Conjuration · Legacy Archery Domain
Arrowlink
Arrowlink lets a spellcaster deliver touch spells through arrows for one round per caster level. The archer must still cast the touch spell normally, then choose between a safer ranged touch attack that deals no arrow damage or a conventional attack that deals arrow damage but risks wasting the spell on a miss.
Arrowlink at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No official spell named Arrowlink in SRD 5.2.1 |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No core spell under this name |
| Pathfinder 1e | No official default Pathfinder spell by this name |
| Legacy d20 | Archery domain 5 · Conjuration · personal · one round per level |
Spell Rules by Edition
Arrowlink — 2024
Status: no official 2024 SRD spell named Arrowlink. Do not apply the legacy ranged-touch attack mechanic or assume this spell appears on a modern class list. A homebrew conversion would need its own action, attack, spell-slot and concentration rules.
Arrowlink — 2014
Status: there is no 2014 core spell by this exact name. Resolve touch spells and ranged weapon attacks using the 2014 rules independently; the old Archery-domain feature is not automatic spell access.
Arrowlink — Pathfinder 1e
Status: this Relics & Rituals: Olympus spell is not a default Pathfinder 1e spell. A Pathfinder adaptation requires the Games Master’s approval, including an explicit conversion of attack and spell-delivery actions.
Arrowlink — Original Legacy d20 Rules
| School | Conjuration |
|---|---|
| Level | Archery 5 in Relics & Rituals: Olympus |
| Components | V, S, DF |
| Casting Time | 1 standard action |
| Range | Personal |
| Target | You |
| Duration | 1 round/level |
| Spell-delivery limit | 60 feet |
After this spell is cast, the caster may complete a subsequent touch spell by shooting one arrow at a creature within 60 feet. Casting the touch spell still takes its usual action and provokes an attack of opportunity under the original legacy procedure.
| How to deliver the touch spell | If the arrow hits | If it misses |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged touch attack | Deliver the spell; the arrow deals no physical damage | The attempt fails under the source’s procedure |
| Normal ranged attack | Deliver the spell and deal ordinary arrow damage | The spell is wasted |
Use the caster’s usual bonuses for firing the arrow under this legacy edition. The arrow itself can be fired beyond 60 feet, but it cannot deliver the magic at that distance.
What Changed Between Editions?
Only the original third-party d20 entry provides these mechanics. Pathfinder and both fifth-edition panels record the absence of an official same-named spell. The legacy distinction between a ranged touch attack and a normal arrow attack must not be replaced by a modern attack-roll rule without a separate conversion.
Using Arrowlink in Play
Arrowlink is useful to an archer-mage who cannot safely reach an ally or an enemy. Cast it before engagement when possible, then decide whether a touch spell needs reliable delivery or whether dealing arrow damage is worth the risk of losing the spell. The 60-foot spell-delivery limit creates a tactical choice: an archer can still shoot a distant foe, but the enchantment cannot carry the spell that far.
In a fight across a broken bridge, a spellcaster might use a ranged touch attack to land a healing or harmful touch spell on a target who cannot be reached on foot. Against a heavily defended guardian, choosing the ordinary ranged attack may be tempting, but a missed arrow wastes the magic. A GM should resolve line of sight, cover and the original spell’s targets before the arrow is released.
Counterplay and GM Rulings
- Do not merge actions: the original spell does not grant an unlimited number of free spells or attacks; each carried touch spell must still be cast.
- Deliver within 60 feet: an ordinary arrow can travel farther, but cannot convey this spell past its printed limit.
- Choice of attack: only the normal ranged attack also deals arrow damage; a ranged touch delivery causes no arrow damage.
- Interruptions: apply the edition’s original casting and attack-of-opportunity rules. The effect is not automatically a fifth-edition concentration spell.
- Special arrows: magic ammunition must not be assumed to add unrelated powers to Arrowlink without the item rules being checked.
Related Magic
Greater Arrowlink extends the original concept beyond the 60-foot limit. Compare Arrowfire for an energy-empowered arrow and Arrowspark for a different kind of enchanted projectile.
Mythical Context
In Greek mythology, Hermes guides travellers and carries messages across boundaries. An archer who transmits a touch spell through a shaft becomes another kind of herald, sending contact magic where the caster’s hand cannot reach. See the Met’s relief identifying Hermes by his caduceus.
Historical Context
Ancient arrowheads survive in recognisably different forms, including socketed and tanged metal points. A sixth-to-fourth-century BCE Greek or Achaemenid bronze example demonstrates the real projectile technology beneath Arrowlink’s impossible spell-carrying effect. See the Metropolitan Museum’s ancient socketed arrowhead.
Rules Sources and Attribution
Original spell: Relics & Rituals: Olympus (2004), White Wolf Publishing / Sword & Sorcery Studios. Credited authors W. Jason Peck, Aaron Rosenberg, Christina Stiles and the Relics & Rituals: Olympus team. The rules above are described as historical third-party d20 material, not as official D&D 2024, D&D 2014 or Pathfinder mechanics.
Original archived wording and source credit
For the duration of the spell, you can cast touch spells through your arrows.
Relics & Rituals: Olympus
© 2004 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Distributed for Sword and Sorcery Studios by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
By W. Jason Peck, Aaron Rosenberg, Christina Stiles and Relics & Rituals: Olympus team
Conjuration
Level: Archery 5
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round/level
You must still cast the spell as usual (as a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity), but instead of completing the spell by making a touch attack, you complete the spell by firing a single arrow at the target. You may only deliver a touch spell through an arrowlink if the target is within 60 feet; you may attack targets as usual if they are beyond that range, but the arrowlink cannot carry a spell that far.
When casting a touch spell through an arrowlink, you have one of two options: to deliver the spell as a ranged touch attack or as a standard attack. If you choose to deliver the spell as a ranged touch attack, you add your usual bonuses for firing a single arrow; if you succeed at the ranged touch attack, the spell is delivered, but the arrow causes no damage. If you choose to deliver the spell as a standard attack, the spell is wasted if you miss your attack, but a successful strike inflicts arrow damage as usual as well as delivering the spell.
Reuse of the original third-party wording must respect its applicable rights and original publication terms. ← Witch Spell Lists
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