Spook
(Illusion/Phantasm)
Level: 1
Range: 30 feet
Components: V,S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 1 segment
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Negates

A Spook spell enables the magic-user to play upon natural fears to cause the target creature to perceive the spellcaster as someone or something inimical. Without actually knowing what this is, the magic-user merely advances threateningly upon the creature. If the creature does not make a successful saving throw vs. spell, it turns and flees at maximum speed as far from the magic-user as possible, though items carried are not dropped.

The creature has a saving throw penalty of -1 for every two experience levels of the caster, to a maximum of -6 at 12th level. Note that a natural (unmodified) roll of 20 automatically succeeds, regardless of saving throw penalties. Although the caster does not actually pursue the fleeing creature, a phantasm from its own mind does. Each round after the initial casting, the creature receives another saving throw, without penalty, until it successfully saves and the spell is broken. In any event, the spell functions only against creatures with Intelligences of 2 or more, and undead are not affected at all.