By means of this spell, a wizard can force a creature or object into the very earth or floor upon which it stands. When casting the spell, the wizard must chant the spell for the remainder of the round without interruption. At that juncture, the subject creature or object becomes rooted to the spot unless a saving throw vs. spell (for a creature) or disintegration (for an object with magical properties) is successful. (Note: "magical properties" include those of magical items as listed in theDungeon Master Guide, those of items enchanted or otherwise of magical origin, and those of items with protection-type spells or with permanent magical properties or similar spells upon them.) Items of a nonmagical nature are not entitled to a saving throw. If a subject fails its saving throw, it becomes of slightly greater density than the surface upon which it stands.
The spellcaster now has the option of ceasing his spell and leaving the subject as it is, in which case the spell expires in four turns, and the subject returns to normal. If the caster proceeds with the spell (into the next round), the subject begins to sink slowly into the ground. Before any actions are taken in the new round, the subject sinks one-quarter of its height; after the first group acts, another quarter; after the second group acts, another; and at the end of the round, the victim is totally sunken into the ground.
This entombment places a creature or object in a state of suspended animation. The cessation of time means that the subject does not grow older. Bodily and other functions virtually cease, but the subject is otherwise unharmed. The subject exists in undamaged form in the surface into which it was sunk, its upper point as far beneath the surface as the subject has height--a 6-foot-tall victim will be 6 feet beneath the surface, while a 60-foot-tall subject will have its uppermost point 60 feet below ground level. If the ground around the subject is somehow removed, the spell is broken and the subject returns to normal, but it does not rise up. Spells such as dig, transmute rock to mud, and freedom (the reverse of the 9th-level spell imprisonment) will not harm the sunken creature or object and will often be helpful in recovering it. If a detect magic spell is cast over an area upon which a sink spell was used, it reveals a faint magical aura of undefinable nature, even if the subject is beyond detection range. If the subject is within range of the detection, the spell's schools can be discovered (alteration and enchantment).
