Alpha's Lucent Lance
(Alteration)

Range:  10 yards
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  1 round
Casting Time:  1 round
Area of Effect:  Special
Saving Throw:  None

There must be some ambient light available in order for this spell to work. The effectiveness of this spell is determined by the amount of ambient light available. The wizard must concentrate for a full round to focus the light into the lucent lance, after which its energy may be released. The power of the lance is such that it can carve through wood or soft metal up to 4 inches thick, stone up to 1 inch thick, or hard metal up to .25 inch thick, this thickness multiplied by the appropriate modifier on the table below. Items carried by a living creature are partially protected by that creature's aura, and gain a saving throw versus magical fire (modified as below) to avoid being damaged by the lance. Living creatures suffer a base of 1d6 points of damage, modified as below, with a maximum upper limit of not more than 1d6 per level of the wizard. The lucent lance coalesces as a ball of light around the wizard's hand holding the material component, and shoots forth until maximum range is reached or until a sufficient thickness of material blocks its progress. The Lucent Lance may be traversed over an arc up to 1 foot per level of the wizard at its maximum range. The wizard's hand glows brightly while the spell is being cast and while it is active.

	Damage	Saving throw
Type of Light	Modifier	Modifier
Candlelight	1/2	+3
Single torch or lantern	1	+1
Multiple torches, light, starlight,
magical dagger	2	+0
Large bonfire, bright moonlight,
continual light, magical sword	4	-1
Multiple magical light sources, indirect
or filtered sunlight	6	-2
Direct sunlight, sunray	12	-4

If the light source used is a fire of some sort, that fire has a 50% chance of going out. A permanent light effect (a magical sword or dagger, for example) will lose its power to shed light for 1d10 rounds. A spell used as the light source will be automatically dispelled if it's a spell of up to third level, and will have its duration cut by 25% if it's a higher level spell. The material component is a small, oblong corundum rod worth at least 100 gp.

