Game Breaker Spell?? [Pathfinder]

[Gandolfi Feesh]

Debilitating Portent
School enchantment (compulsion);
Level cleric 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round/level (D) see text
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
The target is surrounded by a glowing green aura of ill fate. Each time the spell's subject makes an attack or casts a spell, it must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC = 10 + 1/2 caster level + Charisma (in the case of oracles) or Wisdom (in the case of clerics). If it fails the saving throw, it deals half damage with the attack or spell. You can dismiss this spell as an immediate action when the target confirms a critical hit; doing so negates the critical hit. The attack that you negated still hits, but only deals half damage.


a) Surely the target and the spell's subject are the same thing?
b) That being the case; If I hit a PC with this (at medium range), he is doing half damage/attack if he fails his will save each round with no initial save??
c) Would a fighter with four attacks have to make a single will save/round or one for each successful swing?

Seems a touch overpowered, no?

[Glimbur]

It's a save each time you attack or cast a spell, with no initial save. It's also fourth level. Hold person is (for wizards) third level, offers a save each round, and denies actions. Other 4th level witch spells include Black Tentacles, Mass Daze, and Ice Storm. Other 4th level cleric spells include... uh... there are probably better spells but a quick glance isn't finding them.

As a no-save debuff it would be quite good (though for it to work your side has to take damage). With a save for each attack it's... I wouldn't cast it just because that is a lot of rolling to do.

[Aegis013]

Debilitating Portent
School enchantment (compulsion);
Level cleric 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round/level (D) see text
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
The target is surrounded by a glowing green aura of ill fate. Each time the spell's subject makes an attack or casts a spell, it must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC = 10 + 1/2 caster level + Charisma (in the case of oracles) or Wisdom (in the case of clerics). If it fails the saving throw, it deals half damage with the attack or spell. You can dismiss this spell as an immediate action when the target confirms a critical hit; doing so negates the critical hit. The attack that you negated still hits, but only deals half damage.


a) Surely the target and the spell's subject are the same thing?
b) That being the case; If I hit a PC with this (at medium range), he is doing half damage/attack if he fails his will save each round with no initial save??
c) Would a fighter with four attacks have to make a single will save/round or one for each successful swing?

Seems a touch overpowered, no?

I may not be the most qualified to speak on this subject as I'm pretty intimately familiar with 3.5 spells and not as much for PF. But I'll give it my best shot.

a) Yes, I believe that is what it means.
b) Yes, I believe that is what it means, except I'm not sure you would be granted a save each round, but rather, in conjunction with each attack.
c) It says "...each time the spell's subject attacks or casts a spell..." I would think this would include iterative attacks for your fighter making four attacks. So four will saves.

It does seem like a very potent debuff. Overpowered? Probably not. It's a save-or-suck spell, which are generally quite good. Honestly it does not quite seem as powerful to me as the spell Slow, though it does have the no initial save benefit.

[Ravens_cry]

By RAW, Witches save is based on what . . .exactly?
It's rather confusing.
Still, if you follow the same pattern, (10+casting stat+ half level) which is reasonable, coven with Leadership wins again!

[The Glyphstone]

By RAW, Witches save is based on what . . .exactly?
It's rather confusing.
Still, if you follow the same pattern, (10+casting stat+ half level) which is reasonable, coven with Leadership wins again!

Witches are casters, for their spells. A spell's save is 10+Spell level+casting stat, so 14+Int in this case.

The save for their Hexes is different, but this isnt' a Hex.

[watchwood]

It's not bad, but I think there are better debuffs a level lower. Hold Person for single targets, and Slow for AoE. Both of which are a level lower, IIRC.

[Ravens_cry]

Witches are casters, for their spells. A spell's save is 10+Spell level+casting stat, so 14+Int in this case.

The save for their Hexes is different, but this isnt' a Hex.
Except it says none (not even None, special) for the saving throw, and doesn't give the pattern for an alternate saving throw like it does Clerics and Oracles.

[The Glyphstone]

Except it says none (not even None, special) for the saving throw, and doesn't give the pattern for an alternate saving throw like it does Clerics and Oracles.

Huh, missed that. I...guess it would be 10+1/2 CL +Int mod, then.

[Ravens_cry]

Huh, missed that. I...guess it would be 10+1/2 CL +Int mod, then.
Yes, that's what I thought as well, but it's not stated by RAW.
And that is it, well, Coven hex (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch) plus oodles of Witch followers (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/leadership---final) makes the DC beatable only 5% of the time.

[The Glyphstone]

You've involved Leadership, we're already past the cheese threshold anyways.:smallamused:

[Ravens_cry]

You've involved Leadership, we're already past the cheese threshold anyways.:smallamused:
True enough. Just one more way I guess.

[Psyren]

First off, all compulsions are mind-affecting, so there's a lot of enemies this won't affect, save or no save (e.g. undead, constructs, oozes.) Second, it only inhibits damage, which to be fair is a large part of what makes monsters scary, but it won't stop any of their debuffs, control or other nondamaging effects from getting through.

It's a nice spell (no-save debuffs, especially long-range ones, are always good to have) but I wouldn't call it overpowered at all. Compare it to another 4th-level debuff like Black Tentacles, which can really ruin someone's (or multiple someones) day.