Extract Spirit

This spell allows the caster to remove a spirit that is bound into an object, and place it in another container. The spell works only on spirits bound into objects. This includes naturally bound spirits (for example, tree spirits or the spirits of springs and fields) and those bound by another shaman's magic (such as fetish spirits). If the spirit does not wish to be extracted, it is allowed a saving throw vs. spell. The spell has no effect on spirits set to guard an area or merely constrained not to wander.

Some benevolent shamans use these spells to rescue doomed spirits, like moving the spirits of dying trees into a seed or sapling. This is not as pointless as it might sound, as the rescued spirit is likely to be grateful, and may spread word of the caster's kindness, which might make other, more potent spirits friendly towards the caster.

Most shamans, however, use the spell to create spiritual alarms or guards. The two usual uses of such spirits are listed below. Inventive casters may find other uses for them, the success or failure of such attempts to be adjudicated by the DM.

If the object into which the spirit is placed is carried by the shaman, it allows him to sense the approach of spirits and living creatures. The range of this ability depends on the power of the creature or spirit: it extends up to a distance of 10 yards per Hit Dice or level of the approaching being; a 5 Hit Die monster is detected when it moves within 50 yards, a 3 Hit Die monster within 30 yards. The shaman does not know, however, in which direction the being is, how far away it is, which way it is moving, nor what it actually is. In crowded areas (where the number of creatures or spirits exceeds the shaman's Intelligence score) the shaman cannot keep track of the total number of beings present, and the ability becomes effectively useless.

If the spirit object is placed in a room, on a path or passage, or in another area, the shaman can tell if any creature or spirit passes through the area. An area up to 10 yards across can be monitored in this way. If several spirits are set as guards in this manner, the shaman cannot tell which specific one has been passed, only that one of them has been.

The spell requires a container for the spirit, which must be an object for which the spirit has a natural affinity: for example, a tree spirit might be placed in a piece of wood, while a river spirit would better be stored in a jar of water. When the spirit is released, the object crumbles; if the object is broken, the spirit is also released.