Control vapor was a divine magic spell available to drow clerics,[3] druids and specialty priests of Eldath, the Mother of the Waters. It gave the caster command of the movement rate and direction of magical and non-magical smokes, vapors, clouds, and mists, including creatures in gaseous form.[1] A less powerful arcane version was known but rare among the wizarding community.[2][4]
Effects[]
This spell could be cast at a point up to 120 feet (37 meters) away and affected a spherical volume with a radius of 90 feet (27 meters) centered on that point. Within this sphere, for the next nine minutes, the caster could designate the speed (from zero to a radius-length per minute) and direction of any vapors caught in the sphere, regardless of prevailing winds or air currents (natural or magical). Higher level casters could increase the radius and duration of this spell.[1] The arcane version affected an area of 30 feet (9.1 meters) diameter only. It could, however, additionally be used to cleanse this sphere of all vapors.[2] The drow version affected an area of 40 feet (12 meters).[3]
Examples of vapors that could be controlled included fog, mist, smoke, cloudkill, fog cloud, incendiary cloud, smoke ghost, the smoke from pyrotechnics, and gaseous breath weapons. The caster could hold, reshape, split, or combine vapors as desired. Control vapor could also be used to control or capture creatures in gaseous form, such as vampires, air elementals, and those using wind walk. These creatures had no chance to resist the magic of this spell, but could transform to a different form (such as becoming corporeal) at half their normal rate, if they had the ability to do so.[1] For the arcane version, gaseous creatures did have a chance of resisting the spell.[2]
This spell had no effect on swarms of insects or other nongaseous creatures, but smoke could be manipulated to intersect an insect plague, for example. Any vapor that passed out of the stationary sphere where this spell was operating became free of the caster's control.[1]
Components[]
In addition to verbal and somatic components, this spell required the use of the priest's holy symbol and a single bean or pea for the divine version,[1] or a little tube of glass for the arcane version.[2]
History[]
In the month of Eleasis, of the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR, Chief Prelate Dayspring of the Clerical Circle of Ravens Bluff declared it illegal for priests to cast control vapor within the city due to a raging unnatural storm at the time called the Soulstorm, threatening arrest for those that broke this decree.[5][note 1]
Rumors and Legends[]
It was thought that at least one drow faith had a version of this spell.[1] These rumors were correct and they used it primarily for ventilation purposes in their caverns.[3]
Appendix[]
See also[]
Notes[]
- ↑ The events of the Living City Ravens Bluff campaign took place on a timeline that advanced together with the real world's time. Even though all Living City adventures and issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter were dated with real-world dates, there were events that received a DR year. The Living City timeline can be derived from Myrkyssa Jelan's historic events of the late 14th century DR. Myrkyssa Jelan attacked Ravens Bluff in 1370 DR, according to The City of Ravens Bluff and Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition; these events are chronicled in an in-and-out of universe issues of Ravens Bluff Trumpeter. This places the real world year 1997 as 1370 DR, and in 1998 (1371 DR), Myrkyssa was at last arrested and tried and said to have been executed, only to reappear in 1372 DR in The City of Ravens novel. As the real world's months and the Calendar of Harptos are virtually identical, we can also date all events of the Living City Ravens Bluff as close as an in-universe month.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0786903849.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mark Middleton et al (November 1996). Wizard's Spell Compendium Volume One. (TSR, Inc), p. 179. ISBN 978-0786904365.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ed Greenwood (July 1991). The Drow of the Underdark. (TSR, Inc), p. 65. ISBN 1-56076-132-6.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Steve Perrin (May 1988). The Magister. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 6. ISBN 0-88038-564-2.
- ↑ Daniel S. Donnelly ed. (August 1998). The Trumpeter 2, no. 8 (link). (RPGA), p. 2.