Abjuration · Legacy Divine Suppression
Greater Arcane Prohibition
Greater Arcane Prohibition surrounds the caster with divine power that gives arcane spellcasters inside the area a 95% chance of spell failure. It inherits the lesser spell’s casting time, area and duration, but its costly platinum discs replace the lesser gold components. Existing spells are not removed by entering the ward.
Greater Arcane Prohibition at a Glance
| D&D 5.5e / 2024 | No official same-named spell in SRD 5.2.1 |
|---|---|
| D&D 5e / 2014 | No core spell by this exact name |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not a default Pathfinder spell |
| Legacy d20 | Cleric 8; 95% arcane spell failure; 10 minutes/level; eight platinum discs worth 500 gp |
Spell Rules by Edition
D&D 2024 — No Direct Spell
There is no published spell named Greater Arcane Prohibition in SRD 5.2.1. The older 95% arcane spell-failure procedure is not a modern Counterspell, Antimagic Field or general spellcasting condition. It must not be imported without an explicit homebrew conversion.
D&D 2014 — No Direct Spell
The 2014 core spell lists contain no same-named spell. Use the edition’s own Counterspell and Antimagic Field mechanics, whose areas, durations and effects differ. This is a historical status panel, not an invented 2014 spell.
Pathfinder 1e — Not Default Spell Access
This third-party legacy Cleric spell is not automatically a Pathfinder spell, even though Pathfinder has arcane casters and abjuration magic. Any Pathfinder adaptation requires GM approval, including the definition of an arcane spellcasting attempt and how the failure check interacts with spell resistance and prepared spells.
Original Legacy d20 Rules
| School | Abjuration |
|---|---|
| Level | Cleric 8 |
| Components | V, S, M, DF |
| Casting Time | 1 round, inherited from Arcane Prohibition |
| Range | 10 feet, as listed in the lesser spell |
| Area | 10-foot-per-level radius emanation from the caster |
| Duration | 10 minutes/level |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Spell Resistance | Yes |
| Material | Eight platinum discs inscribed with arcane symbols, costing 500 gp |
As Arcane Prohibition, but an arcane spellcaster attempting a spell within the area suffers a 95% spell-failure chance rather than 50%. An arcane spell that succeeds in the area functions normally. Previously cast arcane spells do not automatically fail or end when they or their casters enter the region.
The base spell describes the air crackling like a gathering storm and a faint golden shimmer across the protected area. Greater Arcane Prohibition retains this appearance unless the Games Master describes a stronger effect. Its component substitutes eight inscribed platinum discs worth 500 gp for the lesser spell’s eight gold discs worth 100 gp.
Greater and Lesser Arcane Prohibition Compared
| Rule | Arcane Prohibition | Greater Arcane Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy spell level | Cleric 6 | Cleric 8 |
| Arcane spell failure | 50% | 95% |
| Area and duration | 10-ft./level radius; 10 min./level | Same |
| Material components | Eight inscribed gold discs, 100 gp | Eight inscribed platinum discs, 500 gp |
| Already-active spells | Not automatically suppressed | Not automatically suppressed |
The higher level increases the probability of failure when arcane magic is newly attempted. It does not turn the field into a universal dispel or a barrier that destroys spell effects.
Using Greater Arcane Prohibition in Play
A defender protecting a royal council chamber can erect this ward before negotiating with hostile sorcerers. The room becomes difficult ground for anyone relying on arcane spellcasting; a previously active disguise or protective charm, however, does not vanish merely because its bearer walks inside. This creates a real choice between preparing magical defences beforehand and attempting a fresh spell under pressure.
Because the ward lasts ten minutes per caster level, a competent defender may put it in place ahead of a confrontation. An infiltrating wizard who recognises the golden shimmer can move outside the boundary to cast a spell, rely on magic already active or seek another entrance. Ordinary weapons and tactics remain significant.
For an eighth-level spell to feel rare, the source’s platinum-disc component matters. If the discs are not available, the caster cannot assume that an ordinary handful of coins will fulfil the exact original requirement.
Worked Rules Example
A 15th-level caster completes Greater Arcane Prohibition. Under the inherited base rules, the area has a radius of 150 feet and lasts 150 minutes. An enemy wizard inside the area attempts an arcane spell: apply the specified 95% failure check. If the attempt survives that check and is otherwise legal, the spell works as written.
A magic shield placed on the wizard before entering the area remains active; Greater Arcane Prohibition does not retroactively dispel it. If the wizard retreats beyond the protected area and then casts, the ward’s area-based arcane failure chance no longer applies to that attempt. This example uses the third-party legacy rules, not the procedures of any fifth-edition spell.
Counterplay and GM Rulings
- Arcane only: the printed penalty applies to arcane spells cast inside the area, not every supernatural ability or every divine spell.
- Previously active magic: the field does not automatically end arcane magic already cast, including when its owner enters the zone.
- Spell failure is not a counterspell: apply the original probability to a new casting attempt in addition to any other legal resolution steps.
- Location: the zone is an emanation from the caster, with the inherited range and radius. Do not assume a permanent independent ward anchored to the discs.
- Material cost: eight marked platinum discs costing 500 gp are required by the printed source.
- Edition boundary: do not treat the 95% failure chance as a 2024 concentration check, saving throw or general condition.
Related Magic
Arcane Prohibition · Antimagic Field · Dispel Magic · Magic index
Mythical Context
Hecate was associated with doorways, boundaries and magic in ancient Greece. A ring of stronger seals around a forbidden place echoes this idea of guarding a threshold. See the classical account of Hecate’s boundary shrines.
Historical Context
Late Roman engraved gemstones preserve protective signs and inscriptions. A British Museum gem combines serpents, an ouroboros and a key, suggesting how signs could symbolise security. It does not verify magical barriers. See the British Museum’s engraved amulet.
Rules Sources and Attribution
Original spell: Relics & Rituals: Olympus (2004), White Wolf Publishing / Sword & Sorcery Studios, credited in the archive to W. Jason Peck, Aaron Rosenberg, Christina Stiles and the book’s creative team. The contents are third-party legacy d20 rules, not an official spell in D&D 2014, D&D 2024 or Pathfinder 1e.
The original publisher’s rights and applicable licences govern its historical text. The mythological and museum references above offer cultural background rather than gameplay source rules.
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