Death Spell

Magic-user 6

Range. 1” per CL

Duration. Instantaneous

Area of Effect. ½" square per CL

Conjuration/Summoning

Components. V, S, M

Casting Time. 6s

Saving Throw. None

When a death spell is cast, it slays creatures in the area of effect instantly and irrevocably. The number of creatures which can be so slain is a function of their hit dice:

Victim's Hit Dice

less than 2

2 to 4

4+1 to 6+3

6+4 to 8+3

Max # Affected

4-80 (4d20)

3-30 (3d10)

2-8 (2d4)

1-4 (1d4)

If a mixed group of creatures is attacked with a death spell, use the following conversion:

First, simply roll the dice to see how many creatures of less than 2 hit dice are affected, kill all these, then use the conversion to kill all 2 to 4 hit dice monsters, etc. If not enough of the number remains to kill the higher levels, they remain. This system can be reversed by applying it to higher hit dice victims first.

Creatures with less than 1 hit die count as only ½ a creature which otherwise has less than 2 hit dice. If such creatures are subjected to the spell, count them off thusly, although the maximum number affected cannot exceed 80 in any event.

Example: The 4d20 when rolled indicate a total of 53, 20 of this is used to kill one 6 + 4 to 8 + 3 die creature (20 X 05 = 1), 16 are used to kill two 4 + 1 to 6 + 3 hit dice creatures (16 X ,125 = 2), 12 are used to kill three 2 to 4 die creatures (3 X 4 = 12), and 5 remainder can be used to kill off 5 less-than-2 dice creatures (5 X 1 = 5), i.e. 20 + 16 + 12 + 5 = 53. A death spell does not affect lycanthropes, undead creatures, or creatures from other than the Prime Material Plane.

The material component of this spell is a crushed black pearl with a minimum value of 1000 g.p.

Dragonsfoot, Oct 04, 2005: Q. merkholz: A short spell query, if you please? The 6th level M-U Death Spell notes that affected creatures are slain instantly and irrevocably! Does the irrevocably part mean that those slain by the spell cannot be raised? Gone forever? Or does it just mean that there's no save to avoid death?A. Good point! Despite the rather ambiguous wording, I meant that the target subjects affected received no Saving Throw to avoid the effect of the spell, not that they were not allowed a chance at being brought back to life by sme means. Cheers, Gary

Campaign Clarification. Here's another way of writing what is above:

Hit Diceless than 22 to 44+1 to 6+36+4 to 8+3

Ratio1 to 1*4 to 18 to 120 to 1

* Creatures with less than 1 hit die count as only ½ a creature which otherwise has less than 2 hit dice. However, the maximum number affected cannot exceed 80.

The spell caster can choose to affect the highest hit dice creature(s) first or lowest first.Example. A group consisting of a hill giant bandit (8+2 HD), his two ogre guards (4+1 HD each), three dire wolves (3+3 HD each) and a tribe of 30 orcs (1 HD each) are planning a raid. Dimwall the wizard enters the pavilion invisibly and, under the din of shouting, casts a death spell, selecting to target highest hit dice creatures first. Because the group is mixed, he rolls a 4d20 and the result is 53. Consulting the conversion chart above, one hill giant is converted at 20:1, the ogres at 8:1 (x2), dire wolves are 4:1 (x3), and orcs would be 1:1 (x30). Thus, 20+16+12=48 (for the hill giant, ogres, and dire wolves) which leaves 5 orcs also affected to achieve the result of 53. Once the spell is complete, the din dies down as 25 orcs look around lamely, their leaders dead on the floor around them. Dimwall, now visible, hikes his robe and prepares to run for the exit.

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