Bind Soul - could have more durations

[shemetz]

Bind Soul is a really cool spell.

Currently, as a 1 mana spell, it's limited:

• Creature must have died in the last hour
• Soul remains in the gem for 10 days

If you've captured someone's soul after their death like this, you wouldn't be able to extend the duration past 10 days in any way. I think stronger spirit mages should have that capability, especially given the fact that a lot of magic items have someone's soul permanently stored inside them (intelligent swords, amulets with the spirit of an ancestor, etc).

Additionally, I think "weak" spirit mages would be fine with a shorter duration. Capturing a soul to talk with it after death is really powerful, so at tier 1 it makes sense for it to be more limited.

So I suggest changing Bind Soul:

• Base spell (1 mana): duration of 4 hours
• +1 augment (2 mana): duration increased to 10 days
• +2 augment (3 mana): duration increased to a year
• +3 augment (4 mana): duration is permanent
• Potentially, a 1-mana augment to capture a soul of a creature that was killed a longer time ago, such as 1 day.

Of course, the effect would still be breakable by shattering the gem or resurrecting the creature.

[mlenser]

Bind Soul can now be augmented to last longer or be used on a creature that died further in the past. It also has a method for the soul to break free if it experiences any emotional, psychological, or physical pain.