Whirlpool

Whirlpool was an arcane alteration spell that created a large swirling vortex in a body of water that could pull creatures and ships down into the depths.

Effects
This spell took ten minutes to cast and could be directed at a point up to 420 ft (128 m) away. When completed, a funnel-shaped depression appeared in the midst of a swirling area of water with a radius of at least 350 ft (107 m) rotating swiftly counterclockwise and lasting over two hours. More experienced casters could achieve greater range, size, and duration of the whirlpool.

Creatures in the water were pummeled and tossed about and had to continually fight against being pulled to the center. If they failed to resist, they could easily drown&mdash;even water-breathing creatures could die from cumulative injury. Ships in the area of effect constantly spiraled toward the center in addition to whatever movement they were able to achieve with oars or sails, and their seaworthiness was sorely tested. Those that failed capsized and sank, possibly depositing some passengers and crew into the churning waters.

Components
This spell required a cup of water from the target body of water and a jeweled stirring stick valued at a minimum of 5,000 gp. The caster stirred the water with the stick while chanting the spell. At the conclusion of the casting, the stick was broken in half and thrown into the body of water to start the whirlpool.

History
This spell was associated with the pirates that roamed the Sea of Fallen Stars.