Khelben's Warding Whip

:No Verbal component with the Wizard's Spell Compendium version of this spell.

This specialized and rare spell creates a whiplike lash of mystical force controlled by the caster. This magical whip is particularly effective against those spells that take the form of pushing, striking, or crushing forces—in particular, the popular spells created by Bigby.

The mage need not concentrate to maintain the warding whip, but cannot cast other spells or wield other weapons while using it. When used, the whip strikes or parries automatically under the direction of its wielder. The effects of the whip are as follows:

* The whip confers upon the user immunity to the push spell. * The whip immediately dissipates a shield spell without effect to itself. * The whip has a 40% chance of destroying a Tenser's floating disk per attack. The whip is not affected. * The whip affects any of the Bigby's hand spells as follows: Interposing hand-destroyed; 20% chance the whip is destroyed as well.

: Forceful hand— 90% chance destroyed per attack; 30% chance the whip is destroyed per attack. : Grasping hand— 80% chance destroyed per attack; 40% chance the whip is destroyed per attack. : Clenched fist— 70% chance destroyed per attack; 50% chance the whip is destroyed per attack. : Crushing hand— 65% chance destroyed per attack; 60% chance of the whip destroyed per attack. : Lesser Bigby spells (strangling grip, battering gauntlet, fantastic fencers, etc.) are destroyed upon contact with the whip, as a shield spell would be.

* The whip has no effect on nonmoving magical barriers such as a wall of force or prismatic sphere. * The whip has no effect on spells that do not use magical force as a solid entity— holds, slow, reverse gravity, etc. * The whip cannot harm living objects and so cannot be used as a weapon. * The whip can be used to parry physical attacks, including those from magical weapons and weapons made of magical force (decastave, spiritual hammer, etc.).

This parrying has a base 60% chance of success plus 2% per level of the whip's caster. An attack parried this way inflicts no damage, but the mage using the whip must have initiative over his attacker in order to parry.

As noted, this spell was developed by Khelben Arunsun, the Blackstaff of Waterdeep, as a specific counter to the various Bigby spells that have appeared in the Realms. Whether the mythical Bigby of Greyhawk visited the Realms or Khelben or some other Realms mage visited Oerth to bring these spells from one world to another is not known. The Blackstaff has apparently met the great Bigby at some time in the past, though the meeting was apparently on the best of terms. As the wizard of Waterdeep once noted to his apprentice Ilistar, "The old goat comes up with one good gimmick and beats it to death with a rock." Bigby's response, if any, has never been recorded.

The material component of this spell is a piece of wire and a pinch of powdered electrum.

Notes: Known to Khelben of the Forgotten Realms setting.