This spell is useful to a wizard who uses the distort life(I, II, III) spells in magical breeding experiments. It allows more precise knowledge to be gained by keeping a vivisected creature alive for the spell duration so that internal structures and functions can be directly observed and understood. Not only does this spell give the wizard a 95% chance to correctly read the aura of a desired physical trait (all failures being wrong readings) but also allows the wizard to add a 5% bonus to future distort life spells aimed at that trait of the species. This aid in focusing future distortions is useful, but the examined creature does not survive the process.
The creature must survive a system shock check when the spell is cast or expire immediately. The check is repeated once per week with a cumulative -1% per check until the creature dies.
The material component is a small, sterile scalpel made of silver and platinum, worth 500 gp.
Notes: Very rare spell. (Updated from Imagine Magazine.)