Summon swarm was a conjuration spell that conjured a swarm of small crawling or flying creatures.[2][3]
Effect[]
When cast, summon swarm caused a swarm of tiny creatures to cover an area, attacking any other creature they encountered. Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the swarm is impossible. The caster has no choice as to what type of creature he summons; typical swarms include rats, bats, poisonous spiders, centipedes, and flying beetles.[2][3]
The swarm cannot be fought effectively with weapons, but fire and damaging area effects can force it to disperse. Certain area or effect spells, such as gust of wind and stinking cloud, disperse a swarm immediately if appropriate to the swarm summoned. (For example, only fliers are affected by a gust of wind.)[2][3]
The swarm is stationary once summoned, not leaving the original area. A druid caster, however, can direct the swarm to move up to thirty feet every few seconds (or ninety feet if she has summoned bats or beetles).[2][3]
Components[]
It needed verbal and somatic components, a divine focus for divine casters, and a square of red cloth as a material component for arcane casters.[2][3]
History[]
The spell was attributed to Netherese arcanist Jarm in −1915 DR and was originally called Jarm's summon swarm.[9]
Around the 13th century DR, a pirate-mage by the name of Respitil sailed the Sea of Fallen Stars and was known to cast the summon swarm spell to have biting, stinging insects devour their captives that were bound to the mainmast.[10]
The so-called "ruby dragon" Chenowyn, once Zaranda Star's apprentice and charge, could innately cast this spell.[11] She once used it to save Zaranda's life, when the latter was held by Whimberton's magic, during the attack on Castle Lutwill before the start of the Reclamation Wars. Chenowyn's version of the spell called forth tiny, shimmering lights with indistinct shapes. The swarm caused Whimberton to fall from a window to his death four stories below.[12]
In the month of Eleasis, of the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR, the city of Ravens Bluff's Ministry of Art and Wizards Guild jointly declared it illegal to cast summon swarm within city limits due to a raging unnatural storm at the time called the Soulstorm. In addition to threatening arrest for those that broke this decree, it was declared that breaking this prohibition would result in a permanent expulsion from either organization.[13][note 1]
Appendix[]
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.
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Morgan's Revenge
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), pp. 22–23. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (August 2000). Player's Handbook 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 261. ISBN 0-7869-1551-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 182, 190, 193, 289. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 146. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
- ↑ Richard Baker (1996). Player's Option: Spells & Magic. (TSR, Inc), p. 185. ISBN 0-7869-0394-5.
- ↑ Sam Witt (March 1994). The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook. Edited by Dezra D. Phillips, C. Terry Phillips. (TSR, Inc.), p. 124. ISBN 1-56076-828-2.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 121. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 26. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Curtis Scott (March 1992). Pirates of the Fallen Stars. (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 978-1560763208.
- ↑ Dale Donovan, Paul Culotta (August 1996). Heroes' Lorebook. (TSR, Inc), p. 135. ISBN 0-7869-0412-7.
- ↑ Victor Milán (October 1995). War in Tethyr. (TSR, Inc), chap. 21. ISBN 0-7869-0184-5.
- ↑ Daniel S. Donnelly ed. (August 1998). The Trumpeter 2, no. 8 (link). (RPGA), p. 2.