Animate Stalactite - Gnome

Animate stalactite temporarily awakens a stalactite to act like a piercer (see the Monstrous Manual tome). A stalactite animated by this spell remains active until it detects prey, at which point it reacts exactly as a living piercer. When it can attack, the animated stalactite drops from the ceiling and attempts to impale prey with its sharp tip. Whether or not the attack succeeds, the stalactite the animation ends and the stalactite shatters on impact if it does not successfully pierce a creature.

The size of the piercer (and thus its THAC0) depends on the size of the stalactite and the level of the priest. The size of the stalactite gives a base value of 1 Hit Die if Small-sized, 2 Hit Dice if Man-sized, and 3 Hit Dice if Large-sized or more. The priest's level adds +1 Hit Die per three levels (round down). The maximum bonus is +3, giving a range of 1 to 6 Hit Dice. A successful dispel magic deactivates the animated stalactite, returning it to its normal state. The priest can animate and control up to one stalactite per experience level.