Spellguard (VH)

Regular; Resists attempts to tamper with its subject spell 
This spell is cast on another spell to protect it from tampering attempts. Twice the energy put into the spell (up to 3 points) is subtracted from the skill of any casting of the following Meta-spells against the subject spell: Counterspell, Displace Spell, False Aura, Remove Aura, Remove Curse, Steal Spell (VH), Suspend Curse, and Suspend Spell. Twice the energy put into the Spellguard is added to the effective skill of the subject spell’s caster when resisting Dispel Magic or Suspend Magic. When the spell it protects lapses or is dispelled, the Spellguard also lapses.

Duration: 10 hours. 
Cost: 1 to 3 to cast. Same cost to maintain. Cost is not reduced for high skill. 
Time to cast: 1 second for each energy point spent. 
Prerequisite: Dispel Magic.

Item

• (a) Staff, wand, or jewelry. Usable only by mages.  
  Energy cost to create: 500.
• (b) May be cast permanently on an enchanted item or area to make it harder to tamper with; it then hampers Suspend Enchantment and Remove Enchantment as well.  
  Energy cost to cast: 100 times normal cost.