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.

Casting

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. Those affected 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 armour protects the wearer of armour for this round only.

Round 2:

Round 2

Creatures stunned by damage this round must make a saving throw vs. paralysation or fall unconscious, while continuing to suffer damage in ensuing rounds. Those in contact with metal suffer 1-6 damage; those in armour, 1-4.

Creatures that are constructed of metal or which have metal as an integral part of their bodies suffer 2-8 damage this round.

Rounds 3 to 5

Affected metal reaches its peak temperature, causing 1-8 to those still in contact with metal and 1-6 to those wearing armour. Creatures made of metal suffer 2-12. Normal objects must make saving throw vs. normal fire for all three rounds or lose half their value; metal-based fortifications must save or lose half their strength.

Round 6 & After

The effect ends with the sixth round and affected metal cools quickly; no further damage is suffered. Those who have undergone the ordeal make a boldness check; this may set others to flight also. If they hold their ground, further attacks are made at -2 to hit — a state that lasts until full hit points are restored.

Defense Against

A resist fire spell makes those affect by heat metal immune to damage. Endure heat reduces all damage suffered each round by 2 points. Creatures that are immune to fire and heat aren't affected by the spell.

Forging & Breaking

Through the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds, heated metal will become soft enough that it can be moderately reshaped or broken using an ordinary hammer and anvil. If the spell is applied to a metal door, the door must make save vs. crushing blow if it's hit with a sledge hammer of at least 6 lbs. in weight. Heated rivets can be used to fix permanent joints between cool metal objects, with construction skill.

Chill Metal

The reverse of the spell, chill metal, produces nearly of the same effects as the spell described above, except that damage from the cold is reduced by 50%. Creatures affected by the chilling are made numb by the damage, so that they're -3 to hit following their morale check in the 6th round.

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