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Occult Rituals

Occult Rituals

It’s a common belief that only those initiated in the rites and practices of arcane, divine, or psychic magic can cast spells, but this is not strictly true. Hidden within dusty libraries and amid the ramblings of lunatics lie the mysteries of another form of spellcasting—occult ritual magic. These spells are rare, coveted by both those eager to gain their power and those wishing to hide their existence. Most traditional spellcasters consider these rituals dangerous and uncontrollable, something to be avoided or used as a last resort. They fear the power these ceremonies grant to the uninitiated, as the rituals allow those with only a glimmering of understanding the ability to interact with the underlying fabric of magic.

While anyone can attempt to cast occult rituals, the process is fraught with peril. The strange and intricate incantations are often challenging to perform with precision, and failure can weaken the casters or even unleash horrors upon the world. Even when successfully performed, each occult ritual has a price—a backlash that affects at least the caster leading the ritual, and often those assisting in its performance.
Click here for the full rules on Occult Rituals.

Call the Darkness

Source Inner Sea Temples pg. 12
School conjuration (creation or calling); Level 9
Casting Time 90 minutes
Components V, S, M (black diamond dust worth 10,000 gp), SC (at least 8, up to 16)
Skill Checks Knowledge (geography) DC 36, 2 successes; Knowledge (planes) DC 36, 3 successes; Knowledge (religion) DC 36, 2 successes; Spellcraft DC 36, 2 successes
Range close
Effect up to 20 10-ft. cubes/character level of the primary caster
Duration 10 minutes/character level of the primary caster; see text
Saving Throw none; SR no
Backlash The primary caster takes 1 permanent negative level.
Failure All casters must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC = 19 + primary caster’s Charisma modifier) or be transported to a random location on the Shadow Plane, as per plane shift.

Effect

This ritual must be cast on the Material Plane. The primary caster begins the ritual by delineating the boundaries of the area to be affected using the black diamond dust. The casters link hands and chant verses from Zon-Kuthon’s holy book, Umbral Leaves. Upon the ritual’s completion, magical darkness fills the designated area as the Material Plane and Shadow Plane blend together there. The affected area thereafter exists simultaneously on both planes, becoming an amalgam of the two. A thin layer of impenetrable darkness surrounds the affected area, so it is impossible to see beyond the area’s boundaries into either plane. Colors appear faded in the area, but not completely black and white as on the Shadow Plane. The area has the enhanced magic and impeded magic traits of the Shadow Plane, but all other planar traits correspond to those of the Material Plane. As long as the primary caster remains within range of the designated area, this effect lasts for up to 10 minutes per character level of the primary caster, but if the primary caster ever moves beyond the range, the effect immediately ends.

Any creature that enters the affected area remains on the same plane as before but can interact with creatures on the other plane as though they were on the same plane. While casting this ritual, the primary caster can set a condition that allows creatures to cross over from the Shadow Plane to the Material Plane or vice versa. This condition can be a password, a specific action that a creature must take (such as stepping through a mirror), or a specific type of item that a creature must carry in order to cross over. Alternatively, the primary caster can grant a creature passage between the two planes as a standard action. If the primary caster does not set a condition or grant passage, creatures cannot cross between the two planes.