slowed, but I would say that it is. It's easy to rationalise that haste doesn't apply to spell-casting, as a hasted caster can deliberately slow themselves down to perform the various rituals. If you've been slowed, you can't just voluntarily speed yourself up, can you? Its material component is some treacle. (It's a bit odd that this spell and haste aren't reversible with each other, but they're probably too powerful to combine in the same spell.)
In OD&D it was called slow spell, and it affected up to 24 creatures in a 6"x12" area. As with haste there was no effect given, so we have to go back to Chainmail, which says that the spell halves movement. There's nothing in there about attacks. The duration in OD&D was 3 turns (it's 3 rounds +1 round/level in AD&D), and the range was 24" (it's 9" + 1"/level in AD&D).
Suggestion: Allows the caster to make a reasonable suggestion, that the target will agree to if it fails a saving throw. The more reasonable the suggestion, the more difficult it is to resist. I was ready to declare this spell as useless compared to charm person, but there's an example in the spell description that clearly has it being used against a dragon. Charm person could only affect humanoids, so that's a big difference. It doesn't work on undead, though. Material component is a snake's tongue and either a drop of sweet oil or some honeycomb.
The OD&D spell was much the same, though it had nothing about undead being immune. It also had a duration of 1 week, whereas it lasts for a much shorter time in AD&D (6 turns + 6 turns/level).
Tongues: As with the 4th-level cleric spell, it allows the caster to speak the language of any creature within a 6" diameter circle. The cleric spell had a duration of 1 turn, whereas the magic-user version lasts for 1 round/level. It has a faster casting time: 3 segments, as opposed to 7 for clerics. It also has a material component that the cleric spell doesn't have: a small clay ziggurat that shatters when the spell is cast. The spell can also be reversed, which confuses all verbal communications within the area.
Water Breathing: Like the 3rd-level druid spell, this allows the recipient to breathe underwater. Its duration is only 3 turns/level, half that of the druid version. Its casting time of 3 segments is faster than that for druids (5 segments). It's reversible as air breathing, which allows aquatic creatures to survive on land. The material component is a short reed or a piece of straw.
The OD&D version of the spell had a duration of 12 turns, and a range of 3" (it's a touch spell in AD&D). It wasn't reversible.
Blink: This spell causes the caster to "blink" in and out of the material plane in a random pattern. The segment of the round in which the magic-user disappears is randomly determined using 2d4. When the magic-user reappears, he will have moved to a space 2' distant from where he started, in a random direction. There's a chance here that the caster can reappear in a solid object, which might result in being trapped in the Ethereal Plane. The caster can't be attacked for the rest of the round after he reappears, unless it's by an attack that can reach both his starting position and the place he reappeared (such as an area affect like a fireball). While blinking, the caster can make melee attacks normally, but any other activity has a 25% chance of failure. This is a great spell, with just enough minor risk involved to deter players from over-cheesing it.
Clairaudience: Allows the caster to listen in on any area that he's familiar with, regardless of range (although it only works on the plane where it was cast). It can also be cast to listen in on unfamiliar locales that are obvious and close by, such as the opposite side of a door, but it can be blocked by a thin metal sheet. Its material component is a silver horn worth 100gp, which is consumed in the casting.
The AD&D version of the spell is now far more powerful than it used to be. In OD&D it could only be used to listen to areas close by, although this could be extended by using a crystal ball. The older version of the spell could be blocked by over 2' of solid rock, or a thin sheet of lead, whereas the new version is stopped by any type of metal. It also didn't require the silver horn; I'd be tempted to allow for short-range use of the spell without the horn.
Clairvoyance: This spell works like clairaudience, except that the caster can magically see from the area he chooses. As with clairaudience the spell has an unlimited range within the same plane on which it was cast, provided that the area chosen is familiar, but sight is dependent on light being present in the area to be "clairvoyed". (It must be a word, Gary uses it in the spell description.) If it's dark, vision extends to 1", otherwise it's to the extent of normal vision. Metal sheeting or magical protection will block it. The material component is powdered pineal gland from a humanoid creature. It's odd that this spell has a less valuable component than clairaudience; I would have thought sight more useful for scrying than hearing, or at the very least equal in importance.
The OD&D version of the spell only had a range of 6", so it's much less powerful. It last longer, though: 12 turns as opposed to 1 round/level. Lead stopped the OD&D spell, whereas the AD&D spell is stopped by any metal. It also wasn't necessary to powder some poor buggers eyeball to cast it, either. Like clairaudience, I might be willing to let a caster use the short-range version if they don't have the necessary component.
Dispel Magic: Works like the cleric version of the spell, but its range is doubled and its casting time is halved.
The OD&D version of the spell was written as dispell magic. It had a range of 24", as opposed to 12" in AD&D. It also had a duration of 1 turn, whereas in AD&D the duration is "permanent". For some discussion of what this "permanent" duration means, and the new method for determining if a dispel is successful, follow the link above. My conclusion then was that the OD&D spell is much more likely to succeed.
Explosive Runes: The caster can place these runes on a book, map, scroll or similar object, and anyone who reads them will trigger a blast that does 12-30 damage to the reader (no save) and the same amount to everyone within 1" (save for half). The object the runes were placed on will also be destroyed, unless it's immune to magical fire. The caster, and anyone else they instruct, can avoid triggering the runes. A magic-user has a 5% chance per level of detecting them; thieves can also find them, but they only get a 5% chance in total. The runes last forever, until dispelled, or until removed by the caster.
In OD&D the runes could only be placed on parchment, whereas AD&D allows the caster to place them on anything that contains writing. This means that in OD&D there was no need to specify that some of these items won't be destroyed in the blast. The blast only affected the reader, and dealt 4-24 damage. There was nothing about thieves being able to detect explosive runes, but magic-users two or more levels higher than the caster had a 50% chance to find them and a 75% chance to remove them. Obviously, this spell's been upgraded to be more difficult to detect, and can only be magically removed with dispel magic.
Feign Death: This spell is new to AD&D, but appeared earlier in the PHB as a cleric spell. It allows the caster to place himself or a target equal to or lower than his own level in a death-like trance. (Clerics don't have this limit, and can use the spell on creatures of any level/Hit Dice). The target can hear and smell, but can't see or feel, and won't react to being wounded. Any attack on the body only deals half damage. (I think I said this when I covered the cleric spell, but the implication here is that half of all damage is due to shock and mental trauma.) The target is immune to paralysis, poison and energy drain, but can still be poisoned (which takes effect when the spell wears off). It only works on a willing target, and can be ended by the caster at any time.
Fireball: Hey look, it's fireball, aka the best of all spells. I'm sure nobody reading this needs me to go over what it does, but here goes. Fireball creates a 2" radius explosion that deals 1d6 damage per caster level (save for half). The fire ignites combustibles, and can melt soft metals (you know, gold, silver, copper, all the valuable ones). Basically, any item caught in the fireball needs to make a saving throw to avoid destruction, although items on a person who makes their save are considered unaffected. Here's a new one on me: the caster actually has to point their finger and speak the range at which the fireball will explode. I don't think there are any other spells that require this, and perhaps Gary meant it to apply to the player rather than the character, but a guy shouting "150 feet" before loosing destruction is weird enough for me to like it. A fireball "conforms to the shape of the area in which it occurs, thus covering an area equal to its normal spherical volume". As I understand it this means that a fireball expands to fill 33,000 cubic feet, but I find the wording a little vague. And then there's the bit where Gary says that it fills "33,000 feet [or yards]" - is this an error? I thought the feet-to-yards conversion when outside only applied to spell ranges, not area of effect. As everyone knows, the material component for fireball is a ball of sulphur and bat guano. Or as we call it in the real world, "poo".
In OD&D the spell was written as fire ball (two words), and didn't require the caster to shout the range out loud. The language used to describe the fireball expanding to fill its space is clearer in OD&D - it actually uses the word elongate, so there's no ambiguity at all. The OD&D spell had a range of 24", whereas in AD&D it's 10"+1"/level. Otherwise, it's the same in damage and area, but there was nothing about it destroying items.
Flame Arrow: The caster can ignite arrows and crossbow bolts by touching them. One such missile can be ignited per segment, and the spell lasts for 1 segment per caster level. These missiles are considered to be magical, and they deal +1 damage against creatures vulnerable to flame, but otherwise they get no bonuses at all. The missile must be fired within 1 round, or it will be consumed by fire. Its material components are a drop of oil and a small piece of flint. Is it just me, or is this spell super-weak? Sure, you can set things on fire from a distance, and damage creatures that can only be hit by magic weapons, but what else? If you fired it an ogre, would you really only get a +1 damage bonus and nothing else? There's no way it's worthy of being 3rd level.
Fly: Lets the target fly at a speed of 12" per move. The speed is halved when ascending, and doubled when diving. The spell lasts 1 turn/level + 1d6 turns, and the duration is always kept secret from the caster so that there's a chance of the spell ending while they're still in mid-air. This spell hasn't changed one bit from OD&D, which is a genuine rarity. Its material component is a bird's wing feather.
Gust of Wind: Creates a "strong puff of air" that can blow over light objects, blow out candles and torches, possibly extinguish lanterns (5% chance per caster level), fan larger fires out 1' to 6', force small flying creatures back, check the movement of man-sized flying creatures, and slow large flying creatures by half. It's range is 1" per caster level, and the material component is a legume seed. It's another spell that seems under-powered for 3rd level as written, but I could definitely see some creative uses for it.
Haste: Causes all targets (one per caster level) within a 4"x4" area to move and act at double speed. This means that movement rate is doubled, as well as number of attacks, although it doesn't apply to spell-casting. (Possibly there's a level of precision and timing involved with spell-casting that means it can't be performed any faster than usual.) It negates the slow spell. There's a line here about recipients of the spell being prematurely aged, but no numbers are given (they'll presumably come in the DMG). It's material component is a shaving of licorice root
The OD&D version of this spell was called haste spell, and it was hella-vague. It was said to be the opposite of a slow spell, but that spell had no effect described either: all it said was that it affected up to 24 creatures in a maximum area of 6" x 12". To get an effect, we need to go all the way back to the wargame Chainmail, which says that the haste spell increases movement by 50%. The AD&D version affects far less creatures, but is more powerful in that it increases attacks as well as movement. Also, there was nothing in OD&D about the spell ageing its recipients.
Hold Person: This one's like the 2nd-level cleric spell, being able to paralyse up to four "persons". The fewer targets that are designated, the harder the spell is to save against. Here's something I've never noticed before: if the spell is partially negated (a ring of spell turning is given as a possible example) then the spell acts as a slow spell. We get a precise list of all the creatures that the spell affects: brownies, dryads, dwarves, elves, gnolls, gnomes, goblins, half-elves, halflings, half-orcs, hobgoblins, humans, kobolds, lizard men, nixies, orcs, pixies, sprites, and troglodytes. I appreciate a list like this, but it comes with its own problems in that it necessitates the spell description being updated every time a new Monster Manual comes out.
The OD&D hold person was odd in that it was said to be a more powerful version of charm person (although I'm pretty sure there's anecdotal evidence from the earliest players to suggest that it was used as a paralysis spell, as it is in AD&D). Like the AD&D spell, it was more effective when cast at a single target (although the save penalty was -2 as opposed to -3 in AD&D, and there was no difference to saves when the spell targeted 2 or 3 creatures). The duration was 6 turns + caster level (it's 2 rounds/level in AD&D), and the range was 12" (which hasn't changed). The OD&D spell, as an extension of charm person, affected "two-legged, mammalian figures" of man-size or less. Some monsters were specifically cited, but it's notable that lizard men and troglodytes wouldn't count as mammalian, and so wouldn't be affected by the original hold person spell.
Infravision: Grants the target the ability to see in infrared. It's noted that this type of vision is adversely affected by strong heat sources nearby, and that it can't detect creatures that are invisible. It's material component is a pinch of dried carrot or an agate.
The OD&D spell also granted the ability to see in infrared, but there was nothing about heat sources or invisible creatures noted. In OD&D the duration of the spell was a whole day, whereas in AD&D it's been reduced to 2 hours, plus 1 hour per level. The range of this sight was 40'-60' in OD&D, and it's a flat 6" in AD&D. I do wonder how to adjudicate the variable range given in OD&D. Is it a random determination when the spell is cast, or a rough guideline to be used by the DM in various conditions? I'd go with the latter for simplicity's sake.
Invisibility 10' Radius: This spell works like invisibility, in that the targets remain invisible until they attack someone. I'm still unsure exactly how this spell works, though. It's said to have a single target, and an area of a 10' radius around the target. Okay, but is it just that it affects every creature within that radius when the spell is cast, and those affected remain invisible regardless of where they move? Or is it an area affect that moves with the target, necessitating that those wishing to remain invisible must stay close by? Given that the creatures made invisible by this spell can't see each other, it seems logical that the former would be true. It's certainly a more useful spell that way. As with invisibility, its material components are an eyelash and a bit of gum arabic.
The OD&D spell was similarly vague. It had a range of 24", whereas the AD&D version requires the caster to touch the target.
Leomund's Tiny Hut: Leomund makes a second appearance, with a spell that creates a globe of force around the caster that keeps out winds up to 50mph and maintains a comfortable temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (about 21 degrees Celsius, as the civilised world would measure it). Temperatures below 0 degrees lower this on a 1 for 1 basis, and those above 105 degrees raise it in a similar ratio. The caster can also control the ambient lighting within the globe. From outside the globe can't be seen through, but it's transparent from inside. Up to 6 man-sized creatures can fit inside (along with the creator), and the spell ends when the caster leaves. It's not stated what happens if more creatures try to enter, but the globe provides no protection from attacks. The most surprising thing about this spell for me is that it's not actually a hut, it's just a boring old globe. An actual hut might be a little silly, but D&D could use a bit more silliness. The material component is a crystal bead that shatters when the spell ends.
Lightning Bolt: It's like a fireball, but electric, and in a straight line. The caster designates the bolt's starting point and it blasts out from there, dealing 1d6 damage per level. It can destroy wooden doors, about a foot of stone, and like fireball will melt most valuable metals. The caster also decides the dimensions of the bolt: it can either be 1" wide and 4" long, or it can be 1/2" wide and 8" long. If the bolt is blocked by a non-conducting barrier, it will extend backwards to its full length. (Note that it says non-conducting; it won't rebound off metal walls, for instance.) Material components required are a bit of fur and a rod made out of glass, amber or crystal.
The OD&D lightning bolt did the same damage, but it had fixed dimensions of 3/4" wide and 6" long (funnily enough, that still works as a mid-point between the two AD&D options). It still had the rule about extending backwards if the bolt hits an obstacle. The spell had range of 24", and the end of the bolt could never extend beyond that range. In AD&D, the range is 4" + 1"/level, but that range designates the beginning of the bolt; there's no maximum range, it just keeps growing indefinitely as you gain levels.
Monster Summoning I: Summons 1d8 creatures of 1st level within 1-4 rounds, that will attack the caster's enemies or perform some other task within their abilities. They appear in the spot designated by the caster, so presumably they are magically summoned rather than wandering in from the surrounding area. The monsters that appear are either randomly determined or decided by the DM, but there's no table given for what sort of creatures to expect, and with no DMG available at the time there weren't any random encounter tables to use either. The best bet at this point in the game's history was probably the dungeon encounter charts from OD&D, which would turn up things like kobolds, skeletons or spiders (or gelatinous cubes, which could be fun). The material component is a tiny bag and a small candle.
Indeed, this is the method used in the OD&D version of the spell. It's interesting that the older spell had provisions for doubling the amount of creatures summoned if they're particularly weak or small. The default number summoned in OD&D was 1-3, and they arrived after 1 turn. The spell lasted 6 melee turns (as opposed to 2 rounds +1/level in AD&D) and had a range of 1" (3" in AD&D).
Phantasmal Force: Creates a visual illusion that can affect anyone looking at it, to the point where it can even inflict actual damage. The spell doesn't create sound, so obviously there'll be some illusions that just won't be believable. Anyone who disbelieves the illusion gets a saving throw, and if successful can confer a +4 bonus to their mates by telling them about it. The illusion will disappear if struck, although the caster can stop this by making the illusion react accordingly. It also disappears if the caster stops concentrating on it. Moving will break this concentration, as will being damaged. The material component for this spell is a bit of fleece.
In OD&D this spell was 2nd level, and was called phantasmal forces. It worked like the AD&D version, but there was nothing said about it being unable to create sound. There were also no rules about disbelief provided. It had a range of 24", whereas in AD&D it's 8" + 1"/level. This spell has been simultaneously moved up a level, and lowered in effectiveness, which is an odd combo. Its guidelines are vague enough that it could probably work at 4th level; it's certainly very effective in the hands of a creative player or DM.
Protection from Evil, 10' Radius: It's the same as the 1st-level protection from evil (hedging out enchanted and summoned evil creatures, -2 on attacks from evil creatures, +2 on saves from evil attacks), except that it affects a 10' radius area around the target. It also takes an extra segment to cast. The material component is powdered iron and silver.
In OD&D the spell lasted for 12 turns, whereas in AD&D it lasts for 2 rounds/level. It also had -1/+1 modifiers on defense, instead of the -2/+2 in AD&D.
Protection from Normal Missiles: Completely protects the recipient from non-magical missiles and small stones, and reduces 1 from each damage die on attacks from magical missiles and larger stones. It doesn't give any protection against spells. The material component is a bit of tortoise or turtle shell.
The OD&D version of the spell protected against normal missiles, but it also went on to clarify that it didn't protect against missiles projected by men that were "above normal". I'd previously wondered if this meant that the spell was useless against high-level characters, but the AD&D spell indicates that it wasn't intended to be taken this way. There was nothing in OD&D about damage reduction against magic missiles, either. The range was 3" (it's a touch spell in AD&D) and the duration was 12 turns (it's 1 turn/level in AD&D).
Slow: Halves the movement and attack rate of creatures within a 4"x4" area (affecting 1 creature per level). It can stack as well, which is a new one on me; two or three doses of this spell would render a lot of monsters useless. There's nothing here about spell-casting being slowed, but I would say that it is. It's easy to rationalise that haste doesn't apply to spell-casting, as a hasted caster can deliberately slow themselves down to perform the various rituals. If you've been slowed, you can't just voluntarily speed yourself up, can you? Its material component is some treacle. (It's a bit odd that this spell and haste aren't reversible with each other, but they're probably too powerful to combine in the same spell.)
In OD&D it was called slow spell, and it affected up to 24 creatures in a 6"x12" area. As with haste there was no effect given, so we have to go back to Chainmail, which says that the spell halves movement. There's nothing in there about attacks. The duration in OD&D was 3 turns (it's 3 rounds +1 round/level in AD&D), and the range was 24" (it's 9" + 1"/level in AD&D).
Suggestion: Allows the caster to make a reasonable suggestion, that the target will agree to if it fails a saving throw. The more reasonable the suggestion, the more difficult it is to resist. I was ready to declare this spell as useless compared to charm person, but there's an example in the spell description that clearly has it being used against a dragon. Charm person could only affect humanoids, so that's a big difference. It doesn't work on undead, though. Material component is a snake's tongue and either a drop of sweet oil or some honeycomb.
The OD&D spell was much the same, though it had nothing about undead being immune. It also had a duration of 1 week, whereas it lasts for a much shorter time in AD&D (6 turns + 6 turns/level).
Tongues: As with the 4th-level cleric spell, it allows the caster to speak the language of any creature within a 6" diameter circle. The cleric spell had a duration of 1 turn, whereas the magic-user version lasts for 1 round/level. It has a faster casting time: 3 segments, as opposed to 7 for clerics. It also has a material component that the cleric spell doesn't have: a small clay ziggurat that shatters when the spell is cast. The spell can also be reversed, which confuses all verbal communications within the area.
Water Breathing: Like the 3rd-level druid spell, this allows the recipient to breathe underwater. Its duration is only 3 turns/level, half that of the druid version. Its casting time of 3 segments is faster than that for druids (5 segments). It's reversible as air breathing, which allows aquatic creatures to survive on land. The material component is a short reed or a piece of straw.
The OD&D version of the spell had a duration of 12 turns, and a range of 3" (it's a touch spell in AD&D). It wasn't reversible.
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