Witchcraft • Legacy Animal Empowerment
Bull of Heaven (Bewitch Animal)
Bull of Heaven transforms one ordinary animal into a dramatically stronger supernatural servant for a short time. The name echoes the Mesopotamian Bull of Heaven, but the mechanics belong to the legacy Witch spell archive.
Bull of Heaven at a Glance
| 5.5e / 2024 | No direct conversion published here |
|---|---|
| 5e / 2014 | No direct conversion published here |
| Pathfinder 1e | Not a default Pathfinder Witch spell |
| D&D 3.x Legacy | Witch 5, Druid 5 |
Spell Rules by Edition
Bull of Heaven — 5.5e / 2024
Status: no conversion is published here. The sweeping ability-score boosts, template application and extra action are not modern 5.5e mechanics.
Bull of Heaven — 5e / 2014
Status: no direct core spell by this name.
Bull of Heaven — Pathfinder 1e
Status: not part of the default Pathfinder Witch list.
Bull of Heaven — D&D 3.x Legacy
| School | Transmutation |
|---|---|
| Level | Witch 5, Druid 5 |
| Components | V, S, M |
| Casting Time | 9 actions |
| Range | Touch |
| Target | One normal nonmagical animal |
| Duration | 10 minutes + 1 minute/level |
| Saving Throw | Will negates (harmless) |
| Spell Resistance | Yes (harmless) |
The animal gains +6 to each ability score and gains the celestial or fiendish template according to the caster’s alignment; a neutral caster chooses. It can follow simple commands and is treated as hasted under the legacy rules, gaining an extra partial action each round.
When the spell ends, the animal returns to its original state. If it dies while empowered, the legacy spell triggers Reincarnation after one week without the caster paying an XP cost.
Material component: scented oil rubbed over the animal.
What Changed?
No later-edition conversion is assumed. The universal +6 ability boost, celestial/fiendish template, legacy Haste action and automatic Reincarnation make this a particularly edition-sensitive spell.
Using Bull of Heaven in Play
The spell is a story-scale empowerment as much as a combat buff. It can turn a mundane mount, hunting animal or farm beast into a temporary supernatural champion capable of carrying out one simple mission.
Counterplay and Rulings
- The target must be a normal nonmagical animal.
- Simple commands do not grant human-level reasoning or speech.
- Dispel Magic ends the empowerment before its normal duration.
- Use the original edition’s Haste and template rules; do not import them into later editions.
Related Magic
Mythical Context
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the goddess Ishtar demands the Bull of Heaven to punish Gilgamesh, but he and Enkidu confront the formidable creature. The spell’s name calls up a particular myth of pride, divine anger and a beast sent against a city. See the British Museum’s clay tablet of Gilgamesh VI.
Historical Context
A chalcedony cylinder seal dated around 800–700 BCE portrays Gilgamesh and Enkidu fighting the Bull while Ishtar intervenes. This is a surviving object depicting the legend, not an account of a physically summoned celestial animal. See the British Museum’s Bull of Heaven cylinder seal.
Rules Sources and Licensing
Legacy source: Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks. The Bull of Heaven name evokes Mesopotamian myth; it does not make the spell part of historical religion.
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