Grand Unified Blast
(Invocation/Evocation)

Range:  10 yards + 10 yards per level
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  Instantaneous
Casting Time:  Special
Area of Effect:  20-foot radius sphere
Saving Throw:  1/2

This spell is actually a class of spells, which have been researched in many forms by many different wizards. The spell creates a blast in a 20 foot radius, which does 1d6 per level damage, with a saving throw for half damage. In the invocation versions, the spell creates a condition in the area of effect; this version does not expand to its full volume in confined spaces. The evocation version creates a small point of fire, cold, or whatever, which instantly explodes to full radius.
The most basic form of the spell is the fireball. Other versions include iceball, steamball, etc. A wizard who knows any one version of this spell can research any other version at 50% of normal cost; he may also research, for free, versions of the same spell that differ only in the kind of damage done, after experience in the appropriate elemental plane. If you use "maximum number of spells known per level" in your game, extra versions of this spell of the same level as versions already known do not count towards the limit.
The basic version of the spell is third level and does a maximum of 10d6 points of damage. Versions of this spell above third level exist, the spell's level being determined by the following additions:

	Cost	Effect
	Free	Different damage type (iceball, steamball, etc.).
	+1	Invocation version (does not expand in confined spaces).
	+1	Spell does 1d6+1 or 1d8 damage per level (same maximum number of dice).
	+1	Can be reduced to half radius at casting time, which adds an additional 	+1 point per die damage and gives -2 on saving throws.
	+2	Spell does a maximum of 15 dice of damage.
	+3	Delayed blast for up to 5 rounds (cannot be used with invocation version, since there is no explosion to delay).

For instance, a delayed blast fireball that did 1d8 damage per level would be a 7th-level spell (+1 for damage, +3 for delay).
The material component is a small ball made of bat guano and a relatively common substance associated with the type of damage caused by the spell: sulphur for fireball, salt from boiled water for steamball, etc.

