Abjuration
Level: Clr 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target or Area: Object touched or up to 5
sq. ft./level
Duration: Permanent until discharged
(D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No (object) and Yes; see
text
This powerful inscription harms those who enter, pass, or open the warded area or
object. A glyph of warding can guard a bridge or passage, ward a portal, trap a
chest or box, and so on.
You set the conditions of the ward. Typically, any creature entering the warded
area or opening the warded object without speaking a password (which you set when
casting the spell) is subject to the magic it stores. Alternatively or in addition to a
password trigger, glyphs can be set according to physical characteristics (such
as height or weight) or creature type, subtype, or kind (such as aberration, drow,
or red dragon). Glyphs can also be set with respect to good, evil, law, or chaos, or to
pass those of your religion. They cannot be set according to class, Hit Dice, or level.
Glyphs respond to invisible creatures normally but are not triggered by those
who travel past them ethereally. Multiple glyphs cannot be cast on the same area.
However, if a cabinet has three drawers, each can be separately warded.
When casting the spell, you weave a tracery of faintly glowing lines around the
warding sigil. A glyph can be placed to conform to any shape up to the limitations
of your total square footage. When the spell is completed, the glyph and tracery
become nearly invisible.
Glyphs cannot be affected or bypassed by such means as physical or magical probing,
though they can be dispelled. Mislead, polymorph, and nondetection (and similar magi-
cal effects) can fool a glyph, though non-magical disguises and the like can’t.
Read magic allows you to identify a glyph of warding with a DC 13 Spellcraft check.
Identifying the glyph does not discharge it and allows you to know the basic nature of
the glyph (version, type of damage caused, what spell is stored).
The DM may decide that the exact glyphs available to you depend on your deity. He
or she might also make new glyphs available according to the magical research
rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Note: Magic traps such as glyph of warding are hard to detect and disable. A
rogue (only) can use the Search skill to find the glyph and Disable Device to
thwart it. The DC in each case is 25 + spell level, or 28 for glyph of warding.
Depending on the version selected, a glyph either blasts the intruder or activates
a spell.
Blast Glyph: A blast glyph deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum
5d8) to the intruder and to all within 5 feet of him or her. This damage is acid, cold,
fire, electricity, or sonic (caster’s choice, made at time of casting). Each creature
affected can attempt a Reflex save to take half damage. Spell resistance applies
against this effect.
Spell Glyph: You can store any harmful spell of 3rd level or lower that you know.
All level-dependent features of the spell are based on your caster level at the time of
casting the glyph. If the spell has a target, it targets the intruder. If the spell has an area
or an amorphous effect (such as a cloud), the area or effect is centered on the
intruder. If the spell summons creatures, they appear as close as possible to the
intruder and attack. Saving throws and spell resistance operate as normal, except
that the DC is based on the level of the spell stored in the glyph.
Material Component: You trace the glyph with incense, which must first be
sprinkled with powdered diamond worth at least 200 gp.
