By Thilo Graf
This pdf from Rite Publishing is 24 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD and 2 pages advertisements, leaving 19 pages for 101 o-level spells. Let’s dive in!
After three pages of spell-lists, we get to the spells. The spells are:
- Alter Taste (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Changes taste, but not after the spell is cast.
- Animate Tools (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Accomplishes mundane tasks with your craft or profession skill
- Antagonize Wound(Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Deal 2 points of damage by touching a wound, 1 on a successful save.
- Askew Balance (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Let creature fall prone on a failed fort save. Not sure whether this shouldn’t be a CMD-check on the target’s side, but oh well.
- Awaken (Sor/Wiz): Wake up target as if slapped.
- Balance Weapon (Clr, Sor/Wiz): +1 enhancement bonus to weapon, does not count as magical.
- Bash (Sor/Wiz): Next melee attack gains +2 to atk and reduces miss chance by concealment 10%
- Blossom (Brd, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Lets flowers blossom.
- Bone Spurs (Sor/Wiz): Deals 1d6 damage, but creature targeted gains +1 damage to grapple, natural & unarmed attacks
- Canny Effort (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Next skill check gets +2 insight bonus
- Capture Alive (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Nonmagical melee damage is converted into nonlethal damage.
- Cauterize (Sor/Wiz): Deals one point of damage, but stops bleed.
- Ceremonial Servant (Clr, Drd): Shadowy servant helps with ceremonies.
- Clandestine Conversation (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Makes conversation between 2 creatures private.
- Clean (Sor/Wiz): Clean dirt.
- Cleanse of Alcohol (Brd, Clr, Sor/Wiz): Negates effects of alcohol. I don’t like this spell, especially not at this level. It could possibly ruin too many good adventure set-ups and makes e.g. drunks in-game look like idiots.
- Cloth Armor (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Use cloth to improvise padded armor.
- Conjurer’s Toolbelt (Sor/Wiz): Conjure a tool for your use.
- Countervailing (Clr, Drd): Temporarily reverses detrimental effects of other spells. E.g. -6 to Str would become +3. I think this spell is grossly overpowered, especially for level 0, and should be disallowed.
- Crack (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Deal 1d3 DR and hardness-ignoring damage to an object, construct or undead creature.
- Create Snow (Drd): Create some snow.
- Crystal Symbol (Clr, Drd): Make a ranged touch attack for 1d3 divine damage.
- Dark Baubles (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Lets an object cast a dark shadow, granting a bonus to stealth.
- Dawdle (Sor/Wiz): -4 to Ini and -1 to reflex saves.
- Daze Animal (Drd, Rgr 1): Daze an animal with 4 or lesser HD.
- Decrypt (Brd, Sor/Wiz): +5 to decipher encrypted message.
- Detect Charm (Brd, Clr, Pal 1, Sor/Wiz): Detect charm spells.
- Detune (Brd): Detune instrument, imposing a -4 to perform.
- Dim (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Halves light strength.
- Discern Health (Clr, Drd): Detects HP, negative conditions etc. in subsequent rounds. Due to the HP- and whether someone is drained etc. info, I don’t like this spell. I just don’t like metagamey stuff like that.
- Disorienting Quake (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Target is shaken for one round and may fall prone.
- Divining Rod (Drd, Rgr 1): Find water, shelter or grown food.
- Drench (Drd): Deal 1 point nonlethal damage and extinguish small fires.
- Elemental Sample (Sor/Wiz): Creates a small piece of the given element for a short time.
- Encrypt (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Code a message.
- Eyes of the Augur (Clr, Sor/Wiz): +10 to spellcraft to identify spells. That is a bif bonus for level 0. I would have went with +5.
- Glimmer of Hope (Brd, Clr, Drd): Adds +10% to the chance of the target stabilizing once it drops to negative HP.
- Gnome’s Gold (Sor/Wiz): Impose -1 per 2 caster levels on appraise checks for the given item.
- Guardian Mote (Sor/Wiz): Mote absorbs 1d3 damage on the next attack that hits you.
- Guide Vessel (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Guide vessels with simple commands. Only simple movements work.
- Heaven’s Teardrop (Clr, Drd): Deal 1 bludgeoning and 1 fire damage on a ranged attack.
- Idyllic Sleep (Sor/Wiz): Sleep well in terrible conditions.
- Infuse Weapon (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Choose an energy: Deal +1 damage of the chosen energy with your weapon.
- Iounic Transportation: Lets object orbit your head like an Ioun stone.
- Irksome Weapon (Sor/Wiz): Weapon punishes for provoking attacks of opportunity.
- Layer of Ice (Brd, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Target gets 1 cold damage, but also fire resistance 5.
- Light my Fire (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Start a fire when materials are there.
- Lightning Sand (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Entangle enemies.
- Lightsight (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Ignore penalties for light blindness.
- Long-range Weapon (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Increase range increment of ranged weapon by 50% for one attack.
- Low Blow (Brd, Clr, Sor/Wiz): 1 point bludgeoning damage and 1 round sickened.
- Magic Spike, Lesser (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Decrease DCs of enemies spells or spell-like abilities by 1.
- Mishap (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Make a caster level check and select a scroll mishap.
- Omen Casting (Sor/Wiz): Next spell you cast on the target gets +1 DC.
- Overlook (Brd, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Makes object easier to hide.
- Pants (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Lets targets pants drop.
- Parry Strike (Sor/Wiz): Gain +2 to AC against the next melee attack, whether it hits you or not.
- Parry Shot (Sor/Wiz): Gain +2 to AC against the next ranged attack, whether it hits you or not.
- Pause (Brd, Sor/Wiz): -4 to Ini
- Phantasmal Tripwire (Sor/Wiz): Tripwire potentially trips enemy, dealing nonlethal damage.
- Pointer (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Lightbeam from finger to show stuff, can be used to amuse felines.
- Putrefy Food and Drink (Clr, Drd): Spoils food and drink.
- Quicken Stride (Brd, Drd, Sor/Wiz): +5 ft movement rate.
- Quill (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Conjures up a quill.
- Ray of Mercy (Sor/Wiz): Deal 1d4 nonlethal damage.
- Resistance to Fear (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): +2 morale bonus against fear.
- Restlessness (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Prevents target from sleeping for 24 hours.
- Rigged Coin (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Coin always lands on the same side.
- Sand in your Eyes (Sor/Wiz): Deals 1 point slashing damage and blinds target for 1 round.
- Seeker (Sor/Wiz): Next ranged attack gains +2 to atk and reduces miss chance by concealment 10%.
- Shadow Snag (Sor/Wiz): Snag shadow to entangle foe.
- Shelve(Brd, Clr, Sor/Wiz): Correctly shelve item.
- Shield open Flame (Drd, Sor/Wiz): Helps against wind.
- Sickening Smell (Clr, Drd): Sicken targets.
- Sign of Discovery (Brd, Clr, Sor/Wiz): +2 to next Knowledge, Sense Motive or Perceptions check.
- Signal (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Signal can be heard in 1000 ft.
- Simple Bed (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Create a simple bed in e.g. nature.
- Slapping Hand (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Ranged touch to slap enemy for 1 damage.
- Smoke Image (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Create image from smoke.
- Song of Serenity (Brd): Negate fatigue of an ally.
- Spider’s Thread (Sor/Wiz): Create a rope and anchor it e.g. to the ceiling. Now that is just damn cool.
- Spook Animal (Brd, Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Frighten animals.
- Stonesense (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Gain stonecunning. If you have it, +5 to Perception.
- Subconscious Aggression (Sor/Wiz): If atarget has rolled a natural 1 on an attack, he must reroll and potentially hit an ally.
- Summarize (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Summarize up to 250 pages.
- Summon Nature’s minor Ally (Drd): Summons tiny or diminutive animal of 1/2 HD or less.
- Thicken (Clr, Drd): Increase hardness by 10% up to 50%.
- Thorn of Light (Drd): Deal 1 point magical slashing damage on a ranged touch.
- Timer (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Audible alarm after set time. Cool one.
- Touch of Fascination (Sor/Wiz): Target is fascinated for the duration.
- Touch of Fatigue (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Target is fatigued, but can save again.
- Touch of Lethargy (Clr, Sor/Wiz): Target gains the staggered condition.
- Touch of Torment (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz): Creature touched gains -1 to atk, skills and ability checks.
- Trifling Image (Brd, Sor/Wiz): Very small immobile illusion.
- Tripline (Sor/Wiz): Creates a tripwire to let enemies fall.
- Ultrasonic Nodes (Brd, Sor/Wiz): 1d3 sonic damage on a ranged touch attack.
- Unarm Foe (Sor/Wiz): Disarm foes via CMB vs CMD on distance.
- Unruly Bolt (Sor/Wiz): Deal 1d2 random energy on a ranged touch attack. Damage lingers at higher levels.
- Unseen Attendant (Brd): Unseen servants grooms you.
- Virulence (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz 1): -2 to saves against disease and poison while the spell lasts.
- Wooden Club (Drd, Sor/Wiz): Create a wooden club.
Conclusion:
Editing is top-notch, I didn’t notice any typos. Formatting adheres to the two-column standard and the b/w-artwork is nice. I was VERY curious about this file, as I considered 0-level spells, especially designing 101, a serious challenge. While I didn’t like some and hate Cleanse of Alcohol, I loved others and can say that this pdf is an EXCELLENT addition to any campaign – spellcasters at lower levels are often rather boring to play and this pdf seriously helps with this old problem. Thus my final verdicts for this installment of the 101-series will be 5 stars. Well done!
101 0-level spells is available from: