Crushing Weight

"It was horrible... like I was holding the entire weight of a building on my chest. I couldn't move or speak, could barely even breathe. I can't imagine the kind of monster who would even think to create something like that." Adriannis Varelth, former prisoner of war

Crushing Weight is a powerful spell created for the purposes of torture. While not capable of killing the spell's target, it is designed to make them feel as if they are teetering on the edge of death, in the hopes that the trauma from the experience makes them more likely to talk. This spell is outlawed in most countries, as the banning of this spell (among others) is one of the stipulations for a country to be considered for admittance into the United Coalition of Allied Nations.
The spell's name is derived from the sensation one feels when targeted by the spell. Those that have suffered the spell's effects describe it as an "impossibly heavy" weight pressing down on their chest, making it extremely difficult if not outright impossible to breathe. The spell also induces a kind of paralysis within the rest of the body, preventing them from moving or otherwise attempting to disrupt the spell or the caster's concentration. Some have described the paralysis as its own crushing sensation, while others have reported total limb numbness.

Spell Description

Despite multiple nations and magical oversight organizations banning the practice of this spell, a redacted version of the spell is included below for the purpose of academic preservation. Under no circumstances should the description below be used to attempt to reverse-engineer the process for casting the spell.

Crushing Weight

4th level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Concentration, Until dispelled
Choose one creature you can see within range. That creature
must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed
for the duration. Creatures under the effect of this spell can-
not be killed by any means, though any damage that would
kill a creature under the effect of this spell takes effect after
the spell ends.