Homebrew spells of chaos and evil

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Abyssal Destruction
Evocation [Evil, Chaotic]
Level: Clr 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Componants: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft.+10 ft./level)
Target: 1+1/caster level creatures
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell resistance: Yes

The caster Holds his fingers forward, is if clutching air in front of him and a chaotic surge of power shoots forth from his hand. The chaotic surge often takes different forms everytime it's cast, a glowing red or flaming bolt of lightening, a massive flaming skull, a glowing sphere of blood, but always does the same amount and type of damage. When the creature is struck, it takes 4d10 points of fire, sonic, electricity and acid damage, 1d10 per damage type. This destructive force may also strike others around the target, depending on how close they are to it(within 20 feet). But if there are more targets then the spell will affect within range of the original target, the caster will choose who it does affect, and if less, it affects everyone in range even if it is only the primary target. This spell also damages objects and terrain around the target.

Material Component: A drop of blood pricked from the casters finger
Focus: A lit candle



Balor's Sword
Transmutation [Evil, Chaotic]
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Componants: V,S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Target: 1 slashing weapon
Duration: 1 hour/caster level
Saving Throw: None (object, harmless)
Spell resistance: No (object, harmless)

This spell grants a single slashing weapon with the ability to remove a creatures head. When this spell is cast it makes the sword vorpal and enhances the attack bonus by +1. The weapon also becomes evil and chaotic for the purpouses of overcoming damage reduction.

Arcane Material Componant: the tooth or finger-nail of a balor



Heart-wrenching Grief
Enchantment [Evil]
Level: Clr 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Componants: V, S
Casting time: 1 action
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 1d4 rounds
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell resistance: Yes

The caster speaks a few words, makes a few gestures and the target is overcome with crushing horrible grief like it's never felt before. It drops to the ground, unable to do anything, no actions at all because of it's intense horrible grief. In 1d4 rounds of this horrible emotion, the victems heart rips in half, killing it instantly. In some cases, during the grief, the victem may not only take no helpful actions, but intentionally put itself in a situation where it may die. On a successful Will save, the creature doesn't die, but takes 2d6 points of damage from internal ravaging and 3d6 points of nonlethal damage.



Death Throes
Transmutation [Evil]
Level: Clr 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Componants: V, S, M
Casting time: 1 round/caster level
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: 1 hour/caster level

The caster imbues himself with the power to punish his enemies even in death. When killed while under the affect of this spell the caster explodes in a blinding flash of light that deals 100 points of damage to anything within 100 feet of him (Reflex Half). The explosion automatically destroys all weapons, armor, robes and equipment the caster wears or wields. The save DC is constitution based, instead of the casters normal spellcasting ability score.

Material Componant: The brain of a lawful outsider with an intelligence score of at least 14



Chaos Scream
Evocation [Chaotic]
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Compnants: V, M
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 40 ft.
Area: All non-chaotic creatures in a 40-ft.-radius spread center on you.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will partial
Spell resistance: Yes

The caster, after injesting something foul, screams forth a burst of raw, stomach-churning and chaotic crackling energy that spreads around him in a forty-foot area, damaging any non-chaotic creatures (including the caster). The energy deals 2d12 points of damage in itself, and also nausiates and dazes them on a failed will save. The save DC for lawful characters is higher then others by +2.

Arcane Material Componant: A half-pint of Dretch urine or blood which is injested during the casting of this spell



Nytinrag's dooming blast
Evocation [Evil, Chaotic]
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Componants: S, V
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Short (25 feet + 5ft./caster level)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell resistance: No

The caster fires forth a blast of different types each time, that always deal the same amount of damage, just of a different type each time. The blast deals 5d12 points of damage and the type is determined on the grid below. This spell can either be exactly what is needed, or could be a wasted spell, depending on the roll.

Damage Type (d10)
1 Slashing
2 Piercing
3 Bludgeoning
4 Fire
5 Cold
6 Acid
7 Sonic
8 Negative energy (heals undead)
9 Positive Energy (heals living)
10 No particular type (hurts all)



Nytinrag's ravinous Quasit horde
Conjuration [Evil]
Level: Clr 7, Sor/Wiz 7
Componants: S, V, F
Casting time: full round action
Range: Close (25 ft. +5 ft./caster level)
Effect: 2d20+1/caster level summoned Quasits
Duration: 1 hour
Saving Throw: none
Spell resistance: No

The caster reaches his arcane hand into the bowels of the abyss and summons forth 2d20+1/caster level quasits that all obey the casters command without question. They are usually summoned around one or many opponants of the caster and attack relentlessly unless commanded not to. This Quasit horde may also be given commands such as "scout the area for suspicious people and kill them" or "guard here and kill any intruders" and most commands often include the death of foes or innocent bystanders. The quasit horde stays and obeys for one hour or until dismissed or killed.

Focus: a shard of glass or similar material and a worn leather glove



Demon Horns
Transmutation [Evil]
Level: Brd 3, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 3
Componants: S, V
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: Self
Duration: 2 hours/caster level

The caster brings forth a demonic growth from it's skull, growing demonic horns from his head. They often vary in appearance from caster to caster, some are ram-like, some are like that of a rhinocerous but they all have the same affect. They give the caster a +4 to intimidate checks and gives them a gore attack. This attack does 1d6 + strength modifier damage and is treated as chaotic and evil for the purpouses of overcoming damage reduction. The damage dice increases or decreases depending on size and does not affect creatures that already have a gore attack, it just makes it unholy.



Unseen arena
Illusion [Figment, Phantasm]
Level: Clr 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Componants: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Close (25 ft.+5 ft./2 caster levels)
Target: All willing subjects
Duration: Until one player is victorious! (actually instant)

The caster brings forth an illusion into the minds of all willing subjects, where they believe they're all brought into an arena, usually magnificent, or some significance to the caster, as the caster is the one who decides what it looks like. This is most commonly used between a party where more then one person wants a certain item the group has picked up, or during a vast tournament where the loss of life is not an option. When the characters are brought into this fictional mental image of an arena, they are at full HP, have all spells available (like they never cast any of them that day) and are stricken of all maladies that do not affect the mind. If there is a mental malady on one subject, they may attempt a will save to rid themselves of it when within the unseen arena. To all those outside the illusionary fight, it appears as if the characters merely closed thier eyes for about a second and twitched. All spells, hp, and maladies are still the same as they were right before they entered the arena.

Focus: a wooden disk at least 5 inches in diameter, but no more then one foot in diameter. (wooden holy symbols may be used)



Skull-lantern
Necromancy
Level: Clr 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Componants: S, F
Casting time: one full round
Range: 10ft. circle spread on caster
Target: Humanoid skulls, all of which must be within the 10-ft. radius of the caster
Duration: Permenant

The caster makes a few gestures and whatever undead or dead creatures heads are within 10 feet of him glow with unnatural light from within, shooting light from thier eyes, nose and mouth acting like a torch. This affect can be permenant but also may be dismissed by the caster at any time, but not resumable until it is cast again. This spell is particularly useful to necromancers who lack torches or darkvision and anyone who happens to have a severed head or skull handy and no torches.

Focus: A tiny wooden skull figurine



Skull of fire
Necromancy [fire, evil]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Componants: S, F
Casting Time: standard action
Range: Short(25ft.+5ft. per caster level)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell resistance: No

The caster takes a skull in hand and fires it forward through pure force of will, igniting it into flames and hitting the designated target. The flames of the skull are ablaze so brightly it acts as a torch through the area it flies through. The skull strikes it target and deals 1d8 points of fire and bludgeoning damage per caster level (maximum 15d8). Half the damage is from the flames and half from the bludgeoning of the skull.

Focus: A humanoid skull of at least small size

my first shot at making spells, please give helpful suggestions to make them balanced and useful

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

no replies yet, can i assume i did a decent job then?

[Jack_Simth]

no replies yet, can i assume i did a decent job then?
An hour and three minutes, late at night for most of the United States, is not exactly a good timeframe for judging "good" based on no feedback.

Abyssal Destruction: Meh, great if you don't know what the target is resistant to, but not so grand in the damage department. Not one I'd take, even playing evil; mechanically weak compared to a great many other spells.

Balor's Sword: Ah, so we now have a spell that duplicates a +5 enhancement equivalent to a weapon, with a 25% chance of having something that equals, and stacks with, a +1 enhancement, that lasts all day? Oooh, yeah.... great for the Fighter's Greatsword. Mayhaps a little over the top.

Heart-Wrenching Greif: No save for the no actions? That's a death sentence in combat. Extend it for a 6th level Sor/Wiz spell slot, and there's hardly a BBEG alive that can stand against you (two rounds, at a minimum, that it simply can't act - no defense against the full attacking fighter). Also - why necromancy? Seems kinda odd that it affects just about everything - as written, it even kills mindless undead, plants, animals, vermin, and many other things that, realistically, never actually experience grief. Belongs as a Mind-Affecting Enchantment, for what it does. Also, should be a Fort save for the dying, as per Phantasmal Killer.

Death Throes: Should probably be permanent, with a high length casting time. Really curious that it takes longer to cast the higher level you are..... and a damage type would be handy; makes for quite the doom spell - caster shares it with his familiar, you see, and doubles the blast when he dies (after all, his familiar isn't liable to survive the explosion....)

Chaos Scream: Needs a duration on the nausia. You're fond of non-standard damage amounts, aren't you? Most things that do a lot of damage use d6's.... becuase most people will have lots of d6's (because most things that do a lot of damage use d6's.....), so it's usually better to use some number of d6's for such things, as it's kinda standard. Needs a damage type, and probably an element sub-type for the spell; Sonic is probably it. Not exactly a party-friendly spell, though.

Dooming Blast: Why should an [Evil] spell ever heal anything? But then, I suppose you don't have a d9; drop the hurts everything and the Positive energy, and you get a d8...... and again, why the odd die sizes? Doesn't scale, but could hurt just about anything.... not too bad.

Quasit Horde: Quasits have an orginization listing of "solitary"; the Horde aspect hardly fits the monster. By 13th level, a party is expected to be able to deal with a neigh-infinite number of CR 2 opponents, so the numbers don't matter too much. Makes an unusual replacement for Prying Eyes, though.

Demon Horns: Pretty good for the fighting mage builds, but little else. But then, it is a 1st level spell, so that's fine. A little early to be getting a qucik way to bypass certain types of DR, though.

Unseen Arena: Can't see using this, except in highly specilized circumstances. Do people get XP for these mock-battles? If so, quite handy .... for a metagamer. Could cause issues, as it's easily abused in a "training" capacity.

Skull Lantern: Continual Flame on steroids without the pricetag. Needs to be a might higher, possibly one target only.

Skull of Fire: Scales fairly well, although breaks the suggested damage caps (a 5th level Cone of Cold only does 15d6 tops; Cone of Cold should be a better spell in most/all respects), and again why the nonstandard damage die? Easy to get d6's in bulk, a might harder for the d8's, and it's more damage than any other spell of it's level will do (d6 averages 3.5; d8, 4.5). Also, does DR apply? How's the split between fire and bludgeoning? Does Fire immunity stop it all?

[Fredderf]

Balor's sword is overpowered.

Heart-Wrenching Grief is REALLY overpowered and should be enchantment methinks.

Death Throes seems too powerful, but I guess it IS pretty high level, so I guess it is alright-ish. I still wouldn't make it 100 straight dmg.

I LOVE the flavor of unseen arena, but it could be a little lower level, seeing as how it dosn't give any bonuses, just a cool fight scene.

Nytinrag's dooming blast is pretty darn cool with the whole chaotic evil thing.

I like quasit horde ;D.

I like the idea of most of the spells, but the spell levels need a bit of a change in many cases.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I've modified a couple spells a bit, particularly balor's sword, heart-wrenching grief, demon horns and I lowered the level for Unseen Arena.

[Gyrfalcon]

Abyssal Destruction looks pretty good, it does less damage then Cone of Cold, but has the advantages of being able to hit only the enemies you want to target with it and it almost ensures that the enemy will take *some* damage, since resistance to fire, sonic, electricity and acid on the same creature doesn't happen too often.
[hr]
Balor's Sword is still extremely overpowered. For a 6th level spell slot, you gain the ability to increase the ability enhancement of your sword by +6 for what amounts to the entire day, taking your weapon at high levels into the epic range. A +5 holy flaming keen shock longsword (+10 total bonus) becomes a +6 holy flaming keen shock vorpal longsword (+16 total bonus) for 20 hours for example.

For the party tank, I can't see why you *wouldn't* prepare and cast this every day.

The only way I could see to balance this is some sort of material or XP cost, or reducing the duration to rounds/level rather then hours/level. Also, specifying that it must be cast on an unenchanted regular or masterwork weapon would go far in reducing how powerful the spell is.
[hr]
Heart-wrenching Grief needs the fluff reworked. If you allow the DM to take control of the character (as the fluff indicates is possible as the person will 'intentionally put itself in a situation where it may die'), you need a mechanic to allow for that, or remove the text. It also lacks a range on the spell, but I would suggest Close, as the comparable wizard spell, Trap the Soul or Finger of Death use the same. Otherwise, it does a little more total damage then Finger of Death, has the benefit of incapacitating the character for 1d4 rounds, and uses a will rather then fortitude save, which makes it better for nailing the party tank. It's a very strong 8th level spell or possibly a 9th level one.
[hr]
I find Death Throes' material component odd - I'd make it another balor bit, as they're the only outside that I know of that explodes when you kill it.
[hr]
Chaos Scream is interesting and looks decent for its level. Might add a +1/level up to 5 or 10 extra damage per level to it.
[hr]
Nytinrag's dooming blast is slightly more powerful then Cone of Cold at 9th level, but is outstripped later. Perhaps add 1d12 damage every two levels, capping at level 15? (so it would do 6d12 damage at level 11, 7d12 damage at level 13, and 8d12 damage at level 15. According to WotC dice average (6.5 for a d12, 3.5 for a d6), the damage would then come out comparable.
[hr]
Nytinrag's ravinous Quasit horde is heavily overpowered to the comparable summon monster spell for its level. The duration is longer, and the summoned mass of enemies both has a much higher effective CR (at least viewed as an encounter) then Summon Monster VII does.

Example: At level 13, when you can first cast it, you will summon 15 to 33 CR2 monsters. 15 Quasits - Encounter Level 10. 33 Quasits - Encounter Level 12. For comparison, Summon Monster VII summons a CR6 Babau.

At level 20, the spell summons 22-42 CR2 monsters. 22 Quasits - Encounter Level 11, 42 Quasits - Encounter Level 13. In comparison, Summon Monster IX (which takes a 9th level slot, not a 7th level slot) can produce a Bebilith, a CR10 monster that's still slightly less powerful then this spell.

Not to mention the DM *will* kill you for introducing 15-42 new creatures to roll initative and attacks on. (If he has his villian cast it... well, he knew what he was getting himself into.
[hr]
Demon Horns is interesting, but you might want to include the mechanic for working the horn into the character's attack routine. (natural secondary attack at -5 to hit, I believe.)
[hr]
Unseen Arena I actually like a lot. Sounds like a fun way to allow for in-game duels between players to determine how effective their builds are. If the wizard is a neutral third party, it could also be used for challenge matches for money between two characters.
[hr]
Skull-lantern needs to be level 3 or include a material component worth 50gp or more, since it affects multiple objects rather then just one as Continual Flame does. Otherwise a macabre but effective way to produce lights.
[hr]
Skull of fire is overpowered for its level. It does more damage then Cone of Cold does, due to the fact that it uses a d8 rather then d6, and has the auto-hit mechanic of magic missile. I do like having an attack spell at level 4 though. Perhaps have it do up to 15d6, but require a ranged touch attack to hit, which is not insanely difficult but does introduce the chance to miss into the equation.