Soul Trap
System: Pathfinder | SRD
Level: 9
School: necromancy
Casting time: 90 minutes
Components: V, S, F (a crystal lens worth at least half the value of the soul to be trapped), SC (up to 12)
Skill checks: Knowledge (planes) DC 31, 3 successes; Knowledge (religion) DC 31, 3 successes; Spellcraft DC 31, 3 successes
Range: close
Duration: instantaneous
Saving throw: Will negates
Spell resistance: no
Backlash: The primary and secondary casters each gain 1 temporary negative level.
Failure: The primary and secondary casters become staggered for 10 minutes. Unless the ritual was performed in an area that bars dimensional travel, this feedback draws the attention of a psychopomp or psychopomps of a total CR equal to the CR of the creature whose soul the casters were attempting to trap, and the magical feedback allows the psychopomps to manifest at the location of the ritual to punish the casters for meddling with souls.
The body of the creature whose soul is to be trapped must be within the ritual’s range for the duration. If the body is removed from this area before the ritual is completed, the ritual immediately fails (triggering the failure result detailed above). If the target creature is alive, it must be killed at some point during the ritual’s casting time; traditionally this occurs at the end of the ritual, so that if the victim resists having its soul trapped with a successful saving throw, the casters could potentially try to capture the soul a second time by immediately starting a second ritual. If the target creature was already dead, it must have been dead no longer than 1 minute before the soul trap ritual begins, and in this case, the creature’s soul can still attempt a Will save to resist the effects as if it were still alive.
If the ritual is a success, the creature’s soul is transformed into a glittering soul gem. This gem is a fragile Fine object that has hardness 2 and 1 hit point. In this state, the soul cannot be returned to life by any means; the soul gem must first be destroyed, at which point methods of restoring life to the creature function normally.
Source: Book of the Damned pg. 192