D20 Spell and Novella Tie-In

I am currently nearly finished the first draft of a novella set in the Island of Kos shared-world fiction and game setting. My working title is 'The Dreaming God'. I am very enthused about this project and, after the fantastic distractions of Comicpalooza and the prep therefore, I am looking forward to getting back to the novella and finishing it up.

'The Dreaming God' focuses on a number of characters, among them Arabasz and Selenius, that I have developed for other 'Island of Kos' fiction I have written, which you can find right here, for free, on d-Infinity.net. But Arabasz and Selenius are just the principles. Other characters are always necessary, and that is one of the more enjoyable parts of the fiction-writing experience, especially for a gamer, because it is so much like working out a character for a favorite game.

One of the characters that appears for the first time in 'The Dreaming God' is the young wizard/ sneak-thief Mavros. He is the grand-nephew of Isaac Hemopathes, a wizard and physician in the city of Halicarnassus, who also appears in 'The Dreaming God'. I got a kick out of writing Isaac, but as an elderly and fully established wizard, scholar and physician, he is not really up for adventuring anymore. So, wanting to add some more of Isaac's world into my story, I decided to pick on his dutiful assistant, Mavros.

Around Isaac, and the rest of the family, Mavros is quiet, calm, capable, and respectful, seemingly happy with his place in life. All he really has to do is bide his time to become a respected and wealthy wizard in his own right. But beneath the smooth veneer of the young acolyte, Mavros is ambitious, cocky, and somewhat reckless. He yearns to make it on his own, and is drawn unerringly to 'the main chance'. In fact, that is exactly how he enters the story for real. I don't want to give away too much, and I did promise a spell for d20 in the title, so I'll leave Mavros there for now. Suffice to say that, having moved from the role of his great-uncle's assistant to accomplice of two of the main characters, Mavros' life has gotten far more interesting, and far more dangerous, of late.

Now on to the promised spell. As a young wizard with access to a much more accomplished mentor, as well as a workshop, encouragement and sufficient funds, Mavros has dabbled in spell-research. Since he views long, obtuse spell names with some contempt, he has given his spell the simple, descriptive title of 'Dart'.

Here is 'Dart' in d20 terms, [If you use the spell and choose to adopt it for your own games, feel free to come up with a title suitable to your game and style].

Dart

Transmutation

Level: Asn 1, Sor/Wiz 1

Components:  V, S

Casting Time:             1 standard action

Range:            Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

Target:            One unattended projectile weighing up to 1 lb.

Duration:        Concentration [Special], up to 1 projectile per caster level

Saving Throw:           None

Spell Resistance:        No

You fold your hand around or over a dagger, throwing knife, arrow, bolt, sling bullet or other piece of ammunition, and cast the spell. The item disappears and you must keep you hand closed or end the spell. Point your index finger at a target and utter a short, low whistle to loose the missile. You must make a ranged attack roll to hit your target.

Damage is 1d8, with a magic bonus to hit and damage equal to 1/2 your caster level. This ‘to hit’ bonus does not modify Base Attack Bonus. However, if you have a Base Attack Bonus sufficient for multiple attacks per round, you may loose multiple projectiles using ‘Dart’.

Critical chance and multiplier are as for the ammunition type, but may be modified by feats or other spells as if the caster were using a physical missile weapon. For example, you might cast Keen Edge on your arrows to improve their critical chance. If you also had the feats Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot, you would benefit from a +1 to hit and damage at ranges up to 30 feet, and could shoot into melee without penalty.

You must have sufficient ammunition for all projectiles shot with ‘Dart’. Such projectiles may be constructed of special materials, or be magical, or treated with poison, or similar, according to what you have on hand. All projectiles to be employed in a single casting of ‘Dart’ must be identical.

The spell will last until you open your hand [for example to cast another spell], run out of ammunition, or fail a Concentration check.