Some of the most powerful and spectacular spells worked across Faerûn are cast in the form of Circle Magic. Perfected by the Red Wizards of Thay, Circle Magic is a type of cooperative spellcasting that allows the spellcaster leading the circle to increase their caster level significantly and achieve results otherwise unavailable to the spellcasters composing the circle. When you commit yourself to Circle Magic, you increase your devotion to a school of specialization. You must sacrifice study in one school of magic in order to gain Circle Magic benefits in another school of magic. Only the school of specialization gains the benefits of Circle Magic and you are no longer able to cast spells from the sacrificed school.
Participation
One spellcaster, usually the most powerful, stands at the center of the circle. A circle requires two participants plus the circle leader. At level 17, a character can lead a great circle as the circle leader, which can have up to four participants plus the circle leader.
Circle Powers
The first use of circle magic is to empower the circle leader with the strength of all the participants. This is a ritual that requires 1 full hour of uninterrupted concentration on the part of all participants and the circle leader. All participants in a circle must stand within 10 feet of the circle leader. At the end of period of concentration, each participant casts any single prepared spell, which is consumed by the circle and has no effect other than expending the spell slot. The level of the spell slot expended by each circle participants is divided by two (rounded down) and is considered a bonus level. Bonus levels may be used to accomplish the following effects:
- Increase the power of one of the circle leader’s spells. One of the circle leader's available spell slots is increased by one level for every bonus level obtained during the empowerment (to a maximum 9th level spell slot). This spell slot can now only be used to cast a prepared spell from the circle leader’s school of specialization.
- Maximizes one of the circle leader’s spells. All variable, numeric effects of a spell modified by this ability are maximized the next time it is cast. A maximized spell deals maximum damage, cures the maximum number of hit points, affects the maximum number of targets, etc., as appropriate. In order for this ability to trigger, the bonus levels expended must be equal to or greater than the spell slot level used by the caster to cast the spell. A modified spell must be in the circle leader’s school of specialization.
- Increase the hit bonus of one of the circle leader’s spells. The circle leader’s hit bonus for one spell increases by an amount equal to three times the number of bonus levels expended. The spell receiving the hit bonus must be in the circle leader’s school of specialization.
These effects last for 8 hours or until expended. The Red Wizard can use multiple effects assuming enough bonus levels are available. A bonus level can not be applied to more than one effect and the bonus level is consumed upon use.
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