Greater Mantle of Mystra

This spell creates an invisible magical aura around its recipient (who must be willing or at least unaware; the spell fails instantly if cast on hostile, unwilling creatures). When a specific spell or magical item discharge (such as fireball, but not all fiery spells) impinges on any part of this aura, the mantle instantly absorbs it, negating all of its effects, and presents the mantle-wearer with a threefold choice: use the spell energy for healing (on the caster or another touched being), convert it to another predetermined specific spell and hurl it back at the source of the first magic, or transform it to a predetermined specific spell and cast it at another target. If the mantle-wearer is not the caster, the caster can elect when bestowing the spell to force the magic to always make one of those choices or to leave each decision up to the

mantle-wearer. (The free choice cannot be restricted to two of the three options, nor can the predetermined spell be left unselected.) If an incoming spell is used for healing, only lost hit points can be replaced. The mantle heals 2 hit points per level of spell absorbed. Furthermore, the hit points gained cannot be split between the

mantle-wearer and another touched recipient – one or the other gains the full benefit.

A given being can enjoy the protection of only one greater mantle of Mystra at a time, and cannot be protected by both a mantle and a greater mantle at once. Neither sort of mantle will survive contact with a dispel magic effect.

The spell sent forth behaves as if it was launched by a caster of the same level, alignment, and abilities as the caster of the first magic. Its launching, however, depends on the vision and abilities of the mantle-wearer, not the source of the original attacking magic (for instance, if an incoming chain lightning attack is converted to a flame strike and hurled at a third party, the mantle-wearer must be able to see the chosen target for the flame strike).

Both the specific spell to be defended against and the spell it is to be converted to must be chosen by the caster of the greater mantle of Mystra during its casting and cannot be altered thereafter. The magic defended against must be one the mantle-caster has cast, felt the effects of, or observed, and the specific name known. The mantle-caster must have at some prior time personally cast the magic sent forth. The spell level of the magic sent forth cannot exceed the spell level of magic defended against (for instance, polymorph other cannot be converted to flame strike).

A greater mantle of Mystra defends against multiple attacks of the same sort of spell; it is not exhausted by one incoming spell.

A variant of this spell, Azuth's alteration mantle (see that spell), can be selected by varying the wording of the casting. It protects against two specific spells, converting them into healing energy or both into one specific outbound spell. The restrictions on caster knowledge of the magics involved (noted above) remain unchanged, but the duration of the spell is only four rounds per level of the caster.