Evard's black tentacles

Evard's black tentacles, or simply black tentacles, was a conjuration spell that conjured tentacles to grapple and restrain opponents. It was presumably developed by Evard.

Effect
This spell conjured many 10-foot-long (3 meters) rubbery black tentacles that erupted from flat surfaces and grabbed, grappled, and crushed everything in a 40-foot-wide (12 meters) area for a brief time according to the level of the caster. In a later version, the tentacles would try to restrain anything that entered or stayed in a 20-foot-square (6 meters) area, and caused bludgeoning damage, for up to a minute.

The area that was covered by the tentacles would be difficult for creatures to traverse.

Components
Verbal and somatic components were required to cast this spell, as well as a piece of a tentacle from a giant octopus or squid.

History
Evard's black tentacles was apparently unknown to the Netherese; it was not recorded as being known to them. By 759 DR, it was known only to southerner spellcasters.

In the mid–14 century DR, Evard's black tentacles was still a rare spell in the Realms. By 1373 DR, the Halruaan mage Daltim Flamefist had developed a variant, Daltim's fiery tentacles, simply adding blue-white flame to the black tentacles. Kyristan instead formed the tentacles of life-draining negative energy, developing Kyristan's malevolent tentacles.

Users
The following mages knew Evard's black tentacles:
 * Thebadol, a Halruaan elder in 1373 DR.