True Death [Spell]

[Morty]

True Death
Abjuration/Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 7 Clr 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: Dead creature touched
Duration: Instanteous
Saving Throw: None, see text
Spell Resistance: None

This spell severs the link between creature's body and soul, thus disallowing ressurection, Speak with Dead and the like. True Ressurection works if cast 2d4+1 hours after creature's death.
Material component: Powdered pearls worth at least 12,000 gp. Wish can bring back dead creature if person casting Wish has the same or higher level than person casting True Death. Spell works if cast 2 hours after creature's death or 1 hour before.

I made that spell because it annoys me that it's very hard to actually kill someone rich and/or important. With that spell, killer can prevent his victim from being raised. I added an expensive material component so you cast that spell only on someone you really want to kill. I was wondering if that spell should be Necromancy or Abjuration, and I decided on dualschool. I hope that such spell wasn't inculded anywhere, but I've never seen anyone mentioning one. Any comments?

[Douglas]

This is quite a bit more powerful than Soul Bind, a 9th level spell. It is both harder to reverse and cheaper, not to mention that finding a single gem worth that much is much harder than accumulating an appropriate amount of powder from any number of pearls.

If you want a cheaper way to prevent resurrection, try the Thinaun special material from Complete Warrior. Anyone who dies while touching an object made of Thinaun has his soul sucked into the object, and Resurrection of any sort is impossible without first recovering the object.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Personally, I think it should be Necromancy.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Seconded. I've always thought that any sort of resurrection spell should be ninth or epic level, as well as rather demanding circumstantially.

[NullAshton]

...perhaps some way of bringing the creature back? Perhaps finding the true name of the person somehow, so that you know the specific soul to get.

[Eighth_Seraph]

...but that's the whole point. Not to bring someone back. *sigh* Alright, I agree that this should be a ninth-level spell to match True Resurrection, but I also think that this being the whole point of the spell, nothing short of divine intervention can bring the soul back into its body, or into a new body for that matter.

[Fax Celestis]

Try Unnaming in the Tome of Magic. That's Sor/Wiz 9 for a similar effect.

[Morty]

Alright, I haven't got time to respond, so I'll do it now.
I think that I won't change spell level, but instead I'll lenghten the time in which you can use True Ressurection. I'm still thinking if dead creature can be brought back via Wish after that spell.

Try Unnaming in the Tome of Magic. That's Sor/Wiz 9 for a similar effect.

Crap, I knew there's such spell in a book I don't have...

[Talyn]

*shrugs* Personally, I like it. Soul Bind doesn't just prevent resurrection, it actually gives you that person's soul in a jar, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

That being said, I think you should allow wish or miracle to still bring them back, just not raise dead, resurrection, true resurrection,or clone.

[Morty]

*shrugs* Personally, I like it. Soul Bind doesn't just prevent resurrection, it actually gives you that person's soul in a jar, which is a whole different kettle of fish.

That being said, I think you should allow wish or miracle to still bring them back, just not raise dead, resurrection, true resurrection,or clone.

Yeah, I'll let Wish bring subject of the spell back. True Ressurection works with time limit, because I wanted that spell to be on level lower than 9. Also, I'll make that spell dualschool.

[Caelestion]

It's definitely Necromancy, not a dual-school thing (one of the better things they removed from 2nd Edition).

[Gralamin]

It's definitely Necromancy, not a dual-school thing (one of the better things they removed from 2nd Edition).

And re added in the Players Handbook 2...

[Morty]

It's definitely Necromancy, not a dual-school thing (one of the better things they removed from 2nd Edition).

As Gralamin said, it was readded in PHBII. I decided to make it dualschool because it both screws with dead- therefore Necromancy- and blocks 'planar travel' of soul- therefore Abjuration.

[Green Bean]

Maybe you should give assassins access to the spell somehow. It seems very appropriate for them to prevent people from raising their victims.

[Lapak]

Hmm. I like it. Reminds me of the Vlad Taltos novels, where ressurection is commonplace enough that vanilla assassination, unrevivafiable assassination and destroy-the-soul assassination are three separate categories of murder for hire.

In those books, the effect was dismissable by the caster, which gave a victim's friends a compelling reason to track the caster done and make them dismiss it. Maybe toss that in if you want to strengthen the effect, since you're adding a workaround.

[Morty]

Maybe you should give assassins access to the spell somehow. It seems very appropriate for them to prevent people from raising their victims.

I'm working on it. I'm currently considering making it 4th level assasin spell avaiable only on 10th level of PrC. That, or just make assasins use scrolls via UMD.

[Deper]

I fail to see why you are automatically adding it to the Beguiler's spell list, let alone giving them the option to take it at all. They focus on Illusion and Enchantment. This spell doesn't seem to mesh with them.

[DracoDei]

Having someones soul trapped is not particularly useful for anything other than keeping them from coming back, so MECHANICALLY it doesn't seem to me that it is in any way weeker than Soul Bind. This makes Soul Bind almost entirely obsolete, but if that is the flavor you want for your campaign that is fine. The one way this is inferior is that you loose a bargaining chip. I would seriously consider limiting it to Clerics only.

[FirstAdam]

Having someones soul trapped is not particularly useful for anything other than keeping them from coming back, so MECHANICALLY it doesn't seem to me that it is in any way weeker than Soul Bind. This makes Soul Bind almost entirely obsolete, but if that is the flavor you want for your campaign that is fine. The one way this is inferior is that you loose a bargaining chip. I would seriously consider limiting it to Clerics only.

Trapping someone's soul can be very profitable. Devils want souls. Devils actively go out and try to collect souls via pacts and such. If you have someone's soul in your possession, Devils stop being the bad guys, and start becoming the regular merchant you visit.

I had one char who did this....often. Needless to say, our friend who was running regretted saying "Let's try playing an evil game"

[Catch]

The spell's power aside, why would it be in the Beguiler's list?

[Morty]

Well, Beguilers are "sneaky" casters, and this spell is for assasination purposes. But after thinking about it, I'll delete that from their list.
As for this spell vs. soul trapping: as you see, True Ressurection may still work, as well as Wish/Miracle. Besides, trapping soul may have more uses than just cutting it off the body.

[Triaxx]

Resurrection and it's ilk are disallowed, but what about reincarnation? It doesn't work the same way, and I'd allow Clone, but only for a caster of equal or higher level.

[ZeroNumerous]

Reincarnation does work the same way. It just puts a soul in a new body, rather than an old one. Equally blocked.

As for Clone, that would imply the soul traveled from the dead body to the new body. Also blocked.

[Triaxx]

I see what you mean about clone, but as written, it's severing the link between the soul, and the body. This doesn't prevent it from entering a different body, such as via reincarnation, just from re-entering the same body.

[Morty]

Well, I really haven't thought about Clone and Reincarnation when designing that spell. I guess Reincarnation won't work, since it requires part of creature's body, and that body is completely cut off from the soul. Not sure about Clone.
I'm currently working on weapon enchantment working like this spell.

[Tividar's Thorn]

This seems a lot like the poison that the assaassins in the Epic Level Handbook uses. I could be wrong though but it seems to do the same thing. (And is epic level for doing so).

[Triaxx]

As a weapon effect? Interesting. This is potentially more dangerous than a Vorpal weapon. It should naturally only try to trip on a killing stroke, or during a Coup de Grace attempt.

[dragoncmd]

If its a weapon effect, it would have to be +5 that only activates on coup de grace, and even then possibly +6 or higher.

[Anxe]

That seems good to me. Very balanced.

[Morty]

Alright, here's the weapon enchantment. I don't think it need new thread.

The Truekilling weapon enchantment can only be applied to slashing and piercing weapon. Blades with this enchantment have faint, barely noticable blue lining. When dealing a fatal blow, blade not only cuts the flesh of the victim, but also severs the link between creature's body and its soul. Slain creature is under the effect of True Death spell. This enchantment is favored by assasins who want to prevent their victims from being raised.

Strong necromancy and abjuration; CL 19, Craft Magic Arms And Armor, True Death; Price +5 bonus +6000 gp.