Melt
(Complete Arcane)Evocation
Level: Wu Jen 1 (Fire),
Components: V, S, M,
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One 5-ft. cube of ice or 10-ft. cube of snow/level, or one cold creature/level
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Fortitude half; see text
Spell Resistance: See text
This spell allows you to melt ice and snow, or to deal damage to cold creatures.
The spell melts normal ice and snow automatically (no saving throw or spell resistance allowed); melted ice creates an equivalent volume of water that flows and spreads according to its location.
Melted snow creates a volume of water equal to one-tenth its original volume (so that a 10th-level wu jen melting ten 10-foot cubes of snow would create a single 10-foot-cube volume of water in its place).
In both cases, depending on the local temperature, melted ice or snow might begin to freeze again once the water stops flowing, possibly creating a movement hazard.
Against cold creatures, the spell deals 2 points of damage per caster level (maximum 10 points), or half damage on a successful Fortitude save.
Against magically created ice or snow (like that generated by wall of ice), the spell deals the same damage (possibly smashing or breaching the ice) but does not melt it.
Cold creatures apply spell resistance, if any.
Material Component: A few crystals of rock salt and a pinch of soot.