Image Magic IV
Spell, Low Magic, level 4
Voodoo-style control through an image of the victim: holding its limbs immobilizes, covering its mouth silences, and pins cause crippling pain that disables a limb or sense until removed; a second healthy image with the reversed spell undoes it.
From the book
Sympathetic magic that lets the caster sway any single animal, creature or being. He first makes an image of the victim, then chooses one effect. Gripping the image's arms or legs holds the victim motionless or restrained. Covering the image's mouth silences the victim. Pushing a pin or other sharp point into the image brings agonizing pain to the matching part of the victim's body; no real damage results, but the victim can lose the use of an arm, a leg or a sense such as sight, hearing or speech for as long as the pin stays in.
The harm lasts until the image is destroyed or countered. To counter it, a second, healthy image of the victim is made and used together with the reversed form of the spell, which cancels the harmful one.
An image serves only the one who made it and can be used just once a day, whatever the purpose. The victim always gets a save vs Will, and must be seen, directly or by magical means, for the spell to take hold; after that, keeping the victim in view is unnecessary.
At a glance
- Effects
- 1 Immobility (grasp arms/legs); 2 Silence (cover mouth); 3 Pain (pin in image disables a limb or sense, no actual damage)
- Limits
- An image works only for its creator and only once per day; victim must be seen (or viewed magically) to activate
- Counter
- A healthy counter image plus the reverse spell, or destroying the image
- Save
- vs Will, as stated
- Spell type
- Non-variable
- Duration
- Until the pin is removed, or the image is destroyed or countered
A scene
The hunter has tracked the witchdoctor for three days across the scrubland of Kush, and at last he sees him, a small figure on the next ridge. He raises his bow. On the ridge the witchdoctor calmly pulls a little carved figure from his pouch and pushes a long black thorn into its right knee. The hunter's leg folds under him as if the bone had been removed. There is no wound and no blood, only a white blaze of pain. He lies in the dust and watches the witchdoctor walk unhurriedly away.
Find it in the spellbook of Low Magic
Not marked as shaman-restricted in the spell list, unlike Image Magic I-III.