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View Full Version : Reincarnate. . . reincarnated. [3.5 Spell Remix]



Ursus the Grim
2011-06-03, 10:30 AM
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/AdamantinePangolin/TrueReincarnate.jpg

Hey all. When 3.5 PHB came out, my entire party was saddened by the change to Reincarnate. While we all agreed it was for the sake of ease and balance, we felt it kind of violated the fun, whimsical spirit of 3.0 Reincarnate. It was now nearly inferior to Resurrection in every way, without the possibility of having your Paladin return as a wolf with a holy bite. My newest group echoes that sentiment, and so I promised them a revamped Reincarnate with a little more room for fun. I figured I'd share it with the Playground for their use and evaluation.

Changes:
A little more bias towards humanoids.
The spell does not alter Charisma, so that Spontaneous Arcane casters don't get ruined.
Currently have been implemented.


Reincarnate
Transmutation
Level: Drd 4
Components: V, S, M, DF, XP
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Dead creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

With this spell, you bring back a dead creature in another body, provided that its death occurred no more than one week before the casting of the spell and the subject’s soul is free and willing to return. If the subject’s soul is not willing to return, the spell does not work; therefore, a subject that wants to return receives no saving throw.

Since the dead creature is returning in a new body, all physical ills and afflictions are repaired. The condition of the remains is not a factor. So long as some small portion of the creature’s body still exists, it can be reincarnated, but the portion receiving the spell must have been part of the creature’s body at the time of death. The magic of the spell creates an entirely new young adult body for the soul to inhabit from the natural elements at hand. This process takes 1 hour to complete. When the body is ready, the subject is reincarnated.

A reincarnated creature recalls the majority of its former life and form. It retains any class abilities, feats, or skill ranks it formerly possessed. Its class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and hit points from class levels are unchanged. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores depend partly on the new body. First eliminate the subject’s racial adjustments (since it is no longer of his previous race) and then apply the adjustments found below to its remaining ability scores. The subject’s level (or Hit Dice) is reduced by 1. If the subject was 1st level, its new Constitution score is reduced by 2. (If this reduction would put its Con at 0 or lower, it can’t be reincarnated). This level/HD loss or Constitution loss cannot be repaired by any means. The subject gains (or loses) the new form's racial adjustments to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.

It’s possible for the change in the subject’s ability scores to make it difficult for it to pursue its previous character class. If this is the case, the subject is well advised to become a multiclass character.

A creature that has been turned into an undead creature or killed by a death effect can’t be returned to life by this spell. Constructs, elementals, outsiders, and undead creatures can’t be reincarnated. The spell cannot bring back a creature who has died of old age, as the spirit has served its time in the cycle of life.

The reincarnated creature gains all abilities associated with its new form, including forms of movement and speeds, natural armor, natural attacks, extraordinary abilities, and the like, but it doesn’t automatically speak the language of the new form.

A wish or a miracle spell can restore a reincarnated character to his or her original form.

Material Component
Rare oils and unguents worth a total of least 1,000 gp, spread over the remains.
XP Cost
150 XP

Roll on the following table to determine the subjects new form. After rolling, but before determining the result, fifteen percent points may be subtracted (if the result if greater than 15) or a number of points equal to Druid's level may be added (as long as initial result was less than 80). Thus, spellcasters may restrain themselves to a more manageable form, and warriors have a better chance of finding a form suited for their style. In the case of a nonstandard race for which ECL is not available, use the following guide. 01-15%, ECL+0, 16-35%, ECL+1, 36-65%, ECL+2, 66-85%, ECL+3, 86-100%, ECL+4

This may make the reincarnated slightly stronger than he was before, a chance offset by the character's loss of level. The time it takes to adjust to his new form is reflected in the slower gain of experience due to a higher ECL, and by having to invest in nonstandard equipment.

For instance, Krusk is reincarnated by Vadania, a 7th level Druid. The initial roll is 42. Before checking the table, Krusk may choose to either subtract 15 or add 7 to the roll. Depending on his choice, he may return as either a wolf, a boar, or a monitor lizard.

{table=head]Race | Percentile Roll
Baboon|01
Badger|02
Dwarf|03-04
Eagle|05
Elf|06-08
Gnome|09-11
Halfling|12-14
Orc|15-16
Pony|17
Human|18-20
Small Viper|21
Camel|22
Riding Dog|23
Hyena|24
Mule|25
Medium Viper|26
Wolf|27
Hobgoblin|28-29
Small Elemental|30-31
Light Horse|32-33
Heavy Horse|34-35
Black Bear|36-38
Bison|39-40
Boar|41-42
Cheetah|43-44
Crocodile|45-46
Leopard|47-48
Monitor Lizard|49-50
Constrictor Snake|51-52
Large Viper|53-54
Wolverine|55-56
Dire Badger|57-58
Dire Bat|59-60
Dire Weasel|61-62
Hippogrif|63-65
Gnoll|66-67
Grig|68-70
Lizardfolk|71-72
Bugbear|73-74
Lion|75-76
Huge Viper|77-78
Dire Ape|79-80
Dire Wolf|81-82
Medium Elemental|83-85
Nixie|86-87
Troglodyte|88
Grizzly Bear|89-90
Polar Bear|91
Giant Crocodile|92
Rhinocerous|93-94
Tiger|95-96
Dire Boar|97-98
Dire Wolverine|99-100[/table]

Kyrinthic
2011-06-03, 10:55 AM
I might perhaps weight the humanoid options a bit more heavily, it can be fun if people come back as animals now and then, but not as much if its pretty much the norm.

Other than that, they should either not change charisma from the new form, or change int, wis, and charisma. thats a mental stat, and should be carried over with int and wis from the characters original form. I would apt for the former option over the latter, unless you want a lot of really dumb reincarnates :)

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-03, 11:11 AM
I might perhaps weight the humanoid options a bit more heavily, it can be fun if people come back as animals now and then, but not as much if its pretty much the norm.

Other than that, they should either not change charisma from the new form, or change int, wis, and charisma. thats a mental stat, and should be carried over with int and wis from the characters original form. I would apt for the former option over the latter, unless you want a lot of really dumb reincarnates :)


Yeah, I considered that at first, I thought, but I don't know how or when it happened like it did. It was a while ago when I first drafted it, so I'll probably tweak it. My thing with charisma is that its not entirely mental, which is often overlooked. Its based in part on physical appearance. Being ugly or unassuming can mean a low Charisma, but appearance has nothing to do with Intelligence or Wisdom.

Zale
2011-06-03, 12:20 PM
What would the racial adjustments for an animal be?

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-03, 12:31 PM
What would the racial adjustments for an animal be?

Generally rule of thumb is generally (Score)-10 for even numbers, and (Score)-11 for odd numbers. Thus, a wolf has +2 Str, +4 Dex, +4 Con, Int 2, +2 Wis, -4 Cha.

Zale
2011-06-03, 08:13 PM
So, what happens if a caster gets turned into a badger, or something? How can they use magic? :smallconfused:

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-03, 09:54 PM
So, what happens if a caster gets turned into a badger, or something? How can they use magic? :smallconfused:

Same way they did? Somatic and verbal components aren't defined, and considering you can spellcast with Natural Spell in Wild Shape, you can cast in a new animal form. Eschew Materials would take care of the other issue. The biggest issue is with LA, hence allowing someone to get a lower LA form.

You don't have to be humanoid to cast spells. What exactly is the issue you have that I am missing?

Solaris
2011-06-04, 03:32 AM
There's a reason they dropped animals from the table in the revision. I'd leave reincarnate as keeping you as the same creature type you were (human gets reincarnated as some kind of humanoid, for example).

Ivanovich Redoc
2011-06-04, 03:46 AM
You don't have to be humanoid to cast spells. What exactly is the issue you have that I am missing?

you have to have 10 + the spell's level in your primary casting stat or you can't cast that spell.

Icedaemon
2011-06-04, 04:28 AM
Same way they did? Somatic and verbal components aren't defined, and considering you can spellcast with Natural Spell in Wild Shape, you can cast in a new animal form. Eschew Materials would take care of the other issue. The biggest issue is with LA, hence allowing someone to get a lower LA form.

You don't have to be humanoid to cast spells. What exactly is the issue you have that I am missing?

Arcane magic has rather specific verbal and somatic components, usually. They aren't defined, obviously, but they are assumed to exist in-universe. A badger might pray to a god, but not speak in Draconic.

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-04, 08:39 AM
There's a reason they dropped animals from the table in the revision. I'd leave reincarnate as keeping you as the same creature type you were (human gets reincarnated as some kind of humanoid, for example).

I know why they dropped animals from the table in the revision. I said that the party I play with does not like that decision. I'm not insisting everyone use the table, I am just offering it for people who like a little bit of whimsy in their games. Thanks.


you have to have 10 + the spell's level in your primary casting stat or you can't cast that spell.

As is, this version doesn't alter Wisdom or Intelligence. That means Clerics, Druids, Rangers, Wizards, and Paladins won't have an issue. I am reconsidering the alterations to Charisma, as I forgot about Sorcerors and Paladins.


Arcane magic has rather specific verbal and somatic components, usually. They aren't defined, obviously, but they are assumed to exist in-universe. A badger might pray to a god, but not speak in Draconic.

Where is this assumed? I've only ever played with about thirty different people, but none of them were under this assumption. I just read through the entire spell section and nowhere does it say that the components are the same for each creature. How would two Sorcerers know exactly how to cast the same spell the exact same way when its pretty much just instinct and inborn talent? Why would a Druid's verbal and somatic components be identical to that of a Cleric's? In many cases, the components are actually different, ie, a Druid using holly and mistletoe instead of a holy symbol.

In addition, there are plenty of monsters that "shouldn't" be able to cast spells. Aboleth's can hardly speak clearly underwater and their tentacles aren't the same of multidigited hands for somatic components. A couatl doesn't even have limbs! A lammasu or sphinx has paws. Nagas, again, do not have limbs for somatic components. Unicorns have hooves! Nowhere does it say anything about the verbal or somatic components for the spell. Nor does it say that "they can speak Draconic when required by spells". The only exception/alteration mentioned is in the case of a physical component. I would posit that the assumption is that the somatic or verbal components vary based on the nature of the creature.

You need Spellcraft to identify a spell being cast. If the components were identical between creatures, it would just be an Intelligence check to realize "hey, I cast something just that way!".

LOTRfan
2011-06-04, 09:00 AM
Where is this assumed? I've only ever played with about thirty different people, but none of them were under this assumption.

I'd assume that it could be a reasonable conclusion (one that I don't agree with, however) because of the wording in the Natural Spell feat.

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-04, 09:14 AM
I'd assume that it could be a reasonable conclusion (one that I don't agree with, however) because of the wording in the Natural Spell feat.

While that's a good point, Natural Spell doesn't solely allow the druid to just change up their verbal and somatic components. It also allows them to use components that are currently melded into their form. In addition, the Druid is still able to change back into a humanoid form, and would be basing their components off of what they would do as a humanoid. They would still think *okay, this is me moving my fingers*. With a spellcaster turned badger, I would allow them to come up with new components based on their new form. I think that could be easily explained via the level loss as they suffer the minor setback of having to redevelop their spells.

I understand you don't agree with it, but I should address that nonetheless. Thanks for the input.

Icedaemon
2011-06-04, 09:54 AM
In addition, there are plenty of monsters that "shouldn't" be able to cast spells. Aboleth's can hardly speak clearly underwater and their tentacles aren't the same of multidigited hands for somatic components. A couatl doesn't even have limbs! A lammasu or sphinx has paws. Nagas, again, do not have limbs for somatic components. Unicorns have hooves! Nowhere does it say anything about the verbal or somatic components for the spell. Nor does it say that "they can speak Draconic when required by spells". The only exception/alteration mentioned is in the case of a physical component. I would posit that the assumption is that the somatic or verbal components vary based on the nature of the creature.

In most of those cases, aren't we dealing with spell-like abilities as opposed to learned Vancian magic? Additionally Aboleths and Lamassu, especially the former, tend to come from cultures which predate humanity and thus could indeed develop their own systems of spellcasting, while a humanoid wizard reborn in a new form would surely have no idea how to cast spells in an inhuman form. If only intent and desire mattered when it came to magic, everyone could cast any spell (or at least any spell they are high-level enough to obtain) they desire. Wizards learn spells from scrolls and spellbooks which are typically made to at least some form of standard.

Ursus the Grim
2011-06-04, 10:56 AM
In most of those cases, aren't we dealing with spell-like abilities as opposed to learned Vancian magic? Additionally Aboleths and Lamassu, especially the former, tend to come from cultures which predate humanity and thus could indeed develop their own systems of spellcasting, while a humanoid wizard reborn in a new form would surely have no idea how to cast spells in an inhuman form. If only intent and desire mattered when it came to magic, everyone could cast any spell (or at least any spell they are high-level enough to obtain) they desire. Wizards learn spells from scrolls and spellbooks which are typically made to at least some form of standard.

No. I specifically chose races that have examples with actual spells. I left out all races with merely spell-like abilities. You've addressed two of the examples I gave by admitting that not all spells are cast the same way, even if they are "identical" spells.

I agree that its not merely intent and desire. Its the power of the character as reflected in the character level, and their innate ability to understand magic. A fighter who worships a god doesn't get spells because he hasn't refined the connection or been directly blessed by said god. The wizard turned into a badger still has the knowledge and mental ability to grasp Arcana but merely has to modify his means to do so. Indeed, it is a reasonable thing to include that as part of the reason for level loss. Any reincarnated spellcaster is likely to pick up Eschew Materials as well, thus signifying more devotion to adapting to this new form.

I understand where you're coming from, I just disagree with your view. If you don't like the concept behind revisiting 3.0 Reincarnate, then you're free not to use it. Yes, it would suck to be a fighter turned into a baboon, or a wizard turned into a rhinocerous. But its a gamble, and it adds some fun to our sessions. There is payoff involved as well. This is Homebrew after all. Its not like I'm saying "hey guys, this is better, use this! RAW supports it!."

Ursus the Grim
2011-12-06, 11:19 PM
Okay. Its been a few months, but I thought I should mention that I added a little more bias towards humanoids, and removed the charisma penalty.

Also, its been added to my extended homebrew signature. Still open to comments, but I'm going to consider it 'Completed' for now.