Casting Them Red-Handed...

Harlow Fasthands was only a middling wizard, but he was a brilliant detective and earned his steep fees by finding clues that local city guards could not find so crimes could be solved. Today it was a murder, the first the bustling fishing village of Nighthaven had seen in many years. A dwarven merchant had been found dead in his room at an inn, his neck cut. Blood was splattered across the walls and formed a puddle around his cooling body. Harlow knelt down next to the body and began chanting...

In civilised societies with courts of law and police magic can be used to gather evidence for court cases. Wizards and other spellcasters who use magic to catch criminals must use spells to find evidence and prove their case to the police and the courts, so specialised spells must be developed to gather clues and prove the guilt of criminals.

Silent Witness

Harlow pries open the eyes of the dead merchant and finishes his incantation. The halfling wizard sees through the eyes of the victim, gaining a vision: There! By candlelight the dwarf saw a cloaked figure jump out of a closet, a knife gleaming in the dim light. A flick of the blade tore open the side of the dwarf's neck and he fell to the floor as the assassin ran out of the room. The spell ended and Harlow looked up at the captain of the guard, "It was an assassin with a dagger in his left hand wearing a black cloak. He was smaller than the dwarf and fast as a cat. We are most likely looking for a halfling or goblin..."

Divination

Level: Death 2, Sor/Wiz 2

Components: V, S

Casting time: 1 standard action

Range: touch

Target: 1 corpse

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round/level (D)

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: No

Touching a dead body, you see the last sight it witnessed through its own eyes as though you had been there. For each round that you concentrate, you go back one round further into the memories of the corpse leading up to its death. You only see what the corpse was able to see from its perspective. If the corpse was blind or in the dark when it died, you will not be able to see anything through its eyes. The corpse must not have died more than one day per caster level prior to the casting of this spell. Only visual images are received, not sound or other sensory information.

See The Vanished

Two guards found a knife in the gutter down the road from the inn, and the captain handed it to the halfling. The blade was clean, with no drop of blood on it. Was it the one used by the assassin? Harlow began chanting, and the outline of stains appeared on the blade. He continued, and two distinct stains appeared. One was turning crimson, it was clearly blood. The other was quite certainly a type of poison. Harlow whispered to the blade and the composition became clear, it was the venom of a giant wasp...

Divination

Level: Knowledge 1, Sor/Wiz 1

Components: V, S

Casting time: 1 standard action

Range: 10 ft.

Area: Cone-shaped emanation

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level (D)

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: No

You can see remnants of blood stains and other substances that have been washed or wiped off of objects and surfaces in the area of effect and identify unknown substances. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.

1st Round: Presence or absence of hidden stains.

2nd Round: The composition of the actual stains, whether they are blood or some other substance.

Each Additional Round: You can divine the age of any stain examined. Each round, you can turn to detect stains in a new area or examine a stain more closely. The spell cannot penetrate barriers but if a stain has sunken into an object you can tell how deep the stain is.

Purge the Blood

The captain of the guard looked down at the little wizard, "So, can you tell if this poisoned dagger is the one that killed the dwarf?" Harlow paused, "Nothing in life is certain, but we can see if that type of poison is in the victim's blood." The halfling again began chanting and held a small vial to one of the dwarf's eyes. Soon a yellow, bilious fluid seeped from the corpse's eyes and Harlow filled the vial with a few drops of it. "An apothecary can tell you if this is wasp venom. If it is, this dagger is the murder weapon..."

Transmutation

Level: Death 1, Sor/Wiz 1

Components: V, S

Casting time: 1 standard action

Range: touch

Target: 1 corpse

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round/level (D)

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: No

Causes any poison in a dead body to leak out through the eyes so it can be gathered and examined. If no toxins are in a body, nothing is exuded by the corpse's eyes and the spell is wasted. If a toxin is preventing resurrection, it ceases to operate as it leaves the body.

Summon the Bloody

The captain of the guard pocketed the venom and looked at the corpse. Someone needed to be tried for this murder. He twirled his mustache and looked at the little wizard, "You are quite adept, wizard, but can you get us some suspects?" Harlow winked and said, "Watch..." then began chanting over the body. Soon, a scullery maid, the woman who had found the body appeared with a startled squeal. Then another merchant, who quickly confessed to picking the dead rival's pockets was conjured. Finally, a goblin in a black cloak stained with blood, with a brace of daggers across his chest and a hefty bag of coins at his belt, appeared next to the corpse. He shrieked and made to flee but was rooted to the spot by Harlow's conjuration spell. The guards disarmed and bound him, then dragged him off to the gaol. Harlow bowed to the captain of the guard, "You have your killer and all the evidence you need to convict him. You can bring the reward money to my room at the inn on the morrow for elevensies..."

Conjuration

Level: Death 5, Sor/Wiz 5

Components: V, S

Casting time: 1 standard action

Range: touch

Target: 1 corpse

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: No

This spell summons anyone who has touched the blood of a deceased person to appear next to the body, and reveals the stains of the dead person's blood on the part of his or her body that touched the corpse. The conjured people who touched the corpse cannot leave the presence of the body until the spell ends.