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The Book:
The tome is massive, being some 3 ft tall, 2 ft wide, and 1.5 ft thick. The covers are made of ivory and leather and set with metal bindings, and the front cover bears the rune of Karsus with a staff set above it and a robe below it, both engraved in ivory.
The pages are of tough vellum and there 372 pages within. The first 288 pages contain spells. The last 84 pages contain 49 blank pages and 35 pages containing a variety of complicated and obscure arcane notes that detail various experiments and further spells he was working on. The final entries detail an epic level transportation spell he was working on, and lists the date of a spell trial as taking place in the Jerranqi year of 4836 A.D.
The tome is clearly not the only spellbook Karsus possessed, for it contains only his higher arcanum, some rare spells likely invented by him or his contemporaries, and his personal arcane notes.
The following spells are contained therein (all are sorcerer/wizard spells):
Level 1 Spells (3 pages):
Arcane Sensitivity (see below)
Cooling Breeze (see below)
Protection from Winged Flyers (see below)
Level 2 Spells (8 pages):
Dispel Fog (see below)
Flexform (see below)
Hearty Heave (see below)
Sunbolt (see below)
Level 3 Spells (6 pages):
Arcane Maul (see below)
Earthen Shield (see below)
Level 4 Spells (12 pages):
Lightning Fog (see below)
Raptor Cloud (see below)
Steelsting (see below)
Level 5 Spells (10 pages):
Fiery Tentacles (see below)
Streamers (see below)
Level 6 Spells (84 pages):
Analyze Dweomer (PHB)
Contingency (PHB)
Delicate Disk (see below)
Forceful Hand (PHB)
Glassee (see below)
Globe of Invulnerability (PHB)
Greater Dispel Magic (PHB)
Legend Lore (PHB)
Mage's Lucubration (PHB)
Repulsion (PHB)
Shadow Walk (PHB)
Transformation (PHB)
True Seeing (PHB)
Wall of Iron (PHB)
Level 7 Spells (63 pages):
Ethereal Jaunt (PHB)
Forcecage (PHB)
Limited Wish (PHB)
Mage's Sword (PHB)
Plane Shift (PHB) with notes on creating a tuning fork for Jerranq
Simulacrum (PHB)
Spell Turning (PHB)
Stored Lightning Bolt (see below)
Symbol of Stunning (PHB)
Level 8 Spells (48 pages):
Clone (PHB)
Dimensional Lock (PHB)
Maze (PHB)
Mystic Shield (see below)
Polymorph Any Object (PHB)
Power Word Stun (PHB)
Level 9 Spells (54 pages):
Binding Chain of Fate (see below)
Dweomerdoom (see below)
Mage's Disjunction (PHB)
Spell Shift (see below)
Time Stop (PHB)
Wish (PHB)
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Arcane Maul (from Secrets of Sarlona) Evocation [Force] As you crush the clay hammer in your fist, you feel a force wrap about your hand. The shimmering shape of a warhammer appears before you, ready to be swung. This spell creates a powerful aura of pure force that can be wielded as a melee weapon or hurled as an area attack. When the spell is cast, you choose which version of the arcane maul to employ and in which hand to wield the melee version. An arcane maul cannot be first used in melee and then hurled, nor can the melee version be switched from hand to hand. When used as a melee weapon, an arcane maul acts as a +4 warhammer (1d8 + 4/x3) for 1 round per level, and it can be wielded regardless of proficiency with the warhammer. Used empty-handed, an arcane maul appears as a shimmering, hammer-shaped force field. When it is used in a hand already holding a weapon, the shimmering force field wraps around both hand and weapon, but all effects of the material weapon (mundane or magic, including damage, bonuses, threat range, and special abilities) are lost for the duration of the spell. An arcane maul can be used with a weapon in your off hand, but the regular penalties for two-weapon fighting apply. If hurled, an arcane maul shoots out from your fist as a line 50 feet long, then fills a 20-foot-radius burst at the end of its range. Creatures within the area of the line and burst take ld6 points of force damage per two levels (maximum 10d6) and are stunned for 1 round. A successful Fortitude save halves damage and negates the stun effect. A hurled arcane maul damages objects in its area. It destroys nonmagical crystal, glass, ceramic, or porce­lain, smashing those substances into dozens of pieces. Objects that weigh more than your caster level in pounds take damage as normal. If the damage caused to an inter­posing barrier shatters or breaks through it, an arcane maul can continue beyond the barrier if the area permits; otherwise it stops at the barrier just as any other spell effect does. Material Component: A small clay hammer, crushed in the fist as the spell is cast. |
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Arcane Sensitivity (from Shining South) Divination With a touch, you instantly determine if a creature can cast arcane spells and the maximum spell level it can cast. |
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Binding Chain of Fate (from City of Splendours: Waterdeep) Evocation You create a chain of force that whirls into a loop around a single creature of your choice, making a metallic rattling sound as it does so. The chain creates an oscillating ring surrounding the target at a distance of 5 feet (so all squares adjacent to the target creature are within the chain). If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, the chain fails to encircle it and dissipates harmlessly. Otherwise, the chain surrounds the target, with the following effects: The target creature cannot leave the area defined by the chain. Other creatures can enter or leave the area (although they must succeed on a DC 15 Escape Artist check or a DC 15 Tumble check to slip past the chain). If the target was in midair (flying, levitating, and so on) when the chain took effect, the chain suspends the target in midair safely as if it had a solid floor on which to stand. The chain prevents the target from changing form, including lycanthropic form changes, vampiric transformations, or polymorph or similar effects. The chain acts as a dimensional anchor upon the target. The chain deals 2d6 points of force damage per round to the target. No magic functions within the chain (althought the chain itself still function), as if the chain defined the area of an antimagic field. This means that the target cannot use any magic, and no magic from outside the chain affects the creature. The chain cannot be dispelled, but it is automatically destroyed by disintegrate, mage's disjunction, or a rod of cancellation. Material Component: A tiny silver chain. |
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Cooling Breeze (from Shining South) Evocation [Air] You create a light breeze (approximately 9 mph) that originates from a point you designate, affecting all creatures, gasses, clouds, and fogs in its path. Any airborne vapors, fumes, clouds, smoke, and gasses drift away from the point at a speed of 80 feet per round and dissipate in one-fourth the normal time. In addition to the effects noted, the cooling breeze can do anything that a normal breeze would be expected to do. It can move wind chimes, scatter pieces of paper or parchment, cause candle or hearth flames to flicker, and so forth. Cooling breeze can be made permanent with a permanency spell. |
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Delicate Disk (from Lost Empires of Faerun) Conjuration (Creation) This spell conjures a small disk, about 1 foot in diameter and 1 inch thick, made of a material that resembles rose-tinted eggshell. Once you summon a disk, a single spell of up to 5th level can be cast into it, either by you or by another spellcaster. If no spell is cast into the disk within 10 minutes of its creation, it vanishes into nothingness and the spell is wasted. The disk stores an imbued spell indefinitely until it is shattered (a standard action requiring only 1 point of damage or a DC 5 Strength check). At that point, the spell immediately takes effect as if it had just been cast by the spellcaster who first placed it in the disk. Touch-range spells and spells that have specific targets (such as cause critical wounds or expeditious retreat) are targeted upon the creature or object that shattered the disk, while area and effect spells are triggered as though the broken disk were the spell's point of origin. For example, a stored fireball would detonate in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the disk, whereas a flame blade would appear in the hand of the creature that shattered the disk. If the spell stored in the disk does not have a valid target (such as a disk imbued with cause critical wounds that is broken by a falling rock), the spell simply fails to manifest and is wasted. Once you cast this spell, you cannot prepare a new 6th-level spell or regain the spell slot to replace it until the disk is shattered, or until you dismiss this spell. If the number of 6th-level spells you can cast decreases, and that number drops below your current number of active delicate disk spells, the more recently cast delicate disk spells are dispelled. Material Component: A golden egg worth 200 gp. |
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Dispel Fog (from Shining South) Abjuration You make normal or magical fog within the affected area instantly and completely vanish. This spell is effective against fog and mist from any source, including spells such as obscuring mist or cloudkill, but not against bodies of water, precipitation, or smoke. The dispelled area stays clear for 1 minute per level regardless of other conditions—after that, it can fill in again if there is sufficient fog in the surrounding vicinity. Natural fog is automatically cleared in the affected area; natural fog reform within 1 minute after the expiration of the spell. Magical fog (such as that from a fog cloud spell) requires you to make a dispel check (1d20 + your caster level, maximum +10) against the spell to clear the area. The DC for this dispel check is 11 + the spell's caster level. Success means the spell is dispelled in the area you designate, but magic fogs covering large areas might not be completely cleared away by dispel fog. Creatures in fog or mist form who are in the area must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 2d10 points of damage. Even those who make their saves must immediately assume another shape. |
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Dweomerdoom (from City of Splendours: Waterdeep) Abjuration You counterspell an opponent's spell or spell-like ability before it is even cast and without knowing what spell you are countering. If the target prepares spells, you counterspell the highest level spell currently prepared, eliminating it from the target's list of prepared spells for that day. If the target casts spells spontaneously (and does not prepare spells), you effectively reduce by one the number of spells per day of the highest level spell slot available. If the target has spell-like abilities (and does not prepare spells or cast spells spontaneously), it loses one use of the highest-level spell-like ability available. Otherwise, this spell has no effect. You must make a successful dispel check (as the spell dispel magic, but the maximum caster level on your dispel check is +25 instead of +10) to successfully counter or remove your opponent's prepared spell, spell slot, or use of a spell-like ability. Focus: A crystal lens worth at least 1,000 gp. |
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Earthen Shield (from Dragonlance Campaign Setting) Conjuration (Creation) This spell creates a small, localized wall of earth, which rises from the ground. You create one wall section 5 feet long, 5 feet tall, and 1 foot thick per level. For example, a 7th-level caster would create a wall 5 feet tall and 1 foot thick that was 20 feet long and then turned and continued another 15 feet. The earthen shield cannot be conjured so that it occupies the same space as a creature or another object. The earthen shield must be vertical and must rest upon a firm foundation, merging with existing earth. You can make the wall up to 10 feet tall by stacking one section on top of another, but that is the maximum height the earthen shield can reach. You can make the wall 2 or more feet thick by stacking one section behind another. The earthen shield is defensive in nature, used to provide cover from attackers. Each 5-foot length of the shield has 100 hit points per foot of thickness. Creatures can hit the shield automatically, and its hardness is 0. A section of shield whose hit points drop to 0 is breached. if a creature tries to break through the wall with a single effort, the DC for the Strength check is 15 + 5 per foot of thickness (on a successful check, a 5-foot section of the wall is destroyed). The earthen shield requires a DC 15 climb check. |
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Fiery Tentacles (from Shining South) Conjuration (Creation) [Fire] This spell functions similarly to black tentacles, except that the tentacles are limned in blue-white fire. Every creature within the area of the spell takes 1 point of fire damage per caster level (maximum 15 points) each round. A successful Reflex save halves this damage, but a character grappled by the tentacles cannot make the save. Material Component: A piece of tentacle from a giant octopus or a giant squid. |
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Flexform (from Secrets of Sarlona) A shimmering light traces its way across the body of the creature you touch. As the light fades, the target's limbs and torso begin to flex and compress elastically. When you touch a creature, its form (including any gear, armor, and weapons) shifts and deforms according to its surroundings. This effect grants a +10 bonus on Escape Artist and Tumble checks, and allows Tumble checks to be made untrained. As well, the subject can squeeze into a space half as wide as its normal space (PH 148) with no penalties to movement, attack rolls, and AC. The subject is able to move freely through squares occupied by crea­tures only one size category larger than it, rather than three size categories larger (PH 148). Material Component: A small glob of gum resin. |
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Glassee (from City of Splendours: Waterdeep) Transmutation This spell gives the target object the transparency of glass. The spell can be made permanent with a permanency spell. Material Component: Glass sliver. |
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Hearty Heave (from Lost Empires of Faerun) Evocation [Force] This spell provides you with a bit of breathing room when you are threatened by swarming foes. When you cast the spell, you project a blast of concentric force that pushes away creatures surrounding you. Each creature is affected as if it had been subjected to a bull rush maneuver by a foe of Large size with a Strength score equal to 20 + your caster level (maximum 25), and the attacker had moved with the target (though you need not move at all). Movement caused by this spell provokes attacks of opportunity, just as the movement resulting from a normal bull rush would. Creatures grappling you are not affected by this spell. |
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Lightning Fog (from Shining South) Conjuration [Electricity] You conjure a smoky cloud that fills the area with small electrical discharges. The smoke obscures all sight as a fog cloud does. In addition, the discharges deal 1d4 points of electricity damage plus 1 point per caster level (maximum +15) to everything within the cloud on your turn each round. As with a fog cloud spell, wind disperses the smoke, and the spell can't be cast underwater. |
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Mystic Shield (from Anauroch: The Empire of Shade) Abjuration With the casting of your spell, you feel a presence about you, warding off the spells of other caster. This spell creates an invisible aura around the recepient that moves with that individual. It prevents all spells and spell-like abilities of 6th level or lower from affecting the recipient. The protected individual can cast spells normally, even on himself. Magic items and spells that summon items to the caster such as secret chest and instant summons likewise function normally. A mystic shield also negates the enhancement bonuses and special properties of magic weapons used against the target. Material Component: A stone, a drop of blood, a tear from caster's eye, and a clear gem stone worth at least 400 gp. |
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Protection from Winged Flyers (from Shining South) Abjuration The spell functions like protection from evil, except that the bonuses apply to attacks from creatures that have wings and a fly speed. Summoned creatures that fly with wings cannot touch the subject. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature. Arcane Material Component: A feather or bat wing. |
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Raptor Cloud (from Secrets of Sarlona) Conjuration A gray aura flares around you, reshaping itself into a dark cloud of hawklike shadows. You feel a lightness in your limbs, and a surge of protective energy as the cloud shrieks and wheels around you. When you cast this spell, a mass of avian shadows surrounds you, protecting you from attacks even as it grants you buoyant dexterity. The swirling shadows grant you concealment and soft cover (+4 to AC, but you gain no bonus on Reflex saves and cannot use your cover to make Hide checks). Furthermore, any creatures attempting melee attacks against you take 1d8 points of slashing damage from the raptor cloud. Creatures get no save against this damage, but spell resistance (if any) applies. Creatures wielding reach weapons can attack you without taking damage, but creatures that have natural reach take damage as above. Though a raptor cloud moves with you, you cannot deal damage with it by pushing it against creatures or objects. Only creatures that make melee attacks against you are subject to the cloud's defensive damage. However, you can elect to expend the spell's energy at any point by tar­geting the raptor cloud against a single adjacent creature or object as a standard action. This attack deals 6d8 points of damage (Reflex half) and ends the spell. A raptor cloud gives you a certain amount of lift as it swirls around you, granting you a +5 bonus on Jump and Tumble checks as you roll and weave through melee. Material Component: The shed claw of a falcon or hawk. |
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Spell Shift (from Lost Empires of Faerun) Abjuration This potent spell opens your senses to spellcasting, allowing you to perceive its very fabric as clearly as you might see the trees in a forest while standing in the heart of it. Thanks to this heightened understanding, you can use the counterspell action to do much more than merely counter another caster's spell. Spell shift grants you a +4 insight bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify spells for counterspelling. Furthermore, instead of simply negating the effect of a spell you successfully counter, you can choose from among the following options as long as spell shift lasts. Aid: You can boost the effectiveness of an ally's spell by applying any one metamagic feat from the following list: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Maximize Spell, or Widen Spell. To use this option, you must expend a spell slot (or sacrifice a prepared spell) whose spell level equals or exceeds that of the ally's spell with the desired metamagic feat applied. For example, empowering an ally's fireball would require you to expend a 5th-level or higher spell slot. Manipulate: You can seize control of the spell's range, area, or targets, as appropriate, and reshape these factors as you choose. For example, you could cause an enemy wizard's fireball to explode at his feet, or you could cause his haste spell to target your allies within the area he has specified. Only one property of the spell, chosen from among those that the caster can normally designate, can be manipulated in this manner. For example, you could not choose the targets of a sleep spell because the targets affected are determined by the spell itself, not the caster. Backlash: You counter the spell as normal, but your opponent must succeed on a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d6 rounds. |
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Steelsting (from City of Splendours: Waterdeep) Evocation [Force] You create a brief maelstrom of flying darts of force that spin, slice, and rebound within the area. Each creature within the area is targeted by 1d3+1 melee attacks from these darts (check for each creature separately). The darts strike with an attack bonus equal to your caster level + your Intelligence or Charisma bonus (for wizards or sorcerers, respectively), dealing 2d6 points of damage per hit. The name is a misnomer, for the spell creates neither steel nor a true sting. |
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Stored Lightning Bolt (from Secrets of Sarlona) Evocation [Electricity] A bolt of lightning slams through the mass of foes spread out before you. Those that manage to avoid the bolt's path have only a moment to savor their apparent good fortune, however, as the stored bolt explodes from the wall it struck just a moment before. This more powerful variation of lightning bolt deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 20d6) to each creature within its area. You can choose whether the bolt is cast all at once or partially stored in a 5-foot-square metal or stone surface within range. When casting, in addition to selecting the path of the bolt, you decide how many dice to allocate to the initial lightning strike, how many to send into the storage surface, and how long (to a maximum of 5 rounds) before the stored lightning discharges. If all damage is allocated to the initial strike, no energy is stored; if all damage is allocated to be stored, the bolt appears to miss any targets in its path and strike the stone or metal surface harmlessly. The initial strike does damage to all creatures within its area, as a lightning bolt spell. When released, the stored bolt deals damage to all creatures within a 60-foot-radius spread centered on the point where the bolt struck. The bolt sets fire to combustibles and damages objects, just as a normal lightning bolt. If the storage surface is an unbroken wall, damage extends in a semicircle from the wall. However, the blast passes or burns through doorways and other portals into areas on the other side of a wall, and wraps around free-standing surfaces such as columns. If the surface is touched by any creature before the delay time is up, the stored bolt is discharged automatically, with the touching creature taking double the stored damage and all other creatures in the blast area taking half damage. All victims of both the initial and the stored strikes take half damage on a successful Reflex save. If a creature is already touching the storage surface when the spell is cast, any stored portion of the bolt discharges immediately, with damage calculated as above. If two or more creatures are already touching the storage surface, the spell discharges immediately but the touching creatures and all others in the area take normal damage, as above. Material Component: A small vial of acid set into a lead ring. |
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Streamers (from Shining South) Evocation You cause a number of glowing, red streamers to shoot forth from the your hand when you cast the spell. You may fire one streamer, plus one additional streamer for every three levels beyond 9th (to a maximum of four streamers at 18th level). Each streamer targets one creature; multiple streamers can each be targeted at a different creature, or many streamers can target one creature. A streamer moves on its own, pursuing its target without your concentration within range of the spell (from the point it was cast), hovering in the same space as the target with a readied touch attack. Whenever the target next takes any sort of action, the streamer makes a touch attack against it (at the caster's base attack bonus). On a successful attack roll, the streamer deals 5d10 points of damage. If a target takes no actions for the duration of the spell, the streamers around it disappear with no effect. Streamers can be attacked (AC 20), but only magic weapons have any effect on them. Any successful attack destroys a streamer. Material Component: 6-inch strand of red spider silk. |
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Sunbolt (from Shining South) Evocation [Light] A ray of burning sunlight springs from your hand. You must make a ranged touch attack to hit your target. A creature struck by the bolt is blinded for 1 round and takes 2d6 points of damage. Creatures harmed by sunlight take double damage. Undead always take double damage, as do fungi, molds, oozes, and slimes; undead damaged by sunlight (such as vampires) always take triple damage. A successful Reflex save negates the blindness. |