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Spell: Guards and Wards ~ Level 6

abjuration, magical

  • Casting Time: 30 minutes; Material, Somatic, and Verbal
  • Requirements: a silver rod (worth 14 silver)
  • Range: 1 mile
  • Area: 100-foot cubes per Proficiency Score
  • Duration: 2 hours per Proficiency Score (D)

You create magical wards that guard the area you designate. Each 200 cubic foot section can be placed independently of each other, but all must remain within reach of you when you cast this spell. Guards and Wards creates the following effects:

  • Arcane Locks. All doors and windows click shut and are locked by magic, rendering any keys that once opened them useless for the duration of the spell. Attempts to open them with a Thievery check take disadvantage.
  • Confusion. Illusion magic is woven into this spell so creatures in the area, when making a choice of passageways, doors, or other directions, have a 50% chance of going in the opposite direction from the one they actually chose.
  • Fog. The entire area is filled with thick fog, causing all creatures within it to have the Concealed condition. A creature cannot be the target of a Ranged Attack if it is more than 40 feet away from the source of the attack.
  • Gust. In one location of your choosing within the area, constant wind blows in a straight line up to 60 feet in length. All creatures which are size Large or smaller who step into the line of the wind must make a Fortitude save or be knocked Prone. On a critical failure a creature is pushed 30 feet downwind as well. This wind does not clear the fog.
  • Lights. In four locations of your choice within the area, you create floating lights. Each location has a number of lights equal to half your Proficiency Score. These lights can be any color of your choosing and you can set a repeating pattern that the lights follow for the duration of Guards and Wards.
  • Lost Doors. A number of doors within the area equal to your Proficiency Score are covered by an illusory wall that matches with the surrounding walls. If a creature interacts with the illusory wall, they can make a Will save to disbelief the illusion.
  • Webs. All stairs within the area become filled with webs. The webs make the stairs difficult terrain with the magical tag. A creature that uses an action with the move tag within this difficult terrain must make an Acrobatics check. On a success, the creature is unaffected, and the webs are removed from the spaces the creature moves through. On a failure the creature is Entangled for a round, while on a critical failure the creature is Immobile for a round and then Entangled for another round. The webs have AC 5, Hardness 0, and Toughness 1 but are Immune to all damage except effects with the fire or slashing tags.

When you cast this spell, you can choose certain creatures by name or description who are immune to all the effects of this spell. Dispel Magic and other spells can only attempt to dispel or remove one effect of Guards and Wards at a time. If all the effects of Guards and Wards are removed, the spell ends prematurely. Guards and Wards is on the Arcane and Occult Spell Lists.

Heighten (+1): Gain new options.

Level 7 Spell Slot and higher. Add the Whispers effect.

  • Whisper. In two locations of your choosing, you leave a message for passing creatures. You can choose to add conditions to what creatures will trigger this message when you cast Guards and Wards with the Whisper effect. The message can be up to 25 words long and can sound like any effect that can be vocalized.

Level 8 Spell Slot and higher. Add the Suggestion effect.

  • Suggestion. In one 5-foot space of your choosing within the area, you leave a psychic suggestion for any creature that passes through the affected space. This suggestion can be any course of action that seems logical and is not self-destructive. Any creatures that pass through must make a Will save. On a failure the creature immediately follows your suggestion for a minute or until the course of action is complete, whichever comes first. On a critical failure the creature immediately follows your suggestion for an hour or until the course of action is complete, whichever comes first.

Level 9 Spell Slot and higher. Add the Vapors effect.

  • Vapors. In two 20-foot bursts of your choosing within the area, the fog becomes dangerous to inhale. All creatures that enter or begin their turn in the affected area must make a Fortitude save. On a success the creature is Sick 1, on a failure the creature is Sick 1 and Slowed 1 and remains thus until they leave the vaporous area, and on a critical failure the creature is Sick 2 and Slowed 1 and remains thus until they leave the vaporous area. If the vapors are dispersed while Guards and Wards still persists, they return in 10 minutes.