This powerful spell is primarily used to defend a stronghold or fortress by creating a number of magical wards and effects. The ward protects 200 square feet per caster level. The warded area can be as much as 20 feet high, and shaped as you desire. You can ward several stories of a stronghold by dividing the area among them; you must be somewhere within the area to be warded to cast the spell. The spell creates the following magical effects within the warded area.

Fog: Fog fills all corridors, obscuring all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target). Saving Throw: none. Spell Resistance: no.

Arcane Locks: All doors in the warded area are arcane locked. An arcane lock spell cast upon a door, chest, or portal magically locks it. You can freely pass your own arcane lock without affecting it. If the locked object has a lock, the DC to open that lock increases by 10 while it remains attached to the object. If the object does not have a lock, this spell creates one that can only be opened with a DC 20 Disable Device skill check. A door or object secured with this spell can be opened only by breaking in or with a successful dispel magic or knock spell. Add 10 to the normal DC to break open a door or portal affected by this spell. A knock spell does not remove an arcane lock; it only suppresses the effect for 10 minutes. Saving Throw: none. Spell Resistance: no.

Webs: Webs fill all stairs from top to bottom. Web creates a many-layered mass of strong, sticky strands. These strands trap those caught in them. The strands are similar to spiderwebs but far larger and tougher. These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears. Creatures caught within a web become grappled by the sticky fibers. Attacking a creature in a web doesn't cause you to become grappled.

Anyone in the effect's area when the spell is cast must make a Reflex save. If this save succeeds, the creature is inside the web but is otherwise unaffected. If the save fails, the creature gains the grappled condition, but can break free by making a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check as a standard action against the DC of this spell. The entire area of the web is considered difficult terrain. Anyone moving through the webs must make a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check as part of their move action, with a DC equal to the spell's DC. Creatures that fail lose their movement and become grappled in the first square of webbing that they enter.

If you have at least 5 feet of web between you and an opponent, it provides cover. If you have at least 20 feet of web between you, it provides total cover.

The strands of a web spell are flammable. A flaming weapon can slash them away as easily as a hand brushes away cobwebs. Any fire can set the webs alight and burn away one 5-foot square in 1 round. All creatures within flaming webs take 2d4 points of fire damage from the flames. They regrow in 10 minutes if they are burned or torn away while the guards and wards spell lasts. Saving Throw: Reflex negates; see spell text above. Spell Resistance: no.

Confusion: Where there are choices in direction—such as a corridor intersection or side passage—a minor confusion-type effect functions so as to make it 50% probable that intruders believe they are going in the opposite direction from the one they actually chose. This is a mind-affecting effect. Saving Throw: none. Spell Resistance: yes.

Lost Doors: One door per caster level is covered by a visual illusion to appear as if it were a plain wall, as visualized by you. The illusion does not create sound, smell, texture, or temperature. Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with). Spell Resistance: no.

In addition, you can place your choice of one of the following five magical effects.

1. Dancing lights in four corridors. These lights resemble lanterns or torches (and cast that amount of light), or up to four glowing spheres of light (which look like will-o'-wisps), or one faintly glowing, vaguely humanoid shape. The dancing lights must stay within a 10-foot-radius area in relation to each other but otherwise move as you desire. You can designate a simple program that causes the lights to repeat as long as the guards and wards spell lasts. Saving Throw: none. Spell Resistance: no.

2. A magic mouth in two places. the chosen object or creature with an enchanted mouth that suddenly appears and speaks its message the next time a specified event occurs. The message, which must be 25 or fewer words long, can be in any language known by you and can be delivered over a period of 10 minutes. The mouth cannot utter verbal components, use command words, or activate magical effects. It does, however, move according to the words articulated; if it were placed upon a statue, the mouth of the statue would move and appear to speak. Magic mouth can also be placed upon a tree, rock, or any other object or creature. See magic mouth for more details. Saving Throw: none. Spell Resistance: no.

3. A stinking cloud in two places. The 20 ft. radius, 20 ft. high vapors appear in the places you designate; they return within 10 minutes if dispersed by wind while the guards and wards spell lasts. Living creatures in the cloud become nauseated. This condition lasts as long as the creature is in the cloud and for 1d4+1 rounds after it leaves. (Roll separately for each nauseated character.) Any creature that succeeds on its save but remains in the cloud must continue to save each round. This is a poison effect. Saving Throw: Fortitude negates; see text for stinking cloud. Spell Resistance: no.

4. A gust of wind in one corridor or room. This spell creates a severe blast of air (approximately 50 mph) that originates from you, affecting all creatures in its path. All flying creatures in this area take a –4 penalty on Fly skill checks. Tiny or smaller flying creatures must make a DC 25 Fly skill check or be blown back 2d6 × 10 feet and take 2d6 points of damage. Small or smaller flying creatures must make a DC 20 Fly skill check to move against the force of the wind. See gust of wind spell text for more details. Saving Throw: Fortitude negates. Spell Resistance: yes.

5. A suggestion in one place. You select an area of up to 5 feet square, and any creature who enters or passes through the area receives the suggestion mentally. You influence the actions of the target creature by suggesting a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two). The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the activity sound reasonable. Asking the creature to do some obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell.

The suggested course of activity can continue for the entire duration. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the spell ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do. You can instead specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. If the condition is not met before the spell duration expires, the activity is not performed.

A very reasonable suggestion causes the save to be made with a penalty (such as –1 or –2). Saving Throw: Will negates. Spell Resistance: yes.

The whole warded area radiates strong magic of the abjuration school. A dispel magic cast on a specific effect, if successful, removes only that effect. A successful mage's disjunction destroys the entire guards and wards effect.