Personalized Spell Effects

by Dawn Ibach

Does your Shadow mage cast regular Magic Missiles or Shadow Missiles? Does your
Necromancer cast Flame Arrow or Bone Arrow? Making your spellcasters unique can be as simple as
changing the name of the spell and the visual effects. The damage remains the same as do the other
parameters of the spell, only the damage or effect is caused by a different means. The Burning Hands
spell cast by an Earth mage would produce a sheet of earth or stone and do the same amount of damage.
You can fit these Effects into an existing campaign by several means. Curses and magical items
that alter every spell the spell caster casts, magical backlash from destroying a powerful NPC or monster,
and creating sub classes are some examples. For instance, a Battle mage might have spells that have
various metals as their effects or an Elementalist could pick one or more of the elements as his effect.
With a little imagination you can alter most of the spells with visual or damage effects available
to mages and priests to fit the effects listed below.

Shadow/Darkness
Commonly found amongst Shadow mages, Priests of deities of darkness or thieves, Illusionists,
and multi classed Mage/Rogues.
Color/Light
Bards, Song mages, and flashy street performers like to use this effect, although a Mage/Rogue
would probably consider it a curse. Sun priests, druids, priests worshipping gods that despise the undead
and paladins could also have this effect.
Fire
Elementalists, Druids, worshippers of Fire Gods or Gods of Rebirth, and Flame mages.
Frost
Frost Mages, Druids, white dragons, ice elementals and those worshipping a deity of cold.
Stone/Earth
Mages of underground racial backround, Druids, or those living in mountainous terrain.
Crystal/Glass
Dwellers and monsters of coastal or desert regions.
Metal
Battle mages, mining races, Priest of Battle Gods, and metallic dragons.
Air
Flying races or monsters, Druids, and Elementalists.
Bone
Necromancers, undead spellcasters, and worshippers of Gods of the dead.
Wood
Woodland races and monsters, and Druids.
Electricity
Blue dragons, and Priests of destruction or of storm deities.
Water
Aquatic races, coastal residing spellcasters, and Druids.

1999 Dawn Ibach