Mold Touch

Sidebar Pages From the Mages This spell empowers the casting priest to transmute its material components into brown mold spores without suffering personal harm. The first creature touched by the caster within six rounds of the casting is infected by brown mold. A successful attack roll is required to touch an opponent in combat or one who is not unaware or immobilized.

If the caster cannot touch any creature, the mold spores vanish at the end of six rounds.

The mold spores created by this spell cannot live on plant or inorganic material. All the spores are transferred to the first creature touched by the caster. Thus, the caster can infect only one creature per spell. In the event of an accident, this could well be a friend or ally. A mold touch spell inflicts 4d6 points of damage upon the target creature, and half that if the victim makes a successful saving throw vs. spell.

Brown mold spreads from the contact point rapidly, growing by absorbing body heat. In the process, it chills the victim. In the second round after the attack, the mold inflicts 2d6 points of damage and half that if the victim makes a successful saving throw vs. spell. On every round thereafter, the victim receives a saving throw vs. spell. If the saving throw is successful, no damage is taken, and the spell ends. If the saving throw is failed, the victim takes 1d6 points of damage in that round.

Brown mold created by this spell is of limited duration, and a victim cannot infect other creatures even if intending to do so. Magical cold harms mold created by this spell in the usual manner, but also affects the creature on which the mold is growing.

The material components of this spell are mistletoe, holly, or oak leaves.