River of Sand (Wizard Spell)

This spell creates a snakelike “river" of sand, 80 feet long, which barrels over obstacles in its path. To cast it, a wizard begins with a mouthful of sand. Then he whispers (or mumbles) an in­cantation, and spits the sand in the desired direction. The expelled sand travels along the ground, picking up more sand as it goes, gathering size and strength. Within one round, it becomes a roaring torrent. The river travels 40 yards per round. During the first round, it has no destructive force, but it can sweep any item up to the size of a small hut or large wagon out of its path. Thereafter, the river has the power to tunnel through dunes, de­stroy structures, inflict siege damage as a ram, and strike beings so hard that their clothes and hair are stripped away.
All items in the river's path must make a saving throw vs. crushing blow or be destroyed. Individuals in the river's path must make a suc­cessful Strength check to retain items that are carried or held. If an individual tries to move out of the river's way, he must make a Dexterity check. Success means that he's flung 1d20 feet aside, taking 1d4+1 points of impact damage. Failure means that he takes the full brunt of the river-a potentially fatal blow. All creatures struck fully the river suffer 6d8 points of damage. They must also make a successful system shock roll. If the system shock roll fails, they perish instantly.
The caster cannot choose to restrict a river of sand's length; it always grows to 80 feet. Nor can the caster change this juggernaut's direction once it begins to flow.
A mouthful of sand and the spittle it collects are the material components of this spell.
Notes: Common for spellcasters from an Arabian setting; otherwise, very rare.
Category:Wizard Spells
Category:Spells from Wizard's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells