Desiccate (3.5e Spell)

You place your hand upon the ground, upon which a wave of desiccation ripples through the earth, destroying plantlife, hardening soil until it cracks and splits apart, and drying even those that are in contact with the ground to lifeless husks.

Within the spell's area, plants and creatures of the Water subtype must make a Fortitude save or be instantly dried to death, whereas any living creature touching the ground simply takes 2d6 points of damage per caster level (Fortitude half). If a plant or water creature successfully saves against death, it is dealt damage as a living creature instead (no further save). Creatures of the Earth subtype, creatures without physical bodies or that otherwise don't contain water, and constructs of non-perishable matter are unaffected by the spell. As the caster of the spell, you are likewise unaffected by it, and may designate certain areas within the spell's area to be exempt of the spell's effects.

The desiccation effect from this spell is limited to the ground and objects touching the ground. Any creature that does not touch the ground or any other solid surface within the spell's range is not affected by the spell. Creatures standing on surfaces that cannot be eroded with this spell are likewise unaffected (see below).

Structures and Rock Formations: Desiccate dries up any earth, soil and foliage, and is capable of shattering even stone and most hard minerals, rendering them to parched sand and dust. Even architecture such as houses and bridges, as well as naturally occurring elevations such as cliffs can be collapsed or destroyed. The caster may designate what parts of a structure or natural formation to affect and what parts not to affect. In case of a structure larger than the spell's area, only the part of the structure within the area may be affected, although the rest of the structure can still collapse due to severe damage. Any creature caught inside a collapsing structure or cliff, or situated on a structure or cliff during collapse, takes 10d6 points of bludgeoning damage (Reflex DC 25 half), modified by any appropriate falling damage, and is pinned beneath the rubble (see below).

Solid Ground: Upon solid ground (either strong soil or stone), fissures open upon the ground, widening as the earth erodes into shoals of parched, hardened sand. Rivers, lakes, canals and marshes likewise start to dry up, water draining away in large crevices below them before drying out completely. Each creature standing in such areas must make a DC 25 Reflex save or fall down. Fissures open in the earth, and every creature on the ground has a 25% chance to fall into one (Reflex DC 25 to avoid a fissure). Unlike the earthquake spell, such desiccated crevices do not grind shut, but the loose shoals of rock cause creatures caught within them to be pinned beneath the rubble (see below). The caster can freely designate safe zones that do not collapse.

Underground Areas: When cast within a system of caverns or a dungeon, the caster may mentally designate any area within the area of his spell to collapse in on itself, dealing 10d6 points of bludgeoning damage to any creature caught under the cave-in (Reflex DC 25 half) and pinning that creature beneath the rubble (see below).

Pinned beneath Rubble: Any creature pinned beneath rubble takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per minute while pinned. If a pinned character falls unconscious, he or she must make a DC 15 Constitution check or take 1d6 points of lethal damage each minute thereafter until freed or dead.

Crystalline forms of minerals and composite materials like glass are unaffected by the spell, and so are any forms of worked metal. As such, the spell cannot be invoked in areas made predominantly of such substances, nor can it invoke any environmental effects in such areas.

Finally, after this spell has been successfully cast, the moisture drawn from the environment can be used to boost any one spell with the Water descriptor you cast within 1 round per two caster levels after casting desiccate. The spell in question is cast is empowered, maximized, and heightened by two levels with a +4 bonus to caster level. Any summoning spell so enhanced is not just heightened, but also treated as being a summoning spell of 2 levels higher (up to 11th, allowing multiple castings from the highest level of the appropriate summoning list).