Wings (Wizard Spell)

This spell causes the caster, or a creature visible during casting, to instantly acquire wings. The wings sprout from the shoulders of the spell recipi­ent, and are of any appearance desired by the caster, from giant feathered avian wings, to diaphanous insect wings, to the bat-like wings of baatezu and tanar'ri. The latter wing type is sometimes used to impress onlookers with the caster's magical power or fool them into thinking she is a powerful being from another plane. An unwilling creature receives a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect.
The wings created by this spell last for three rounds, and cannot be banished earlier. If made suf­ficiently large they encumber a walking being not used to them. The maximum wingspan is thrice the height of the recipient.
The wings are only under the rough control of the spell recipient. Only those who are normally winged can use them without penalty at MV 21 (B). All other beings must make a successful Dexterity ability check each round to keep from tumbling headfirst as they lose all balance or the wings become entangled. Room for the wings to beat unencumbered must be available or all aerial movement attempts fail. The wings can be used to lift, glide, or brake. Only one of these actions can be performed per round, but switching between ac­tions from round to round is possible.
Lift: This is accomplished by frantically beating the wings. A successful Strength ability check is re­quired. If successful, the creature can soar upward to a height of 10+2d8 feet. (This is useful to reach a balcony, ledge, or window, or grasp something overhead.) This action can be used to strike a single blow at an opponent aloft, at the winged creature's normal THAC0 After the attack roll is made, the winged creature undergoes a helpless 1-round tumble back to the ground, taking 2d4 points of falling damage. The creature might also use the attack to grasp the opponent, inflicting no damage but clinging on to strike in later rounds.
Glide: This can be a deliberate leap, or used after the wings spell is cast from afar on an already-falling being. The mere presence of the wings en­ables the creature to control the general direction (north, northeast, east, and so on) of its descent. A successful Intelligence ability check is required to aim the glide more precisely, so that all side-slip­ping action is avoided and the gliding being stays level (instead of falling into a tumble or flipping upside-down). A falling winged creature that suc­cessfully makes both a Dexterity and an Intelligence check can successfully aim for a window, archway, door, or trapdoor, and pass through it. If the opening is too narrow to permit the wings to pass through, they are smashed flat, and cannot be used on the following round. The gliding being can choose to slow descent or speed it into a dive, but influence over speed is very slight.
Brake: This action can slow a fall, a glide, or a descent after a lift, but cannot be attempted by a tumbling being. It consists of a frantic flurry of wingbeats, and the winged being must successfully make a Dexterity, a Strength, and an Intelligence check for the maneuver to work. If all three suc­ceed, the being lands without any damage from a descent of 60 feet or less, and suffers only 1d6 points of damage for greater descents. If one or all of the checks fail, only 1d6 points of damage are re­moved from the normal falling damage suffered by the winged being.
When the spell ends, the wings rapidly fade away.
The material component of the spell is a frag­ment of a wing from any sort of insect or a feather of any type.
Notes: Rare in the Forgotten Realms setting; virtually unknown elsewhere.
Optional: For creatures not rated for; Strength or Dexterity, the DM can assign a saving throw based on the difficulty of the attempted maneuver.
Category:Wizard Spells
Category:Spells from Wizard's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells