Power of the Sea

[Absol197]

So, I'm going to be playing in a Seafaring campaign starting in a couple weeks, and I'm playing a sorcerer who draws her power from the sea. I want all of her spells to reflect this in some way.

Unfortunately, looking through the PHB and Stormwrack doesn't give me enough spells to fill out a spell list with spells that fit my concept! Does anyone know of toher good sources for sea-like spells?

General themes for my spell list: weather (storms/lighting), water, the sea, sea creatures, etc.

Any help appreciated!

[Malimar]

You could ask if you can use the spell researching rules to come up with more appropriate spells. Always up to DM fiat, of course, but he might allow you to research certain druid spells as sorcerer spells. I'm not entirely clear on to what extent that procedure is completely RAW. Even if he doesn't allow druid spells, he might allow other sorcerer spells edited to be electricity spells (e.g., a spell that's identical to fireball except electricity damage instead of fire, and [elec] instead of [fire]).

Oddly, I've found Sandstorm tends to have a lot of water- and storm-related things in general; you could look there and see if there's anything that catches your fancy.

The Spell Compendium is also always a good source for all kinds of spells.

[Zaq]

I did something related once. The key is fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff. Describe all of your spells in really neat detail, all of which is clearly sea-themed. Even better is if you work with your GM to come up with a list of alternate names beforehand, so you can just say "I cast Pounding Surf" and your GM will know what you mean without you having to actually say what the PHB calls it.

If you need more than the PHB's sanction on this (yes, this is totally allowed and encouraged in the core rules), you can take the feat Spell Thematics, which pretty much is a feat saying that you can do this, even though you clearly already could. Oh, and it makes them harder to identify with Spellcraft. Whee.

[Marnath]

Detect ship is thematic, and useful for someone who lives on ships much of the time. Not ideal to blow a spell known on an all day spell, but you will be casting it everyday for (presumably) your entire career at sea which would get expensive on an item like wands or scrolls, even more expensive on that rod that does it 1/day.

Knowing about every ship within X miles would save you from pirates and stuff.

[Axinian]

Energy substitution would be good for your damage spells. Make them deal cold or electricity damage. Makes refluffing make more sense too.

[Arutema]

Pathfinder has some nice water-themed spells:
Hydraulic Push (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/h/hydraulic-push)
Hydraulic Torrent (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/h/hydraulic-torrent)
Aqueous Orb (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/aqueous-orb)

[Feytalist]

I did something related once. The key is fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff. Describe all of your spells in really neat detail, all of which is clearly sea-themed. Even better is if you work with your GM to come up with a list of alternate names beforehand, so you can just say "I cast Pounding Surf" and your GM will know what you mean without you having to actually say what the PHB calls it.

If you need more than the PHB's sanction on this (yes, this is totally allowed and encouraged in the core rules), you can take the feat Spell Thematics, which pretty much is a feat saying that you can do this, even though you clearly already could. Oh, and it makes them harder to identify with Spellcraft. Whee.

Seconded. Spell Thematics + Energy Substitution and you're halfway there. Throw in summon creature spells (obviously just aquatic creatures/water elementals) for extra fun. Of course, many spells have cousins with different energy effects already. Fireball has scintillating sphere, cone of cold has mestil's acid breath, scorching ray has seeking ray, etc.

Some spells you might want to steal from the druid's list though. Control water, control weather? maybe even drown...

[Luckmann]

I did something related once. The key is fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff. Describe all of your spells in really neat detail, all of which is clearly sea-themed. Even better is if you work with your GM to come up with a list of alternate names beforehand, so you can just say "I cast Pounding Surf" and your GM will know what you mean without you having to actually say what the PHB calls it.

If you need more than the PHB's sanction on this (yes, this is totally allowed and encouraged in the core rules), you can take the feat Spell Thematics, which pretty much is a feat saying that you can do this, even though you clearly already could. Oh, and it makes them harder to identify with Spellcraft. Whee.

Luckmann casts Surfin' Bird.
It's super effective!

Luckmann casts Flock of Seagulls.
It's not very effective.

[Corlindale]

As previously mentioned, Pathfinder has a ton of new water-themed sorceror/wizard spells (and a fair amount of wind-themed ones as well), and I don't think it would be at all unbalanced or problematic to port them back into 3.5, if your GM will allow it. Take a look at the spell list (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/spell-lists-and-domains/spell-lists---sorcerer-and-wizard#TOC-1st-Level-Sorcerer-Wizard-Spells), looking it over there was at least 9 explicitly water-themed spells to be found.

[Absol197]

Thanks for all the advice, guys and gals. I'm pretty sure I've found all the spells I need, thanks to your guidance!

[myancey]

Oddly, I've found Sandstorm tends to have a lot of water- and storm-related things in general; you could look there and see if there's anything that catches your fancy.


Totally agree. Maybe its a stretch, but there are a ton of sand spells..coupled with beaches and all.

I'm not sure if someone else said it, but a well placed wind wall behind some sails could be a good use of low level casting. Get your boat's speed up.

And yeah, energy substitution is awesome.

[Marnath]

Totally agree. Maybe its a stretch, but there are a ton of sand spells..coupled with beaches and all.

I'm not sure if someone else said it, but a well placed wind wall behind some sails could be a good use of low level casting. Get your boat's speed up.

And yeah, energy substitution is awesome.

I think you mean Favorable Wind, not windwall. Windwall stops arrows and stuff.

[myancey]

I think you mean Favorable Wind, not windwall. Windwall stops arrows and stuff.

Ah, correct. Thanks.

Oh, but in terms of literature, you should check out a couple of Salvatore's Drizzt series. A wizard named Robillard serves as the ship wizard and second in command of Captain Deudermont's Sea Sprite.

[Seerow]

Thanks for all the advice, guys and gals. I'm pretty sure I've found all the spells I need, thanks to your guidance!

I'd be interested in seeing the full list you compiled, if you don't mind posting it.

[Absol197]

Sure, Seerow, I can do that, but first, I have another question:

A fiendish tiger shark familiar--how would I go about this?

Tiger sharks would normally be large sized, but a young one could be Medium. Would Improved Familiar be good enough for a Medium shark (I know it can get you a blink dog, so I'd think so), and then of course Fiendish Familiar to make it fiendish. Do any of y'all think this would work?

Is there any reasonable way to get a large shark?

I know these seem like odd questions, but any help is useful :smallsmile: Thanks in advance!

[Greenish]

If you can drop the Fiendish part, Wild Cohort can get you one as an animal companion of sorts.

If you prefer Fiendish, well, Leadership might work.

[Edit]: There's the druid/arcane theurge somewhere, that'd get you weather/water spells and allows for combining familiar and animal companion.

[Feytalist]

There's another familiar feat out there, I think in CW; Combat Familiar? Ferocious Familiar? Something like that. It nets you a familiar that is slightly more suited to combat, such as winter wolf, worg, etc. You need to have a certain BAB though.

That might be the one you're looking for.

[NNescio]

I did something related once. The key is fluff. Fluff, fluff, fluff. Describe all of your spells in really neat detail, all of which is clearly sea-themed. Even better is if you work with your GM to come up with a list of alternate names beforehand, so you can just say "I cast Pounding Surf" and your GM will know what you mean without you having to actually say what the PHB calls it.

If you need more than the PHB's sanction on this (yes, this is totally allowed and encouraged in the core rules), you can take the feat Spell Thematics, which pretty much is a feat saying that you can do this, even though you clearly already could. Oh, and it makes them harder to identify with Spellcraft. Whee.

Zaq's Zippy Zephyr.

[*.*.*.*]

The spell thematic feat(from a faerun book, just google it) will give you a mechanical way to fluff all of your spells as WATERY DEATH.