Preserver Metamorphosis (Wizard Spell)

This spell is universal to human preservers but must be researched sometime after reaching the 20th level of experience as a human wizard. The spell allows a human preserver who has earned sufficient experience points to advance to the next stage of the metamorphosis to avangion, provided the casting is successful. Once cast, the spell mutates the preserver's physical form dras­tically; each time it is cast, the preserver becomes less human and more avangion, at the rate of about one-tenth of the transformation each time this spell is cast. The preserver must meet strin­gent ability score requirements: Intelligence 18, Wisdom 17, Constitution 15, and Charisma 16.
Preparation can begin at any time as the next level is approached: building structures, gather­ing components, studying, and so on. However, the spell cannot be cast before all the necessary experience points have been earned. The pre­server gains no benefits of the new level until the preserver metamorphosis spell is cast. Each time the spell is cast, the preserver must make a suc­cessful system shock or die in the mutation process. Any interruption or mistake during the casting causes the preserver to lose experience points to the minimum of the previous level— these must be earned again before the metamor­phosis spell can be cast.
The exact components, preparation time, and casting times differ, depending on the level the preserver is about to achieve, grouped by level into low, middle, high, and final metamorphosis. In all cases, living creatures used in the casting must be within one mile of the caster. All castings of this spell require the avangion to withdraw for a period.
Low Metamorphosis (21st-23rd levels): A preserver feel a calling within when he has earned 75% of the experience needed for the next level. The preserver leaves the company of his fellows and seeks isolation. The preparation time is the entire period necessary for the preserver to earn the final 25% of those experience points, ad­venturing completely alone. If the preserver earns any experience points with the aid of another character, all experience points are lost down to the minimum required for the current level.
==Athasian Avangion Notes==
Regardless of level, the avangion makes saving throws as a 21st* level wizard. The avangion's psionicist level advances with its metamor­phosed level as well. In addition, avangions have four spell-like abilities that are always active: ESP, know alignment, tongues, and detect lie.
21st Level: The first stage changes are very subtle. The preserver's facial features become slightly more noble and the eyes develop a silver or golden sheen. Base Armor Class improves from 10 to 9, base THAC0 becomes 10, and 10% magic resistance develops.
22nd Level: At this level, the appearance is still quite human. The skin takes on the metallic glow of the eyes and the hair turns bright white. Base AC improves to 8, magic resistance im­proves to 15%, and the avangion becomes immune to weapons of less than +1 enchantment.
23rd Level: The avangion's true form cannot be concealed, with the sprouting of enormous gossamer wings from the back and shoulders. The wings, filmy and nearly transparent, span 20 feet. The eyes become bright silver and the skin glitters in the sunlight. The new wings allow the avangion to fly at MV 24 (MC: A). Base AC im­proves to AC 7, THAC0 to 9, and magic resis­tance to 20%.
24th Level: The avangion's original human appearance becomes increasingly vague. All hair vanishes, and webs of filmy wing like material form between its arms and torso, and between its fingers and toes. Its wings form multiple folds that can be extended to a 25-foot span. Base AC improves to 6 and magic resistance becomes 25%. At this level, the avangion can be hit only by weapons of +2 or greater enchantment.
25th Level: The human form alters drastically, becoming lost in the wispy folds of the wings, which can now expand to span 30 feet. The avan­gion's jaw retracts and its eyes grow on its oval head. Its arms and legs grow far thinner and can no longer support its weight—the character can no longer walk, but instead floats or flies at all times. The avangion can no longer wield hand­held weapons or make any physical attacks of its own. However, its base Armor Class improves to 4, THAC0 improves to 8, and magic resistance improves to 30%.
26th Level: The avangion becomes far more mobile and graceful. It's incredible shining wings now span up to 40 feet, with its central body nearly lost in their folds. The avangion can fly at MV 36. Base AC improves to 2, magic resistance improves to 40%. The avangion can be hit only by weapons of +3 or better enchantment.
:Errata from: Priest's Spell Compendium Vol 3
27th Level: The human form is nearly gone. The creature has only a torso and head, nearly lost in the endless folds of gossamer wings that span 50 feet when fully extended. Its increasing enlightenment provides a Wisdom bonus of +1. Its increasingly magical nature gives it AC 0，THAC0 7, magic resistance 50%，and immunity to weapons of less than +4 enchantment.
28th Level: The avangion wingspan increases to 65 feet, its movement rate increases to 48, and its Wisdom increases by +1. It develops an aura，a brilliant radiance of light that extends 90 feet in all directions, acts as a permanent protection from evil spell, and dispels all magical darkness within its confines. The avangion's AC improves to -2 and its magic resistance improves to 60%. Only weapons of +5 or better enchantment can harm it.
29th Level： The physical form grows more, the wings—now spanning 80 feet—nearly envelop the torso and head. From a distance the avangion appears as a cloud of interwoven wings. Its Wisdom again improves by +1. The aura grows to 150 feet, and in addition to its previous effects, it also acts as a ray of enfeeblement upon all evil creatures within it. Armor Class improves to -4 and magic resistance to 70%.
30th Level: Now in its final form,the avangion's wings can span 90 feet. Its aura extends to 200 feet radius, and gains the ability to act as a permanent globe of invulnerability. Movement increases to 60, AC to -6, and magic
resistance to 80%. At this final stage, the avangion gains an additional 2 points of Wisdom.
Regardless of level, an avangion saves as a 21+-level wizard.
Failure to gain experience in a solitary fashion, in the DM's judgment, means the spell may fail when cast. For low-level metamorphosis, the pre­server must spend the isolation period gathering physical remains of the enemies of life, usually those of high-level defilers—their bodily re­mains, destructive belongings or items, ash from defiler spellcasting, and so on. These gatherings are evidence of devotion to life and the land. The spell must then be cast at night, beneath the light of both Athasian moons. The casting time is six hours, and any interruption results in spell failure. The preserver may have other characters present during the casting.
Middle Metamorphosis (24th-26th levels): At the middle levels, the preserver again hears a call for isolation when 75% of the next level's experi­ence points have been earned. During the prepa­ration time, the preserver must attain absolute isolation; any contact with intelligent beings that aren't foes to be defeated negates the spell prepa­ration, and the preserver reverts to the 75% base­line of the isolation period.
The material components at the middle levels are gifts gathered from no fewer than three pow­erful good creatures during isolation. These pow­erful creatures realize the consequences of contact for the preserver, so they leave the gifts to be found after the preserver achieves extremely dangerous or important goals. In addition, the spell requires a single tree or bush personally saved by the preserver from defiler magic de­struction (this is not consumed by the spell). The casting time is 12 hours. At the time of casting there must be living vegetation for at least one mile in all directions, untainted by defiler ash or evil creatures.
High Metamorphosis (27th-29th levels): Unlike previous advancements, the preserver feels no call toward isolation. Instead, at the 75% experience point level, the preserver instead col­lects a core group of companions no fewer than eight in number and each of at least 10 levels or Hit Dice. All of the companions must be of good alignment. The preserver must spend the preparation time with these characters, earning the remaining 25% of the required experience in the company of at least one of these companions—
failure to do so forces the preserver to revert to the current level's 75% base line of experience. The material components are a single gift from each of the companions in the core group. During the casting, the preserver requires the aid of a single companion for the entire ceremony. If the companion is not absolutely good, the spell fails and the companion is slain in the release of failed magical energy. Companions cannot repeat the process with a single preserver—new com­panions must be found for each level.
Final Metamorphosis (30th level): To cast this spell, the preserver must make an area of lush vegetation (crops, scrub-grass, forests, or any combination) at least five miles in diameter. The preparation time for the spell is the time it takes the preserver to create these lush lands. At the time of casting, these lands must be free of evil creatures.
The material components are a diamond of no less than 10,000 gp value with which to capture the life-giving qualities of sunlight, a stone tomb large enough to hold the preserver's body, and a perfectly sealed glass case built around the tomb. The casting time is one round. Upon casting, the preserver, diamond, and stone tomb disappear, bound for planes unknown. The DM then secretly rolls 2d12—this is the number of months before the return of the preserver, in final avangion form, to the glass case. If the glass case is dam­aged in the meantime, the avangion is lost to oblivion. Only the DM knows how long the final stage will take.
Notes: Restricted to human preservers, common. This spell is sometimes called avangion metamorphosis.
Category:Psionic Enchancements
Category:Wizard Spells
Category:Psionic Enchancements from Dragon Kings
Category:Spells from Dragon Kings
Category:Spells from Wizard's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells