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View Full Version : what level should my spell be?



Vorpalbob
2009-12-25, 06:04 AM
Here is my spell idea;

Demonic Armour
Cleric, lvl ???
Abjuration
Duration: 1 minute/level
Target: Caster
blah blah blah...

Demonic armour summons a +1 suit of full plate armour that immediately covers the caster. If the caster is wearing armour at the time of casting, the worn armour is destroyed and replaced with demonic armour. This armour radiates an aura of evil, and gives the wearer detect good at will. Cannot be removed, but can be dismissed before the spells duration.

if you need any clarification, just let me know.

Fortuna
2009-12-25, 06:18 AM
Personally, my gut says 4-6. Then again, my gut is often wrong in these cases, and may actually be referring to the number of meals that Christmas will let me skip over the next few days.

DracoDei
2009-12-25, 06:39 AM
Detect Good at will is actually LESS of a duration because that spell is 10 minutes/level, although this is resumable, rather than Concentration limited. It is a good touch, I am just saying it doesn't contribute to the spell level much.

Its most major advantage is going to be armoring up quickly if you are taken by surpise, or in a diplomatic situation you are going to perform tretchery in (or suspect someone else might).

If you are following the "5 minute workday" cheese, then this saves you the cost of armor at a few levels...

Still... I am thinking 4th should be fine, especially since you are pretty vulnerable to dispelling.

Fortuna
2009-12-25, 06:42 AM
Wow. I guessed something else right. It seems that I am wracked with creative genius in the middle of the night or something.

Fruchtkracher
2009-12-25, 08:01 AM
but the duration is only one minute per level, and for a forth level spell a +1 armor that destroys any armor you might wear seems kind of week. detect good also isn't that good a spell, i mean you have the case of a bad guy pretending he's good way more often than good guy pretending evil...
wait a minute would that even be possible? so lvl 2 or 3 at max should suffice without making it overpowered.

DragoonWraith
2009-12-25, 08:13 AM
It should... put your armor somewhere else, or something. Destroying your armor makes this really weird.

Kensen
2009-12-25, 08:13 AM
I'd say 2nd level. Most clerics of 3rd level or higher can afford a +1 full plate anyway, so the spell is useful only if you're imprisoned or otherwise separated from your precious armor.

Fruchtkracher
2009-12-25, 08:17 AM
or you could make it scale with level, so that maybe at 8 level it's a +2 armor, +3 at 12 etc..
then it would maybe even be worth a 4 level spell or something in that area

DragoonWraith
2009-12-25, 09:44 AM
You could take a page out of the Elder Scrolls series, and make it weightless armor. Might be useful to a low-strength Cleric who gets caught in tight spaces and is worried about physical threats.

Vorpalbob
2009-12-25, 01:32 PM
I like the ideas of Fruchtkracher and Dragoonwraith. It will scale with level, and be weightless. My idea of destroying the armour was kinda silly, so I'll drop that. Instead your armour will just drop to the floor next to you. (this includes any glasses, headbands or helmets, but the spell's helmet may be removed and replaced with another. In this case, the helmet vanishes)

I like level 3-4 (as I intended the spell for a villain who can only cast level 3), but it feels a bit powerful for 3. Any suggestions on what I can do to lower it's power a bit?

Demented
2009-12-25, 07:01 PM
What if it's cursed armor?

DracoDei
2009-12-25, 07:09 PM
You could always give him a partially wand if it is a 4th level spell...

aje8
2009-12-26, 12:18 AM
I'm not really sure what makes this a 4th level spell. As a 3rd level spell, it's pretty weak. Compare this to greater Mage armor. That spell gives +6 to ac and lasts hours per level. This spell trades 3 ac for a minutes per level duration, which is probably a bad trade. It also DESTROYS your current armor. Finally, this spell can be cast by a cleric only, who, unlike a wizard, can simply buy armor and use it, making this a pretty niche spell.

When you factor in that greater Mage armor itself is a pretty weak spell, it becomes clear that this spell belongs at 3rd level. I could even see the case for 2nd level though that's pushing it a bit.