A staple of many fantasy stories, the Dark Wizard X, or giant monster Y.... is sealed away by a group of heroes....only for them to return 1000 years later and hit the world.
The theoretical spell for this is Imprisonment. The issue is that while the flavor is there, the mechanics just don't work. This is a horrible 9th level spell, and if I'm chucking that kind of juice at a creature....I'd rather just....you know, kill it.
So I wanted to try a different version. Commonly in fantasy, they use imprisonment as a special ritual done by multiple wizards, because they just can't kill the monster. Or look at Naruto for a modern reference with their sealing jutsus.....the common context is that sealing is stronger than killing...with the obvious downside that the bad guy could (and probably will) come back one day. So in this version I am going to try and highlight that.
Casting Time: 1 minute (Ritual)
Range: 300 feet
Components: V S M (A Crystal Sphere, worth 200 GP per Hit Dice of the target, which is consumed by the spell)
Duration: Permanent
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
You create a magical restraint to hold a creature that you can see within range. The spell must be finished simultaneously by six casters, who all utilize the same material component and have chosen the same form of imprisonment. The material component and the target must remain in range of all casters for the entire casting time, or the spell fails. If any of the casters stop casting, the spell fails.
Upon completion, the target doesn't need to breathe, eat, drink, and doesn't age. Divinations can't locate or perceive the target.
Choose one of the following forms of Imprisonment:
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell at 5th level or higher, the number of simultaneous casters required is reduced by 1 for every spell slot above 4th.
Designer Comments
So the idea here is to make it like the common fantasy trope where many wizards have to work together to bind a creature. The real key here is that there is NO SAVING THROW, so you could in theory imprison anything....which is the point. When all else fails, you could try an imprisonment to stop a BBEG, and it will work no matter how strong that BBEG is. However, its incredibly tricky, you need 6 casters working together, you need to ensure they can concentrate for a full minute (aka if just one of them loses concentration its game over), and they most likely need a way to hold or contain the creature, as the second it leaves the area... game over. So this creates a very fun and tense moment....an epic battle not to kill the creature, but to protect the casters and hold the creature in place just long enough for the effect to kick in. Though the spell is exceptionally powerful, it is also incredibly difficult to pull off.
The upcast allows for a smaller cabal of more powerful wizards to do the same effect, and the "ultimate wizard" (aka 9th level spells) can do it by themselves, which again I think is very appropriate to many stories out there.
The theoretical spell for this is Imprisonment. The issue is that while the flavor is there, the mechanics just don't work. This is a horrible 9th level spell, and if I'm chucking that kind of juice at a creature....I'd rather just....you know, kill it.
So I wanted to try a different version. Commonly in fantasy, they use imprisonment as a special ritual done by multiple wizards, because they just can't kill the monster. Or look at Naruto for a modern reference with their sealing jutsus.....the common context is that sealing is stronger than killing...with the obvious downside that the bad guy could (and probably will) come back one day. So in this version I am going to try and highlight that.
Imprisonment
4th Level AbjurationCasting Time: 1 minute (Ritual)
Range: 300 feet
Components: V S M (A Crystal Sphere, worth 200 GP per Hit Dice of the target, which is consumed by the spell)
Duration: Permanent
Classes: Warlock, Wizard
You create a magical restraint to hold a creature that you can see within range. The spell must be finished simultaneously by six casters, who all utilize the same material component and have chosen the same form of imprisonment. The material component and the target must remain in range of all casters for the entire casting time, or the spell fails. If any of the casters stop casting, the spell fails.
Upon completion, the target doesn't need to breathe, eat, drink, and doesn't age. Divinations can't locate or perceive the target.
Choose one of the following forms of Imprisonment:
- Burial. The target is entombed far beneath the earth in a sphere of magical force. Nothing can pass through the sphere, nor can any creature teleport or use planar travel to get into or out of it.
- Chaining. Heavy chains, firmly rooted in the ground, hold the target in place. The target is restrained until the spell ends, and it can’t move or be moved by any means until then.
- Hedged Prison. The spell transports the target into a tiny demiplane that is warded against teleportation and planar travel. The demiplane can be a labyrinth, a cage, a tower, or any similar confined structure or area of your choice.
- Minimus Containment. The target shrinks to a height of 1 inch and is imprisoned inside a gemstone or similar object. Light can pass through the gemstone normally (allowing the target to see out and other creatures to see in), but nothing else can pass through, even by means of teleportation or planar travel. The gemstone can’t be cut or broken while the spell remains in effect.
- Slumber. The target falls asleep and can’t be awoken.
Ending the Spell: You must specify a condition that will cause the spell to end and release the target. The condition can be as specific or as elaborate as you choose, but the GM must agree that the condition is reasonable and has a likelihood of coming to pass. The conditions can be based on a creature’s name, identity, or deity but otherwise must be based on observable actions or qualities and not based on intangibles such as level, class, or hit points. The effect cannot be dispelled, but an Anti-Magic field immediately ends the effect.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell at 5th level or higher, the number of simultaneous casters required is reduced by 1 for every spell slot above 4th.
Designer Comments
So the idea here is to make it like the common fantasy trope where many wizards have to work together to bind a creature. The real key here is that there is NO SAVING THROW, so you could in theory imprison anything....which is the point. When all else fails, you could try an imprisonment to stop a BBEG, and it will work no matter how strong that BBEG is. However, its incredibly tricky, you need 6 casters working together, you need to ensure they can concentrate for a full minute (aka if just one of them loses concentration its game over), and they most likely need a way to hold or contain the creature, as the second it leaves the area... game over. So this creates a very fun and tense moment....an epic battle not to kill the creature, but to protect the casters and hold the creature in place just long enough for the effect to kick in. Though the spell is exceptionally powerful, it is also incredibly difficult to pull off.
The upcast allows for a smaller cabal of more powerful wizards to do the same effect, and the "ultimate wizard" (aka 9th level spells) can do it by themselves, which again I think is very appropriate to many stories out there.
