AD&D - The Death Spell!

One snap of the fingers, and you're gone.

On today's Podcast, I decided to flip open the book and look at the Magic User 6th level spell, The Death Spell. It's an interesting spell that once cast, there is no saving throw against it and basically the target is dead.

The Death Spell is a powerful 6th-level conjuration that instantly and irrevocably slays creatures within its area of effect, with no saving throw. The number of victims depends on their hit dice—wiping out up to 80 creatures with less than 2 HD or scaling down to just a few tougher foes. However, it’s useless against lycanthropes, undead, or extraplanar beings. With a casting time of six segments and a pricey material component (a crushed black pearl worth 1,000 GP), this spell is a devastating battlefield tool, ideal for clearing out hordes of weaker enemies in an instant.