Edelritter
2006-08-19, 12:55 AM
(Edit: Preliminary version below at http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11559653 67;start=7#7 )
I'm looking into researching an original 3rd-level area damage evocation, and I'd like some balancing help and suggestions for the mechanics. Many of the details are still up in the air, but if you happen to like some of the possibilities more than others and have a good idea of how to balance it or how it might work best in such-and-such way, I'd like to hear them. :)
The spell would conceptually evoke what's basically shrapnel made of force, and would use a strong wind to make it sweep an area and damage everything inside. A wind-based damage spell, if you will, that goes a step beyond making bajillions of small paper cuts with razor winds or dealing "wind-elemental damage".
I'm working with the following parameters:
(1) It should have Short or Medium Range (or any type of fixed range that doesn't go beyond some 100 ft. or so; it simply shouldn't have a very long effective reach).
(2) I'm undecided as to whether it should deal force damage or simple, physical damage. The first option gives it a superior damage type, for which it would have to deal rather less damage than a fireball. The second option would ignore SR but take into account DR instead.
Either way, it definitely shouldn't do sonic damage, since that's basically vibration.
(3) If the spell deals physical damage, it makes sense that heavily armored creatures would suffer less damage from it, and it's an interesting gimmick. The only spell I know of that takes AC into account for damage purposes is wall of thorns, so I don't have much of a base for comparison.
Rather than substract total AC from damage directly, I was thinking of making damage scale depending on how much shield/armor/natural armor/deflection AC the creature has. One alternative is to rest the combined bonuses from those 4 AC types from damage dealt. Another is to define AC ranges for damage; e.g., assuming the spell would do the usual 1d6/caster level, creatures which have 0-10 AC from their shield/armor/natural armor/deflection bonuses would suffer full damage. Creatures with 11-20 AC of this type, for instance, might suffer only 1d4/caster level.
It's an interesting trade-off, but I'm not very clear on how to balance median damage output with median AC to leave this balanced with fireball. I'm also sure it's not the cleverest or best way to model a benefit for the victims for having AC; I'm looking into other alternatives.
(Edit: It just came to mind that the most straightforward way to do this might be to give the victim a boost to his saving throw.)
(4) Thematically, I guess the spell could either be a cone, a wide beam, or circular area. I haven't settled definitely in an area type either, although I consider circular areas better because you don't have to worry about your tanks being in between you and the nasties.
I've thought of giving it two casting modes, one with a cone/beam and one with a circular area, although I'm not sure how expensive this versatility would be. The simplest option is most likely to simply give it a circular area (something like a 20-ft. radius) and be done with it.
(5) It should have an accessible magical component or focus; the idea isn't to make a one-shot wonder.
(6) I've thought of the spell as an instant, damage-dealing evocation so far, but it could also work a la Blade Barrier and affect an area for a few rounds. Whether it's instant or of short duration, though, it should have a Reflex Half save.
(7) Although there would be a pretty strong wind to make the shrapnel slice into the flesh of the opposition, the idea of the spell isn't to make a gust of wind with a little added damage on top, so it shouldn't do stuff like push people back. Versatility in a spell isn't cheap, and this is meant to be a relatively reliable area damage dealer.
Those are all the constraints that come to mind, though I'd be happy to define the thing better if you still need more specific stuff. Thanks in advance to anyone who's interested in giving me a hand!
I'm looking into researching an original 3rd-level area damage evocation, and I'd like some balancing help and suggestions for the mechanics. Many of the details are still up in the air, but if you happen to like some of the possibilities more than others and have a good idea of how to balance it or how it might work best in such-and-such way, I'd like to hear them. :)
The spell would conceptually evoke what's basically shrapnel made of force, and would use a strong wind to make it sweep an area and damage everything inside. A wind-based damage spell, if you will, that goes a step beyond making bajillions of small paper cuts with razor winds or dealing "wind-elemental damage".
I'm working with the following parameters:
(1) It should have Short or Medium Range (or any type of fixed range that doesn't go beyond some 100 ft. or so; it simply shouldn't have a very long effective reach).
(2) I'm undecided as to whether it should deal force damage or simple, physical damage. The first option gives it a superior damage type, for which it would have to deal rather less damage than a fireball. The second option would ignore SR but take into account DR instead.
Either way, it definitely shouldn't do sonic damage, since that's basically vibration.
(3) If the spell deals physical damage, it makes sense that heavily armored creatures would suffer less damage from it, and it's an interesting gimmick. The only spell I know of that takes AC into account for damage purposes is wall of thorns, so I don't have much of a base for comparison.
Rather than substract total AC from damage directly, I was thinking of making damage scale depending on how much shield/armor/natural armor/deflection AC the creature has. One alternative is to rest the combined bonuses from those 4 AC types from damage dealt. Another is to define AC ranges for damage; e.g., assuming the spell would do the usual 1d6/caster level, creatures which have 0-10 AC from their shield/armor/natural armor/deflection bonuses would suffer full damage. Creatures with 11-20 AC of this type, for instance, might suffer only 1d4/caster level.
It's an interesting trade-off, but I'm not very clear on how to balance median damage output with median AC to leave this balanced with fireball. I'm also sure it's not the cleverest or best way to model a benefit for the victims for having AC; I'm looking into other alternatives.
(Edit: It just came to mind that the most straightforward way to do this might be to give the victim a boost to his saving throw.)
(4) Thematically, I guess the spell could either be a cone, a wide beam, or circular area. I haven't settled definitely in an area type either, although I consider circular areas better because you don't have to worry about your tanks being in between you and the nasties.
I've thought of giving it two casting modes, one with a cone/beam and one with a circular area, although I'm not sure how expensive this versatility would be. The simplest option is most likely to simply give it a circular area (something like a 20-ft. radius) and be done with it.
(5) It should have an accessible magical component or focus; the idea isn't to make a one-shot wonder.
(6) I've thought of the spell as an instant, damage-dealing evocation so far, but it could also work a la Blade Barrier and affect an area for a few rounds. Whether it's instant or of short duration, though, it should have a Reflex Half save.
(7) Although there would be a pretty strong wind to make the shrapnel slice into the flesh of the opposition, the idea of the spell isn't to make a gust of wind with a little added damage on top, so it shouldn't do stuff like push people back. Versatility in a spell isn't cheap, and this is meant to be a relatively reliable area damage dealer.
Those are all the constraints that come to mind, though I'd be happy to define the thing better if you still need more specific stuff. Thanks in advance to anyone who's interested in giving me a hand!