On the Effects of Magic, 1st level Wizard

This series was originally published in April of 2014.  This is part of an effort to update and archive these posts on the "Links to Wisdom" wiki. It is also available for a free download at DTRPG.

The magical energies contained in the brain could cause side effects. When the wizard acts as a conduit there are risks. As these are first level side-effects, the results should be minor. But higher levels of spells could certainly have more powerful or more far reaching side effects.

This makes wizards somewhat more unique based on the spells they know and can prepare. It also can make them more useful or somewhat of a liability.

Here is a listing of those side effects:


  • Affect Normal Fires: Light wisps of smoke rise from wizards collar
  • Burning Hands: The wizards hands are warm and sweat oil
  • Charm Person: The wizards voice become mildly hypnotic.
  • Comprehend Languages: The wizard experiences a slight delay in hearing all auditory phenomena
  • Dancing lights: When in motion, the wizard appears to shimmer momentarily in multi-colored light
  • Detect Magic: The wizard's sight becomes slightly blurry
  • Enlarge: The wizard becomes slightly larger, and when hit his skin bulges strangely
  • Erase: The wizard's clothes become slightly washed out in appearance
  • Feather Fall: The wizard has the same mass, but weighs ten pounds less
  • Find Familiar: A strange forest scent exudes from the wizard
  • Friends: The wizard's teeth become whiter and straighter, his hair appears luxurious and rich, and he smells good.
  • Hold Portal: The wizard's hair knots at the tips
  • Identify: While memorized his eyes become slightly larger
  • Jump: The wizard's skin becomes slightly elastic
  • Light: The character's skin becomes mildly luminescent. Not enough to illuminate his current space, but in a pitch black room, you could eventually make out his features. 
    • Alternately, his eyes may cast a dim light
  • Magic Missile: The wizard gains a slight echo to his voice.
    • Alternately, flickers of force may appear across his hands and arms
  • Mending: The wizard's clothing shrinks a size
  • Message: The wizard speaks with a mild rasp while this spell is prepared
  • Nystul's Magic Aura: The wizard radiates magic if detected
  • Protection from Evil: The wizard's skin takes on a dimensional sheen
  • Push: The wizard's skin actually repulses nearby object. His hands no longer grasp things directly, there is a very small (~1mm) invisible force surrounding the wizards skin. This does not protect the wizard from spells, weapons, or hazardous materials
  • Read Magic: When the wizard speaks, runes appear in the air for just a split second
  • Shield: The wizard's testicles shrink to the size of peas
  • Shocking Grasp: The wizard is charged with static electricity, zapping anything he touches
  • Sleep: The wizard become tired and his voice is somewhat monotone
  • Spider Climb: The wizard's hands are sticky as if he had just recently eaten an apple or some ice cream
  • Tenser's Floating Disc: The objects carried by the wizard are weirdly supported, seeming to be held up by invisible wires. This does not directly affect the encumbrance of the wizard (although it may reduce the effective encumbrance of items with bulk)
  • Unseen Servant: Objects will fall of tables and jump up out of sheathes without warning
  • Write: The wizard's hands appear inkstained.


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