"Go to the sign of Marvel's Axe, a dubious inn on the edge of the Thieves Quarter, in the City of Greyhawk, and look to your own wrist. If you perceive a bracelet and dangling dice, watch for the next throw in the war between Law and Chaos and be prepared to follow the compelling geas." -Signal

Sunday, December 18, 2011

AC9 Creature Catalogue, Sacrifice Magic

This is a book that I don't feel gets enough discussion and love.  This was produced in the UK like the Fiend Folio and may catch  some unwarranted feelings from that book. That being said I liked  the Fiend Folio so my appreciation of this book is not tainted in  that way.

This book describes over 200 creatures that may have previously  only been available through modules. In addition is serves as an  index for all of the monsters that had previously been released  through other materials at that time. I just wish it had gone  further and included entries for them as well.

The book takes a different approach in organization. It takes the entries and beaks them down into six categories first. These are  Animals, Conjurations, Humanoids, Lowlife, Monsters and Undead.  The individual entries are then alphabetized in each section.

The entries themselves are each illustrated which is nice. The illustrations run the gambit from so-so to very good. There is a  definite White Dwarf feel to the illustrations though and many of  the entries as well. This again is not a bad thing in my world  but if you didn't like the Fiend Folio you may not like this.


Published 1986
Pages 96

From the back cover:

"Are you ready to face the horror of the Hivebrood, the gruesome  Geonid or the dread Dusanu? These and many other baleful beasts  lurk within the pages of this manual, waiting to challenge even  the mightiest adventurers!

The Creature Catalogue is the first major expansion to the range  of D&D game monsters. Within its covers have been collected all  the curious creatures first presented in the official D&D  adventure modules, plus many more new nasties, designed to  challenge and perplex the heartiest heroes. Also included is a  comprehensive index of all D&D monsters found in the Basic,  Expert, Companion and Master rule sets.

Whether your players' characters are 1st, 21st, or 31st level,  this tome contains many fantastic creatures with which to test  their mettle. Armed with the Creature Catalogue, you will be able  to find the right fearsome foe to confront even the most  foolhardy fellow."




Spell:

Sacrifice Magic


Level: Zero
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Area of Effect: One Item
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Segment
Saving Throw: None

By means of this spell the magic user is able to sacrifice a  single magic item and convert its energies into a spell. The  level of the spell gained will need to be commensurate to the  level of the item sacrificed.

The caster will not be able to use potions or scrolls to power  this spell. It can also not be used or items such as artifacts or  relics as a means of destroying them. If the caster tries to use  the spell of such powerful items it is suggested that the DM have  the power of the item defend itself and have there be  ramifications from the attempt. This can not be used on cursed  items.

This ability can be used to allow the caster to have more spells  than they would normally be allowed to cast in a day or at a  specific level. The item must be in the casters possession for  them to use it for this spell. If the caster is not the owner of  the item then they must be in possession of it for a full round  before it can be used.

The DM will need to determine if the item destroyed is  satisfactory to power the spell it is being used for. They player will need to declare this before the spell is cast so as to not  waste a magic item. They will have a feeling about this as they  cast the spell and may need to alter the intended result.

The material component of this spell will be the item that is  being sacrificed.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.

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