Magic Jar (spell)

Magic Jar is a spell that transfers the life force of a designated creature into a physical vessel — made of glass, ceramic or metal—holding at least eight fluid ounces. Upon casting, the spell targets any creature within range, whether intelligent or not. The creature is entitled to a saving throw against the effect. If the save succeeds, the spell fails, and the target gains a +2 bonus to all subsequent saving throws against the same caster’s attempts.

Magic Jar

Range	10 ft. per level
Duration	15 +5 rounds per
Area of Effect	1 humanoid; see text
Casting Time	1 round
Saving Throw	negates
Level	mage (5th)

If the save fails, the creature’s soul, or atman, is pulled from its body and transferred into the vessel. The soul remains trapped only if the vessel is sealed at the moment of transference; otherwise, it may return to the body immediately. If the vessel is later unsealed or broken, the soul is released and begins traveling back to its body at a speed of 60 miles per hour. If vessel and body are in the same room, the return is nearly instantaneous, but over great distances, the journey may take hours or even days.

A soul trapped within the Magic Jar remains there indefinitely; it is not possible to transfer it to another vessel. The integrity of the jar is not permanent — time, wear and damage will inevitably weaken the seal or crack the container. Once the vessel is compromised, the soul is released and begins its return to its original body at a speed of 60 miles per hour. Only one soul may be stored per vessel. Should a soul be freed, it retains full knowledge of its enslavement, and will naturally hold a great enmity towards the caster of the spell.

Control

While the soul remains imprisoned, the caster gains complete control over the body, which includes its brain and the knowledge within it. However, bereft of its soul, the body has no resolve; it cannot concentrate, seek answers, puzzle out or make decisions. On those counts, it's thinking process is inert. Therefore the knowledge it has cannot be applied, except by the caster.

This knowledge that continues to exist includes those spells emplaced in the body's memory; while the body cannot cast these spells, the caster controlling the body CAN... by simply repeating the knowledge as it is comprehended. Once the spell is cast, however, it is lost to the body's consciousness, as explained according to spellcasting. The body could not then concentrate to re-memorise the spell, so it remains lost until the body's soul returns.

However, the body's knowledge also includes it's sage abilities, which do not degrade. Any of these that the body has can be performed by the caster so long as the caster remains within the defined range. Some sage abilities, such as riding a horse, that do not require resolve but only muscle memory, can still be performed by the body. The body does not, in fact, lose it's ability to "think"; only it's ability to actively apply those thoughts of its own accord. Thus, if it were told, pour out the right amount of liquid for distilling, it would be able to do so, accurately, if it had that knowledge. The caster cannot rely on the body to plan, but they can command it to act.

Combat

If the body is attacked, the impetus originating from outside the body, the body will seek to defend itself physically or by whatever means or knowledge it possesses. Thus, if the caster were to attack the body, it would fight back. The body is still bound by its ingrained survival mechanisms, using whatever abilities and knowledge it possesses to defend itself. This prevents the spell from being abused as an easy means of subjugation—if the caster intends to use Magic Jar to incapacitate a foe permanently, they cannot simply take over the body and then destroy it without consequence. The body’s defensive instincts remain intact, ensuring that any harm done to it must be handled carefully.

At the same time, if the caster directed the body to engage with an enemy, it will. In this case, the caster's will replaces the body's usual decision-making process. Once engaged in combat, the body will then continue to fight back if attacked, even if the caster does not issue further commands. This means that while the body remains under the caster’s control, it retains an autonomous reaction to immediate threats.

Multiple Jars

Although the spell can be cast once per day, only 1 person per three levels the caster possesses can be affected. An 11th level caster, therefore, would be able to affect a maximum of three persons, each of whom would need a soul-vessel. Once three persons are so collected, one must be freed or the saving throw made by others against the spell will always succeed. This creates logistical and strategic challenges: the caster must prepare multiple vessels in advance, protect them from being broken or stolen, and account for the risk of unintended releases if something goes wrong.

See Charm