The magical art of producing something from nothing.

Dungeons & Dragons rolls this school of magic in with Summoning, which we covered earlier this month. You can find that article here.

As Shadowdark RPG and many other games don’t use the tired old D&D magic schools, let’s redefine Conjuration a little bit. We’ll say it’s the arcane art of bringing things to the caster or sending things away. Teleportation is a good example of this. I’m working on a class compatible with Shadowdark that is a bit of an offshoot of a Conjurer.

Manifestation is another name for Conjuration.

Here are some sample spells from what I’m working on. These are works in progress and by no means a complete list.

Tier 1:

  1. Staff of Mist. The caster conjures a quarterstaff of solid mist into their hands. It is wielded as a regular staff. Vanishes when the caster is not touching it or dismissed. Counts as a magical weapon. Does an additional +1 damage per 3 caster levels.
  2. Spirit Armor. The caster molds spirit clay into armor around themselves. Focus Spell. +1 AC per tier + Dex Mod.
  3. Shroud of Fog. Creates a 12 foot diameter ball of fog around the caster. Any attacks coming into targets within the cloud are at a Disadvantage. Focus spell.
  4. Duplicate Coin. Creates an exact duplicate of ONE coin of up to Gold value. On a successful casting, the coin is permanent. On a failed casting, the duplicate crumbles to dust along with the original. On a Critical Success, it creates a second duplicate. On a Critical Failure the contents of the caster’s entire coin pouch evaporate.
  5. Plank. Creates a plank of wood up to 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, 6 inches thick. A critical success creates two planks. They are not functional as weapons but can be used as a crude shield.

Tier 2:

  1. Spirit Dart. Summons a floating magical projectile made of spirit clay under the caster’s control. Range Close/Near. Focus spell. Does 1d4 damage. Caster makes an unmodified attack roll each round.
  2. Spirit Shield. Summons a +1 Shield made of spirit clay. Lasts as long as it is held/touched by the caster. The shield can only be summoned by the caster and can be any size or shape the caster is comfortable with.
  3. Spirit Cage. ONE creature within Near range is surrounded by a faintly glowing cage that prevents movement for the duration of 5 rounds. The spell lasts additional rounds if the caster focuses on it. The creature held within the cage may attempt a STR check vs the caster’s Spellcasting ability to break free of the cage.
  4. Ephemeral Torch. Creates a lit torch that can be carried normally. It is waterproof and cannot be blown out by wind. It will dim and go out normally after one hour or if the caster wills it. Once extinguished, this torch can’t be summoned again until the top of the hour when it would have expired normally.
  5. Pup Tent The caster forms a shelter out of Spirit Planks, Ephemeral Clay, or Mud that lasts for 8 hours or until dismissed. The hut is large enough to hold the caster, companion, and one other creature comfortably. It is dry and weatherproof despite appearances. It is not suitable to build a fire but does maintain a steady temperature comfortable to the caster for the duration. It does not protect from damage but can be camouflaged. Anyone in the tent is considered to be hiding but can be detected normally by keen observers.
  6. Eyes on a Stick. Creates an 8 foot long pole with a pair of golf ball sized eyes at the end of it. The pole sees around corners and over obstacles, even underwater as the caster up to far distance. Lasts until dismissed or the caster loses Focus. The stick is too flimsy to be used as a weapon or tool. Critical failure while casting this spell temporarily blinds the caster until a rest can be completed.

Please feel free to try some of these out, convert them to the game of your choice, and play around with them. I’d like to think they’re balanced pretty well, but I might have to rearrange the tiers at some point. I have a lot of plans for this character class to do things that aren’t as common in a lot of fantasy TTRPGs.

I can be reached by messaging on various social media sites (Instagram, X, Facebook, etc.) or by email at Jeffsgamebox@gmail.com Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback. I’d greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for stopping by today. You are all awesome. I’m grateful for all of you. Please embrace the things that bring you joy today.