Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Enfeeblement in Dungeon Crawl Classics carries a spellburn floor: casting it demands at least 1 point burned, no exceptions. Wizards accustomed to free castings tend to discover this mid-fight, after the ability score is already spent. Read the entry before you rely on the spell, not after.
The mechanics are straightforward and quietly brutal. Range is 150 feet, duration instantaneous, and the spell check governs everything. A higher result drains more Strength and holds it longer. At a strong enough check, the target hits zero Strength and becomes a helpless mass, unable to lift a weapon or itself.
The corruption of intent here is treating it as a damage spell. It does not deal damage. It removes the physical foundation a melee threat stands on. Point it at the ogre, the champion, the brute whose whole existence is a high Strength score, and the encounter changes shape. Point it at a goblin skirmisher and you have burned a stat for nothing.
At the table: Judges, enforce the minimum 1 point of spellburn every cast, then reward players who ray the strongest melee combatant on the field instead of the nearest expendable one.
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