Deactivate

Deactivate opens another spell without collapsing it. The abjurer dissolves selected pieces of its formula, then closes the wounds with Illusion or Conjuration. The spell remains present, but its appearance, duration or behavior no longer follows its creator's design.

The caster chooses an active magical effect within Close range and spends a Deactivate slot. They must also know and spend one Illusion or Conjuration spell slot no higher than the level of the spell being modified. This supporting spell supplies whatever replaces or conceals the removed magic.

The surgery requires two successes. Make a normal Dispel Magic caster level check against the target magic, then an opposed DC check:

1d20 + Deactivate Spell DC against 1d20 + target Spell DC.

The existing magic wins either tie. If either check fails, the target spell remains unchanged and both slots are spent. Deactivate can weaken, replace or sabotage a spell, but can never increase its damage, area, duration, defenses or other power. The GM decides whether a proposed operation is possible.

Forms of Surgery

Replace its manifestation. The caster replaces what the spell creates with something supplied by the supporting Illusion or Conjuration. Acid may burst into flowers instead of burning its target. A stone from Hurl Rock may replace an incoming Fireball; deprived of the Fireball's flight, the stone simply falls to the ground. The replacement receives none of the removed spell's damage, speed, area or other properties.

Alter its duration. The caster cuts the effect short, makes it intermittent or inserts a condition that suspends it. This can create a hidden release clause or allow the effect to be deactivated later. It cannot extend the spell beyond its original duration.

Sabotage its behavior. The spell keeps its appearance and magical aura while one part of its function is removed or given an exception. A Dimensional Lock may appear intact while allowing teleportation. A Barrier may stop no damage. An Invisibility may fail against chosen observers, a magical poison may lose its enhancement, or a domination may become easier to break. The caster may also corrupt a trigger, sever the creator's control, or falsify what ordinary magical detection reads.

A sabotaged Spell Trap, for example, may still recognize its creator and appear ready to fire while ignoring every creature bearing the Stoneheart emblem.

Spell Scaling

Spell Level	Target	Casting Time
7	One existing magical effect	At least 1 minute
9	One existing effect or incoming spell	Standard (2 ticks)

Level 9 can perform the same surgery while a spell is being cast or traveling toward its target. Deactivate must finish before that spell resolves; use the normal Reflex duel when the order is uncertain. On a success, the altered spell continues immediately in its new form. A Fireball can lose its flame in mid-flight, become a stone, and fall from the air.