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Fax Celestis
2013-09-22, 03:06 PM
Is there any particular reason this spell is 8th level and not, say, 4th or 5th?


Iron Body
Transmutation
Level: Earth 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min./level (D)

This spell transforms your body into living iron, which grants you several powerful resistances and abilities.

You gain damage reduction 15/adamantine. You are immune to blindness, critical hits, ability score damage, deafness, disease, drowning, electricity, poison, stunning, and all spells or attacks that affect your physiology or respiration, because you have no physiology or respiration while this spell is in effect. You take only half damage from acid and fire of all kinds. However, you also become vulnerable to all special attacks that affect iron golems.

You gain a +6 enhancement bonus to your Strength score, but you take a -6 penalty to Dexterity as well (to a minimum Dexterity score of 1), and your speed is reduced to half normal. You have an arcane spell failure chance of 50% and a -8 armor check penalty, just as if you were clad in full plate armor. You cannot drink (and thus can’t use potions) or play wind instruments.

Your unarmed attacks deal damage equal to a club sized for you (1d4 for Small characters or 1d6 for Medium characters), and you are considered armed when making unarmed attacks.

Your weight increases by a factor of ten, causing you to sink in water like a stone. However, you could survive the crushing pressure and lack of air at the bottom of the ocean—at least until the spell duration expires.

Arcane Material Component: A small piece of iron that was once part of either an iron golem, a hero’s armor, or a war machine.

For reference, iron golem spell interactions:


A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.

A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect on the golem and heals 1 point of damage for each 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. For example, an iron golem hit by a fireball gains back 6 hit points if the damage total is 18 points. An iron golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.

An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as that of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.

Forrestfire
2013-09-22, 03:14 PM
Because WotC thought melee classes were way stronger than they are, and didn't want to give Wizards an easy way to emulate their overpoweredness.

That's the cleric's job.

Starbuck_II
2013-09-22, 03:29 PM
Heck, the Wu Jen spell Iron Skin is also high level.

DeAnno
2013-09-22, 03:38 PM
Man that -50% ASF chance. It's less of a horrible spell for Clerics, but still it seems to not be worth the level, especially since it's less likely Clerics can laugh at the speed penalty, and are more likely to be in beatstick range anyway.

Devronq
2013-09-22, 03:41 PM
Well I'd say for a non caster its way better than stone skin by Dr alone I'd say 6 is more appropriate there's no reason for 8.

Fax Celestis
2013-09-22, 03:49 PM
Well I'd say for a non caster its way better than stone skin by Dr alone I'd say 6 is more appropriate there's no reason for 8.

Iron body is personal range, unlike stoneskin.

Magnetic
2013-09-22, 03:56 PM
Well I'd say for a non caster its way better than stone skin by Dr alone I'd say 6 is more appropriate there's no reason for 8.

Iron Body has a range of personal, unlike stoneskin. So it's quite a bit harder to bestow Iron Body's benefits on a non-caster. [D'oh! Ninja'd.]

But I agree with you, Level 8 is too high - and Level 5 or 6 does seem about right to me. It gives a lot of immunities and there is no cap on the amount of damage that can be absorbed. I think level 4 might be too low for the long list of benefits it provides.

Speaking of level 8 spells, WTF is up with Polar Ray?