Skin of the Cactus
(Sandstorm)Abjuration
Level: Ranger 3, Druid 4, Summer 4,
Components: V, S, M,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Living creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
This spell grants a living creature the toughness, resilience, and needles of a cactus.
The effect grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the creature's existing natural armor bonus.
This enhancement bonus increases to +4 at caster level 10th and to a maximum of +5 at caster level 13th.
In addition to the enhancement bonus, skin of the cactus causes the subject to grow needles from its skin, clothing, or armor.
Any creature grappling the subject or striking it with natural weapons takes 1d6 points of piercing damage from the needles.
Finally, the subject of this spell is protected from nonlethal damage due to dehydration.
Skin of the cactus provides the subject with a +4 bonus on saves to resist becoming dehydrated from heat or exposure, but it offers no protection against dessication damage or spells that cause a target to become dehydrated.
The enhancement bonus provided by skin of the cactus stacks with the target's natural armor bonus, but not with other enhancement bonuses to natural armor.
A creature without natural armor has an effective natural armor bonus of +0, much as a character wearing only normal clothing has an armor bonus of +0.
Material Component: A cactus spine.