Kobold Press Blog Stuff

Spells
Planescape Spells:
The planes are a curious and strange place for adventurers. Air that burns with infernal
fire. Motes of earth floating through silver seas. It is a dangerous place that takes
unique magic to survive. New experiences give rise to new ways of thinking, which in
turn gives rise to the magic that planar travelers need to survive those exceptional
experiences.

The Planar Adventures series highlights aspects that make planar campaigns
different, while adding new rules to make them unique.

This installment provides eight new spells that aid in traveling and surviving the planes.

Babble

3rd-Level Enchantment | Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch
Components: S, M (a small, broken clay model of a ziggurat)
Duration: concentration up to 10 minutes

This spell befuddles the mind of the creature you touch. If the target fails a Wisdom
saving throw, it loses the ability the ability to understand any spoken language it hears
and to coherently speak any language it knows. Casting a spell that includes a verbal
component is impossible.

Barbed Curse

1st-Level Conjuration | Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: concentration up to 1 minute

From the deepest planes, you summon vines covered in razor-sharp thorns that sprout
from your target’s flesh and wrap around their body. Once per turn, the target takes
1d10 slashing damage when it moves. On a successful Dexterity saving throw, it takes
half the damage. If the target chooses not to move, it takes no damage.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the
vines do an additional 1d10 for each slot level above 1st.

Deep Conviction

1st-Level Abjuration | Bard, Cleric, Paladin

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self
Components: V
Duration: 1 round

You recite a mantra, strengthening the conviction of your beliefs. You become immune
to the charmed condition until the beginning of your next turn.

Duplicate Key

2nd-Level Abjuration | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a portal key)
Duration: 24 hours

You create a duplicate of a key to a planar gate or portal that you hold while casting the
spell. The duplicate functions the same as the original for one day, after which the
magical copy disappears. This spell only copies portal keys that are objects and has no
effect on more esoteric keys such as living beings, complicated gestures, or specific
sounds.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the
duplicate lasts for an additional 24 hours for each slot level above 2nd.

Existential Bubble

4th-Level Abjuration | Bard, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 24 hours
The laws and conditions of each plane are not always hospitable to travelers from other
worlds. With a centering breath and short mantra, you attune yourself to the plane upon
which you stand. For the duration of the spell, you are treated as though you are a
native of the plane, including for effects of banishment or similar spells. You are not
affected by environmental conditions of that plane, be they extreme heat, cold, or lack
of air though the spell does not provide any protection from damage due to elemental
attacks or spells. In addition, you are treated as though you are a native for any planar
laws or other effects. You could travel the Far Realm with no threat to your sanity, drink
from the River Styx without losing your memories, or travel Elysium without risk of
becoming trapped.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you
affect an additional target for each slot level above 4th.

Gaze through the Looking Glass

3rd-Level Divination | Bard, Cleric, Ranger, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 bonus action

Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (a hand mirror)
Duration: concentration up to 10 minutes

While standing in front of a gate, portal, rift, color pool, or other method of planar travel,
you utter an arcane phrase and gaze deeply into a mirror. Within the mirror you see an
image of what the destination looks like on the other side of the portal, but your view is
limited by the dimensions and facing of the portal as it if it was a transparent window.
Divination spells that affect your senses, such as darkvision or see invisibility, function
through the mirror and affect your view of the other side of the portal.

Shred Reality

5th-Level Conjuration | Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 100 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You call forth the substance of all the planes in a 20-foot hemisphere centered around a
point that you can see within range. The ground in the affected area is twisted and rent
by the spell, becoming difficult terrain. Creatures within the affected area suffer 8d6
force damage as the substance and rules of the universe rapidly fluctuate around them.
Those who survive are stunned and suffer a −2 penalty to AC and Dexterity saving
throws until the end of their next turn. Creatures that succeed on a Constitution saving
throw take half damage and are not stunned.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the
damage increases by 2d6 for each slot level above 5th.

Summon Mimiric Guide

1st-Level Conjuration | Bard, Cleric, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 round

Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (an object that has been to the plane you have questions about)
Duration: 1 minute

While holding an object that is from, or has been to, the plane of existence that you
have questions about, you call forth a mimiric guide: a floating mechanical skull that is
a repository of planar lore. The guide hovers 5 feet above the ground and follows you
with a speed of 30 feet while answering questions about the plane. The guide speaks in
a language you understand and responds verbally with basic information about the
plane in question. It knows general details that any native of the plane would know, and
answers all questions about that plane truthfully. After 1 minute, the skull falls apart
into a pile of gears and springs.

Wizard’s Playbook

Unseen Servant --

An innocuous but useful spell in the arcane canon is unseen servant, a 1st level
conjuration that summons an invisible servant to do your bidding.

While helpful in a wide variety of situation, just as with the other spells mentioned in
this blog series, it does have limitations. Therefore, wizards have come up with
improved versions of the spell and created magic items associated with those spells.

NEW SPELLS
Take a new look at unseen servant.

Unseen Butler
2nd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a silver doorbell)
Duration: 1 hour

You cause an invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized force to appear in an unoccupied space

on the ground within range. The butler has AC 13, 10 hit points, and it can’t attack.

Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally or verbally command the
butler to move up to 30 feet from you and interact with an object. The butler can
perform the same tasks as an unseen servant, but can also perform any tasks that a
creature with an Intelligence score of 6 and Strength score of 11 could perform. Once
you give it a command, the butler performs the task to the best of its ability until it
completes it, then waits for your next command.

You can also order the butler to move to a location and perform a task once a specified
set of conditions are met, the spell’s duration expires, or you give it a new command.
These conditions could include someone knocking at a door, a bottle of wine falling off a
table, or anything else you can envisage within reason. The butler can be tricked into
performing this task by illusion or trickery and cannot discern between your allies and
enemies.

If the butler drops to 0 hit points or moves more than 120 feet away from you, the spell
ends.

Unseen Horde

2nd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a handful of wooden shavings)
Duration: 1 hour

You cause up to five invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized forces to appear in an

unoccupied space on the ground within range. The servants have AC 10, 5 hit points, a
Strength of 2, and they can’t attack.

Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally order one or more of the
servants to move up to 15 feet from you and interact with an object. The servants can
perform simple tasks that a group of normal servants could do, such as setting the
table, cleaning a room, or carrying furniture. Once you give the command, the servants
perform the task to the best of their ability until they complete the task, then wait for
your next command. You can order the servants to perform multiple tasks at the same
time if there are enough servants to do so. Therefore, you could have two servants
folding sheets, two moving a chest, and the final servant stoking a fire all at the same
time.

The spell doesn’t end unless all of the servants move more than 60 feet from you.
However, individual servants vanish if they move beyond the spell’s range. The spell
also ends if all servants drop to 0 hit points.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you
conjure two additional servants for each slot level above 2nd.

Unseen Tactician

3rd-Level Conjuration | Bard, Warlock, Wizard

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a piece of string and a silver dagger)
Duration: 10 minutes

You cause an invisible, shapeless, Medium-sized force to appear in an unoccupied space

on the ground within range. The tactician has AC 15, 20 hit points, and a Strength and
Dexterity of 11. It cannot deal damage or grapple an enemy, but it can take other
combat actions as dictated below.

Once during your turn, as a bonus action, you can mentally order the tactician to move
to an ally within 30 feet of you and take one of the following actions:

 Pick up or otherwise interact with an object. This object can be one being
carried by an ally or someone who is incapacitated.
 Make an Attack action only for the purpose of shoving an enemy or object.
 Use the Help action to aid an ally. The tactician cannot help an ally with
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma checks.
If the tactician drops to 0 hit points or moves more than 60 feet away from you, the
spell ends.

NEW MAGIC ITEMS

See if these magic items can serve a purpose in your campaign.

Ring of the Butler

Ring, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)

Numerous minor scratches cover this heavy gold ring. The ring has 3 charges and
regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
While wearing the ring, you can use an action and expend a charge from the ring to
summon an unseen butler. Unlike the spell, the butler is dressed in a livery similar to
that of a footman or manservant, visible to those around it. You can dismiss the butler
as a free action.

Staff of Helping Hands

Staff, Rare (Requires Attunement by a Bard, Warlock, or Wizard)

Carvings of various humanoid hands line the haft of this gnarled wooden staff. The staff
has 10 charges and regains 1d6 + 4 charges at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll
a d20. On a 1, the hands fade away, and the staff becomes a nonmagical quarterstaff.

While wielding the staff, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to
cast one of the following spells from it: unseen butler (2 charges), unseen servant (1
charge), or unseen tactician (3 charges). In addition, while the staff has at least 1
charge, you can cast mage hand from it as an action an unlimited number of times.