Shadow Spiders

This spelt causes the caster's appearance to change suddenly as the shadows around the caster's body deepen and begin to twitch, as if coming to life. Closer inspection reveals a carpet of tiny, shadowy spiders crawling over the wizard's body, issuing from the caster's clothes, mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.

The spiders are harmless to the caster and attack anyone who touches the wizard, including those who attack with a melee weapon. The tiny spiders swarm to reach bare flesh. Full plate armor delays the spiders attack for 2 rounds, other armor types for 1 round. Any number of melee attacks upon the caster during the spell's duration triggers an attack, although the effects of the spiders attacks are not cumulative.

The tiny creatures collectively cause 1 point of damage, but they also inject the victim with shadow venom; the victim must make a successful saving throw vs. spell to avoid the venom's effects. Those who fail the saving throw immediately start hallucinating, their minds wracked by distorted, shadowy images of the real world. A hallucinating individual cannot fight or cast spells. They are unable to attack, run, or even speak coherently while suffering the effects of the shadow venom.

Shadow spiders inflict no harm to non-living constructs, undead, and creatures from the Demiplane of Shadow* Such creatures are also impervious to the spiders shadow venom.

The spiders are mindless and continue swarming over a fallen or dead opponent, ignoring other opponents unless they actually touch the victim—in which case the spiders attack. They are magical, shadowy things and can be driven away only by a light spell or similar effect cast directly at them. Fire magic that inflicts 1 point of damage per level of the shadow spiders caster also destroys them. Of course, victims of the shadow spiders are likely to suffer damage from such fiery attacks.