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JaronK
2013-01-07, 03:14 AM
I'd love some input on the level of the following spells, as well as any other relevant aspects. They're spells to be researched by my Archivist, who's a big fan of not having to do manual labor at all. They're modeled off Unseen Servant, Servant Horde (SpC, creates 2d6+caster level unseen servants for 1 hour/lvl), and Unseen Crafter (Races of Eberron, 2nd level spell, 1day/lvl, creates an Unseen Servant with craft ranks equal to yours + your spellcasting stat mod who crafts one thing, cannot leave close range). The final spell is modeled after Leomund's Secure Shelter.

1) Marrion's Faithful Laborers. Cleric 4, Wizard/Sorcerer 4, Bard 4, Artificer 4, Magewright 4

Conjuration (Creation), VS, 1StdAct, Close Range, 1 day/lvl
-Creates Caster Level human like forces that handle day to day tasks for you. May be invisible, or may look like members of your race in appropriate clothing for their specialty. Has ranks in one Craft or Profession skill, or Handle Animal, equal to your caster level. Is equivalent to a humanoid with 10s in all stats. Will follow your orders faithfully during this time period, but only for menial tasks or tasks within its area of expertise. Can leave close range without problems. Cannot attack or be the direct target of attacks, but if it takes 6hp of damage from area of effect attacks, it is dissipated. May be made permanent with the permanency spell (3000xp, minimum CL 11). If permanent, laborers respawn in 1 day if dissipated (but will vanish forever if the spell is dispelled)

2) Marrion's Faithful Guards. Clr 4, Sor/Wiz 4, Bard 4, Artificer 4, Magewright 4

Conjuration (Creation), VS,1 Minute Casting Time, Close Range, 2 hours/lvl
-Creates Caster Level human like forces that alert you of danger. May be invisible, or may look like any medium or small sized race wearing the mundane armor and melee weapon of your choice, with a light crossbow, and equipped with your choice of lanterns, bullseye lanterns, or torches. Has ranks in Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive equal to your caster level, and gets a bonus equal to your casting stat in all of these. Regardless of the race they appear as, they have normal human vision. Is equivalent to a humanoid with 10s in all stats. Will follow your orders faithfully during this time period, generally for sounding alarms as needed. Can leave close range without problems. Cannot attack normally (despite their apparent weapons) or be the direct target of attacks, but if they takes 6hp of damage from area of effect attacks, they are dissipated. They may shoot their crossbows, and when they do so the bolts always seem to come from a flaming crossbow. However, they never hit their target. Instead, they hit the ground in the same square as the enemy they are shooting at (if the enemy is on the ground) with a flaming crossbow bolt that burns like a continual flame spell for CL rounds, giving off light like a torch. If the targets are air born the bolts simply fly past the target as though they missed.

3)Marrion's Secure Fort Sor/Wiz 5, Bard 5, Clr 6

Conjuration (Creation), VS AF,10 Minute Casting Time, Close Range, 24 Hours
Creates a Cheap Keep (Stronghold Builder's Guide, see here: https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20020503e ) protected by 6 Marrion's Faithful Guards (When summoned, two are in the each watchtower and two man the gate). The keep is also staffed by a few Marrion's Faithful Laborers... one with Handle Animal, four with Profession (Cook), and four with Profession (Butler). If any of the staff or guards venture more than 60' from the keep, they dissipate. If they dissipate for any reason, they reappear in the courtyard in 1d4 rounds. The kitchen is always stocked with wild game, root vegetables, and other appropriate foods for a wilderness outpost. The storage room below contains field rations for up to caster level people which may be taken away from the keep, but if not eaten these disappear after the spell expires. Regardless of the location, the well always contains fresh water. The stables always have fresh oats and hay for up to caster level horses and other large animals. Fires in the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom keep the keep relatively warm, but there is no other temperature regulation. The front gate is secured by an Improved Arcane Lock (caster may chose at time of casting who may pass through this), as are all other exterior doors. This spell may only be cast where there is room to do so. When the spell expires, all items created by the spell disappear, and anything else left in the keep falls to the ground after the keep vanishes (or rises to ground level if left in the store room). May be made permanent with the Permanency spell (5000xp, minimum CL 15).

JaronK

PetterTomBos
2013-01-07, 07:12 AM
Nice spells! I'm a bit vary on the CL = ranks + casting stat - thing. Are they intended to be better than you are at what they do? Or worse, better at what someone in the party with the craft skill is at what they do? Perhaps you could have them use your wisdom modifier and/or lower the ranks to casting modifier + spell lvl., or something?

JaronK
2013-01-07, 01:43 PM
Well, the idea is that they're good at these things, but not better than a dedicated specialist, so that may have been a bit much. I could set the bonus to just caster level though. That would work well enough.

JaronK

JaronK
2013-01-14, 07:59 PM
Edited the spell level of Faithful Laborers from 3 to 4, because Servant Horde (the 3rd level spell in SpC) is nearly strictly worse (it gets you 2d6 more servants, but for only 1 hour/lvl and they lack skills).

JaronK

Debihuman
2013-01-15, 07:06 AM
You should probably follow standard stat block for spells.

Marrion's Faithful Laborers
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Cleric 4, Wizard/Sorcerer 4, Bard 4, Artificer 4, Magewright 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range:Close (25 ft.+5 ft./ level)
Effect: 2d6+CL humanoid servants
Duration:1 day per CL (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

I tried to extrapolate that information from your text. You should really edit your text so that it's in actual sentences instead of fragments.

Debby

Mystra
2013-01-15, 02:05 PM
Your spells look over powered.


1) Marrion's Faithful Laborers.
So a 10th level spellcaster can get a laborer with a +10 in a craft skill that will work for ten days? And get ten of them? That is more like ''create factory''. A spellcaster with this spell would have way too much access to creating stuff. And it only get worse if you say normal crafting is just and 8 hour day, and the laborers can work 24.

First you'd need to limit the skills, so a clever caster could not just conjure up any skill. A good limit would be ''skills the caster knows''. And a skill rank per caster level might be a bit much, it needs more of a limit. And one day a level is way, way too long. Maybe more like 1 hour/level. And you should not remove the ''caster sets up the laborers to work and then leaves to adventure'' restriction. Make the caster stay around, in close range.



2) Marrion's Faithful Guards.

Much the same problems as the laborers. The skill checks will again get way too high, way too fast. A group of tireless +10 spot guards is a bit much.



3)Marrion's Secure Fort


Way too much for a spell to make. This is overpowered even for 9th level.

Prime32
2013-01-15, 03:28 PM
So a 10th level spellcaster can get a laborer with a +10 in a craft skill that will work for ten days? And get ten of them? That is more like ''create factory''. A spellcaster with this spell would have way too much access to creating stuff. And it only get worse if you say normal crafting is just and 8 hour day, and the laborers can work 24.What about Fabricate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/fabricate.htm)?


And you should not remove the ''caster sets up the laborers to work and then leaves to adventure'' restriction. Make the caster stay around, in close range.If the caster was staying around all day, he could work much faster than the laborers anyway.


Much the same problems as the laborers. The skill checks will again get way too high, way too fast. A group of tireless +10 spot guards is a bit much. Compare Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesFaithfulHound.htm), which has infinite Spot ranks, can see invisible and ethereal creatures (who were showing up 4 levels before you got the guards), and can attack. Or even stuff like Alarm (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/alarm.htm), which likewise cannot be snuck past and has much better range.


Way too much for a spell to make. This is overpowered even for 9th levelCompare Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm), a level 7 spell which is also impregnable, undetectable and can be cast anywhere.

Threadnaught
2013-01-15, 09:06 PM
Compare Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magesMagnificentMansion.htm), a level 7 spell which is also impregnable, undetectable and can be cast anywhere.

I'm not going to pick on all your other issues, just this one. Magnificent Mansion is just a dwelling. Secure Fort is that, plus the other two spells here Crafters and Guards. It's like a better version of Ice Castle (Frost), four levels early.
It can compete with Magnificent Mansion because of the servants.

I'm not completely sure how magic item crafting works with these spells. It's possible that JaronK just made the Artificer redundant to the rest of the Tier 1s. Hey it's within their area of expertise and ambiguity is fantastic for abusing loopholes.