New Bodychanging Spells for AD&D
by Lloyd Brown III
Cornell is a popular wizard who leads a small school of hand-picked apprentices. The group numbers from four to ten, and spends much time actively casting spells and gaining practical experience under the tutelage of their sagacious leader. They meet in a large building once used for building ships; it straddles a canal that leads to a nearby river. The spacious building and available source of protected water allow the students to practice their shape-changing skills without fear of interference from curious spectators or nervous rivals. Art by andi jones
Cornell's students follow their leader's philosophies about spellcasting. His primary rule is that spells are far more effective when cast upon yourself than upon enemies. Enemies take great precautions to protect themselves from spells. Magic items, protective spells, and natural resistance (saving throws, in game terms) make enemies poor targets for spells. Any spell cast on yourself is guaranteed to succeed.
Furthermore, by changing your shape to assume a form better suited for a task, you often gain other benefits as well. If you need help in combat, you can turn your fist into stone. You can also use the stone fist to smash through windows or other fragile objects. You can also hammer nails or use the fist to secure a grip on something if you grab it before you cast the spell.
Cornell and his students are all transmuters, although they customarily restrict . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 10, 1999
Copyright © 1999 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article online, or download it and print out a single hardcopy for personal use. Copying this text to any other online system or BBS, or making more than one hardcopy, is strictly prohibited. So please don't. And if you encounter copies of this article elsewhere on the web, please report it to webmaster@sjgames.com.
