Liquify Person

A Drop In The Bucket

“The lock was sound. The door was barred. The hinges were braced in iron. None of that matters if the thing on the other side decides it is no longer bound by shape.”

— Watch Captain Anya Moon, Grand Gates of Tarrin

There are many spells that promise escape, but few that abandon the idea of form entirely. Liquify Person is one of the more unsettling examples of practical transmutation, not because of what it allows, but because of what it requires the caster to become. It does not cloak, disguise, or enhance. It dissolves.

The spell transforms the caster into a viscous, flowing state that retains thought and awareness but abandons the structure of flesh and bone. In this condition, the body no longer moves in steps or strides. It flows. It spreads. It conforms to the shape of the world rather than resisting it. Gaps that would stop a blade or a hand offer no resistance. Barriers become inconveniences rather than obstacles.

Despite its usefulness, the form is far from empowering. The caster sacrifices nearly all agency beyond movement. There is no speech, no manipulation, no violence. Even simple interaction with the world becomes impossible. The transformation strips capability down to the bare minimum required to survive and relocate. It is not a tool for confrontation. It is a tool for avoidance.

Among scholars and practitioners, Liquify Person is often compared to more advanced transformation spells, though it is notably more restrictive. Where other spells grant resilience or expanded mobility, this one imposes limits. Its design reflects a philosophy that favors precise, narrow solutions over broad power. It does one thing well and demands that the caster accept everything that comes with that choice.

In practice, the spell sees frequent use among infiltrators, investigators, and those who expect to find themselves in confined or controlled environments. Vaults, prison cells, sealed chambers, and collapsed passages all lose their certainty in the presence of this magic. A space designed to contain a person often fails when that person no longer adheres to the rules of containment.

At the same time, it carries risks that are not always obvious to inexperienced casters. The inability to act beyond movement can leave the user vulnerable if discovered. Reforming in a safe position is not guaranteed. Poor judgment or unfamiliar terrain can turn an escape into a trap just as easily as it can provide a way out.

There is also a quiet discomfort associated with the spell that is rarely discussed in formal circles. Those who have used it more than once speak of the experience in careful terms. The loss of structure is not merely physical. The sense of self, of boundary, of where the body ends and the world begins, becomes less certain. For a brief time, the caster is something that exists without edges.

“You think it feels like freedom. It doesn’t. It feels like forgetting where you end. Like the world could just take the rest of you if you’re not paying attention.”

— Joylin Nakar, nauseous artificer

Unknown Shores

Liquify Person

2-level Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Range/Area: Self

Components: Verbal, Somatic, Material

Materials: A drop of oil

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You transform your body into a viscous, flowing liquid.
For the duration, you can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Your speed becomes 10 feet, and you can move along the ground and down vertical surfaces, but not upward along walls or across ceilings. You must remain in contact with a solid surface or body of liquid while moving.
You can’t take the Attack action, cast spells, or manipulate objects. Your equipment merges into your form and has no effect until you return to your normal form.
When the spell ends, you return to your normal form in the nearest unoccupied space. If you can’t do so safely, you take 2d6 force damage.

Available for: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard