Witchcraft • Legacy Protective Rite
Bounty / Strength to the Unborn
This long-duration rite protects developing life through gestation or germination. It supports a pregnancy, seed or young plant by strengthening its ability to survive until birth or emergence.
Bounty / Strength to the Unborn at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not added to the Pathfinder Witch list by default |
| D&D 3.x Legacy | Cleric 4, Druid 4, Witch 4, Fertility 4 |
D&D 3.x Legacy Rules
| School | Necromancy in the legacy source |
|---|---|
| Level | Cleric 4, Druid 4, Witch 4, Fertility 4 |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Casting Time | 1 hour |
| Range | Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) |
| Target | One developing life form or planted area |
| Duration | Until birth or germination |
| Saving Throw | Fortitude negates; harmless |
| Spell Resistance | Yes; harmless |
A developing plant draws the nutrients it needs from the surrounding soil; a developing child draws them through the normal pregnancy. The spell does not drain life unnaturally, but the supporting environment or parent must meet the increased nutritional demand.
Under the legacy rules, inadequate nutrition can impose up to 1 temporary Constitution loss per month, to a maximum of 9, on the supporting parent. The caster also adds +1 per caster level to the developing life form’s Survival DC against hazards.
The protection ends once the child is born or the plant emerges. The material component is a parchment bearing protective symbols, burned in a cauldron during the rite.
Counterplay
The original spell identifies Withering Touch as its counter. Dispel Magic and Counterspell follow the normal rules of the edition being played rather than overriding that specific legacy interaction.
Edition Boundary
Pregnancy, Constitution loss and Survival DC mechanics are legacy rules only. No medical claim is implied, and no automatic 5e or Pathfinder conversion is assumed.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks.
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