Steal the Painful Memory

Sometimes a trial reveals information best left unknown. Perhaps a village doesn’t want to remember a particularly horrible murder, or the shameful act of one of its members. In this case, a powerful inquisitor or cleric can use steal the painful memory to remove all recollection of the event from the minds of the community.

Crime and Punishment
Author Keith Baker
Series Campaign Style
Publisher Atlas Games
Publish date 2003

Enchantment [Judicial Curse, Mind-Altering]

Level: Cleric 7, Inquistior 6
Components: V, S, XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Special (1 mile/level + 1 mile/point of ceremonial force)
Target: See text
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

Steal the painful memory allows you to strip away all memories of a particular event. You must be able to describe the event in approximately 12 words or less.

For example, any of the following would work: “

Forget that Shaeryn ever existed;” “Forget that Shaeryn was murdered;” or “Forget that Prince Korrin murdered Shaeryn.” The gap in memory will be filled in by the simplest solution, and all people affected by the spell will share this memory. Told to forget a murder, they will believe that the victim moved away; told to forget the identity of the murderer, they will believe that the crime was never solved or that the murderer was a stranger who escaped.

The targets of steal the painful memory must be linked in some way. They could be members of the same community, the same guild, the same religion, or the same party of adventurers. The basic spell can affect up to 100 people; every additional point of ceremonial force can add up to 250 people to the effect. The power of the spell spreads out in a radius from your location until it reaches the maximum range or has affected the maximum number of targets. This spell is intended to be used against willing targets. When the effect occurs, the targets will have a sense of the memory that’s to be lost; if a target chooses to resist, he may make a Will save with a +10 circumstance bonus to negate the effect. If the targets are within your line of sight when you cast the spell, you will know if they choose to resist it; otherwise, you’re not aware of the success or failure of the ritual.

Remove curse restores the memories of a single individual, but he must choose to cooperate and the caster level must at least match your caster level. limited wish restores stolen memories to a single person, while wish or miracle restores memories to all victims of an affected community. Steal the painful memory is a judicial curse; the saving throw of the spell can be increased through the use of ceremonial force.

XP Cost: 1,000 XP