Lifedrain (Wizard Spell)

Use of this mighty spell is thought to have created much of the lifelessness at the heart of the vast desert of Anauroch. This spell affects only water in geographical form (lakes, rivers, oceans), or in meteorological form (rain, snow). It does not affect water contained in liv­ing things.
A lifedrain spell destroys water within its area of effect-and prevents water from exist­ing there as well. Water cannot fall into, form within, condense within, or flow into the spher­ical area of effect of this spell. (Daring wizards sometimes use this spell to lay bare the bottom of a lake or pond, to recover a lost item, or to reach a sunken chest or trapdoor.)
Living creatures find conditions within the area of effect to be very, very dry uncomfortably so; for each turn that one spends performing any sort of activity except simple rest, that creature loses 1 hit point due to dehydration. (Tales are told of Phaerimm drying off wet slaves and items by conveying them from a bath through a lifedrain sphere.) Plants cannot grow within a lifedrain field and desert-like conditions soon occur. A lifedrain spell cannot be affected by dispel magic or water magics: only a limited wish or more powerful spell can destroy it. Otherwise, it lasts for 1 year per level of the caster (but if the caster should die, even on another plane or world, it ends earlier, at the moment of the caster's death). Casting a lifedrain permanently drains 1 hit point from the total possessed by the caster.
The material components of this spell are a piece of bone and a fire of any sort and size. The bone is placed in the flames during cast­ing, and both are consumed in a flash by the spell. The spell's area of effect forms centered on the caster.
Notes: Known to phaerimm (common) and a few wizards of the Forgotten Realms setting (very rare).
Category:Wizard Spells
Category:Spells from Wizard's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells