Darkray's Draining Tendrils
(Evocation, Necromancy)

Range:  0
Components:  V, S, M
Duration:  Special
Casting Time:  5
Area of Effect:  5-foot per level radius
Saving Throw:  Special

Upon casting this spell, the staff of the wizard is covered with a number of bright energy tendrils. These can then arc to any creatures in the area of effect, draining their life energy throughout the caster and emitting it as visible light from the staff.
Any creature within range is subject to attack from the tendrils and must save versus spell to avoid being hit. Once a tendril hits, it remains wrapped until the spell expires or the target dies. The spell creates one tendril per level above 8th.
If the target saves, he can act freely that round but is subject to attack the next round if within range. In any case, he can be wrapped by a single tendril only. The caster chooses the creatures to attack but can only make one attack per target per round.
The drain begins the round following a successful wrap. For each of the caster's levels of experience, one hit point is drained from every creature wrapped and emitted as light from the staff. The more hit points drained the more intense is the light. A victim can act with no penalties except that it is unable to leave the area of effect.
The caster can let the spell last for as long as he wishes, but he must touch the staff and concentrate during all this time, and cannot even talk. The process is very tiresome and at the end of the spell the caster loses two points of Constitution and one point of Strength. One day of complete, shaded rest restores one point of each ability. If the wizard casts the spell more than once per day, he suffers a cumulative -3 Constitution, -2 Strength each time.
The material component of the spell is the staff. This must have a number of steel nails on it, at least one nail per tendril to be released. Such a nail costs about one gold piece. On the head of each nail a miniature skull must be engraved. The staff is not consumed in the casting.

