Heat Metal (spell)

Heat metal is a spell that induces extreme heat in any metal object, regardless of whether it conducts heat or not. This can compel individuals holding or wearing metal items to either release them or remove them from therir person, or else face damage from the intense heat. For those wearing metal armor, it's often impossible to remove it within the spell's duration, rendering them especially susceptible to its effects.

Heat Metal

Range	40 ft.
Duration	5 rounds
Area of Effect	1 hex per level
Casting Time	1 round
Saving Throw	none
Level	druid (2nd)

Padded chausses and hauberks provide a degree of protection against the spell, as these are worn under metal armour. This allows experienced combatants to endure the spell's effects without facing life-threatening damage. However, individuals with less training or experience may react with panic when subjected to the intense heat, attempting to hastily remove their armour. Unfortunately, this panicked action can lead to suffering a fatal amount of damage from the spell's effects.

"Metal armour" includes studded leather, ring, scale, chain, banded, splinted and plate armours. Damage accruing to studded leather is half that of other types.

Creatures with fire-based abilities and immunity to fire are unaffected by the spell.

Effects

When casting the spell, the caster selects which combat hexes are to be affected, within the spell's range. Once the spell is discharged, the metal in those hexes begins to heat — even if, after discharge, the metal is removed to another place. The spell's effect lasts over a period of five rounds. During this time, affected persons can do nothing except divest themselves of pieces of metal or endure the heat. The effects of each round are as follows:

Round 1: The immediate effect of the armour's warming is noticable. Recipients are compelled to drop any metal objects they're holding, and retreat from metal fixtures such as gates, pumps, lattices and iron doors. Any physical contact with the heated metal causes 1-3 damage. This includes a helmet or shield, along with objects worn about the body, such as eye-glasses, jewellery, bracers and so on. Each such object requires 1 action point (AP) to cast off, with the exception of a shield, which requires 3 AP.

A helmet may be cast off in one round, but victims trying to remove armour will find it takes too long (12 AP per point of protection). Using one's hands will result in a loss of hit points. Using leather guantlets lowers the hit points lost to 1-2. Similarly, attempting to cool the armour by leaping into water or snow also similarly reduces damage. Padded chausses and hauberk protects the wearer of armour for this round only.

Round 2: Recipients still in contact with metal suffer 1-6 damage this round; 1-4 if wearing metal armour atop padded chausses and hauberk. Creatures made of metal, or which have metal as an integral part of their structure suffer 2-8 damage this round. Those who are stunned by this damage must make a saving throw vs. paralysation or fall unconscious; damage continues to accrue in subsequent rounds.

Rounds 3 to 5: As the metal reaches it's peak temperature, recipients still in contact with metal suffer 1-8 damage during each of these three rounds; 1-6 if wearing metal armour atop padded chausses and hauberk. Creatures made of metal suffer 2-12 damage. Normal objects in contact with the metal must make a saving throw vs. normal fire each round, or be scorched and lose half their worth. Objects like metal doors or nails lose half their defensive value from the spell's effect.

Thereafter, the effect ends and affected metal cools quickly. No further damage is suffered. Those who have undergone the ordeal must make a morale boldness check or else take flight; this may result in other unaffected persons making panic checks.

Spell Resistance

resist fire rendered persons immune to damage cause by heat metal, though the metal's temperature is in no way affected by the spell — meaning that the character's possessions must still make saving throws, unless their contact with the metal is ended.

endure heat also acts as protective enchantment, reducing all damage suffered by 2 points per round (potentially to zero), while carried items are exempt from making saving throws.

Creatures with natural immunities to fire or heat are entirely unaffected by the heat metal spell.

Other Uses

Through the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds, heated metal becomes pliable enough to be moderately reshaped or even broken using common tools like an ordinary hammer and anvil. This allows the spell to be used as a way to adjust pieces of metal for shaping in the field, sharpening blades or otherwise making small repairs, by those who understand how. Additionally, heated rivets can be pounded in place while heated, creating permanent joints, by those with construction skill. These benefits hint at other uses for the spell that may not be immediately evident, apart from it's benefit in attacking persons.

Reverse

The reverse of the spell, chill metal, produces nearly all the same effects as the spell described above, except that hit point damage from cold is reduced by one-half. Creatures affected by the chilling are made numb by the damage, however, so that during the 6th and 7th rounds, they are -3 to hit with weapons.

Struck metal objects or creatures that have been chilled by the spell have a -2 save vs. crushing blow. Creatures with cold-based abilities or an immunity to cold are unaffected by chill metal.