Trap Spells (No, not a spell that makes traps)

[Lysander]

Wizards are very protective of their secrets and take great steps to guard their spellbooks. Traps like Explosive Runes or Symbols of X can play a part in the defense, but sometimes the contents of the book itself are a ruse.

A Trap Spell is a mislabeled spell that does something other than its description, often something very harmful to its caster. Usually the thieving magician only discovers the spell is a fake when they first cast it. Sometimes the trap is merely wasted time and expense in copying it to their own spellbook, at other times a harmful or even deadly effect. A magician must still research or learn a trap spell to inscribe it in their spellbook for others to find but they will obviously never cast it themselves.

Trap spells must be disguised as spells of the same level and magical school as the trap effect. While copying, a spell can be identified as a trap and its true effect discerned with a DC20 + Spell level spellcraft check. After identifying a spell as a trap a caster can use it to guard their own spellbook.

A caster receives no Reflex saving throw to avoid trap spells they cast, even if the spell allows it for others in the area. They may receive fortitude or will saves if the spell allows it. Magicians usually bypass any spell resistance they may have when using a trap spell.

Example Traps:

Fizzle
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 1-9
Casting Time: 1 round
Effect: Crackling sparks
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: No

This trap spell can be researched and disguised as a powerful attack spell of any level. When cast it merely creates a bright shower of harmless sparks, wasting the spell slot used to prepare it.

Blast
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Casting Time: 1 round
Effect: Explosion
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Dex for half damage
Spell Resistance: No

This trap spell can be researched and disguised as a powerful attack spell. When cast it creates a huge explosion, dealing 6d6 force damage to the caster and all within 10 feet.

Theft Alarm
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Casting Time: 1 round
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: No

When cast this spell mentally sends the magician who originally researched the spell your true name and an image of your face. To the caster the spell merely seems to have had no effect.

Arcane Blindness
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Casting Time: 1 round
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: No

This spell is often disguised as Arcane Sight, but is actually a Blindness spell targeting the caster.


Animate Foes
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Targets: One or more corpses touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This trap spell is disguised as Animate Dead, but the creatures created do not obey commands and immediately and relentlessly attack the caster.

[Froogleyboy]

nice, I like it

[Milskidasith]

Theft alarm seems like it should be a divination and mind affecting spell.

[Lysander]

Theft alarm seems like it should be a divination and mind affecting spell.

I figured it was a guard spell so it fits as adjuration despite providing information.

Here's another trap:

Teleport Spellbook
Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 feet
Target: One spellbook
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

When cast this trap spell teleports the spellbook it was originally copied from to a place predetermined by the magician that inscribed the trap. The book is transported if possessed by the caster, or lying unattended within twenty feet. The maximum range of the spell is 1000 miles. If the destination is out of range the book will teleport as close as possible.

[Strawman]

Create Liquid Goo
Conjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 feet
Target: One spellbook
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell is disguised as the spell Create Food or Water. Instead of food or water, a pile of liquid goo is create. The goo is harmless, but it makes a stain on cloth and skin that lasts for one week.

[Godskook]

Teleport Spellbook
Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 feet
Target: One spellbook
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

When cast this trap spell teleports the spellbook it was originally copied from to a place predetermined by the magician that inscribed the trap. The book is transported if possessed by the caster, or lying unattended within twenty feet. The maximum range of the spell is 1000 miles. If the destination is out of range the book will teleport as close as possible.

This needs flavor to explain why the thief thinks its a spell worth casting, and I think the spell's already gimped enough, so how about making it so the spellbook is a required focus.

Also, the DC's to detect these traps seem very poorly scaled. If my 1st level wizard traps his spellbook, a 1st level wizard(who is a thief as a career) who steals my book might be challenged, but a +8 spellcraft modifier is fairly baseline, meaning he'd make it on a roll of 13, without any unique effort. On the other hand, if my 10th level wizard traps his spellbook, and the same wizard(now level 10 as well) steals from me again, he'll only need to beat a DC of 25, which is now rather easy to beat. I mean, with a +7 int bonus, 13 ranks in spellcraft, he's already looking at a +20 modifier, and that's nothing special for a wizard. If he takes skill focus(not likely)or gets a +spellcraft magic item(if he's dedicated to doing this, he probably will), it'll become an auto-win. And then we hit L20, and things just fall apart. A +9 int bonus and 23 ranks means that wizard thief who has been stealing my spellbook for the past 20 levels can now auto-succeed against any of my traps without even doing something special for it. I mean, putting ranks in spellcraft and boosting int are rather normal ideas for a wizard anyway, so requiring that a spellbook thief simply be a good wizard seems a rather poor benchmark, especially since these traps are only good against other wizards(or other int-based casters who lean heavily on spellcraft). Also, my wizard has no way of influencing this DC, whatsoever. His stats are irrelevant, and that's bad, since after going 20 levels with another wizard stealing my spellbook, I'm looking for a way to make the next spellbook less easy to steal.

One thought is to make it a caster level check or make detection require 2 skill checks(spellcraft, and then sense motive, maybe?) If you keep it as a straight spellcraft check, at least make it spell level *3 + 20, since that at least scales better.

[Magnema]

Shouldn't Blast and Fizzle have instantaneous durations? (Fizzle is OK if the sparks last that long, but Blast should definitely be instantaneous.)

[DracoDei]

You want REFLEX save, not DEX save (probably tripple ninja'ed, but I don't care).

[Lysander]

You want REFLEX save, not DEX save (probably tripple ninja'ed, but I don't care).

Quite right. Thanks, it's fixed.

[Violet Octopus]

Ooh, I like this.

Back Rot
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Target: Self-only
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: No

This spell is disguised as an improved variant of Fly, one which causes wings to sprout from the user's back, granting a fly speed of 90 ft. (or 60 ft. with a medium or heavy armor/load) and a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity for 1 round/caster level.

In reality it first seems to have no effect, but the magic lingers, and the caster gradually develops debilitating upper back pain. Treat this as a supernatural disease with an incubation period of one day. Its saving throw DC is equal to this spell's, and on a failed save the caster takes 1d4 Dexterity damage and 1d4 Strength damage.

[Godskook]

Here's one, that's almost exactly what some DMs do anyway, but now with justification:

Wish, on fire
Components: V, XP
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: See text
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: See text
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

As a normal wish, in ever regard, except as follows. When cast, the spell will figure out what the most devious way 'setting something on fire' can be used to pervert your wish, and do that. Additionally, the fire damage per round for whatever is set on fire is 1d6/caster level.