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View Full Version : Of course, these prices are entirely reasonable... [Warlock Invocation and Feat]



Eldan
2010-10-25, 01:12 PM
For your friendly neighbourhood Faustian bargain provider.

Invest Power *

Prerequisite: Must know at least one lesser Invocation
Benefit: You can invest some of your magical power into a willing creature, who must have an intelligence score of at least 3.
To do so, select one of your invocations. In a ritual taking a minute per equivalent spell level of the invocation, you give the target creature the ability to use the invocation a single time.
The ritual costs 25*the invocation's caster level*it's equivalent spell level in gold pieces, and 1/25th of that in experience points.
*sort of.

And number two, inspired by [I]Name of the Wind

Blood Pact

Level: Lesser, 4th

You draw a small vial of blood from a willing, living creature, dealing one point of damage. While drawing the blood, you can specify up to three conditions, to which the creature has to agree.
At any time you are holding the vial, you can cast the equivalent of a Locate creature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/locatecreature.htm)spell on the creature, except that it has unlimited range, as long as the target creature is on the same plane of existence and is not blocked by flowing water.
If the target creature breaks any of the specified conditions, the [I]Locate creature effect can no longer be foiled by mislead or nondetection except if their caster level is higher than your own. Additionally, you can cast any spell, spell-like ability or similar power (psionic power, shadow magic...) on the vial of blood as if it were the creature in question, thereby affecting the creature itself. If the spell cast on the vial allows a saving throw, the creature takes a -4 penalty to it.

Zaydos
2010-10-25, 02:31 PM
Like the flavor of the invocation a lot, and the ability of the feat.

On the feat may I suggest halving the cost of the ritual to bring it in line with the cost of a comparable potion (as is it costs the same to perform the ritual as to buy a comparable potion), also you have a typo where it should say 1/25th of that in experience points it says 1/25th of that in gold pieces.

As for the invocation I doubt I'd ever use it as a PC but it is a neat ability, that would fit nicely on an NPC.

Eldan
2010-10-25, 02:46 PM
Actually, it does cost as much as producing an equivalent potion, according to the SRD. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#brewPotion)

I'm stupid, that's of course base price, not creation cost. Thought I remembered something with 25GP.

And I'd say it's actually better, in some ways, than a potion: invocations have usually a few benefits more than the spell they are based on, this is not limited to level three, and you don't have to hold the item to use it, it's inside you.

Zaydos
2010-10-25, 02:49 PM
The base price of a potion is its spell level × its caster level × 50 gp. To brew a potion, you must spend 1/25 of this base price in XP and use up raw materials costing one half this base price.

Base price is used to determine XP spent and raw material cost it is not the actual raw material cost, but the cost to buy it.

Also I agree its probably better than a potion, I will also say I never buy potions because they are too expensive to be worthwhile. This priced like a potion might actually be usable.

Edit: Ninja edit.

The Tygre
2010-10-25, 03:43 PM
Awesome. Especially the new invocation, but that could just be the Name of the Wind bias. :smallcool:

Eldan
2010-10-25, 03:52 PM
To be honest, I'm not sure it's not too situational for normal game use. But you can just put it on a friend to track them as well, if they ever get abducted.

Pyromancer999
2010-10-25, 04:17 PM
For your friendly neighbourhood Faustian bargain provider.

Invest Power [Item Creation]*

Prerequisite: Must know at least one lesser Invocation
Benefit: You can invest some of your magical power into a willing creature, who must have an intelligence score of at least 3.
To do so, select one of your invocations. In a ritual taking a minute per equivalent spell level of the invocation, you give the target creature the ability to use the invocation a single time.
The ritual costs 25*the invocation's caster level*it's equivalent spell level in gold pieces, and 1/25th of that in experience points.
*sort of.


This isn't entirely on par with the potion. After all, potions mimic spell effects, which you can only cast a certain number of times per day. Invocations are at-will abilities that are usually slightly weaker than or barely on par with such effects. So, I would advise either lowering the cost, or boosting the number of times the subject can use it.

Eldan
2010-10-26, 04:38 AM
True, but most invocations are still basically equivalent to the spell they are on the equal level off. Invisibility is invisibility, no matter how you get it.

Would 3 uses be better, then?

DracoDei
2010-10-26, 10:49 AM
Invocations also often have 24 hour durations compared to hours (at best) for the matching spells. So... of you compare it to a Persisted version of spell it is very much worth it... except that isn't quite right either. I am just saying it is more complex than it might appear on the surface.

Zaydos
2010-10-26, 10:54 AM
Also remember most Invocations mimic a spell of equal level with extra power (example: Ebon Eyes is a 2nd level invocation, that mimics a Persisted Greater Darkvision 3rd level spell, See the Unseen is also 2nd level and combines Darkvision and See Invisibility both 2nd level spells, and extends their duration to 24 hours) also remember it will already be cheaper as you can use a lower CL (See the Unseen is available at CL 1 and is just as good as a CL 20 version; so it's 50 GP and 2 XP to give an ally See Invisibility and Darkvision for 24 hours with this, compared to 150 GP and 12 XP to give an ally a potion of one of them normally with a 30 minute duration with See Invisibility).

That said I think these are reasonably priced for their effect; but they are already a much better deal than a potion of the same level effect.

kryan
2010-10-26, 11:57 AM
I feel like the "blocked by running water" thing is adding a bit of fluff to the Warlock that isn't at all present in the 3.5 Warlock, and further would be a real pain for a DM to adjudicate. I don't think that line really improves the ability, either.

Otherwise, I think these are pretty good. The Invest Power might be better than Brew Potion, but Brew Potion's pretty bad, so...

Eldan
2010-10-26, 01:48 PM
Actually, it's "not blocked by running water", since the original Locate person spell has that bit.

Anyway, yes, 24 hour invocations are probably a problem. Should I put in a duration limit, like "the invocation, once activated, can not last for more than ten minutes" or so?

fil kearney
2010-10-26, 02:30 PM
Actually, it's "not blocked by running water", since the original Locate person spell has that bit.

Anyway, yes, 24 hour invocations are probably a problem. Should I put in a duration limit, like "the invocation, once activated, can not last for more than ten minutes" or so?

I agree with ditching the water for sensible DMing.

One of the biggest factors worth noting regarding Invest Power is that it requires personal interaction over a number of minutes. We can't approach this in comparison to a potion "in a vacuum"... you can theoretically go buy a slew of potions to keep in stock, but this is a ritual requiring many minutes to perform... and even then it negates after 24 hours. this can be VERY inconvenient during a long dungeon crawl. can't just reach into your pouch and grab another see the unseen. still can be dispelled as well.. destroys the effort for the day.

I think potion is the most convenient decision... 1 single charge of a staff would be the most accurate.

DracoDei
2010-10-26, 03:43 PM
Yes, the original spell has the bit about being blocked by running water... it also
(as I JUST discovered) is called Locate Creature (not Person)... which is actually what the OP says, now that I look. I mention it only to prevent confusion.

Eldan
2010-10-26, 03:46 PM
So it does, it seems.

Fil: it actually never says it wears off after 24 hours. You give the creature one use, as written, it can store up that use for as long as you want to. Buy 3 uses of Devil's own sight from a warlock, use the first one right now to walk home, the second one next week to find your dropped car keys and the third one in two years when the power goes out to find the flashlight.