Diane's spells
By Kit NavarroHere are the spells of Madame La Vicomtesse Diane de Moriamis. Be sure to read the GPD file first, to fully appreciate Diane's spells.
Wizard's Gold
(Alteration)
Level: 2
Range: Touch
Duration: Varies
Area of Effect: 10 cubic inches/level
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Saving Throw: Negates
Diane de Moriamis got the idea of this spell from another
alteration spell, fool's gold. Instead of giving inexpensive
materials like wood and iron the appearance of gold, this spell
transforms a certain amount of gold, silver, gems and other
precious materials into lead, iron, and stone. The shape of the
object remains unchanged. A successful save vs. spells negates the
effect, and magical objects have a +2 bonus to their saves.
The duration of this spell would depend on the material components used. If vinegar is used, the spell lasts for 1 round/level of the caster. If acid is used, the duration lengthens to 1 turn/level. If a magical acid (ie black pudding acid) is used, the spell can last up to 1 hour/level. The spell can also be dispelled normally.
Dame Diane crafted this spell for the purpose of acquiring the jewellery of other nobles, under pretence of appraising them. Its original name was Diane's unerring appraisal of the cherished treasure, and Diane claimed it was a divination spell to reveal the true nature of a piece of jewellery. Diane would then prepare a special acid bath and other alchemical mixtures and then cast this spell, which of course, "reveals" that the jewellery is made of cheap material and therefore fake. Diane would then take the jewellery, before the spell wears off.
These days Diane seldom uses the spell herself, but she has sold copies of it (with the new name that does not include her own!) to the Fellowship of the Pouch. The spell has been known to have been used in Darokin and Thyatis, under the name philosopher's gold.
Diane's Sumptuous Feast of Vengeance
(Alteration, Necromancy)
Level: 2
Range: 30 yards
Duration: Permanent
Area of Effect: all food and drink within 10 square feet/level
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Saving Throw: None
Dame Diane crafted this spell for the sole purpose of spoiling all
the food at a banquet or party. When this spell is cast, all food
and drink within the area of effect begin to rot and spoil, making
them inedible, nauseating, and potentially poisonous.
Furthermore, anyone who has eaten any of the food has a possibility of getting sick with food poisoning. There is a 5% chance per level of the caster to become sick for 1d6 days, unless a cure disease or neutralise poison spell is cast on the victim. There is also a 2% chance per level of the caster that the victim actually becomes fatally poisoned in 1d4 days, unless a neutralise poison is cast.
Purify food and drink can restore the spoiled food, but has no effect on the victims. Magical potions also look, taste, and smell disgusting, but their magical properties are otherwise unaffected.
Dame Diane has mastered the casting of this spell, such that the changes in the food are subtle and gradual at first. The food and drink merely tastes different, then becomes unpalatable, but still edible. Afterwards, they unmistakably look, smell and taste spoiled. The nauseating finale is that the sight and odour of the food becomes unbearable, and the people must leave the vicinity, or mass vomiting will ensue. The putrefied food must then be gotten rid of, magically or mundanely.
Dame Diane originally cast this spell using a mouldy piece of Malinbois cheese, the smelliest of the Sylaire cheeses, and a glass of the finest Avergoinese champagne that had turned to vinegar. Later, she found that any kind of rotten cheese and sour wine would suffice as spell components.
Diane's Pageantry of the Grotesque
(Alteration)
Level: 4
Range: 10 yards
Duration: 1 turn/level
Area of Effect: all creatures within 10 square feet/level
Casting Time: 1 round
Components: V, S, M
Saving Throw: Negates
This spell is another of Dame Diane's favourite, which she likes
to use at the glamorous Glantrian balls and parties, to which she
has been invited--or not invited. The spell requires the carcass of
a frog- or toad-like creature that has been alchemically preserved
and shrunken in a jar of brine. The caster must break the jar,
releasing a sickening vapour that quickly wafts through the area of
effect.
All creatures within the area, who fail a saving throw vs. polymorph, are then transformed into ugly mockeries of themselves. Facial features become warped and bestial. Limbs become gnarled, stunted or ungainly. Skin grows slimy scales or disgusting boils. Body hair becomes wiry, tangled, unmanageably long or disappears altogether (Diane's favourite effect!). Even clothing becomes faded, moth-eaten, and garish.
All affected creatures will lose a certain number
of Charisma points, depending on the kind of creature used:
| Charisma Loss | Creature Used |
| 1d4 points | Normal frog or toad |
| 1d6 points | Magical frog or toad (ie giant frog, killer frog, ice toad) |
| 2d4 points | Frog-like or toad-like monster (ie grippli, bullywug, slaad) |
Other physical traits, attack and defence forms, special abilities, or mental attributes are otherwise unaffected, but the psychological shock of the transformation is often damage enough.
The caster can end the spell before its duration,
and the spell can also be dispelled normally. Natural shapeshifters
are affected only for one round, and can then resume their normal
form.