Ward

Required	Earth Sphere 3; Water Sphere 3, Bear Discipline 3
Range	Rank x 5 yards
Area	1 Target (Bear Discipline - Self Only)
Duration	1 Hour
Casting	Verbal, Somatic
Cast Action	Standard
Mana Cost	3
Effect	Casting this spell conjures an invisible, skintight magical barrier around the target that absorbs Rank points of lethal damage after an incoming attack is successful. This barrier acts like temporary Health that is absorbed before damage is applied, however, hitting a Ward will still trigger "on hit" effects, such as Fire Armor. When a Ward has expended all of its protective points, it disappears in a bright flash. For Mortal damage, only the points which are not prevented by the Ward are doubled Self Ward may not prevent damage from sorcerous Backlash. Multiple Wards cannot be placed on the same target, and a higher Ranked Ward spell will immediately overwrite a lower one. The caster may only maintain Wards on a number of targets equal to her Rank.