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Carl
2013-09-22, 05:21 PM
A few spell’s I’ve come up with, still working on some more but I’d like feedback on them.

Name: Chill Darkstone Swarm
School [Notes]: Necromancy [Evil, Cold]
Level: 9th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: Four 40ft radius bursts, see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will Half and negates Level Drain, see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

Chill darkstone swarm is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to Meteor Swarm in many aspects. When you cast it, four 2-foot-diameter icy spheres spring from your outstretched hand and streak in straight lines to the spots you select. The icy spheres leave an inky trail of negative energy.

If you aim a sphere at a specific creature, you may make a ranged touch attack to strike the target with the meteor. Any creature struck by one of these spheres takes 2d4 points of Cold damage (no save), and receives no saving throw against the sphere’s negative energy damage (see below). If a targeted sphere misses its target, it simply explodes at the nearest corner of the target’s space. You may aim more than one sphere at the same target.

Once a sphere reaches its destination, it explodes in a 40-foot-radius spread, dealing 6d4 points of negative energy damage to each creature in the area. If a creature is within the area of more than one sphere, it must save separately against each. (Negative Energy resistance applies to each sphere’s damage individually.)

In addition any creature struck by the negative energy must make a will save or suffer 1 level of Level Drain. If the creature was allowed a save against the negative energy damage then use the results of that save, otherwise make a separate will save regardless of weather they where struck by the sphere/s or not. If a creature is struck by the negative energy bursts of multiple sphere's they may take multiple levels of drain.

The negative level/s disappears (without requiring a Fortitude save) after a number of hours equal to your caster level (maximum 15).

Name: Chill Darkstone
School [Notes]: Necromancy [Evil, Cold]
Level: 6th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: One 40ft radius burst, see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will Half and negates Level Drain, see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

Chill darkstone is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to Fireball in many aspects. When you cast it, a single 2-foot-diameter icy sphere springs from your outstretched hand and streaks in straight lines to the spots you select. The icy sphere leaves an inky trail of negative energy.

If you aim the sphere at a specific creature, you may make a ranged touch attack to strike the target with the meteor. Any creature struck by the sphere takes 2d4 points of Cold damage (no save), and receives no saving throw against the sphere’s negative energy damage (see below). If the sphere misses its target, it simply explodes at the nearest corner of the target’s space.

Once a sphere reaches its destination, it explodes in a 40-foot-radius spread, dealing 6d4 points of negative energy damage to each creature in the area. Negative Energy resistance applies.

In addition any creature struck by the negative energy must make a will save or suffer 1 level of Level Drain. If the creature was allowed a save against the negative energy damage then use the results of that save, otherwise make a separate will save regardless of weather they where struck by the sphere.

The negative level disappears (without requiring a Fortitude save) after a number of hours equal to your caster level (maximum 15).

Two very similar spells the first quite simply is a more necromatic styled Meteor swarm, with appropriate damage types and a slight tradeoff on die size for a cute level draining side effect.


Name: Darkfire
School [Notes]: Necromancy [Evil, Cold]
Level: 8th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will/Fort Half, see text
Spell Resistance: No

The Caster unleashes a bolt of deathly cold Darkfire upon one Target within range. Make a Ranged touch Attack to determine if the bolt hits.

A target successfully struck by this effect takes 1D6 Cold Damage per caster level and 1D6 negative energy damage per caster level to a maximum of 20D6 each. A successful Fortitude save will half the Cold damage, whilst a successful will save will half the negative energy damage.

Name: Balefire
School [Notes]: Evocation [Fire, Force]
Level: 8th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will/Fort Half, see text
Spell Resistance: No

The Caster unleashes a bolt of raging Balefire upon one Target within range. Make a Ranged touch Attack to determine if the bolt hits.

A target successfully struck by this effect takes 1D6 Fire Damage per caster level and 1D6 Force damage per caster level to a maximum of 20D6 each. A successful Fortitude save will half the fire damage, whilst a successful will save will half the force damage.

Darkfire and Balefire are, (much like most spells on this list), normal and necromatic versions of the same type of spell. Balefire was actually the inspiration being a pretty nasty spell i remember from a book I read. At their core they’re simple and brutish, but still with a degree of elegance. They provide very intense single target effects of two elements 1 of which in each case is tough to avoid or slow down, to top it off two different save’s, one for each. The result is a pretty decent source of single target damage not totally lacking in weakside, but not exactly casually brushed aside.


Name: Darklight Bolt
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 5th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. +10 ft./level)
Target: One target + One per 3 Caster Levels
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort Partial, see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

The Caster unleashes a bolt of darklight energy, plus one additional bolt of darklight energy for every 3 caster levels, (to a maximum of 7 at 18h level). Each bolt may target a different creature if you wish and a single target may be struck by more than one bolt. Make a Ranged touch Attack to determine if the bolt hits.

A target successfully struck by this effect takes 2D6 Negative Energy damage and is blinded. A successful Fortitude save prevents the blindness but a save must be made for each bolt a target is struck by. The blindness effect can be removed by any cure spell with a base spell level of 1st or higher, any heal spell, (including Mass), any Restoration spell, or remove curse.

Undead struck by a bolt are instead healed for 3D6.

Name: Lesser Darklight Bolt
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 3nd
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. +10 ft./level)
Target: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort Partial, see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

This functions as per Darklight Bolt, but with a maximum of only one bolt regardless of caster level.

2 of the spells I’m proudest of here, simple basic and direct without excessive damage, excessive multi-target effect’s, or excessive debuff’s, but with a nice dash of all.

Name: Magic Flare
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 8th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Short (25ft. +5 ft. every 2 levels)
Target: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You unleash a blast of pure primal magic at any valid target in range.

The target takes 10 dice of untyped damage, roll 1D12 to determine the die size, (treat any results of 1 as dealing 1 damage per die and any other results that do not correspond to a specific die size as the next size down). This damage is not subject to DR or any form of energy resistance.

Magic Flare is not blocked, stopped or suppressed by Anti-magic effects, Force Wall’s, Prismatic Walls, and Prismatic Sphere’s Such affects are designed to work against more sophisticated attack’s, but the brute force of Magic Flare can penetrate them.

This isn’t the most destructive, or long ranged spell available, you can get spells with far better average damage than this a few levels lower, and many of them are multi-target. The real advantage of this is that it’s not subject to any kind of defence and requires no attack rolls. In short it’s guaranteed unblock able damage to your target.

Name: Meteor
School [Notes]: Evocation [Fire]
Level: 5th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: One 40ft radius burst, see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Half, See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

Meteor is a very powerful and spectacular spell that is similar to fireball in many aspects. When you cast it, one 2-foot-diameter sphere springs from your outstretched hand and streaks in straight lines to the spot you select. The meteor sphere leave a fiery trail of sparks.

If you aim the sphere at a specific creature, you may make a ranged touch attack to strike the target with the meteor. Any creature struck by it takes 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage (no save) and receives no saving throw against the sphere’s fire damage (see below). If the targeted sphere misses its target, it simply explodes at the nearest corner of the target’s space.

Once the sphere reaches its destination, it explodes in a 40-foot-radius spread, dealing 6d6 points of fire damage to each creature in the area.

A cut down Meteor Swarm, what can I say really beyond that.

Name: Comet
School [Notes]: Evocation [Cold, Force]
Level: 8th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Target: One 20ft and one 40ft radius burst, see text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Half, See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

You conjure a massive comet into being and drop it on a targeted square where it bursts into razor sharp shards of ice and it’s raw elemental magic.

Any target in that square or any adjacent square must make a reflex save or take 8D6 Bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. Any target struck by the Bludgeoning damage receives no save against the cold damage. Any target within a 20ft radius burst takes 12D6 Cold damage, a Reflex save, (this is in addition to the one required to avoid the Bludgeoning damage if that save was successfully made), halves this. Any target within a 40ft radius burst suffers 12D6 Force damage with no save allowed.

Just a random idea that came to me whilst considering Meteor Swarm and my Chill Darkstone Swarm.

Name: Rime
School [Notes]: Evocation, (Cold)
Level: 3rd
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Self
Target: One 30 ft emanation centred on you
Duration: 1/Round per caster level
Saving Throw: See Text
Spell Resistance: Yess

An Aura of cold surrounds you causing a rime of hoarfrost to from on everything within 30ft of you. All Opponent’s within this area suffer a -2 modifier to all attack roll’s and damage rolls, (applied before multipliers for critical’s and other effects). They also suffer a -2 modifier to all checks related to Disarm’s, Trip’s, Bull Rush’s, and Ovverun’s. Any Enemy attempting to run within the area must make a Balance check at the DC of the spell or fall prone. If the enemy start’s their run outside the area of effect they stop on the first square and make the check, falling prone their if they fail or continuing on unimpeded if they pass. Foes immune to Cold damage are immune to this effect.

Really basic Cold based debuff that comes with some small but nice negative effects, nothing overly massive, but nothing totally pointless.


Name: Tremor Wave
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 3rd
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Short (25ft. +5 ft. every 2 levels)
Target: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Partial
Spell Resistance: No

You shape your magic to send a powerful tremor through the Earth at your target.

Resolve an immediate Bull Rush against the target with a strength modifier to your caster level. For the purposes of this attempt you do not need to be in an adjacent square and no attack’s of opportunity apply. You may follow up and push the target back further just as with a normal bull rush and following the normal rules. Treat the attempt as if it where made by a creature of the same size as the target.

In addition to the normal rules for a Bull Rush a target pushed back takes 1D4 non-magical bludgeoning damager per 5 feet it is moved. A reflex save reduces this to non-lethal damage.

You may attempt a Bull rush against an immobile object or similar so long as it’s overall size and mass does not exceed that of a gargantuan creature. You conduct the strength check as normal, treating the object as having rolled a total of zero for it’s strength check.

What can I say I got a bit inspired by the idea of thinking how I could use making the ground shake and act up to affect an opponent. A nice effect with a bit of damage that can control an enemies position on the battlefield, but nothing that stand’s out so to speak as OTT.


Name: Shockwave
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 6th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: 75ft
Target: Cone-shaped Spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Partial
Spell Resistance: No

This functions as per the spell Tremor Wave except as noted above.

In addition to the changes noted above the Strength modifier used for the Bull rush attempt increases to 1.5 times your cater level.

A multi-Target Tremor Wave, potentially very useful for grouping or spreading enemies in groups, also a bit more shove and damage due to the higher check roll’s.

Name: Shatterstrom
School [Notes]: Evocation
Level: 6th
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (200 ft. + 20 ft./level)
Target: One 80ft radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Half, See text
Spell Resistance: No

You smite the ground with magical energy causing it to burst upwards and outwards in a deadly spray of rack and dirt. Every target in the area suffers 1D8 non-magical piercing damage per Caster level to a maximum of 20D8 at caster level 20, and is knocked prone. A successful Reflex save halves the damage.

A nice direct damage effect, very subject to DR, but not subject to normal resistance’s so something of a win some lose some. No SR either since it’s the ground under you not you that’s being hit by magic. A nice alternate damage thrower.


Change Log:

Altered Chill Darkstone Swarm to drain 1 level per Sphere.
Reduced Chill Darkstone and Meteor spell level by 1
Removed SR from Balefire and Darkfire
Increased Spell Level of Darklight Bolt and Lesser Darklight Bolt by 1
Increased Comet damage to 8D6 Bludgeoning, 12D6 Cold, and 12D6 Force.
Reduced Spell level of Rime by 2
Adjusted Shockwave and Tremor Wave.
Reduced Shatterstorm Spell Level by 1

Carl
2013-09-22, 05:22 PM
Reserved in case required.

Carl
2013-09-22, 05:24 PM
Reserved in case required 2.0.

Carl
2013-09-22, 05:26 PM
Reserved in case required 3.0.

The Mentalist
2013-09-22, 09:48 PM
A few spell’s I’ve come up with, still working on some more but I’d like feedback on them.


Can do, I love spells.



Name: Chill Darkstone Swarm

Meteor Swarm++, considering Meteor Swarm kind of sucks that's not terrible, I think that it's a major step up from Energy Drain though (which is Necromancy's big 9th spell, and that's not always a good thing. It seems to be a Meteor Swarm + Enervation which is a touchy thing to do. That's a LOT of negative levels to be throwing around, even if you can only be damaged once (also, if you're hit by all four spheres do you have to save four times even though you can only take damage once?) Though I do see a lot of potential as a Wightpocalypse in a can (without Locate City madness) that's not always something that's desirable in a spell, especially considering you're stepping on Evocation's toes (and their big damage spell) to do it. I think that if you dropped the straight HP damage from this spell it would be a good one but as it stands right now it's too much and a very hard spell to place in terms of schools. I also think the cold damage is just tacked on and has very little to do with the spell.



Name: Chill Darkstone


This one I actually have fewer problems with as it comes up a lot later than the Evocation spell its ripping off. Though it again doesn't need the cold damage. I think that you're better off going with a Fireball and This (http://dndtools.eu/feats/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/fell-drain--1103/) though, as it's the same basic effect for two levels lower.





Two very similar spells the first quite simply is a more necromatic styled Meteor swarm, with appropriate damage types and a slight tradeoff on die size for a cute level draining side effect.


You're actually getting a lot more for the slightly decreased die size than it warrants. A lot.




Name: Darkfire
Name: Balefire


1. These both suck for 8th level spells, where 2d6 damage per CL is nice, two saves for 3/4 damage each and SR: Yes hurt this dramatically and that's on top of an attack roll to actually do the damage. You're better off throwing Twinned (and Twin Spell is awesome and worth taking for other reasons) Orbs and forcing double saves against a Debuff than giving the opponent all the possible chances in the game to resist/ignore the damage for the same level spell.

Darkfire runs into the additional problem of stepping on Evocation's toes by getting the same basic spell (slightly more useful in fact) at the same level.




Name: Darklight Bolt


Now this is too far the other way. For the sake of balance the Blindness needs a duration if you're going to force 7 saves against a single target. (and remember that this times two is a spell that would be competing for that 8th level slot you want to put Balefire in) Compare it to the aforementioned Orb Spells (this scales almost as fast, requires more to hit rolls to do the damage but that Blinding effect is nice, in addition this one can be spread better, functioning as AoE damage, Single Target damage, and SoL (against multiple targets).




Name: Lesser Darklight Bolt


This (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blindnessDeafness.htm) is a reasonably powerful second level Save or Lose spell, the spell you created is that kicked up a notch. This (with advanced damage) probably deserves to be a 4th level spell and The greater version deserves to be about a 6th/7th level spell.



Name: Magic Flare
In short it’s guaranteed unblockable damage to your target.


No. Unfortunately most of the defenses you listed block Line of Effect which is something that is required to be able to target a creature with a spell (and a fair number of them block Line of Sight which is almost as vital.) the only thing that this really avoids is the Anti-Magic Field and any conjuration spell avoids those quite neatly. (I hate to keep saying this but like the aforementioned Orb spells), now if you could elegantly write in a way to make this spell not need Line of Effect (while maintaining the range limitation) this MIGHT be situationally useful, if you give it a Dispel Magic effect (even if only on Ward spells) as it blows through and destroys Anti-Magic Fields, Prismatic Effects, and Walls of Force that could be a pretty decent spell.



Name: Meteor


This (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Widen_Spell) on a Fireball does better damage (though admittedly Widen Spell usually sucks so we won't really count that. The No save on a single target isn't a bad option, as a 6th level spell though, this needs significantly more damage. This is at most a 4th level spell if you cut the radius to 20ft and bringing that radius up without raising damage just puts it in an awkard place as either a really weak 5th level spell or a powerful (for a blasting spell) 4th level spell.



Name: Comet


This is a 4th level spell if you make the damage scale 1d6/4 or 5 CL and never makes it up to an 8th level spell, under any circumstances. It's not even remotely powerful enough to compete at that level. If you gave it a massive (read: x10) radius it might be situationally useful as a mass-encounter spell at 8th level but as it stands now this is just not powerful enough to be 8th level. (This makes a better 6th level spell than Meteor though, and I feel they should both be 4th/5th level spells [though slightly modified])



Name: Rime


What is there to roll Spell Resistance for against this spell, this is a 3rd (possibly even 2nd) level spell by the way, similar to Grease though less effective as it only works on a Run action (which is rarely used in combat, especially to run towards someone) the -2s to anything all that useful to make it a very powerful spell.



Name: Tremor Wave

This needs to be Str 10 (or more) + CL not 2*CL, it leaves you at a really weak place casting this spell at low levels. (A total of +0 to your Modifier at lvl 5 when you first get it, basically useless against anything that's a threat)

The damage isn't great but you're really looking at this spell for the Battlefield control and it doesn't do that well.



Name: Shockwave


Range should probably scale instead of a static effect, the 3*CL works better here but it's still dangerous (with CL enhancers being as easy to get as they are) and it too would probably be better served by an X+CL (or even 2*CL) than just flat scaling.

Again, the damage not being what you're here for, this does do Battlefield control significantly better, it's also a very low risk way of moving the party into and out of danger. (As you can, under the rules of a Bullrush use less than the full movement granted by the check)



Name: Shatterstrom


This isn't too bad, though I think it's too high of a spell (though you do have to raise it when you're dealing with that big a radius) and DR isn't as big a thing as you make it seem to be, you're better off with this one (average DR on a mob being 10) as opposed to a Fireball effect (it being easy to gain nearly total immunity to fire by this point in the game), a solid 6th level spell, or 5th if you cut the radius in half.

Carl
2013-09-23, 05:28 PM
Can do, I love spells.


Meteor Swarm++, considering Meteor Swarm kind of sucks that's not terrible, I think that it's a major step up from Energy Drain though (which is Necromancy's big 9th spell, and that's not always a good thing. It seems to be a Meteor Swarm + Enervation which is a touchy thing to do. That's a LOT of negative levels to be throwing around, even if you can only be damaged once (also, if you're hit by all four spheres do you have to save four times even though you can only take damage once?) Though I do see a lot of potential as a Wightpocalypse in a can (without Locate City madness) that's not always something that's desirable in a spell, especially considering you're stepping on Evocation's toes (and their big damage spell) to do it. I think that if you dropped the straight HP damage from this spell it would be a good one but as it stands right now it's too much and a very hard spell to place in terms of schools. I also think the cold damage is just tacked on and has very little to do with the spell.



This one I actually have fewer problems with as it comes up a lot later than the Evocation spell its ripping off. Though it again doesn't need the cold damage. I think that you're better off going with a Fireball and This (http://dndtools.eu/feats/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/fell-drain--1103/) though, as it's the same basic effect for two levels lower.





You're actually getting a lot more for the slightly decreased die size than it warrants. A lot.




1. These both suck for 8th level spells, where 2d6 damage per CL is nice, two saves for 3/4 damage each and SR: Yes hurt this dramatically and that's on top of an attack roll to actually do the damage. You're better off throwing Twinned (and Twin Spell is awesome and worth taking for other reasons) Orbs and forcing double saves against a Debuff than giving the opponent all the possible chances in the game to resist/ignore the damage for the same level spell.

Darkfire runs into the additional problem of stepping on Evocation's toes by getting the same basic spell (slightly more useful in fact) at the same level.




Now this is too far the other way. For the sake of balance the Blindness needs a duration if you're going to force 7 saves against a single target. (and remember that this times two is a spell that would be competing for that 8th level slot you want to put Balefire in) Compare it to the aforementioned Orb Spells (this scales almost as fast, requires more to hit rolls to do the damage but that Blinding effect is nice, in addition this one can be spread better, functioning as AoE damage, Single Target damage, and SoL (against multiple targets).




This (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blindnessDeafness.htm) is a reasonably powerful second level Save or Lose spell, the spell you created is that kicked up a notch. This (with advanced damage) probably deserves to be a 4th level spell and The greater version deserves to be about a 6th/7th level spell.



No. Unfortunately most of the defenses you listed block Line of Effect which is something that is required to be able to target a creature with a spell (and a fair number of them block Line of Sight which is almost as vital.) the only thing that this really avoids is the Anti-Magic Field and any conjuration spell avoids those quite neatly. (I hate to keep saying this but like the aforementioned Orb spells), now if you could elegantly write in a way to make this spell not need Line of Effect (while maintaining the range limitation) this MIGHT be situationally useful, if you give it a Dispel Magic effect (even if only on Ward spells) as it blows through and destroys Anti-Magic Fields, Prismatic Effects, and Walls of Force that could be a pretty decent spell.



This (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Widen_Spell) on a Fireball does better damage (though admittedly Widen Spell usually sucks so we won't really count that. The No save on a single target isn't a bad option, as a 6th level spell though, this needs significantly more damage. This is at most a 4th level spell if you cut the radius to 20ft and bringing that radius up without raising damage just puts it in an awkard place as either a really weak 5th level spell or a powerful (for a blasting spell) 4th level spell.



This is a 4th level spell if you make the damage scale 1d6/4 or 5 CL and never makes it up to an 8th level spell, under any circumstances. It's not even remotely powerful enough to compete at that level. If you gave it a massive (read: x10) radius it might be situationally useful as a mass-encounter spell at 8th level but as it stands now this is just not powerful enough to be 8th level. (This makes a better 6th level spell than Meteor though, and I feel they should both be 4th/5th level spells [though slightly modified])



What is there to roll Spell Resistance for against this spell, this is a 3rd (possibly even 2nd) level spell by the way, similar to Grease though less effective as it only works on a Run action (which is rarely used in combat, especially to run towards someone) the -2s to anything all that useful to make it a very powerful spell.


This needs to be Str 10 (or more) + CL not 2*CL, it leaves you at a really weak place casting this spell at low levels. (A total of +0 to your Modifier at lvl 5 when you first get it, basically useless against anything that's a threat)

The damage isn't great but you're really looking at this spell for the Battlefield control and it doesn't do that well.



Range should probably scale instead of a static effect, the 3*CL works better here but it's still dangerous (with CL enhancers being as easy to get as they are) and it too would probably be better served by an X+CL (or even 2*CL) than just flat scaling.

Again, the damage not being what you're here for, this does do Battlefield control significantly better, it's also a very low risk way of moving the party into and out of danger. (As you can, under the rules of a Bullrush use less than the full movement granted by the check)



This isn't too bad, though I think it's too high of a spell (though you do have to raise it when you're dealing with that big a radius) and DR isn't as big a thing as you make it seem to be, you're better off with this one (average DR on a mob being 10) as opposed to a Fireball effect (it being easy to gain nearly total immunity to fire by this point in the game), a solid 6th level spell, or 5th if you cut the radius in half.

Cheers, as a random note a lot of the necromatic spells here where created for a Necromancer base class i'm working on, (it's fairly different to the Dread one), and i needed a bunch more blasty spells for her but they needed to have a necromantic theme. In fact this started purely as an attempt to expand her list to include things the standard necromantic theme's lacked that i wanted her to have.


1. Chill Darkstone/Darkstone Swarm:

Ok i seem to have confused people somehow. You can be struck for negative energy damage and cold damage from all 4 sphere's. You just can't be level drained more than once.

The Cold and The negative energy damage are the main points of the spell, it's the energy drain that's tacked on. Cold because their sphere's of ice and send shard's of it out into you when they shatter on impact, Negative Energy because that's what they're filled with. I threw the level drain on at the expense of some damage to give it a bit more differentiation from meteor swarm.

Also what did you mean by "Wightpocalypse"?

As far as Fireball + Fell Drain, remember with no save negative energy damage so easy to achieve with this it is kind of hard to resist or avoid the damage, it's not like you can be walking around with a big dose of energy resistance for it. I see it as needing a bit higher level for that reason but if you think it should drop a level that's fine. I'm tending to er on the side of caution with all these unless i feel I've got a good comparison going.

p.s i also meant to add the enervation's 15 hour no save to remove bit and forgot thanks for making me realise i forgot that for both of them. I'm beginning to think i should just make it 1 level of drain per burst that hit's you for the swarm variant, rather than 1D4 if hit by any. Thought's on how that would affect this power wise?

2. I wasn't familiar with the Orb's whilst writing this. I was using mostly Scorching Ray, Fireball, Meteor Swarm, and Chain Lightning as point's of comparison. I knew about twin spell but i can't think of a single Core damage dealer, (outside of Domain stuff anyway), that's both 5th level or below and has a damage cap above 10D6 besides Scorching Ray. And all of them have SR to boot. That was my line of thinking with these. Yes you may be able to save against both but the minimum damage is still equal to an un-saved fireball and half the damage is hard to block. Plus 2 different saves don't make it any easier on an opponent.

That said i kind of do get your point that with certain feat's you can build up some lower level spells to be almost as good. I'm cautious though about lowering it's level. Drop it a level and you have a spell arcane thesis can maximise, not sure i like the implications of that.

I'm also not sure i like the implication's of trying to match upto an Orb spell, those thing's may have to make an attack roll, (lol touch AC), that other spell's lack, but they get in exchange better damage scaling, no SR, no damage reduction on a save, and a debuff, (albeit savable), in exchange. That's a pretty huge range of extra's for a relatively minor downside. I'd peg them 5th level if they where subject to SR, but 6th since they're not.

How would dropping the SR affect my town spell's, i'm cautious about upping the damage or removing the save's, but i also don't want to open too many abuses.

3. Bear in mind Scorching Ray was my direct comparison here. You lose half the damage of that in exchange for a blindness effect and a better damage type. The spell also gets better scaling, but it is in a higher level slot. But i hadn't really thought about twin spell with this, (i wrote the above spell later, i learned about the CA feat's in between those, should have re-checked my balancing, *facepalm*), so, yeah i can see why it would need to be higher. Just bear in mind the blindness is a LOT easier to remove than the blindness spell. I'm not really sure because of that that they both deserve a full 2 level raise, comments on that?

4. This is the issue with being more of a brewer than a player, you forget things like this so dammed easy. Yeah i'll look into way's around the Line of Affect issue's. Not sure i want it destroy those things though, it's supposed to get around them on sheer lack of sophistication, they're just not designed to stop something so raw and untamed. (The Sci-Fi equivalent would be using a gun to shoot someone instead of a laser when they have a perfect laser blocking shield in place). I just really, really, really don't want this maxamising. That would be 10D12 maxamised, or 120 damage a shot with no save's, SR, ER, DR, or anything else. Kinda a tad powerful. It's meant as a spell you pull out when your opponent's are packing so much of all that, that your other damage spell's are having trouble being effective. It's a specialised tool for dealing with counter mage build type's, albeit not as efficiently s normal spells deal with normal builds.

5. Entirely fair point, that's me being over cautious.

6. Achh, my proof reading skill's suck. Just to clarify: The cold damage is reflex for half. my bad at proof reading on that.

I can kind of see where your coming from here, my concern was that it's giving you a reflex save or take 12D6 damage + be knocked prone to anything in the centre. Anything that passes that save or is outside the centre but within 20ft takes a reflex save to drop from 8D6 to 6D6 damage, and everything within 40ft takes 4D6 damage, and in all cases 4D6 of it is hard to block.

Still, yeah i think i did go a bit overboard in keeping it down power wise.

7. SR ward's off magic, this works by making everything in the area really cold, it's sort of just enough to make everything slippy and uncomfortable, but not enough to hurt.

Spell level wise i was basing it off Circle of Protection from X spells. This provides negatives to attack roll's at the same magnitude as well as negatives to a number of check's and to damage in the place of save bonuses. However it has a larger radius, affect's movement, and isn't alignment limited. 5th may still have been OTT i admit, but i'd be really leery of reducing it below the level of the circle spells.

8. Fair point on the strength, i was originally aiming for a higher level spell then changed my mind part way through when i cut the damage a lot. Not sure what you mean by poor battlefield control, at higher levels at least it can manage a couple of tens of feet given many opponent's strength's. The lack of size modifiers really gives it some help there.

9. Not sure what you mean by moving the party in or out of danger, unless your suggesting you target your own party with it? The range is flat rather than scaling to stop you pushing someone till they're out of bow range then blasting them from there.

10. Fair enough on the level, though i was working more on 15-20 assumed DR since that seem's to be more normal around top levels.


I've edited the Op with some changes, further changes pending on your feedback on some of my own comments.