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Gamer Girl
2012-06-18, 06:16 PM
So one of the things that makes divine spells caster unique is that they worship gods. The god is both the source of the character's power and what the character believes in and follows. But not many spells really tap into the matter of faith, so:



Faithstep
Evocation (Force)
Level: Clr/FvS 4
Components: V, S, Faith
Casting Time: 1 turn
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Walkway, bridge, stair, or ladder, up to 10 ft. sq./level
Duration: 1 day/level
Saving Throw: Will special
Spell Resistance: No

You call into being an stairway or other surface to walk on, formed of force; you can shape it into up to one 10 ft square per level. The force surface will match any existing area's texture and color, this can not be altered by the caster.

The force surface, while solid, will automatically phase through any creature not of the casters faith. In effect, the force surface does not exist for those creatures. Creatures that share the casters faith must still make a will save for the surface to remain solid. Note-some faiths frown upon or even forbid the use of magic items or other such outside sources to boost ones willpower for this spell.

*Special-While the spell works just fine with a will save, the spell has great role-laying potential beyond that. First, the DM can simply decide if a worshiper is worthy or not and in turn if the surface is solid or not. Second, the DM might add more modifiers to the save. The DC can be increased for more strict gods or lowered for more open ones. Also the creature may get a bonus to the save for acts that promote the faith or otherwise please the god.

*Note-This spell is intended for worlds with active gods, and may need to be modified if your world used other methods of faith.

Faith Component-This spell can only be cast by a faithful worshiper of an individual god, for the faith of that god only.

*Lore-This is a spell of Netheirl, first cast by Velendelra Hiccelien, a dweomerkeeper of Mystryl in -2639 DR. Velendelra was a high priestess of the Temple of the Weave in the floating enclave of Synod. This spell was first used just weeks after the enclave first rose up into the sky as a harsh test of faith for those faithful who where squeamish about being so high above the ground. Velendelra was infamous for casting this spell over open areas so that the unfaithful would plunge to their doom far below.

While Velendelra herself never shared this spell outside of the faithful, Mystryl herself shared the spell with the other deities of Netheril and by -2500 it was commonly used by clerics of all faiths.

The spell was temporally lost in -339 DR when Netheril fell, but several copies survived the fall, and by -100 DR it was again well known in cleric circles.

This spell has always had a bit of a mixed usage in the eyes of many faithful. While many found it hard to harm or kill someone of their own faith with this spell, they had to balance that out with the fact that only those of weak faith, as judged by their own deity, would fall. And as all deities have may this spell available to casters, that does give the deities silent consent to use it. Still many faithful only use this spell lightly, such as having users only fall a couple feet into a pool of water. And many only use the spell to effect those not of their faith for privacy, such as creating a walkway between to towers to be used by only clerics. Though plenty of faithful are known to use this spell the way Velendelra intended and would approve of, to kill off the unfaithful.

By the start of Dale-reckoning, this spell was granted by all deities. This spell has never been very popular in the North, though from time to time a more hard line cleric will make use of the spell to deadly effect. With it's impressive skyline, this spell has always been popular in Iriaebor. The spell has also seen much use and popularity in the Lands of Intrigue, particularity Calimshan. In most other places the spell is uncommon for divine spell casters.

Steward
2012-06-18, 06:28 PM
Can this be made permanent? Because I'm visualizing a secret temple using a Faithstep bridge across a hidden chasm as protection for their most holy treasures. A mischievous cult might litter their temples with trap doors that are overlaid with Faithstep platforms; the truly devout can walk around safely, but intruders (as well as novices and initiates) must find the few safe places to walk or risk getting bumped, bruised, or worse by all the traps.

Gamer Girl
2012-06-18, 06:34 PM
This would be an an obvious spell to add to the permanency list as well as the Hollowed/Unhallowed effect.

nonsi
2012-06-19, 08:50 AM
Now why has nobody thought of this before ? :thumbsup:

Vorr
2012-06-19, 12:00 PM
I like this idea of having 'faithful only' spots in temples and such. I wonder if the effect could be delayed a round or two though, so for example a foe moving across a bridge would fall through right in the middle?

This works great for pit traps too...

TuggyNE
2012-06-19, 05:23 PM
Now why has nobody thought of this before ? :thumbsup:

You mean besides my very similar spell that directly inspired this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13405936&postcount=1)? :smallsigh:

Steward
2012-06-19, 05:59 PM
You mean besides my very similar spell that directly inspired this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13405936&postcount=1)? :smallsigh:

These two spells are completely different. For example, yours takes one hour to cast while this one only takes one full-round action. :smallbiggrin:

Andion Isurand
2012-06-20, 03:49 PM
"Only in the Leap from the Lion's Head Will He Prove His Worth."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFntFdEGgws

Gamer Girl
2012-06-20, 05:39 PM
"Only in the Leap from the Lion's Head Will He Prove His Worth."

Well, yea, I was thinking along that line.

But a shadow spell useable by anyone, and a spell useable only by the faithful of a deity are too different spells.

Siosilvar
2012-06-20, 05:48 PM
But a shadow spell useable by anyone, and a spell useable only by the faithful of a deity are too different spells.

Still should include credit.

Especially when the whole spell, except the school/descriptor, duration, casting time, and exact wording, is identical.

It's dishonest to present this entirely as your own, since it's the exact same with some additional qualifiers. Some pretty neat qualifiers, admittedly, but you can't claim that they're different spells with a straight face.

Gamer Girl
2012-06-20, 09:10 PM
Still should include credit.

Especially when the whole spell, except the school/descriptor, duration, casting time, and exact wording, is identical.

It's dishonest to present this entirely as your own, since it's the exact same with some additional qualifiers. Some pretty neat qualifiers, admittedly, but you can't claim that they're different spells with a straight face.

Other then the name, the spells are different. And we are not even using the words the same way. The other spell uses 'faith' in the secular way, my spell is about direct divine faith.

And it's not even close to the other spell in effect. It's illusion shadow vs divine force. The other spell is a spin off from the shadow creation spells, mine is a spin off of the old Bigby force spells, except it's a divine spell.

TuggyNE
2012-06-20, 10:08 PM
Other then the name, the spells are different. And we are not even using the words the same way. The other spell uses 'faith' in the secular way, my spell is about direct divine faith.

And it's not even close to the other spell in effect. It's illusion shadow vs divine force. The other spell is a spin off from the shadow creation spells, mine is a spin off of the old Bigby force spells, except it's a divine spell.

One relies primarily on personal discovery or communication; the other is for use by organizations.

Despite the differences, I would very much appreciate being given some amount of credit for the inspiration; I'm happy if my work spins off variants, but insisting that they're unrelated seems both unnecessary and incorrect.

Siosilvar
2012-06-20, 10:15 PM
Other then the name, the spells are different. And we are not even using the words the same way. The other spell uses 'faith' in the secular way, my spell is about direct divine faith.

And it's not even close to the other spell in effect. It's illusion shadow vs divine force. The other spell is a spin off from the shadow creation spells, mine is a spin off of the old Bigby force spells, except it's a divine spell.

They're identical in effect. They create a space that can only be walked on if you make a will save (and for yours, they must also be of the caster's faith).

First sentence of each:

"You call into being an stairway or other surface to walk on, formed of force; you can shape it into up to one 10 ft square per level."

"You call into being an intangible stairway or other surface to walk on, formed of shadow-stuff; you can shape it into up to one 10 ft square per level."

Bolded are literally the only differences. You even forgot to make it "a stairway" instead of just removing the inapplicable word from "an intangible stairway". Likewise, the lines before that are exactly the same with minimal modification.

The only differences are in how they achieve the effect and the specifics on how it works.

Also,

And 'Faith step' should be a cleric spell.....oh, spell idea.


Look, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have made this. They're both neat spells. I am saying that, out of respect for your fellow homebrewers, you need to give credit where credit is due.

137beth
2012-06-21, 11:56 AM
I agree, while the flavor is very different, the mechanics are very similar, and credit should be given where credit is due. I would also say that objects carried/worn by someone standing on the stairway do not fall through, even though they technically fail their will save (which answers the criticism you gave to this spell tuggyne's spell on the other thread. I think it is a well-designed spell and idea, regardless of who's idea it is. Expect the evil temple to be filled with these.

Also, the idea of a spell whose effect depends on the target's faith is not new (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167825) However, you probably do not need to credit me, since you likely did not see my spell, and it has a very different mechanic (I think this one/tuggyne's spell is more interesting than mine.)

Andion Isurand
2012-06-21, 01:54 PM
I think you should set up this spell with more options.

What if the caster has servitor creatures such as golems, elementals or mindless undead, that he or she wants to be able to use the surface?

Gamer Girl
2012-06-21, 08:24 PM
I think you should set up this spell with more options.

What if the caster has servitor creatures such as golems, elementals or mindless undead, that he or she wants to be able to use the surface?

Well the idea is you need faith to walk on the force object. So mindless or faithless creatures could not do that. But you could always have levitating or flying constructs. And plenty of undead can float or fly.

And, in general, you would not make a whole building out of this spell, just some areas of a building.

Phosphate
2012-06-22, 07:48 AM
What is the reason for the spell being level 4? Almost all other level 4 spells are better.

Neat effect, and neat flavor, tho. This had to be invented.

137beth
2012-06-22, 11:16 AM
Well the idea is you need faith to walk on the force object. So mindless or faithless creatures could not do that.
So what, your shoes fall through, since they are mindless?


And it's not even close to the other spell in effect. It's illusion shadow vs divine force.
I hope you know that where you imagine the power to come from doesn't really affect how it works in the game.


What is the reason for the spell being level 4? Almost all other level 4 spells are better.
Most of them, although there are some really bad level 4 spells like cure critical wounds, dismissal, or divine power (which would be decent if you could cast in on the BSF, instead of just yourself).
On the other hand, a lot of the 4th level spells are much better, such as freedom of movement, divination, ect.
In a lot of ways, this is a watered-down version of air walk.


Neat effect, and neat flavor, tho. This had to be invented.
Although as mentioned, she did not come up with the effect, just the flavor (and not even really that).

Steward
2012-06-22, 01:54 PM
So what, your shoes fall through, since they are mindless?

It might be just a really popular houserule, but I think that's generally common practice for attended objects (such as things that you're wearing) not to have make individual saves against spell effects. You could probably interpret that rule (if it is a rule; I honestly can't remember!) to mean that your shoes wouldn't have to make a separate Will save as long as you're wearing them.

TuggyNE
2012-06-22, 05:54 PM
It might be just a really popular houserule, but I think that's generally common practice for attended objects (such as things that you're wearing) not to have make individual saves against spell effects. You could probably interpret that rule (if it is a rule; I honestly can't remember!) to mean that your shoes wouldn't have to make a separate Will save as long as you're wearing them.

Close: "An item attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character’s saving throw bonus)." (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm#savingThrows)

However, if mindless creatures cannot use the spell effect, then by extension yes, all your gear, dragged items, etc would pass through automatically, so you would be walking on the surface with effectively bare feet.