Divine Investiture

This spell is often employed upon the birth of a noble's heir, at a coronation, or upon the investiture of a noble's title. It can only be cast upon descendants. of a noble bloodline (as defined in the divine bloodline spell) upon their assumption of a noble title. A ceremony of divine investiture takes at least one turn to cast, but most Scions of Siamorphe extend the incantation for at least an hour.

Upon the commencement of the casting of this spell, a willing recipient is bathed in a flickering nimbus of radiant light equal in effect to a faerie fire spell. The color of the radiance is selected by the spellcaster (often gold, silver, or some other color appropriate to the noble office) and lasts for the duration of the spellcasting. During the incantation, the priest is empowered to create pageantry appropriate to the event. The illusions created are similar to those of the 3rd-level wizard spell spectral force, but must be appropriate to the ceremony, as adjudicated by the DM. For example, if divine investiture is cast upon the crown prince during his coronation, the priest might evoke the shades of past kings who one by one step forward to lay their shadowy swords upon the prince's shoulders. When the royal crown is placed on the prince's head, the priest might evoke a dazzling burst of light coming from the crown that momentarily blinds all in attendance.

In addition to the pageantry of the ceremony of investiture, this spell create a lasting effect known as the legacy of Siamorphe. The legacy varies from recipient to recipient (and is determined by the DM, not the player) and seems to loosely correspond in power to the relative rank of the spell recipient. Typical legacies are: a +1 Charisma bonus with respect to the recipient's subjects, a + 1 bonus on saving throws vs. poison, a + 1 bonus to hit when wielding the ceremonial word of state, etc.

Unwilling recipients of this spell may choose to forego its effects. This decision is irrevocable once made, regardless of whether the spell is accepted or foregone, and it must be made at the start of the spell's casting. (Infants and small children targeted by this spell are assumed to voluntarily accept its effects.)

The material components for this spell are a chalice of holy water and a small amount of dye laced with gold flakes. The latter is used to sketch the noble's heraldic device (or appropriate symbol of nobility) somewhere on the spell target's body prior to the casting. The holy water is then poured over the inscribed symbol during the ceremony and the sketched symbol then vanishes.