Planar Bestiary
An errant spell that fails to find its target, a shattered magic item that releases its stored energy, or even the decree of a powerful entity whose words stir base material to animation can create a spell incarnate. Imprinting slightly on the nearest intelligent mind as they form, a spell incarnate often appears as a shadowy silhouette of a vague humanoid shape, a shape constantly discharging jagged bolts of violet and sapphire power into their environment.
A spell incarnate formed from miscast magic may be on the lookout for the target of their origin spell to bring their purpose to fruition. Alternatively, if the nucleus of the being was copied from the mind of a living creature as they formed, a spell incarnate may have one or more hazily recalled goals of that creature.
A spell incarnate doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Motive: Varies by individual, but all are attracted to magic
Environment: Anywhere in the multiverse
Health: 22
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Short when flying
Modifications: Magical lore as level 7
Combat: The spell incarnate attacks twice with short-range magic shards of cutting force, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points) (ignores Armor).
Every few rounds, the spell incarnate can attack all creatures within immediate range with an explosion of their shards, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points) (ignores Armor) on targets that fail a Speed defense task.
Whenever the spell incarnate is subjected to damage directly dealt by a spell or magic special ability, they take no damage and instead regain the damage they would have taken as health.
A spell incarnate can use their action, with an allied spellcaster's permission, to diffuse into pure energy and take up residence in the character's Intellect Pool (or whatever Pool the character uses to pay for most of their magical special abilities). A spellcaster hosting an incarnate spell has 4 extra points to their Intellect (or other spellcasting) Pool, but can't use those points for any purpose other than casting the spell incarnate's core spell (see box). When the ability is used (when the spellcaster chooses), the spellcaster deducts those 4 Pool points and the spell incarnate reforms physically next to the caster. If the spellcaster hosting an incarnate spell takes damage that would reduce the inhabited pool to 3 or less, the damage is nullified instead of being taken (protecting both the spell and the spellcaster).
A spell incarnate may choose to unleash their core spell without a spellcaster intermediary host. If they do, they disperse into the energy of the spell and are gone. There is a 50% chance that the spell incarnate reforms in about three days where they lost cohesion. Otherwise, they're gone for good.
Interaction: Spell incarnates each have their own personality. However, all enjoy feeding on magical energy. Some may attack spellcasters, hoping to consume the spells uncast. Others are content to allow a mage to cast an offensive spell and drain the resultant magic as it comes into effect. And some search for characters willing to host them so the host character can trigger their core spell without risk to the spell incarnate. Hosted spell incarnates can mentally communicate with their hosts.
Use: A character receives a magical scroll. If read (implicitly granting permission to the encoded spell incarnate), the spell incarnate infests the character's Intellect Pool as described under Combat.
GM Intrusion: The spell incarnate inhabiting a character's spellcasting Pool grows impatient and casts themself, producing the core spell effect, and draining the 4 Pool points the incarnate spell gave the character. This severs the connection between the character and incarnate.
SPELL INCARNATE'S CORE SPELL
A spell incarnate is an intelligent version of one specific spell, such as magic that can call lightning, allow planar travel, or create an earthquake. Abilities found on the Masters Spells focus list, the Magic Flavor list, and many Adept abilities are appropriate, especially mid-tier or high-tier abilities. Regardless of the spell's regular cost and any Intellect Edge the caster might have, in this context the spell costs the caster 4 Intellect points. However, the caster doesn't spend their own Intellect, but rather the Intellect the incarnate spell brings with them.