Detho's Libram


Appearance

A thin, red volume consisting of dyed rothe-hide stretched over wooden boards and bound with brass hoops, enclosing twenty-two parchment pages. It bears no title or mark on the exterior. History and Description

The Libram was left to the library of Piergeiron's Palace in Waterdeep by Detho son of Navro, a mage who disappeared seven winters ago and doubtless met his doom in the vast dungeon of Undermountain. Elminster, Laeral, and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun all perused the book and copied the spells they wanted from it, ere the book was lent to the mage Peregar "the Invisible" to aid him in his expedition into the North. Peregar himself vanished in a ball of blue flame north of Yartar (either a spell of his own that went wrong, or an attack upon him by an unseen enemy), and his band of adventurers scattered. The Libram was in Peregar's saddlebags, not on his person, when he was destroyed, and is widely thought to have survived and fallen into other hands, presently unknown. The book's pages contain twenty-two spells, one per page, as listed below. All spells are in standard (Players Handbook) form unless otherwise noted.

The book's spells are:

  1. burning hands,
  2. catapult (unique spell, detailed below)
  3. dancing lights
  4. detect magic,
  5. Detho's delirium (unique spell, detailed below)
  6. enlarge
  7. erase
  8. feather fall
  9. hold portal
  10. jump
  11. light
  12. mending
  13. push
  14. read magic
  15. spider climb
  16. unseen servant
  17. continual light
  18. decastave (unique spell, detailed hereafter)
  19. detect invisibility
  20. ESP
  21. Flying fist (unique spell, detailed below)
  22. knock.

Catapult

Level
1
School
Alteration
Sphere
?
Range
14"
VSM
VSM
Dur
1 round
CT
1 segment
AE
one object
ST
none

Spell description

By means of this magic, the caster causes any single, small (i.e. of less than 30 gp weight) object touched to immediately flash in a straight line along the caster's pointing finger to its maximum range (when it reaches that maximum, the object will fall harmlessly straight down to the ground). Although this spell is sometimes used to move harmful objects away or transfer keys, coins, and the like to other beings, it is most often employed as an offensive weapon. If any being is struck by the flying object, it does whatever its normal damage would be (i.e. normal sling stone, bullet, dart, or dagger damage, or 1-2 for small stones, and 1-3 for larger stones) plus 1 point due to its velocity. It strikes as a + 3 magic missile weapon, considering the base hit chance as equal to the spellcaster's when striking directly. This spell can only so affect one object. If the object (the spell's material component) touched is heavier than the spell's limitations, it quivers, but does not fly, and the spell is lost.

Detho's Delirium

Level
1
School
Necromantic
Sphere
?
Range
Touch
VSM
VSM
Dur
1 round plus 1 round/level
CT
2 segments
AE
one creature
ST
Neg

Spell description

The caster of this spell touches a being who is drugged, drunken, sleeping, or unconscious, while speaking the mystic words and ringing a small silver or brass bell. The touched creature receives a saving throw against spells at -2; if the save is failed, the creature will begin to speak. (A creature feigning drunkenness or unconsciousness will never be affected by the spell.) The affected being speaks at random, in all languages known to it, and on random topics, rambling. It cannot hear questions and cannot be forced by mental or magical control to give specific answersÑany attempt to use such control is 96% likely to awaken the creature. While the creature speaks, there is a 22% chance per round (not cumulative) that it will reveal names, truenames, passwords, words of activation, codes, directions, and other useful information. Note that the speaker will rarely identify such fragments of speech for what they truly are, and hearers must speculate themselves on meanings. Dreams, rumors, jokes and fairy tales may be mumbled by a speaking creature, not merely factual information. The spell will be broken before its expiry if the affected creature is awakened.

Decastave

Level
2
School
Evocation
Sphere
?
Range
0
VSM
VSM
Dur
1 round plus 1 round/level
CT
2 segments
AE
special
ST
None

Spell description

By means of a piece of wood and the gestures and phrases of casting, a magic-user can create a temporary"ten-foot pole" of force with this spell. The material component is instantly consumed, and from the caster's forefinger a two-inchradius, ten-foot-long, faintly glowing beam of force springs into being. It moves as the finger is pointed, and lasts as long as the caster wills (or until the spell expires, whichever occurs first),or until the spellcaster casts another spell.

The pole cannot be cutÑany metal which passes through it will cause it to harmlessly wink out of existenceÑor bent, but will support any weight. It also cannot be shortened; if it strikes an obstacle, the caster must move it, or the obstacle, or will it out of existence, to proceed. It cannot be removed from the end of the caster's finger, although the caster (and other creatures) can grasp it. The staff can be used as a weapon, for 1-6 damage, by sweeping it from side to side, or jabbing it forwards, by movements of the caster's guiding finger. Normal hit rolls apply; it is considered a magical weapon with no pluses. Note that no shock or blow felt by the magical staff is felt by the finger.

A creature grasping the staff must exert a total of 18 strength to hamper its movements. Once only, if the caster wishes, a decastave can be used to rob a target of 1-4 hit points and transfer them to the wielder of the staff. The target must be touched by the end of the staff (hit roll required) and the caster must will the staff to drain energy. It will vanish in a pulse of force, draining 1-4 hp (no saving throw) and transferring them instantly to the caster. If the caster is uninjured, excess hp are lost after 1 turn. Any damage incurred by the caster during that time is first taken from these phantom hit points; if the caster is at less than full hp at the end of the turn and phantom hit points remain, all remaining points are absorbed at that time as healing, any excess being lost. The excess hit points can never be transferred to any other creature. Such phantom hit points do not confer any higher-level or hit-dice saving throw bonuses on the caster.

Flying Fist

Level
2
School
Evocation
Sphere
?
Range
1" distant per level
VSM
VS
Dur
1 round/level
CT
2 segments
AE
special
ST
None

Spell description

Invented by the mage Alcimer (and once known as "Alcimer's Flying Fist," ere he died and his apprentices all made use of it), this spell enables the caster to create a "fist" of force. Forming at the end of the round in which the spell is cast, the hand is invisibleto all but the caster. It can move 12" per round, but can not pass beyond 1" distant from the caster per level of the caster. The fist can hover in mid-air, swoop, swerve, and dart through openings as the caster directs, but it will disappear if the caster casts another spell or is rendered unconscious. Physical combat, speech, climbing, movement, and other activities on the caster's part will not destroy the fist. Although the fist can exist for one round per level of the caster, it can perform only three things. It can grab falling, floating, or levitating objects of hand-size or less, any 10gp weight or less and carry them about for up to 2 rounds ere it drops them. Such objects (keys, ioun stones, etc.) may be in the possession of another creature, but the fist does not have the strength to tear weapons free of fastenings, material components or scrolls out of a being's grasp, etc. It can overcome magnetic pulls, but can only hold its own against a gust of wind or other severe opposing air disturbance. It can push or slap a single creature sufficient to cause a missile attack to be at -1 to hit, a catching attempt by the being to be 20% more likely to fail than otherwise, and to delay (not ruin) spellcasting for one round. It can also attack, striking as a blow (not a missile, and hence unstoppable by a shield or any protection from missiles magic), as though it was the caster (but at +2 to hit), and doing 1-2 points of damage. A successful punching attack by the fist ruins spellcasting during the round it strikes. A flying fist can be readily dispelled by a dispel magic cast on the fist or on its caster, and cannot penetrate walls of force, anti-magic shells, or more powerful magical barriers. It is AC 4 (AC 7 to opponents who can see invisible as an ability or by means of temporary magic), and can be destroyed by any attack that deals it 5 or more points of damage, or any combination of attacks dealing it at least 5 hit points of damage in a single round (cumulative damage does not apply to the fist).

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