The Iseghis Institute of Arcane Development was a renowned academy for the creation and improvement of magical spells and effects. An important step of spell development is arcane trials on live test subjects. Depending on the strength of the spell, it could leave the test subject with significant recovery time before the next trial. Clerics at the Entoburg Academy of the Divine, a sister institute, created the spell momentary ward which was used to create a protective barrier around the test subject, reducing the overall impact of the trial spell.
The effectiveness of the spell in controlled scenarios was in such high demand that license agreements were established for commercial and educational use. A more popular application was in place of standard protective equipment in the commercial setting, such as when working with fire or toxic gas. In places where magic is more common, you might find a lazy cleric use momentary ward instead of oven mitts or when pruning a thorny bush.
Momentary Ward
Abjuration Cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a seashell)
Duration: 1 round
You create a shimmering semi-transparent ward around a creature that you can see within range until the beginning of your next turn. The ward has a number of hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. Whenever the creature takes damage, the ward takes the damage instead. If this damage reduces the ward to 0 hit points, the creature takes any remaining damage and the spell ends.
The ward’s hit points increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
