IserLuick
2013-03-14, 01:20 PM
Hi everyone!
I've looked into the Spellsword prestige class from Complete Warrior and I saw this interesting class feature: Channel Spell.
Here is the whole text of the ability:
Channel Spell (Sp): At 4th level, a spellsword can channel any spell he can cast into his melee weapon. Using this ability requires a move action, and the spellsword uses up the prepared spell or spell slot just as if he had cast the spell. The channeled spell affects the next target that the spellsword successfully attacks with his weapon (saving throws and spell resistance still apply). Even if the spell normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target. The spell is discharged from the weapon, which can then hold another spell. A spellsword can channel his spells into only one weapon at a time. Spells channeled into a weapon are lost if not used in 8 hours.
Seeing this, I thought "WOW! Any spell? really?" And I looked for the best spells to be used with this ability, because we can agree that it's not quite useful if you use it with a Scorching Ray that would have the very same effect and it's more convenient to cast it from a distance.
So I looked for some area spells that would do an interesting effect with the Channel Spell; as we can see, an area spell would only affect the target of my next attack with my weapon; for example, Mordenkaiden's Dinsjunction. I know that almost nobody uses this spell presisely because it could blow up the magic items of some party members and the loot of the enemy attacked... but if the situation is critical, channeling this spell would be awesome as you would only affect the enemy that you want to dispel, and nobody else.
And I thought about the Wall of Fire spell, it surely sounds promising because if it will only affect the next target that I hit, the wall should manifestate on the target and it would deal a very good amount of damage each round until the effect ends; as it does not affect the area of the target but the target itself, the objective should carry the spell with it even if it moves. (I don't know if I explained myself correctly, please tell me if I failed to explain this).
There are other spells like this one; for example, Wall of Coldfire (from Frostburn), Wall of Magma (from Sandstorm), Vortex of Teeth (from Spell Compendium) and Cloudkill (PHB 3.5).
I told my friends about that possibility and they immediately began to tell that that should not be possible because it is an area spell and has duration, that it has to last only for the turn in wich you hit with the weapon and nothing more; otherwise, it sounds too good to be true.
But the description of the Channel Spell ability specifies that it can be used with any spell (that includes spells that have duration, as far as I can tell), the spell would affect the next target that you hit with your weapon (it does not specify that the spell will last only for the turn that you use to hit) and that even if the spell normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target (not the area in which the target stands).
To back up my argument in favor of the Channeled Wall of Fire, I looked in the Rules Compendium book, and I found the folowing text about spells that affect subjects and areas:
SUBJECTS, EFFECTS, AND AREAS
If a spell affects creatures directly, its result travels with the subjects for the spell’s duration. If the spell creates an effect, the effect lasts for the duration. The effect might move or remain still. Such an effect can be dispelled prior to when its duration ends. If a spell affects an area, then the spell stays with that area for its duration. Unless otherwise noted in a spell’s description, creatures become subject to the spell when they enter the area and are no longer subject to it when they leave.
Applying this to the Wall of Fire used with the Channel Spell, we're talking of an area spell, but if it is used with this ability, then it will affect the creature directly, so, the effect of the spell should travel with it for the spell's duration. That should mean that the target would take damage as if it was inside the Wall of Fire, taking 2d6 points of fire damage +1 point of fire damage per caster level (maximum +20) each round for at least 1/CL rounds.
I think that I understood the rules pretty well but I don't know for sure if I'm right, and that's why I'm posting this here.
What do you think? Are the rules well used?
Thanks a lot for your attention! :smallsmile:
I've looked into the Spellsword prestige class from Complete Warrior and I saw this interesting class feature: Channel Spell.
Here is the whole text of the ability:
Channel Spell (Sp): At 4th level, a spellsword can channel any spell he can cast into his melee weapon. Using this ability requires a move action, and the spellsword uses up the prepared spell or spell slot just as if he had cast the spell. The channeled spell affects the next target that the spellsword successfully attacks with his weapon (saving throws and spell resistance still apply). Even if the spell normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target. The spell is discharged from the weapon, which can then hold another spell. A spellsword can channel his spells into only one weapon at a time. Spells channeled into a weapon are lost if not used in 8 hours.
Seeing this, I thought "WOW! Any spell? really?" And I looked for the best spells to be used with this ability, because we can agree that it's not quite useful if you use it with a Scorching Ray that would have the very same effect and it's more convenient to cast it from a distance.
So I looked for some area spells that would do an interesting effect with the Channel Spell; as we can see, an area spell would only affect the target of my next attack with my weapon; for example, Mordenkaiden's Dinsjunction. I know that almost nobody uses this spell presisely because it could blow up the magic items of some party members and the loot of the enemy attacked... but if the situation is critical, channeling this spell would be awesome as you would only affect the enemy that you want to dispel, and nobody else.
And I thought about the Wall of Fire spell, it surely sounds promising because if it will only affect the next target that I hit, the wall should manifestate on the target and it would deal a very good amount of damage each round until the effect ends; as it does not affect the area of the target but the target itself, the objective should carry the spell with it even if it moves. (I don't know if I explained myself correctly, please tell me if I failed to explain this).
There are other spells like this one; for example, Wall of Coldfire (from Frostburn), Wall of Magma (from Sandstorm), Vortex of Teeth (from Spell Compendium) and Cloudkill (PHB 3.5).
I told my friends about that possibility and they immediately began to tell that that should not be possible because it is an area spell and has duration, that it has to last only for the turn in wich you hit with the weapon and nothing more; otherwise, it sounds too good to be true.
But the description of the Channel Spell ability specifies that it can be used with any spell (that includes spells that have duration, as far as I can tell), the spell would affect the next target that you hit with your weapon (it does not specify that the spell will last only for the turn that you use to hit) and that even if the spell normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target (not the area in which the target stands).
To back up my argument in favor of the Channeled Wall of Fire, I looked in the Rules Compendium book, and I found the folowing text about spells that affect subjects and areas:
SUBJECTS, EFFECTS, AND AREAS
If a spell affects creatures directly, its result travels with the subjects for the spell’s duration. If the spell creates an effect, the effect lasts for the duration. The effect might move or remain still. Such an effect can be dispelled prior to when its duration ends. If a spell affects an area, then the spell stays with that area for its duration. Unless otherwise noted in a spell’s description, creatures become subject to the spell when they enter the area and are no longer subject to it when they leave.
Applying this to the Wall of Fire used with the Channel Spell, we're talking of an area spell, but if it is used with this ability, then it will affect the creature directly, so, the effect of the spell should travel with it for the spell's duration. That should mean that the target would take damage as if it was inside the Wall of Fire, taking 2d6 points of fire damage +1 point of fire damage per caster level (maximum +20) each round for at least 1/CL rounds.
I think that I understood the rules pretty well but I don't know for sure if I'm right, and that's why I'm posting this here.
What do you think? Are the rules well used?
Thanks a lot for your attention! :smallsmile: