campaigns:latitude_history:lore:tome-of-tethering [Ron Helwig's Viking World for D&D]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
====== Tome of Tethering ======

{{ :campaigns:latitude_history:lore:tome-of-tethering.png?420|Tome of Tethering}}

The Tome of Tethering is a legendary spellbook that requires attunement by a spellcaster. It lets the attuned caster ritually cast spells inscribed in the book, including spells from other classes, by tethering other participants into the ritual and using their contributed power to create a spell slot.

===== At a Glance =====

  * **Category:** Magic item / Atlantean ritual spellbook / fiend plot.

===== Details =====

Bound in quality leather and wood, this large spellbook is highly prized. It allows an attuned spellcaster to ritually cast any spell inscribed in it, even spells from other classes. The caster must tether others into the ritual, adding their power to the spell. This allows the caster to cast spells of higher levels than they normally can.

Each spell cast using the Tome is cast using its own spell slot, created by the ritual itself from the power of the participants. Even non-casters can contribute. The attuned spellcaster leads the ritual.

The ritual has three steps: Tethering, Empowering, and Casting.

==== Tethering ====

Each spellcaster, and there must be at least three of them, can contribute one spell slot. Each non-caster may contribute the equivalent of half of a 1st-level slot, drawn from their life essence. All slot levels are tallied to create a combined source of power.

No caster may contribute more than one spell slot. At least half of the tally must come from casters.

This process is very hard on the participants. After this step, whether at the end of casting or if the spell is stopped for any reason before then, each participant is affected:

  * Non-casters are stunned for 1 minute.
  * Spellcasters of less than 5th level are incapacitated for 1 minute.

==== Empowering ====

The spell slot's level is determined by taking the square root of the tethering tally, rounded down. This creates one generic spell slot that can be used for any spell inscribed in the Tome.

Example: a sorcerer contributes a 3rd-level slot, a wizard contributes a 5th-level slot, a cleric contributes a 7th-level slot, a warlock contributes a 2nd-level slot, and 16 ordinary people contribute as non-casters. The tally is 3 + 5 + 7 + 2 + (16 / 2) = 25. The square root of 25 is 5, so the ritual creates one generic 5th-level spell slot.

This can allow a spellcaster to cast spells outside their class list or above the spell level they could normally cast. The only requirements are that the spell must be inscribed in the Tome and enough spell slots must be tethered to create a slot of high enough level.

==== Casting ====

Once the spell slot exists, the spell is cast as normal except that the total time taken to cast it is 1 hour. This can allow non-ritual spells to be cast as rituals, at the DM's discretion.

===== Related Pages =====

  * [[campaigns:latitude_history:characters:chad-darrelson|Chad Darrelson]]
  * [[campaigns:latitude_history:adventures:the-outpost-beneath-the-aetherstone-tree|The Outpost Beneath the Aetherstone Tree]]
  * [[campaigns:latitude_history:lore:atlantean-outposts|Atlantean Outposts]]