Stux
2013-10-20, 05:24 PM
So for a campaign I am running as part of the core plot there are shards that are around the world that are the scattered remnants of an ancient evil. The players can use these shards to cast spells, tapping in to the power they contain. Doing so allows any character to cast spells they have the related shard for, but has dire consequences if it is used without care. Of course the players wont be the only ones who come across these shards.
I have written a draft of how these will be handled mechanically in the campaign, and would like some input on this. Either interactions I have not considered, or any more elegant implementation that might come to anyones' minds.
It should also be noted that we are playing Pathfinder, and that there is a house rule in effect for all normal casting which means spells of a casting time of 'standard action' do not come in to effect until a round has passed, during which time the caster must maintain concentration or the spell fails. Spells cast from these shards do not have this disadvantage, but as mentioned above there are potential dire consequences.
Anyway, here we go:
Each shard is a small piece of the body of The Destroyer when it was shattered by the Cataclysm ritual. They contain a small fraction of the magical power of The Destroyer which can be channeled by anyone in contact with the shard. What form this power takes depends on the shard itself and who is channeling it. However the shard leeches the strength of spirit from the caster to power the spell, and this can take a terrible toll is not managed carefully.
Each shard has a particular spell tied to it. Anyone touching the shard can cast that spell as a Spell Like Ability, using their character level as their caster level. They may not cast a spell from a shard unless their character level is equal to or greater than twice the spell level of the spell, but they do not need to make a Use Magic Device check or have the spell on any spell list they have access to to cast a spell from the shard.
Characters do not automatically know what spell will be cast if they use the shard, though the same shard always casts the same spell. They may make a Spellcraft check (DC = 20 + Spell level of the spell contained in the shard) to identify what spell it contains. The spell may however be cast without knowing what it is. This will not reveal what specific spell is used (though it does allow new Spellcraft checks at 15 + the level of the spell to identify it each time), with noticeable effects being described in simple terms by the DM. If the spell requires targets then the DM will inform the player of this and the caster will be able to select targets, though at this point they are committed to casting the spell (unless no valid targets are available, in which case the spell is not cast).
When a spell is cast from a shard, the character casting it gains a number of black marks equal to the level of the spell. Resting for an hour removes a black mark from a character, but they may not be removed by any other means short of a wish or miracle spell.
If the number of black marks on a character equals or exceeds their character level then they become staggered. Also each time a character casts a spell from a shard, after they have added the black marks, they must make a level check (1d20 + character level). If the check does not exceed the total number number of black marks on that character then the character is staggered for a number of rounds equal to the number of black marks on the character and takes 1d6 damage each turn they are stunned, as the shard leeches life from the character. They cannot use cast any spell from a shard until this effect ends.
I have written a draft of how these will be handled mechanically in the campaign, and would like some input on this. Either interactions I have not considered, or any more elegant implementation that might come to anyones' minds.
It should also be noted that we are playing Pathfinder, and that there is a house rule in effect for all normal casting which means spells of a casting time of 'standard action' do not come in to effect until a round has passed, during which time the caster must maintain concentration or the spell fails. Spells cast from these shards do not have this disadvantage, but as mentioned above there are potential dire consequences.
Anyway, here we go:
Each shard is a small piece of the body of The Destroyer when it was shattered by the Cataclysm ritual. They contain a small fraction of the magical power of The Destroyer which can be channeled by anyone in contact with the shard. What form this power takes depends on the shard itself and who is channeling it. However the shard leeches the strength of spirit from the caster to power the spell, and this can take a terrible toll is not managed carefully.
Each shard has a particular spell tied to it. Anyone touching the shard can cast that spell as a Spell Like Ability, using their character level as their caster level. They may not cast a spell from a shard unless their character level is equal to or greater than twice the spell level of the spell, but they do not need to make a Use Magic Device check or have the spell on any spell list they have access to to cast a spell from the shard.
Characters do not automatically know what spell will be cast if they use the shard, though the same shard always casts the same spell. They may make a Spellcraft check (DC = 20 + Spell level of the spell contained in the shard) to identify what spell it contains. The spell may however be cast without knowing what it is. This will not reveal what specific spell is used (though it does allow new Spellcraft checks at 15 + the level of the spell to identify it each time), with noticeable effects being described in simple terms by the DM. If the spell requires targets then the DM will inform the player of this and the caster will be able to select targets, though at this point they are committed to casting the spell (unless no valid targets are available, in which case the spell is not cast).
When a spell is cast from a shard, the character casting it gains a number of black marks equal to the level of the spell. Resting for an hour removes a black mark from a character, but they may not be removed by any other means short of a wish or miracle spell.
If the number of black marks on a character equals or exceeds their character level then they become staggered. Also each time a character casts a spell from a shard, after they have added the black marks, they must make a level check (1d20 + character level). If the check does not exceed the total number number of black marks on that character then the character is staggered for a number of rounds equal to the number of black marks on the character and takes 1d6 damage each turn they are stunned, as the shard leeches life from the character. They cannot use cast any spell from a shard until this effect ends.