Prolific Vegetation (Priest Spell)

This spell causes shrubs and grasses to grow over a wide area of previously barren terrain. If the terrain is not virtually barren of plant life, then the spell fails.
During preparation, the priest must devote eight hours per day for 30 days to fashion a staff from a tree of life. The priest must carve the staff perfectly smooth with an obsidian dagger. No other task can be undertaken during the eight-hour periods.
The area of effect is a circle with a maximum radius that varies with to the caster's level (the caster can make the radius smaller if desired, see table).
To cast the spell, the priest thrusts the obsidian dagger into the ground in the center of the area, then moves with the staff to the circle's edge. The priest then walks the circumference of the area of effect, dragging the staff. The staff magi­cally ensures that the priest walks a perfectly cir­cular path, eventually returning to the starting point. The priest must walk (not run, fly, or levi­tate) but can use magical means to speed the walk. If the time taken to complete the circle requires the priest to stop to sleep, there is no penalty, pro­vided the caster immediately resumes walking. Other interruptions lasting more than a single round negate the walking and it must be started again. If the dagger at the center of the circle is disturbed, the spell fails, so the priest often places a guard over it. When the circle is completed, the spell is cast.
CasterLevel	MaxRadius 	RoughCircumf.	Timeto Walk*
24 	90 yds. 	566 yds. 	5 rds.
25 	180 yds. 	1,311 yds. 	1 turn
26 	540 yds. 	2 mi. 	3 turns
27 	1.25 mi.	8 mi. 	2 hrs.
28 	6 mi. 	38 mi. 	9 hrs.
29 	12 mi. 	75 mi. 	18 hrs.**
30 	25 mi. 	157 mi. 	36 hrs.**
: * Time is for a human in clear terrain and clear weather
: ** Requires multiple marching days
Upon casting, the area inside the circle instantly grows thick with grass and small shrubs, much like scrub plains. The vegetation does not emerge from solid stone, but arises from any soil, no matter how rocky, sandy, or dry. The vegetation is normal in every respect, and has no magical properties. It remains until and unless it dies from lack of mois­ture, brushfire, erosion, and so on. If this spell is cast in conjunction with the priestly psionic enchantment, alter climate, the vegetation can grow and last longer. Defiler magic still destroys the veg­etation normally. Unlike the wizard version of this spell, the priest version has no reversed form.
The material components are the staff and the obsidian dagger, both of which disappear when the spell is cast.
Notes: Granted to elementals, common. Restricted to priests, common.
Category:Psionic Enchancements
Category:Priest Spells
Category:Psionic Enchancements from Dragon Kings
Category:Spells from Dragon Kings
Category:Spells from Priest's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells