Shocking grasp

Shocking grasp charged the caster's hand with electrical energy that damaged a touched foe. A foe with large amounts of metal would suffer a greater effect.

Shocking grasp was a common spell in the Realms, though not a popular one. It was known but rare in Zakhara in 1367 DR.

"Metal armor? A poor choice."

- A caster as he electrocutes a bugbear.

History
The Netherese arcanist Volhm was given the credit for the creation of this spell in under the name Volhm's grasp.

Inscription
According to the tome known as the Book of the Silver Talon, the ingredients for the ink used to inscribe shocking grasp into spellbooks were: one ounce of giant octopus ink, an ounce of ash from a tree that was struck by lightning, four drops of holy water, a powdered sapphire, one pinch of powdered orichalcum, asafetida, balm of gilead, ginseng and either mace or masterwort.

The herbs were burnt in an oakwood fire, the ash of which was combined with the ash from the tree in a small bowl of either copper or white orichalcum. Two drops of holy water were added to the bowl and stirred into a paste, after which the powdered sapphire and metal were thrown in the last two drops of the holy water. When it was all stirred together into a paste, it was added to the octopus ink and heated to a boil, while constantly stirred.

Variations
There existed a variation of shocking grasp called enervating grasp. The different between the two was that enervating grasp was inflicted necrotic energy upon the body of the target, rather than electricity. The specifications of this spell could be found in The Tome of Blasphemous Magic.

Known Users
Pre-spellplague, the underwizards of the Arcane Brotherhood typically knew and used this spell.

Calishite elementalists who followed the Tradition of Air were especially adept at the casting of shocking grasp.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate series (Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Baldur's Gate III) • Icewind Dale series (Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II)
 * Board Games
 * Temple of Elemental Evil Board Game
 * Card Games