Lost Spells of Canthar – 10 Conjurations
Lost Spells of Canthar – 10 Conjurations
This pdf clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1.5 pages of SRD, leaving us with 5.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!
Okay, some notes first: This review is, in a way, not necessarily fair. This pdf has been released quite a while back, and as such, the spells do not note whether they should be made available for the Advanced Class Guide classes or the Occult Adventures classes. In a way, this review is a check of how this held up. The supplement, one could claim, is a continuation of the Transcendent 10-series, which is why I will tag them as such on my home page. In contrast to the designer’s commentary present in said series, we have we have a mixture of brief pieces of fluff, explanations and in-character comments here. Since I really adored some of the rough, but still very much inspired options in the Transcendent 10-series, how do the spells within hold up?
Jaunt portal, a level 5 spell for sorcerers and wizards that lets you think with portals: You create a portal in close and one in medium range, creating basically a two-way portal. Love it! And yes, this does take velocity into account and handles overlap by basing its rules on the portal consuming movement and potentially requiring squeezing. This certainly holds up! Caravan portal is a level 6 sorcerer/wizard spell, save that it extends to a greater range, as implied by the name. This spell can change the mechanisms of fantasy economies rather drastically, so a GM should check whether this fits the respective creative vision of the setting.
Gas trap is a 4th level spell that most vampire hunters will consider to be rather helpful. This touch spell targets a gaseous creature and entraps it in a force barrier, allowing the caster to bottle or similar container. Personally, I do think that inquisitors should get this spell. Minor nitpick: There is an instance of an ability score not properly capitalized. There also is a mass version of this spell included. Recall companion lets you call an ally to your side, though you must have had mental or physical contact. This is a simple 5th level spell /4th for summoner) at first glance, but honestly, it can be a game-changer – and it does allow for the classic “evil wizard calls champion”-angle. I am a bit torn on this one, but ultimately, I do like it. The level 8 (level 6 for summoners) mass version of the spell, oddly, has a restriction the regular one does not: It only works for Medium creatures (size not properly formatted) – which kinda makes me think that the former spell probably was intended to have the same limitation.
Summon weapon, a second level spell for sorc/wiz and summoner summons a weapon with a scaling enhancement bonus, which also governs the special weapon abilities it can have. (These are not properly formatted in the flavortext.) Interesting, though: If you *know* the weapon to call, the spell succeeds; if not, there only is a percentile chance of calling it. This, in a way, can be problematic, as it doesn’t create a weapon, but instead temporarily steals one from a vault. This can, on the one side, wreck a carefully-crafted plot…or it can allow you to craft a rather amazing magical mystery-scenario. Translocation trick teleports a small item away, and can be used in conjunction with Sleight of Hand. Transport, at 3rd level, nets you charges that duplicate translocation trick on objects, dimension door on creatures – and the latter is problematic. The spell should, balance-wise, be at least level 4. Finally, true creation, only available for clerics and sorcs/wizards capable of casting the lofty heights of level 9 spells, and it nets you…creation. Permanent. And yes, lost bodies or even living creatures are possible here, though the latter lacks any meaningful guidelines.
Conclusion:
Editing is rather good on a formal and rules-language level, but formatting flaunts conventions rather often. Layout adheres to a two-column b/w-standard, and the pdf uses distorted stock art as artwork. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.
Donald J. Decker’s lost spells contain some gems that actually still hold up very well, even after all of this time. They are high-impact spells, exotics that can fuel adventures or radically, if broadly available, change the dynamics of how your world works…or allow you to finally present some distinctly high-fantasy concepts. As a whole, this is still well worth getting. It is raw regarding its formal criteria, but it also sports this gleeful excitement that renders it more interesting than I frankly expected it to be. hence, my final verdict will clock in at 3.5 stars, rounded up due to in dubio pro reo.
You can get these raw, but also rather interesting and creative spells here on OBS!
Endzeitgeist out.
