Bleeding Edge (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Magic/Guardian Lord

Guardian LordEdit

The guardian lord ritual was a surprisingly common ritual in the past, but has since been forgotten and rediscovered only in small areas of influence. It can only be cast on a willing creature, and binds them to a particular area such as a dungeon, forest, or other environment. The creature becomes immortal and has no need for sustenance. They cannot leave this area, and often ends up settling into hibernation if left for long periods of time. They are used as guards to particular places, sometimes even having dungeons built around them if needed.

Guardian lords affect the environment around them in subtle ways. For example, a treant guardian lord may coat the castle it protects in vines and moss. Upon defeat of the guardian lord, these effects crumble and vanish. Rarely, there are cases where a guardian lord perishes, removing the support structures of a dungeon in the process and causing the thing to collapse.

The ritual is associated with no one, and is believed to have been created by a powerful spellcaster of ages past. It does explain how dungeons can have creatures waiting in a single room for thousands of years with no sustenance.

Effective Spell Level: 5th (Universal)
Casting Time: 1 hour
Pre-Requisites: 250 gp per HD of various magical dust (material components), must take place in a defined area or structure.