The adventure gamebook sections of the first six Knightmare books, also known as The Knightmare Challenge sections, feature a variety of different spells. As on Knightmare, each spell consists of a word awarded by a character, and can be cast once to help the adventure progress via a temporary effect. Unlike Knightmare, however, the gamebook adventures often present more than one opportunity to cast a given spell successfully, resulting from and further enabling a greater degree of choice. Having said that, the option to dispel is never offered.

This entry lists the spells that can be found in the books, along with a little information about them (or a link to some elsewhere in the Lexicon).

Can You Beat The Challenge?, a.k.a. Knightmare
WYRMSLAYER: Named after Treguard's sword from the book's novella section, this spell summons the magical Dragonblade to defeat a wellway guard or a catacombite.
VIKING: Conjures up a Viking warrior.
SHIELD
DOOR: Given out by a Troll, DOOR would do exactly what it says on the tin, if it came in a tin. Be warned: use it at the wrong moment and the narrator will call you - brace yourself - a dumbhead. It's a word so insulting that it isn't even in the dictionary (though it is in Casper's vocabulary).
ESCAPE: A fake spell, included to catch out deceitful players.
EYE: Given by Merlin, it allows the player to see things that would otherwise be concealed under magic.

The Labyrinths Of Fear
FLEETFOOT: Allows the player to move faster, like SPEED, RUN and DASH from Knightmare. It seems rather contradictory to have a speed spell that's so long, but it does the trick nonetheless.
LIONHEART: Grants the player superhuman courage. Without this spell or a jar of honey, it is impossible to get past Granth the ghoul bear to complete the quest.
VIKING: Conjures up a Viking warrior. If the player tries to pit him against zombies, he runs away in terror. Other than that though, he's a helpful chap.
SMOKE: Summons up smoke, in defiance of any No Smoking signs that may have been posted in the vicinity.
RAT: Given by the knight Tobias, this spell summons a rat. More useful than it perhaps sounds: the rodent can get the player out of a labyrinth, past a lion, and even past Cedric.
DREAMS: Available from Velda, who blows dust into the player's eyes to endow them with this spell. It can be used to induce sleep in Cerberus.
GOBLINS: Summons a squad of goblins. If cast at the wrong moment, the goblins turn fatally against the player.

Fortress Of Assassins
STEALTH: Available from Treguard, it grants the player invisibility when cast. This does not always protect the player from detection.
SHIELD
RUST
EAGLE'S PINION: See flight.
MJOLLNIR: Given out by the Norse god and barbecue fan Thor, and named after his magic hammer, it grants the player the ability to deliver a tremendous punch when cast. MJOLLNIR can be used successfully at eight different opportunities: far more than any other spell in the Knightmare books.

The Sorcerer’s Isle
FOREST PATHS, MAZE: Each of these spells allows the player to evade a vampire in the Forest of Freneville.

The Quest For The Dragon’s Egg (The Forbidden Gate)
SNEAK: An invisibility spell awarded by Hordriss. It comes in handy in the Earth Dragon's lair.
WALK ON WATER: Could this be the least subtle spell name in the history of magic? Nevertheless, it's useful for catching up with a missed boat or for evading pirates. Hordriss is the source.

The Future King (The Dragon’s Lair)
MEDICINE: A spell given out by a witch. It restores one grade of the player's Life Force, or can heal another character.
FREEZE
CHARM: Available from a faerie queen, it can be cast to turn hostile characters friendly.
BLINK: Given by Hordriss, this spell will transport the player from a tight spot to a safe distance in the blink of an eye. Sadly, no weeping angel statues or time paradoxes are involved.

[Earlier versions: 2011-07-03 11:40:51, 2007-12-12 00:56:42]

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