Snakes to Sticks
I wrote this after a friend asked me if I thought anyone had ever cast snakes to sticks in D&D. Now keep in mind that this spell, which was the opposite of sticks to snakes, an offensive spell, would have had to be prepared separately. It's only effect would be to turn a number of snakes into sticks for a period of time. I came up with the following, larger than life, scenario:
Snake Island is getting dangerously close to becoming flooded, and the omens abound that the dark and sad day is set for tomorrow. The wizards of the world had received this via a dream, and many had come prepared with various portals and teleportation spells ready to get the clerics to the island. Some of the weather domain casters had decided to come over in boats, but with the horde of snakes on the island, most would be crushed if transported off en mass, and most would drown if they weren't. So the wizards and the clerics banded together.
The clerics and druids of the world had received a similarly charged dream, and came prepared with a very specialized spell, one that had never been cast in such volume before, and would likely never be again. Snakes to Sticks was the incantation of the day, stored at a variety of levels, in order to save the variety of snakes on the island, from big to small. The hordes approached the boats peacefully, to be vego-frozen for the trip and unloaded onto a neighboring island that was much higher off the water line.
In the end, the entire population of the island was saved and safely transported, a feat of heroism that is still celebrated every year to this day. The manner by which it is celebrated is a bit of a curiosity. Every year on Snake Island Day, clerics prepare one casting of snakes to sticks, and if they encounter a snake, cast it on the snake and proceed to pick up the sticksnek and carry it around until the spell ends, pushing down on the head of the snake periodically (to preserve the general integrity of another curse requiring the serpents' heads to be crushed) until the spell wears off and the snake is cast away. Usually at this time a playful hiss is heard, which prompts any other snakes in the area to give chase to the cleric, now comically running, with hand on hat, knees high, or some other signature Snake Island Day running routine.
Interestingly enough, this is also the only day you'll see snakes and lizards teaming up as well, calling off their respective normal predator/prey relationships as lizards will join the chase, prized for their ability to shake their fists at the fleeing cleric.
Snake Island is getting dangerously close to becoming flooded, and the omens abound that the dark and sad day is set for tomorrow. The wizards of the world had received this via a dream, and many had come prepared with various portals and teleportation spells ready to get the clerics to the island. Some of the weather domain casters had decided to come over in boats, but with the horde of snakes on the island, most would be crushed if transported off en mass, and most would drown if they weren't. So the wizards and the clerics banded together.
The clerics and druids of the world had received a similarly charged dream, and came prepared with a very specialized spell, one that had never been cast in such volume before, and would likely never be again. Snakes to Sticks was the incantation of the day, stored at a variety of levels, in order to save the variety of snakes on the island, from big to small. The hordes approached the boats peacefully, to be vego-frozen for the trip and unloaded onto a neighboring island that was much higher off the water line.
In the end, the entire population of the island was saved and safely transported, a feat of heroism that is still celebrated every year to this day. The manner by which it is celebrated is a bit of a curiosity. Every year on Snake Island Day, clerics prepare one casting of snakes to sticks, and if they encounter a snake, cast it on the snake and proceed to pick up the sticksnek and carry it around until the spell ends, pushing down on the head of the snake periodically (to preserve the general integrity of another curse requiring the serpents' heads to be crushed) until the spell wears off and the snake is cast away. Usually at this time a playful hiss is heard, which prompts any other snakes in the area to give chase to the cleric, now comically running, with hand on hat, knees high, or some other signature Snake Island Day running routine.
Interestingly enough, this is also the only day you'll see snakes and lizards teaming up as well, calling off their respective normal predator/prey relationships as lizards will join the chase, prized for their ability to shake their fists at the fleeing cleric.
Comments
Post a Comment