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Felyndiira
2010-07-11, 10:33 AM
So, basically, I'm creating a character (homebrew class) for a PbP evil campaign on the forums. The DM helped me quite a bit with the design of the character, although I feel a bit bad about

I know about the homebrew forum, although I'm not actually asking for class design since, well, I'm relatively satisfied with the mechanics of the class (if you have suggestions about mechanics, though, I'd definitely be willing to listen ^^). Since the character's invocations and spells are custom, however, I need help with suggestions for her spells and invocations.

The character was modeled after an eldritch theurge, although the class is a 20-level base class that's intended to be balanced at a tier 2 or high tier 3 level (which means it's intended to be a bit more versatile/powerful than the warlock). Her inspiration is that of a marvel heroine using ice as her main power; thus, she's a bit of a buffed ice warlock of sorts, and all of her spells are expected to somehow derive from water, steam, or ice. Because the character will never multi-class, any balance issues relating to, say, IotSV, can be safely ignored. It's also a class that's not intended to be re-used, so I'm not too worried about whether it's customizable.

The class has three separate mechanics:

1) Ice Blast, intended to be a slightly more powerful version of eldritch blast.
2) Invocations. Since she's supposed to have decent versatility, she gets a total of 20 invocations. Her invocations are not warlock invocations, though - it's a blend of invocations, spell levels, and swordsage maneuver refreshing. Basically, she learns all invocations that she can cast at a certain "invocation level" and can use a certain number of them per refresh spontaneously. She refreshes invocations with 5 minutes of meditation/rest like a swordsage, and has a in-battle refreshing method that's also similar to a swordsage.

Invocations are supposed to be tricks she can pull off regularly without much penalties. They're typically modeled after warlock invocations of similar levels, with some utility sorcerer spells added in. Typically, the not-so-overpowered stuff goes here. She gets 2 invocations per "invocation level" - no more, no less.
3) Spells. Her spell points are serious business (she starts taking penalties at 60% remaining SP), and anything that's supposed to be powerful or really limited should be implemented here. Her spells can include spells that are very powerful, and any spell in her list is expected to scale well all the way to 20. They cost SP based on how powerful the spells are and are very limited (for example, snow storm costs 30 SP; casting it once brings Yurice very close to hitting her first penalty line. Casting it twice makes her fatigued, gives her % failure on everything, and nukes her stats until she rests).

Remember that Yurice has 100 SP overall, and that never changes with level. Spells can be powerful and can be effectively higher level on the sorc list than the level it's learned (within reason), since they have such a limiting crutch in the SP system.

The character class is here:

Yurice (Unique Class)
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spell Learned|{colsp=10}Number of Invocations Castable Per Refresh

{colsp=7}|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|
+0|
+x|
+x|
+x|Cold Immunity, Ice Blast 1d6,Armored Casting||∞|1

2nd|
+1|
+x|
+x|
+x|Spellcasting, Ice Blast 2d6|Snow Serpent|∞|2|-

3rd|
+2|
+x|
+x|
+x|Rushing Ice||∞|3|1|-

4th|
+3|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 3d6|Motionless Ice|∞|4|2|-|-

5th|
+3|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Maiden||∞|5|3|1|-|-

6th|
+4|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 4d6|Sacred Ice Blast[br]Corrupt Ice Blast|∞|∞|4|2|-|-|-

7th|
+5|
+x|
+x|
+x|Meld Through Ice||∞|∞|5|3|1|-|-|-

8th|
+6/+1|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 5d6|Snow Storm|∞|∞|5|3|2|-|-|-|-|-

9th|
+6/+1|
+x|
+x|
+x|||∞|∞|6|4|3|1|-|-|-|-

10th|
+7/+2|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 6d6|Frost Sanctuary[br]Frost Graveyard|∞|∞|7|4|3|2|-|-|-|-

11th|
+8/+3|
+x|
+x|
+x|Frost Shuriken|Uttercold Ice|∞|∞|∞|5|4|3|1|-|-|-

12th|
+9/+4|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 7d6|Frost Conjuration|∞|∞|∞|6|5|4|2|-|-|-

13th|
+9/+4|
+x|
+x|
+x||Freezing Cloud|∞|∞|∞|7|6|4|3|1|-|-

14th|
+10/+5|
+x|
+x|
+x||Apocalyptic Storm|∞|∞|∞|∞|6|5|3|2|-|-

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 8d6|Maximize Spell|∞|∞|∞|∞|7|6|4|3|1|-

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Maiden (Swift)||∞|∞|∞|∞|7|6|4|3|2|-

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+x|
+x|
+x|||∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|7|5|4|2|1

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 9d6||∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|7|5|4|3|2

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+x|
+x|
+x|||∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|6|5|3|2

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+x|
+x|
+x|Ice Blast 10d6||∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|∞|7|6|4|3[/table]

[b]Hit Die: d8
Skill Points 4+Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level.
Class Skills: Agility, Athletics, Concentration, Diplomacy, Disguise, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Profession, Stealth, Use Magic Device

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies (Ex): Yurice is considered to be proficient with all simple weapons, the shuriken, and one other thematically appropriate weapon that is yet to be determined. She is proficient with light armor, but is not proficient with heavier armor or any shields.

Ice Blast (Sp): Yurice's power is control over cold, and she may manifest this power as a frigid ray to strike her enemies. Ice Blast is similar to a warlock's eldritch blast - to hit an opponent with Ice Blast, she must succeed in a ranged touch attack roll. Ice Blast deals 1d6 damage at first level, which increases by an additional 1d6 at pre-specified levels. It deals cold damage and does not allow a saving throw, although it is affected by spell resistance. It counts as a spell-like ability for all feats affecting SLAs. Ice blast will freeze unattended objects and up to 10 cubic feet of water per damage dice.

Invocations: Similar to a warlock, Yurice may learn and use invocations - tricks that can be applied to her Ice Blast or utilized as spell-like abilities. Invocations are considered minor variations of her power and do not require spell points to activate, although each invocation has an effective spell level (with save DC, if applicable, equal to 10 + Level + CHA bonus). While some lower-level invocations can often be applied indefinitely, invocations can only be used a limited number of times before they need to be refreshed, as indicated by the invocation slots per level given above; Yurice can fully refresh her invocations with five minutes of meditation, concentration, or rest, and may recover the use of three invocation slots as a full-round action, of which only one can be her highest-level slot. Invocations do not need to be prepared ahead of time. Yes, I did totally rip the maneuver recovery system of a Swordsage and combined it with invocations and caster spell limits.

As an immediate action, Yurice may spend her spell points to recover invocations (see spell points below). Each invocation slot recovered in this manner will cost a number of spell points equal to the level of the invocation slot +1. Yurice is assumed to automatically know every invocation on her list, provided that her class level is high enough to cast them.

Spellcasting: Yurice gains 100 spell points at first level, which does not increase with levels. She may spend these spell points to cast spells that she has learned, as given below. Like vitalizing spell points, Yurice's spell points may be recovered from rest, although she does not need to pay extra spell points to increase variant spell damage. Instead, each spell will cost a fixed number of spell points independent of level. If Yurice's spell points ever drops below 61, penalties are applied as given below. At any time Yurice becomes exhausted or fatigued, her remaining spell points drop to 50 and 40, respectively. Penalties are removed with a full night's rest.

Yurice may not cast spells from her spell list with a [Evil] descriptor if she is Good or Neutral, and may not cast spells from her spell list with a [Good] descriptor if she is evil. If a spell requires more spell points than Yurice has remaining, she may cast the spell anyway, although she will immediately fall unconscious and suffer 1d4 ability damage to a primary attribute, as specified by the spell, for every 5 spell points the spell costs over her remaining spell points. Because Yurice's spells do not have levels, their save DC is 10 + 1/2 Yurice's Levels + CHA Modifier.

{table]61-100|No penalties.
51-60|-2 to all stats, +10% chance for all actions to fail.
41-50|Fatigued, -4 to all stats, +20% chance for all actions to fail.
31-40|No longer able to use Ice Blast or Invocations, Exhausted, -5 to all stats, +40% chance for all actions to fail.
21-30|No longer able to make attacks, Exhausted, Half Speed, Half BAB, Half Saves, -6 to all stats, +70% chance for all actions to fail.
<= 20|Falls unconscious after 1d2 rounds. Unconsciousness counts as rest for the purposes of restoring magic points. Entirely helpless until magic points are restored.[/table]

Cold Immunity (Ex): Yurice gains cold immunity at level 1. She can also walk on snow, allowing her to suffer no penalties when travelling on snow-covered terrain, and see perfectly within snowy weathers.

Armored Casting (Ex): Yurice may cast spells and use invocations from her own list with no arcane spell failure when wearing light armor. This does not apply to medium or heavy armors, or to any type of shield.

Rushing Ice: At level 3, Yurice learns to use her ice mastery to aid her movements, enabling her to slide along a pathway of solid ice. When using a full-round action to run, she may run as if her base land speed is increased by 10 feet. This leaves a track of ice behind her and decreases the DC of tracking her by 15.

Ice Maiden: At level 5, Yurice learns to use her ice mastery to transform herself into a form of ice. While in ice form, she gains the [Cold] subtype, a +2 to hide checks due to her transparency, and the ability to channel her ice blast attack as a melee touch attack. While in ice maiden form, her equipment also transforms into crystalline, ice-like objects, although they retain their standard properties. Yurice may switch between her forms as a standard action. At level 16, she may switch between her forms as a swift action.

Meld Through Ice: At level 7, Yurice learns to merge into other sources of ice, and to control herself perfectly as she steps onto sliding ice. She may travel through icy terrain with no penalties, and may travel through any barriers of water or ice with no penalties to movement. However, she may not end her turn inside ice unless if she spends an additional standard action to do so.

Frost Shuriken: At level 11, Yurice learns to use her ice mastery to freeze water into blades. As a full-round action, she may convert 1 square feet of water into 5 shurikens made of hardened ice. Treat these shurikens as +1 shurikens that deal standard damage, half of which is considered [cold], and have no market value. These frost weapons may be transferred to other players.


Yurice's Invocations:

[Level 0] Ice Bolt: (Shape) Modifies the range of ice blast to 250 ft.
[Level 0] Create Ice: Creates simple items made from ice. This may not create complex mechanical objects, although it can create ice flowers, small ice statues, and other frigid art items. The limit for objects created by this spell is 1 cubic foot/level.
[Level 1] Shivering Burst: (Enchant) Enchants ice blast to chill an opponent. Reflex or -2 DEX penalty for level/minutes.
[Level 1] Freezing Ground: As the Grease spell, except with a [Cold] subtype. Covers an area in ice and lasts for level/rounds.
[Level 2] Empowered Burst: (Enchant) Adds +1d6 cold damage to ice blast. Increases to +2d6 at level 12.
[Level 2] Frost Armor: Grants Yurice a +4 deflection bonus to AC for 1 minute/level.
[Level 3] Ice Blade: (Shape) As eldritch glaive. Transforms Yurice's ice blast into a blade of ice, allowing Yurice to - as a full round action - make a single melee touch attack as if wielding a melee weapon. If it hits, the target is affected as if struck by ice blast (along with any enchant invocations). Furthermore, until the start of her next turn, Yurice threatens nearby squares and may make attacks of opportunity with Ice Blade as melee touch attacks. If Yurice's BAB is +6 or higher, Ice Blade can be used to make extra attacks. Alternatively, Yurice may use the ice sword as a regular melee touch weapon that deals 2d6 +1/level (max +5) damage per hit and can be used to power attack. Yurice is automatically considered to be proficient with the sword.
[Level 3] Frigid Wings: Grants Yurice a pair of transparent wings, allowing her to fly at double base land speed with good maneuverability. Frigid wings last for 24 hours.
[Level 4] Moonlit Path: As moon path, except with a [Cold] subtype.
[Level 4] Wall of Ice: As the Wall of Ice spell.
[Level 5] Ice Trick: A fog surrounds Yurice as she seemingly melds into the ground, disappearing seemingly from sight. Somewhere else, a simple streetwalker's tea freezes and erupts from the cup, and Yurice emerges from within. This invocation allows Yurice to teleport as the dimension door spell, although her destination must be within 20' of at least 1 cup of water (Yurice senses all sources of water within range upon casting of this spell).
[Level 5] Wall of Frost: As the Wall of Fire spell, except with a [Cold] subtype. Creatures damaged by the wall of frost takes cold damage rather than fire damage.
[Level 6] Repelling Burst: (Enchant) As repelling strike.
[Level 6] Chilling Tentacles: As chilling tentacles.
[Level 7] Image of Ice: Yurice's mastery of ice allows her to create chilling figments that look, act, and even look identical to her while simultaneously changing her own form to that of a transparent ice persona. This is identical to the sorcerer's Mirror Image spell, with 1d4 + 3/level images created, although the images are actual beings of ice and thus real. The images cannot attack, although they can and will pretend to in order to mimic Yurice's actions; the images are, however, capable of mundane tasks like carrying items or activating devices, and have 1d6 HP each. Images summoned by this spell need not mimic Yurice's ice form; they can be dogs, cats, or whatever matches Yurice's fancy. Yurice may merge with and separate from her images in the same way as a mirror image spell.
[Level 8] :
[Incomplete]


Yurice's Spells:

Snow Serpent
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold]
Level: Yurice 2
Cost: 15 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft/level)
Target: Four 5' cubes of Yurice's choice
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Half, Fortitude Partial (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes
Primary Attribute: Strength

Yurice summons four frigid serpents, which flies unerringly toward their targets. Each serpent deals 1d6 damage/level (max 20d6) of cold damage to the targets and reduces his/her land speed by half for one round. Unattended objects struck by Snow Serpent are frozen in a solid block of ice. Targets may attempt a reflex save for half damage and, if they take damage from the spell, attempt a fortitude save to negate the land speed reduction. No two serpents may strike the same square, although for larger targets, two serpents may strike the same target by hitting different squares that the target occupies.

Motionless Ice
Transmutation [Cold]
Level: Yurice 4
Cost: 10 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 5 rounds or discharge
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Dexterity

Yurice may substitute her own stamina for hand gestures and invocations when attempting control over ice. When motionless ice is used, the next ice blast, invocation, or spell that Yurice casts is treated as if it is under the effects of Silent Spell and Still Spell, even if Yurice does not possess the feats.

Sacred Ice Blast
Transmutation [Cold, Good]
Level: Yurice 6
Cost: 5 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 5 rounds or discharge
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Wisdom

As a hero, Yurice's spells are motivated by her purity of heart and her desire to help other people. By powering her ice blast with her purity, Yurice's ice blast becomes a bright beacon of sacred magic, converting half of her ice blast's damage from Cold to Sacred damage. This effect applies to her next ice blast attack and discharges if not used within 5 rounds.

Corrupted Ice Blast
Transmutation [Cold, Evil]
Level: Yurice 6
Cost: 5 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 5 rounds or discharge
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Wisdom

As a villain, Yurice's spells are powered by her hatred. By powering her ice blast with wrath, Yurice's ice blast becomes a twisted nether of decay and desecration, converting half of her ice blast's damage from Cold to Corrupt damage. This effect applies to her next ice blast attack and discharges if not used within 5 rounds.

Snow Storm
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold]
Level: Yurice 8
Cost: 30 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: 200' Radius around Yurice
Target: Personal
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
Primary Attribute: Constitution

A massive snowstorm quickly brews around Yurice. 1d4 feet of snow quickly fills the area, causing the entire range of effect for the spell to become difficult terrain (heavy snow) for all targets except Yurice herself. Fire spells do not function within Snow Storm, and all creatures incur a -4 penalty to search and spot checks while within the snow storm. Visibility within a snow storm is reduced to 5 feet (all creatures further than 5 feet have concealment), ranged weapons suffer a -2 penalty, and tiny creatures (or smaller) must make a fortitude save (DC 10) or be knocked down. While she is within the effects of snow storm, Yurice may use a full action to lower the temperature to frigid levels, dealing 1d4 points of damage to every living creature inside the storm.

Frost Sanctuary
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold, Good]
Level: Yurice 10
Cost: 50 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
Target: Up to 100' Radius
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Reflex Negate (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Primary Attribute: Charisma

I expect Yurice to be evil by this point, so I won't stat out this spell.

Frost Graveyard
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold, Evil]
Level: Yurice 10
Cost: 50 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
Target: 200' Radius
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Charisma

Yurice creates a field of utter cold within a wide area. All targets within the area are blighted by the frigid temperatures, taking 1d8 cold damage per round. Any characters killed by Frost Graveyard is reanimated as a frozen corpse, although only 1d6 of these will be under Yurice's control. The others become lost undead wonderers, feeding on those they once loved as well as any trace of life that they can still detect. Undead created by this spell - even ones not under Yurice's control - will not attack Yurice.

Uttercold Ice
Transmutation [Cold, Evil]
Level: Yurice 11
Cost: 10 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude Negate (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
Primary Attribute: Dexterity

Yurice enchants her attacks with bitter, uttercold ice. For the spell's duration she is surroundeded by clouds of necrotic cold, and all attacks that she makes during this period with the [Cold] subtype is changed to [Uttercold], causing half of their damage to become negative energy damage. Targets killed by [uttercold] attacks made in this way are raised 1d6 rounds later as a ghast with the [cold] subtype. While under the effects of Uttercold ice, Yurice is healed by negative energy.

Frost Conjuration
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold]
Level: Yurice 12
Cost: 10 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Varies
Saving Throw: Depends on Original Spell
Spell Resistance: Yes
Primary Attribute: Constitution

Using ice, Yurice conjures and builds spells and creatures created from seemingly living ice. This spell can mimic any conjuration (summoning) or conjuration (creation) spell on the sorcerer list of sixth level and below, although in place of a will save, the target(s) must attempt a fortitude save to brace herself and resist the weaker, less stable energies of ice replacing bone and magical force. Targets that succeed in their fortitude save partially resist the crude imitation of the original spell, causing them to only be 60% as effective (as the original greater shadow conjuration spell). An ice creature summoned from a summon monster spell will carry the [cold] subtype, although it will have full hit points and all of its original strengths and weaknesses, and deal full damage.

Freezing Cloud
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold]
Level: Yurice 13
Cost: 40 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Full Action
Range: Medium (100 ft + 10 ft/level)
Target: 30' radius, 30' high
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude Partial; see text.
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Constitution
Additional Penalties: 1 Point of Strength

Yurice conjures an almost solid cloud of ice and snow. The cloud stays in place, although creatures trapped in the freezing cloud are frost-bitten and trapped by the piling ice crystals, progressing at only 5 ft. The cloud impedes attacks, causing a -2 on melee attack and damage rolls in addition to blocking ranged attacks (excepting magic rays and such). The cloud also obscures vision, including darkvision and low-light vision, to 5 feet. A creature or object that falls into freezing is slowed, so that each 10 feet of cloud that it passes through reduces falling damage by 1d6. A creature can’t take a 5-foot step while in freezing cloud. In addition, creatures within the freezing cloud are constantly assulted by bitter cold, dealing 1d6 dexterity damage per round. A creature not immune to cold that escapes from freezing cloud is still affected by the frostbite, halving her handspeed for 1d6 rounds.

Creatures immune to cold do not take dexterity damage and the freezing cloud, although they are still affected by all other penalties. Yurice can move normally within Freezing Cloud, although she still suffers the attack and vision penalties.

Apocalyptic Storm
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold, Evil]
Level: Yurice 14
Cost: 100 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Day
Range: Personal
Target: 10 mile radius/level centered on caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
Primary Attribute: All Attributes
Additional Penalties: 2d6 Constitution Damage, 4d6 Wisdom Drain

A destruction reign of ice befalls the land. Spears and bolts of ice fires from the sky as buildings collapse, rivers freeze over, and entire civilizations fall. The entire area affected by this spell becomes barren, frozen over, and almost uninhabitable with bitterly cold temperatures. This spell deals 10d6 cold damage to all creatures, objects, and everything else within the spell's area, and leaves only a frigid earth in its wake.

Maximized Spell
Conjuration (Creation) [Cold]
Level: Yurice 15
Cost: 15 SP
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Immediate Action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 5 rounds or discharge
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Primary Attribute: Dexterity

Yurice pushes her ice control to the edge of its limits. The next ice blast, invocation, or spell that she casts is treated as if affected by a Maximize Spell metamagic.

I'm primarily asking for two things with this character - creating her invocation list and creating her spell list. I want her to be effective - but not excessively so - as battlefield control and as a damager. Thus, I just want to know if there's any suggestions on useless spells I should remove or replace, or what I should add as her 7/8/9 level invocations and higher level spells (and what her martial weapon proficiency should be). The theme is supposed to be an ice-using marvel/anime hero, and the campaign is primarily urban. Custom spells are welcome.

I'm basically looking for decent optimization for a spell list that's balanced and not excessive.