Description: A moderately complex spell involving complex gestures and posturing, a sibilant evocation, and powdered snake scales as ritual focus. Most spellcasters of the Third Circle can manage it, although more elderly practitioners may find the motions involved are hard on joints stiffened with age. As such, it has something of a reputation for being a magic for young and dashing types.
Effects: The Bestowal of Serpentine Digits can be cast in one of two ways. First, it may be used on either the caster or an ally whose hand they can grasp. This effects a transformation that turns the fingers and thumb of one hand into wriggling poisonous serpents about twice the length of their normal digits. The altered hand can no longer be used to grasp or carry objects, but it allows an unarmed melee attack at a +10% bonus to strike. On a hit, the target takes piercing damage equal to a dagger thrust and must attempt to resist the serpents' poison. If they fail to do so, the victim is left weak and shaky for about five minutes, suffering a 50% reduction in their speed and melee damage, and a 25% failure rate on attack rolls and any feats of strength or dexterity attempted.
Second, the spell may be placed on any object the caster can lift in one hand. This places a curse on the object that will be triggered by the next creature to handle it unless a password (established during casting) is spoken. This curse effects a similar transformation to the one above, but the serpents attack the victim rather than being under their control, biting at any body part within reach. Use the victim's own attack chance with the same +10% chance to strike. If allies of the victim attempt to physically restrain the cursed hand they'll suffer the same attack instead (choose randomly if several people are wrestling with the serpents at once).
In both cases, an attempt resist the magic can be made when the transformation begins (although the first casting mode is generally used only on willing targets, who forego their resistance). The transformation lasts until 1d6+3 melee attacks have been made or until about five minutes have passed, whichever comes first. A cursed item can be triggered until the next sunrise or sunset, at which point the magic fades and the item is safe to handle again without use of the password. Suitable countermagic can end the spell early as usual.
Possible Origins: The formula for this magic can be traced to the prehistoric serpent-folk civilization, and was originally recovered from some of their ruins by adventurers. It remains somewhat obscure, in part because the archivists who maintain most arcane libraries tend to be of advanced years and regard the spell as undignified (and uncomfortable) to cast.
Complications: You've got snakes for fingers on (presumably) half of your hands for about five minutes, or until their venom is drained during combat. This can be inconvenient, and prevents any spellcasting that requires gesturing with both hands. It's also likely to evoke comment from bystanders, and you may be suspected of being some kind of horrible mutant or shapeshifting serpent monster.
Design Commentary: Most caster will probably prefer to use the "cursed object" mode rather than engaging in melee themselves. You can absolutely pull shenanigans like (having said the password yourself earlier so it's safe for you to hold) handing a cursed coin to an unsuspecting victim, so its utility goes well beyond just protecting your wallet or setting static traps. As long as a creature touches the object with their hand the magic will trigger, but watch out for (say) things with manipulatory tentacles or pincers.
Some other characters might actually get an upgrade in effectiveness by hitting things with a handful of snakes rather than a sword. The poison effect is a really strong debuff, even if won't directly kill a target (although a bunch of snakebites might). Things that are immune or resistant to poison are much harder to deal with, of course. If you have this spell cast on you more than once you can attack with each transformed hand once per round, and if you somehow have more than two hands you can benefit from separate castings on all of them.
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