Crawling Darkness

This spell brings into being a shroud of dark, writhing tentacles around the caster, extending 3 feet in all directions from the caster's body. The caster can see, move, cast spells, and otherwise act normally (including engaging in hand-to-hand combat). Others can no longer see the caster's real body, and are hampered by the semi-solid, thrashing tentacles. Thus, the caster cannot be identified (except by true seeing or other scrying spells), gains an Armor Class bonus of -4, and also receives a bonus of +2 on all attack rolls.

The crawling darkness moves with the caster, and confers the following additional benefits: Feather fall whenever needed: water walk whenever desired, and slay insect (any number or size, including monster insects). This last power operates against all insects in contact with the shroud. It is effective against creeping doom, insect plague, and other magically summoned or controlled insects, and exhausts the spell—in other words, it slays all insects in contact with it and then vanishes (providing no protection against other insects that may have accompanied those it destroyed but that were outside its area of effect). The crawling darkness spell can be ended instantly at any time by the caster's will.

The material components of this spell are a strand of spider web, a pinch of soot or pitch, and a tentacle of any size from an octopus, cuttlefish, jellyfish, or other marine life form.