Duhlark's Animerge

Available to: Duhlark Kolat

A highly specialized form of polymorph other, this spell allows the caster to fuse two creatures together into one unique, amalgamated form, allowing a number of traits from each creature to remain dominant in its new singular form. The polymorphed creature acquires the following basic traits from one or the other of the animals involved in the merge: Body shape, size, movement modes, speed, diet, intelligence, attack modes, defense modes, special attacks, special defenses, and armor class. If the caster is a transmuter (specialist wizard of alteration magics), the caster can choose which traits are adopted in the new form; if not, the creature created is randomly determined by the Dungeon Master.

When the spell is cast, both animals must be within twenty feet of each other, and the final animerged creature will emerge in the former location of the larger of the two animals. Both animals have to make system shock rolls to survive the transformation (60% chance of survival); if one fails, the spell fails and both animals die. If a caster attempts to merge opposing blooded creatures (warm-blooded birds and mammals vs. coldblooded reptiles and insects), there is a 40% survival chance for the creatures to be successfully animerged. Should either creature have intelligence greater than semi-intelligent (2-4), there is a 75% chance that the creature's mind will shatter, creating an uncontrollable mad animal (see Special Notes below). In such an instance, the creature will use every physical ability it has to escape and attack anything that moves, perceiving movement as something causing it pain.

This spell will not work on any animals that have special magical adaptations such as plane shifting powers or fire breath. If the spell is used on such creatures, both target animals will perish due to the spell conflicting with their innate magics.

For years, Duhlark Kolat's fascination with monsters in the Realms drove him out into the world of adventuring. His fame and fortune now partially established, Duhlark spent the last few years studying animals, monsters, and perfecting his transmutation magics. His research into the magics of ancient Netheril—as well as personal experience with and studies of such creatures as chimerae, gnolls, hippogriffs, owlbears, and perytons—led him to believe that such changing magics were once in common use and the continued existence of such wildly illogical animals suggested to Duhlark that such creations could breed true and become viable species. Duhlark envisioned a simple dream of using such magics to create larger sheep and other domesticated animals to prevent food shortages, or perhaps creating a war horse with armor-plated skin.

After much work, he discovered this spell twenty months ago and continues to test it, creating new creatures to study and examining their viability and usefulness for Toril. While the spell itself has no safeguards against its use on humans, Duhlark has never attempted to test this line of inquiry due to moral distaste. He has not revealed the existence of this spell to any other mages in Waterdeep, save his brother and Khelben, though some have heard of his experiments and rumors fly fast and furious - one patently false rumor has Khelben set to kill Duhlark for not sharing such a powerful secret!

Special Notes: When Duhlark developed this spell, he did not limit the magic to only affecting animals, not higher lifeforms. Whether he realizes this or not, his spell also has the abilities and limitations listed below. While his ethics keep him from performing such horrific experiments, the same cannot be said of other corrupt spellcasters who wish to learn this spell. If evil NPC mages start using this spell on humans and humanoids us well us animals, the results are the Broken Ones in the Monstrous Manual; that same book's rules on creating lycanthropes are also useful for creating new creatures us well. (These effects and problems can be included later in a campaign, should the spell become more widely known.)

When the physical changes and merging occurs, the caster rolls 1d20, checking against the innate intelligences of the creatures involved. If the roll is less than or equal to the lesser intelligence, that becomes the dominant mind in the final creature. If the roll is greater than the lower number but less than or equal to the higher Intelligence, the higher mind is in control. If the roll exceeds both intelligences, the resulting creature has no conscious mind and is uncontrollable.