Astral Projection (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell)

Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9

School: Necromancy

Casting

Casting Time: Ritual (see below)

Components: V, S, M (A jacinth worth 1,000 gp)

Effect

Range: Touch

Target or Area: you plus two target creatures, plus one per 8 character levels (drop fractions; max 6 at level 32)

Duration: A year and a day

Saving Throw: Harmless (Will negates)
 Save DC: 10 + caster stat modifier + spell level

Spell Resistance: Yes

Description

Astral Projection is cast as a ritual, typically requiring at least an hour to complete. In preparation, a quiet place where the caster and all allies may sit or stand while holding hands is required. If long durations are expected, the preparations usually include some form of sturdy doors and locks, defenses against intruders, and the like. While not exactly required, comfortable chairs or divans to support their bodies for extended periods while their souls are torn free are highly recommended. Frequent users of Astral Projection report, returning to your body after months of being slumped awkwardly over a stone railing in an icy sepulcher leaves a dire impression.

As this eerie ritual progresses, the necromantic energies used to harvest souls gathers in dense black folds, draping over and shrouding the participants in their stygian grasp until surely, they must be extinguished. Instead, the smothering necrotic energies grow so dense they begin to gleam, at first with shimmering glaucous highlights in the folds, then ever more glistening, until the energies reach their densest form and appear silvery, with utter dark beneath. Eventually, the gleaming silver-black shrouds sink into the physical forms of those under the power of the spell, and with surpassing gentleness, pulls the souls of its victims loose from their physical forms.

As the caster of the spell completes the ritual, freeing his spirit and all his allies spirits from their physical bodies, this spell allows each of them to project an astral body onto another plane altogether. All recipients of the spell are granted an astral body and an astral silver cord, which gives them the innate ability to travel freely through the silvery realm of the Astral. Once the ritual has empowered all recipients, they are fully comfortable in the Astral Sea and can move about as they wish or return to their true physical body at-will. Each soul begins this journey hovering above their quiescent bodies on the Prime Material, but the Astral Sea fills their senses in all direction, calling them to high eldritch adventure.

At will, each recipient may project their astral self onto the Astral Plane, leaving their physical bodies behind on the Material Plane in a state of suspended animation. Their physical bodies become comatose and slump in place, becoming effectively immune to all forms of damage, and yet, obviously still alive, simply...vacant and otherwordly. The spell projects an astral copy of each recipient and all they wear or carry onto the Astral Plane. The silver cord channels the pure essence of each recipients self and all their magical items, so that all items in the Prime Material are still fully usable in the Astral, any consumables they use up in the Astral are consumed in reality, charges are expended, scrolls used up, etc. Similarly, once in the Astral Sea, or after manifesting a body in another world, any items gained, lost, or carried return to or vanish from the Prime Material when the spell expires or is broken, sometimes causing quite comical side effects in the process.

Since the Astral Plane touches upon other Material Planes, each recipient can travel astrally to any of these other planes as they will. To enter another world, each recipient may leave the Astral Plane simply by wanting to, forming a new physical body (and equipment) on the plane of existence they have chosen to enter. When recipients do so they report that you look exactly like your physical self, just...eerily different. Silvery highlights, a faint luminescence, or other small effects will indicate to a viewer you are 'not from around here'. A Disguise roll can easily conceal these telltale signs.

While you are on the Astral Plane, your astral body is connected at all times to your physical body by an incorporeal silver cord which binds your soul and magic to your body. If the cord is broken, you are killed, astrally and physically. Luckily, very few things can destroy a silver cord. When a second body is formed on a different plane, the silver cord remains invisibly attached to the new body. If the second body or the astral form is slain, the cord simply returns to your body where it rests on the Material Plane, thereby reviving you from your state of suspended animation. This is a traumatic affair, however, and you gain two points of Essence Destruction if your second body or astral form is slain. Although astral projections are able to function on the Astral Plane, their actions affect only creatures existing on the Astral Plane; a physical body must be materialized on other planes.

You and your companions may travel through the Astral Plane indefinitely. Your bodies simply wait behind in a state of suspended animation until you choose to return your spirits to them. The spell lasts until you desire to end it, until a year and a day has passed, or until it is terminated by some outside means, such as Dispel Magic (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell) cast upon either the physical body or the astral form, the breaking of the silver cord, or the destruction of your body back on the Material Plane (which kills you).

When this spell ends, your astral body and all of its gear, vanishes like a soap bubble, as evanescent as dreams.... In no case can your Astral body and your physical body ever interact in any way, and attempting such things ends the spell violently, with the associated Essence Destruction.

This spell lays an arcane charge on its target(s). If the targets are something other than you or another creature (such as an object or area), the spell lays an arcane charge on you, the caster. Targets which already have an arcane charge present must choose which to keep if the new spell has the same charge type. Only one arcane charge can ever be present on a target at a time.

This spell only places an Arcane Charge upon your original body, any duplicates are uncharged due to the silver cord.

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Mana Burn Circle Damage

Spell Circle	Burn Cost	Req'd Char Level	Base Dice	Max Dice
0	N/A	N/A	1d4 per 2 character levels	max of 4d4 at character level 8
1	N/A	1st	1d6 per character level	max of 4d6 at character level 4
2	+1	3rd	1d6 per character level	max of 6d6 at character level 6
3	+1	5th	1d6 per character level	max of 10d6 at character level 10
4	+1	7th	1d6+1 per character level	max of 12d6+12 at character level 12
5	+1	9th	1d6+1 per character level	max of 15d6+15 at character level 15
6	+1	11th	1d6+2 per character level	max of 16d6+32 at character level 16
7	+1	13th	1d6+2 per character level	max of 20d6+40 at character level 20
8	+1	15th	1d6+3 per character level	max of 21d6+63 at character level 21
9	+1	17th	1d6+3 per character level	max of 25d6+75 at character level 25
10	+1	19th	1d6+4 per character level	max of 25d6+100 at character level 25
11	+1	21st	1d6+5 per character level	max of 25d6+125 at character level 25
12	+1	23rd	1d6+6 per character level	max of 27d6+162 at character level 27
13	+1	25th	1d6+7 per character level	max of 27d6+189 at character level 27
14	+1	27th	1d6+8 per character level	max of 29d6+232 at character level 29
15	+1	29th	1d6+9 per character level	max of 29d6+261 at character level 29
16	+1	31st	1d6+10 per character level	max of 30d6+300 at character level 30
17	+1	33rd	1d6+11 per character level	max of 30d6+330 at character level 30
18	+1	35th	1d6+12 per character level	max of 30d6+360 at character level 30