Reticulating Splines (3.5e Spell)

''You've always wanted to visit the desert. Why not bring the desert to you?''

This spell terraforms the surrounding 2 miles of land into a new terrain type. It takes 10 minutes to cast the spell and an additional 30 minutes for the effects to fully manifest, as the ground warps, trees and plants grow or wither, buildings are moved, and water levels are altered. You can change the terrain to any non-planar terrain type (Aquatic, Desert, Forest, Hill, Marshes, Mountains, Plains, or Underground) as well as determine how intense or sparse terrain features are (such as density of flora, height of the water table, and so forth). Aquatic terrain forms basins filled with water, while underground terrain merely opens up cave structures underneath the pre-existing terrain. Fine detail cannot be established and is essentially random in how the new terrain generates.

Pre-existing fauna and structures remain during the change. Buildings are not damaged during the process even as the ground reshapes below them, and they always have a stable surface below them after the change so the spell cannot be used to level cities. For example, a tower whose terrain changes to swamplands is situated on a small patch of stable land in a place otherwise dominated by marsh. Pre-existing animals remain but may find the new terrain uninhabitable and quickly move out. The terrain generates its own appropriate flora, but not fauna.

Local weather determines the temperature band the new terrain forms. A forest near the equator tends to form jungles, while forests in the frozen north may produce pine forests and evergreens. Once changed, the new terrain remains forever. If violently at odds with the surrounding environment its changes may be reclaimed by the rest of the terrain through normal geologic processes.

A druid casting this spell changes over 15 minutes instead of 30, and affects a circle with a 3-mile radius. Focus: A globe made out of specialized clays worth 250 gp or a divine focus