Rednog's Skill Backup
(Alteration)

Range:  10 feet
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  3 days per level
Casting Time:  1 round
Area of Effect:  One person
Saving Throw:  Negates

This spell backs up a single selected skill of a creature. Skills which may be backed up are THAC0, levels, spell levels, proficiencies, ability scores, etc. This one backup skill does not allow the creature to use it twice as good or twice as often, but it just exists as a silent backup inside the creature. Thus, if the original skill is lost (due to whatever cause), the backup will fill the blank. This backup is at the level of ability as it was at the day the spell was cast. The skill is a little less powerful than the original (as it is just a backup). Thus, any backup ability scores are reduced by one, any spell levels will have one less spell per level, the levels will be reduced by one, Hit Dice will be reduced by one hit point each (note: not one hit point per level but one hit point per Hit Die), etc. Thus, while it is possible to back up all mental and physical abilities, they are seriously reduced. The character then also functions only at these abilities (if a 20th-level wizard with 18 Intelligence is doubled and his double has to kick in, he is not able to cast 9th-level spells as he requires an 18 Intelligence for that - and now he only has a 17, so tough luck). The doubled skill does not include memorised spells. Thus, while a wizard may back up spell levels, the spells in these spell levels will be gone; the wizard has to refill them; also, while hit points are backed up, and the character loses all of his original permanently, he may return to the backed up hit points (which are lower than the originals), which does not mean, that he is immediately cured but that he can be cured up to those levels, etc. This spell is no insurance against dying, but it is an insurance against loosing all mental or physical abilities (if the body can be salvaged. This spell is useful, for example, if a wizard is feebleminded or permanently forgets his complete memory (by falling into the Styx, for example) the backup kicks in until the wizard can be cured. Once backup skills are used (even for a short time only) and the original skills return, this spell ends. If the spell runs out while the originals are not replaced, the character will fall over completely comatose. No life will be detectable.
The material component is a mirror in which the targeted creature is depicted doing something related to the desired skill. This picture has to be captured somehow within the mirror on a permanent basis.

