Dark Embrace (Priest Spell)

This spell manifests as a dark shadow that flits about the spellcaster for a few moments before co­alescing into a half-mask of black velvet on the spellcaster's face. Vhaeraun's dark embrace lasts for at most 1 turn plus 1 round per level of the spellcaster before dissipating into nothingness.
Once clad by the black half-mask created by the dark embrace – although not in the same round in which the dark embrace is cast – a priest can unleash another memorized spell of 3rd level or less with a single word of power; that is, with a casting time of 1. Such a spell must be either a touch-delivered or an area-effect spell that has no physical manifestation. For example, cause light wounds and hold person can delivered by a dark embrace spell, but a flame strike cannot.
Upon the utterance of the command word, the black half-mask dissolves once again into a dark shadow that then moves to envelop the intended target. The dark embrace acts as a carrier of the second spell: No saving throw or magic resistance check is allowed against it. Instead, the target crea­ture receives magic resistance checks and saving throws only against the spell delivered. Such magic resistance checks are made with a 10% penalty, and any saving throw is made with a -3 penalty. Only the target creature is affected by the transferred spell, even if it is normally an area-effect spell.
If the carried spell requires the caster's holy symbol as a material component, the black half-mask created by the dark embrace serves as such.
Notes: Granted by the drow god Vhaeraun.
Category:Priest Spells
Category:Spells from Priest's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells