School necromancy (curse, evil; see text); Level vicar 20; Sphere death

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CASTING                                                                                                                                                                                               

Casting Time 10 minutes

Components V, S, DF

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EFFECT                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Range touch

Area 1-mile-radius from the touched point

Duration permanent; 1 day (see text)

Saving Throw none (see text); Spell Resistance no

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DESCRIPTION                                                                                                                                                                                       

You lay a terrible curse upon the land, blighting those who live and die there. This functions as the cursed earth spell, except that the famine, living death, and plague aspects of the spell all permanently take effect instead of a single aspect of your choice.

The spell also creates the following additional effects, as determined by its aspects.

Famine: In addition to its normal effect, the area evaporates moisture from the body of any living creature that enters the area, causing flesh to wither and crack and crumble to dust. This deals 5d6 points of damage. This effect is especially devastating to water elementals and plant creatures, which instead take 5d8 points of damage. Creatures affected in this way can make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Wisdom modifier) for half damage. Once a creature has been come under this effect (whether the save is made or not), that creature cannot be affected by this spell in this way again.

Living Death: In addition to its normal effect, creatures killed or buried within the area within the first day of the spell’s activation can rise as skeletons with 7 to 10 HD that rise as zombies gain the zombie lord template.

In addition to the normal effect, half of all zombies rise as skeletons instead. Any creature with more than 5 Hit Dice that rises as a skeleton or zombie also gain the skeleton champion or zombie lord template according to its type. While the spell is in effect, there is a 15% chance that creatures killed within the area (not those already dead) will rise as a more powerful type of corporeal undead, as shown on the following table.

Table: Powerful Corporeal Undead  

%Roll Undead

01-35 3d4 ghouls

36-45 2d4+2 hevecuvas

46-70 1d4+1 wights

74-85 1d3 mummies

86-93 1d2 revenants

94-97 1 grave knight

98-00 1 lich

Once per week, while you are within the affected area, you can cause the following incorporeal undead to rise from the ground under your complete control, as the create undead spell: 1d4+1 shadows, 1d3 wraiths, or 1 ghost. If you have one of these incorporeal undead under your control, you cannot cause another to rise until the one currently under your control is released or destroyed.

Once per month, while you are within the affected area, you can cause one of the following incorporeal undead to rise from the ground under your complete control, as the greater create undead spell: 1d3 spectres, 1d2 greater shadows, or 1 witchfire. If you have one of these greater incorporeal undead under your control, you cannot cause another to rise until the one currently under your control is released or destroyed.

Disease: You add blister phage, demon fever, devil chills, shattermind, and zombie rot to the list of diseases a creature can contract.

An area can receive only one curse of the undying spell (and its associated spell effect) at a time. Curse of the undying counters but does not dispel cleansing storm.