Red Hand of the Killer
NecromancyNecromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures make up a large part of this school.
PFS Legal
Available to
- Casting Time
- 1 standard actionMost spells take 1 standard action; others list 1 round, 1 minute, or more, or use a swift or immediate action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Components
- V, S, M (a black candle), F (a corpse slain no more than 1 day ago per caster level)V (Verbal): A spoken incantation; you must be able to speak in a strong voice. A silence effect or a gag spoils it, and being deafened risks failure.S (Somatic): A precise movement of the hand; you must have at least one hand free to perform it.M (Material): One or more physical substances consumed by the casting. Cost is negligible — covered by your spell component pouch — unless a gp value is listed.F (Focus): A prop used during casting but, unlike a material component, not consumed — it can be reused. Negligible cost unless a price is given.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Range
- see textHow far the spell reaches. Close = 25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels; Medium = 100 ft + 10 ft/level; Long = 400 ft + 40 ft/level. Personal = yourself; Touch = a creature or object you touch.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Target
- one creatureHow the spell is aimed: a Target (specific creatures or objects), an Effect it creates (e.g. a wall or a summoned creature), or an Area shape (burst, cone, line, and so on). Some areas are shapeable. "Target or Area" means the spell uses either, at your choice.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Duration
- 1 day/level (D)How long it lasts. Instantaneous resolves at once; Concentration lasts while you keep focusing; Permanent lasts until dispelled. A trailing "(D)" means you can dismiss it as a standard action.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Saving Throw
- Will negatesIf a save is allowed, the target rolls Fortitude, Reflex, or Will: the result negates, gives partial, half, or no effect. "harmless" lets a willing target decline. Save DC = 10 + spell level + your casting ability modifier.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Spell Resistance
- yesWhether a creature's spell resistance can block the spell (Yes/No). For "harmless" spells a willing creature may lower its SR to be affected.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
Drawing upon the spiritual link between a corpse and its killer, you reach out across space to brand the killer of the corpse you used as a focus for this spell, creating a physical manifestation of the killer’s guilt.
The killer’s right hand becomes stained indelibly red, and this stain can’t be removed (although it can be hidden by magical or mundane means, such as disguise self or by wearing gloves). If the killer is not humanoid, or doesn’t have a right hand for some other reason, the spell instead causes a red stain in the shape of a hand to appear elsewhere on the creature’s body (typically on the chest).
This spell affects only the creature that directly killed the targeted corpse. Other individuals that contributed to the target’s death are unaffected, and if the victim did not die from violence or died indirectly (for instance, if the creature died from suffocating after someone trapped it in a room filling with water), then the spell has no effect. The killer can attempt a Will save to resist the spell’s effects. Distance is not a factor, but the killer must be on the same plane as you at the time you cast the spell, or the spell fails. Once a corpse has acted as the focus for red hand of the killer, it can never act as the focus for another casting of red hand of the killer.
The killer’s right hand becomes stained indelibly red, and this stain can’t be removed (although it can be hidden by magical or mundane means, such as disguise self or by wearing gloves). If the killer is not humanoid, or doesn’t have a right hand for some other reason, the spell instead causes a red stain in the shape of a hand to appear elsewhere on the creature’s body (typically on the chest).
This spell affects only the creature that directly killed the targeted corpse. Other individuals that contributed to the target’s death are unaffected, and if the victim did not die from violence or died indirectly (for instance, if the creature died from suffocating after someone trapped it in a room filling with water), then the spell has no effect. The killer can attempt a Will save to resist the spell’s effects. Distance is not a factor, but the killer must be on the same plane as you at the time you cast the spell, or the spell fails. Once a corpse has acted as the focus for red hand of the killer, it can never act as the focus for another casting of red hand of the killer.