Articles
3E Spells
Ilomen's Ravenous Weapon
by Shawn Muder
Necromancy
[Evil]
Level: Wiz/Sor 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 10 Minutes
Range: Personal
Targets: Caster's weapon
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Created by the Shadow Wizard, Ilomen Castaulant, this spell covers the weapon it is being cast over with thousands of small, shadowy mouths which slurp and grind their teeth for the flesh of the caster's enemies. A weapon with this spell cast on it appears to become little more than a ravenous and screeching club of darkness.
The spell was created with the help of a Cleric of Zanatose, and thus, the spell's incantation itself has a phrase of supplication to the god of undeath in it. Wizards without the necroptic language as a skill will not recognize the phrase from any other mumbling of magic. However, this phrase does have an effect on the spell itself.
When a victim is struck by a weapon with this spell casted on it, it forces them to roll a fortitude saving throw to negate the necromantic chilling effects of the weapon's new aura. Those that fail such a save immediately take an extra 1d6 points of damage due to blood loss (from the tiny mouths sucking the blood from the wound instantly as the wound is created). The vampiric effect does not bestow the lost hit points on the caster, however, as they are absorbed by the spell itself to feed some unknown evil.
In actuality, the spell sends the lost hit points as "food" to the Dark Speaker himself, as a cost for using a spell created by his church. Most wizards do not know this and most other clerics refuse to cast such an evil spell to begin with.
Should the spell every be cast and not taste the blood of the caster's enemy, the spell will instead steal the essence of the caster as penance for casting the spell and not bringing blood energy to the god of the undead with it's application. This loss equates 1d4 Con points that are drained away automatically (and temporarily, which return at one point per hour of rest.) at the spell's end should it not cause damage to some living creature.
The spell's hefty penalty keeps it from the lips of most magic users and it's use is considered an evil act by most good spell casters. Those that worship the god of necromancy and undead, however, have found the spell most useful in pleasing their patron while destroying their enemies at the same time.
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Original content ©1999–2001 Brian D Swedorski. New content ©2025–2026 Jeff. User-submitted material remains the property of its respective authors.