Sentry Skull
NecromancyNecromancy spells manipulate the power of death, unlife, and the life force. Spells involving undead creatures make up a large part of this school.
[ EvilSpells that draw upon evil powers or conjure creatures from evil-aligned planes or with the evil subtype should have the evil descriptor.]
Available to
- Casting Time
- 1 hourMost 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 (an onyx gem worth at least 10 gp)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.Full rule on Archives of Nethys ↗
- Range
- touchHow 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
- severed head touchedHow 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
- permanent (D); see textHow 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
- noneIf 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
- noWhether 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 ↗
You restore the senses to the severed head of a humanoid or monstrous humanoid killed within the past 24 hours, creating a grisly sentinel. The head must be affixed to a pole, spear, tree branch, or other stable object, and the spell ends if the head or its object is moved. The head has darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision, can swivel in place to look in any direction, and has a +5 bonus on Perception checks.
If you are within 30 feet of the head, as a standard action you can shift your senses to it, seeing and hearing from its location and gaining the benefit of its darkvision and low-light vision, and you may use its Perception skill instead of your own. While your senses are in the severed head, your body is blind and deaf until you spend a free action to shift your senses back to your own body.
When you create the head, you can imprint it with a single triggering condition, similar to magic mouth. Once this triggering condition is set, it can never be changed. If you are within 30 feet of the head, you immediately know if it is triggered (if you have multiple active sentry skulls, you also know which one was triggered). This wakens you from normal sleep but does not otherwise disturb your concentration. For example, you could have a sentry skull alert you if any humanoid comes into view, if a particular rival approaches, if your guard animal is killed, and so on, as long as it occurs where the severed head can see it.
This spell does not give the head any ability to speak, think, or take any kind of action other than to turn itself, though it is a suitable target for other spells such as magic mouth.
If you are within 30 feet of the head, as a standard action you can shift your senses to it, seeing and hearing from its location and gaining the benefit of its darkvision and low-light vision, and you may use its Perception skill instead of your own. While your senses are in the severed head, your body is blind and deaf until you spend a free action to shift your senses back to your own body.
When you create the head, you can imprint it with a single triggering condition, similar to magic mouth. Once this triggering condition is set, it can never be changed. If you are within 30 feet of the head, you immediately know if it is triggered (if you have multiple active sentry skulls, you also know which one was triggered). This wakens you from normal sleep but does not otherwise disturb your concentration. For example, you could have a sentry skull alert you if any humanoid comes into view, if a particular rival approaches, if your guard animal is killed, and so on, as long as it occurs where the severed head can see it.
This spell does not give the head any ability to speak, think, or take any kind of action other than to turn itself, though it is a suitable target for other spells such as magic mouth.