Daltim's Flaming Fist

Daltim's trademark, this spell produces a fiery fist about the same size as a normal human fist. The fist appears in midair within 10 yards, anywhere the caster desires. Within limits, the caster controls the fist for the duration of the spell.

The fist must stay within 60 yards of the caster but can be made to go anywhere within that area, easily crossing the entire area as the caster wills. Once per round, the caster can either touch an inanimate object with the fist or direct the fist to strike an opponent.

If a flammable object is touched by the fist, a successful saving throw vs. magical fire is required or the item burns.

If the caster attacks with the fist (foregoing any other attack that round), an attack roll is made as if the caster himself was making the attack. If the attack roll is successful, Daltim's flaming fist strikes the opponent and bursts into a 3-foot radius sphere of fire, centered on the point of impact and engulfing the target, which suffers 1d4+1 points of damage.

If the fist misses, its damage potential is stored, to be released on the next successful attack. Thus, if the fist misses once, then hits, it causes 2d4+2 points of damage; if it misses twice and then hits, it causes 3d4+3 points of damage, and so forth. If the spell's duration runs out before any successful attacks are made, any stored damage potential is released in a fiery burst with a 3-foot radius, centered on the fist's present location. Any creature caught in that radius must make a successful saving throw vs. spell or take the damage stored in the spell (1d4+1 for each round it missed up to that point).

If the caster stops concentrating on the fist, it continues to attack its last target each round until the spell's duration runs out. If the fist's last direction was not to attack, it remains in place, possibly setting fire to anything that touches it.

The spell's material component is a glove made to fit the caster. A pinch each of sulphur and phosphorus must be placed inside the glove; all components are destroyed upon casting.

This spell is not to be confused with Malec-Keth's flame fist from the Tome of Magic.