Cartographer's Contention

Stats

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a scrap of parchment and a drop of ink)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Effect

You choose a point you can see within range. A 20‑foot‑radius sphere centered on that point becomes filled with shifting, contradictory cartography for the duration. The sphere is difficult terrain and is lightly obscured. While the sphere persists, choose one non‑magical light source (torch, lantern, or candle) whose light originates inside the sphere; that light source continues to shed normal light in its radius. All other light sources, magical or mundane, are suppressed within the sphere as if under the darkness spell. At the start of each of your turns, each creature that starts its turn in the sphere must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, the creature is confused until the end of its next turn (it can't take reactions and must roll a d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior, as the confusion spell). On a success, the creature becomes fascinated by the map’s argument; it cannot voluntarily move out of the sphere until the spell ends, though it can still take other actions and can leave if forced (e.g., by being moved by another creature or effect). A creature that succeeds on this save can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the fascinated condition on a success.

At Higher Levels

When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the radius of the sphere increases by 5 feet for each slot level above 3rd.

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