Persistence
Name
Persistence
Type of Magic
Mage
Spell Level
7th
School
Invocation and Evocation (House Appius)
Sphere
Reversible?
No
Range
0
Components
Material, Somatic, Verbal
Duration
1 day/level
Casting Time
1 turn
Area of Effect
The caster
Saving Throw
None
Effects
Related to both the contingency and permanency spells, persistence allows a wizard to cast a spell of 6th level or lower and then hold it until it is needed. There are two general uses forpersistence: to use a personal spell effect as needed up to the maximum duration of thepersistence itself, or to prepare an instantaneous spell and hold it ready until the caster wishes to use it.
A. Personal effect. Any spell that augments the wizard’s natural abilities—detect magic, protection from evil, jump, infravision, fly, wraithform, or other caster‑affecting spells—can be made persistent by use of this spell. The wizard casts persistence and then immediately follows with the desired spell. Instead of taking effect immediately, the magic of the persistenceholds it ready for use by a simple act of will. The wizard can then “turn on” or “turn off” the girded spell as often as he likes over the course of the duration of the persistence. The duration of the girded spell only runs while the spell is active, so a 15th‑level wizard who makes a fly spellpersistent will be able to use 1d6+15 turns of flight (the normal duration of fly) over the next 15 days (the duration of the persistence) as he sees fit.
This is especially useful because it allows the wizard to cast the girded spell and the persistenceand have the girded spell’s effects available while he then memorizes another spell in place of the spell made persistent. It is also useful because the girded spell can be activated instantly by an act of will. The main difference between this spell and contingency lies in the fact that a persistentspell may be invoked several times (up to the limit of its normal duration) while a contingencyfunctions once only.
B. Held spell. Spells that have an instantaneous effect, such as most attack spells and some movement spells like teleport or dimension door, can be rendered persistent as well. The held spell may be activated or discharged at any time during the duration of the persistence, but its magic is then exhausted as if it had been cast normally. This resembles the effect of a contingencyspell, but the effect has no predefined conditions and simply occurs when the caster wills it to.
Damaging or offensive spells that have a duration (for example, flaming sphere or wall of fire) cannot be rendered persistent. A wizard may have no more than one persistence spell active at any given time; if he girds a new spell while an old one is still persistent, the old spell is simply replaced by the new one. The material component is a crystal chalice of exquisite workmanship worth at least 2,000 gp. The material component of a held or girded spell is expended when the spell is made persistent.
