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MesiDoomstalker
2013-11-28, 01:38 AM
So I'm starting an Eberron game soon with some friends and I asked the DM if it be cool if I brewed up some spells focused around Airships and Airship combat. I'm... rather horrible about pinning spell levels though. For reference I'm going to be playing a Cleric so these should all be Cleric Spells (though if they shouldn't be Cleric spells please let me know, I'm ok with it. We will likely have Arcane casters in our group too.

Brewers Note: Some of these spells target siege weapons that may be below deck (and thus out of Line of Sight/Effect). For all intents and purposes, if you can target any part of a Airship's Hull, you may target any siege weapon within that Airship you are aware of. Any spell that targets an Airship or specific parts of an airship and have a saving throw use either the Airship's Captain's relevant saving throw modifier or that of the most relevant crewman (Engineer if targeting the Engine, Pilot if attacking the rudder, etc), whichever is greater.

Full Stop!
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 6, Wiz/Sorc 5
Components: V, S,DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Long
Target: 1 Airship
Duration: Instantaneous or 1 round (See text)
Saving Throw: Fort half (See text)
Spell Resistance: No

A sudden gale of wind buffets the target, grinding it to a halt. If the target fails its saving throw, it comes to a complete stop. All those aboard the ship must make a Relfex Save or be flung forward 1d4x5 feet and fall prone. Any individual with at least 5 ranks of Balance do not need to make a Reflex save. If the target succeeds its Reflex save, the gale still slows the Airship considerably, reducing its current speed to half for 1 round. If the individual making the Reflex save for the ship has Evasion, the ship is does not suffer reduced speed on a successful save.

About Face
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 3, Sorc/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: 1 Airship
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Ref (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

A sudden twister causes the ship to spin in place reorientating itself 180 degrees nearly instantly. While the the movement is sudden, it does not disturb anyone or anything on board other than the sudden change in direction. The Airship also maintains its forward momentum. When casting this spell, find the center of the airship, and find the distance furthest from the center. Create a circle with a radius of this length. If anything object or creature that is 2 size categories smaller or larger is within this circle (besides the target Airship) the spell fails, as the ship cannot spin in place with the obstruction. If an object or creature less than 2 size categories is in the circle, it collides with the ship as it spins, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage, Reflex Half. If the object or creature was flying, it immediately stalls, ending in a space adjacent to the Airships new orientation.

Load
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 1, Wiz/Sorc 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: 1 Siege weapon
Duration: see text
Saving Throw: Will (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

You will a siege weapon to load itself, and prime to fire. While the this spell automates the process of loading a siege weapon, it does not speed up the process. Loading a Catapult and priming it to fire takes the same amount of time but no longer requires a creature to operate it till its ready to fire. This spell lasts long enough to for the Target to ready to fire. The spell loads with ammunition available and does not create ammunition.

Load, Mass
Level: Cleric 3, Wiz/Sorc 3
Target: 1 target/ 3 levels

This spell is the same as Load except as noted above.

Unload
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 1, Wiz/Sorc 1
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Long
Target: 1 loaded Siege Weapon
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negate
Spell Resistance: No

With a thought, a siege weapon ejects its ammunition and unpriming itself, requiring it to be reloaded and primed before it can be fired. This spell counters and dispels Load. If this spell targets a Auto Reload Siege Weapon, the caster must succeed on a Caster Level check as if dispelling Auto Reload as Dispel Magic.

Unload, Mass
Level: Cleric 3, Wiz/Sorc 3
Target: 1 target/ 3 levels

This spell is the same as Unload except as noted above.


Auto Reload
Level: Cleric 3, Wiz/Sorc 3
Target: 1 Siege Weapon/5 levels
Duration: 1 minute/level

This spell functions like Load, except as noted here. Siege Weapons targeted by this spell automatically reload themselves after firing, for the duration of the spell.

Instant Load
Level: Cleric 2, Wiz/Sorc 2
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell functions like Load, except as listed above. The target is loaded and primed instantly, ready to fire.

Instant Load, Mass
Level: Cleric 4, Wiz/Sorc 4
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell functions like Load, Mass, except as listed above. The targets are loaded and primed instantly, ready to fire.

Fire!
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 3, Wiz/Sorc 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: 1 Loaded Siege Weapon/3 levels
Duration: Instantaneously
Saving Throw: Will (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

With a thought, you will the weapons to unleash their ammunition at targets of your choice. You may make one attack roll for all Siege weapons, using your Base Attack, your relevant casting stat (Wisdom for Clerics, Intelligence for Wizards and Charisma for Sorcerers) and any other relevant modifiers such as proficiency, as if the caster had manually fired each.

Howling Winds
Evocation
Level: Cleric 5, Wiz/Sorc 4
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard
Range: Long
Target: 1 Airship
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Fort Negate (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

With a booming clap of thunder, a personal windstorm blows through the target. The Airship's occupants are subject to the effects of severe winds, based on caster level. While the winds may hamper the crew and damage its contents, it does not extend beyond the deck, and thus does not affect the ship's ability to fly or maneuver. On a successful save, the winds are considerably lessened, being effectively Moderate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds). The crew, objects aboard the airship, as well as weapons fired from the ship, are subject to the winds, making some forms of attacks difficult to impossible. Instead of the listed DC for Wind Effect on creatures, the DC is instead equal to the DC of this spell. The direction of the winds spreads out from the center of the Airship towards the edge.

{table="Header"]Caster Level|Effective Wind level
1-7|Strong
8-11|Severe
12-14|Windstorm
15-17|Hurricane
18+|Tornado[/table]

Accelerate/Decelerate
Transmutation
Level: Cleric 3, Wiz/Sorc 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Long
Target: 1 Airship
Duration: 1 Round/ 2 levels
Saving Throw: Fort half
Spell Resistance: No

A constant gale of wind pushes the target faster, or buffets against its hull, slowing it down. When you cast this spell, you choose to Accelerate or Decelerate. If you choose to Accelerate, the Airship's speed doubles for the duration and can reach its previous top speed in a single round and then to its new max speed in 2. If you choose to Decelerate, the target's speed is cut in half. For less maneuverable ships, this may cause issues for a ship attempting to remain aloft as it may no longer be able to maintain enough forward speed.

Engine Failure
Abjuration
Level: Wiz/Sorc 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard
Range: Short
Target: 1 Airship Engine
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort Negate
Spell Resistance: No

This spell wrenches free the bound Elemental from its bonds inside the target engine, letting it loose. This spell provides you no special control over the Elemental, nor changes its disposition towards you. This has two immediate consequences first is the target airship no longer has a function motor, which may lower its speed or even cause it to fall from the sky. Second, it releases a likely angry and powerful Elemental onto the airship.

Ok... so I have a lot of spell ideas. I realize there is a lot of level 1-3s in there, but I don't think many of them require a higher level. Thank you in advance for any advice and critique, and please be gentle. These are my first spells. Please PEACH!

BWR
2013-11-28, 10:28 AM
At a quick glance they look fine. I don't know the system you use for airships so I can't really make any detailed comments.

Load spells - Pathfinder has a spell called Reloading Hands (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCombat/spells/reloadingHands.html#_reloading-hands)that reloads a ranged weapon, and it is Conjuration (creation). That could be a decent school for these spells. Or you could make it Evocation (force). It could even be Transmutation, if it counts as a telekinetic effect.

Full Stop, Accelerate/DEcelerate/About Face - much though I'm in favor of giving more stuff to Evocation, these seem like Transmutation spells. Transmutation tends to be direct manipulation of the target while Evocation causes an external effect, usually energy or force, to affect the target, and these spells seem like the former.

Fire! - seems similar to the Launch Bolt (http://dndtools.eu/spells/magic-of-faerun--20/launch-bolt--1769/) spell, so it could be Transmutation.

Howling Winds - Why Fortitude and not Reflex? Also, shouldn't that be Partial, not Negates?

Engine Failure: seems like a very specific Dispel Magic or Disjunction, so Abjuration is appropriate. How common is it to see airships getting that close to eachother? Close range isn't very much. Since it's so specific, perhaps up the range to Medium?

MesiDoomstalker
2013-11-28, 11:22 PM
At a quick glance they look fine. I don't know the system you use for airships so I can't really make any detailed comments.
We use some homebrew rules, I don't have a full copy otherwise I'd provide them.



Load spells - Pathfinder has a spell called Reloading Hands (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateCombat/spells/reloadingHands.html#_reloading-hands)that reloads a ranged weapon, and it is Conjuration (creation). That could be a decent school for these spells. Or you could make it Evocation (force). It could even be Transmutation, if it counts as a telekinetic effect.

The Load series would not be Conjuration (Creation). It doesn't create ammunition, it simply loads it. I'd guess it be Transmutation then since its telekinesis.


Full Stop, Accelerate/DEcelerate/About Face - much though I'm in favor of giving more stuff to Evocation, these seem like Transmutation spells. Transmutation tends to be direct manipulation of the target while Evocation causes an external effect, usually energy or force, to affect the target, and these spells seem like the former.

Well all those got Evocation because the fluff I had was gusts of winds, which, as the Spell of the same name, is Evocation. But it could easily be Transmutation as well.


Fire! - seems similar to the Launch Bolt (http://dndtools.eu/spells/magic-of-faerun--20/launch-bolt--1769/) spell, so it could be Transmutation.

Good idea!


Howling Winds - Why Fortitude and not Reflex? Also, shouldn't that be Partial, not Negates?

Powerful winds, by RAW, force a Fortitude save every round for its knockback effects, as described in the link provided in the spell. The DC's for those were really high range, so I forced them to comply with the DC of the spell, for consistency. And yes it should be Partial.


Engine Failure: seems like a very specific Dispel Magic or Disjunction, so Abjuration is appropriate. How common is it to see airships getting that close to eachother? Close range isn't very much. Since it's so specific, perhaps up the range to Medium?

This is actually intentional. You are effectively SoL for nearly every Airship (most have 2-4 Engines). Loosing one Engine on a 2 Engine ship will cause it to stall, loosing 1 on a 4 Engine will severely hamper it. And even some small crafts will only have 1 Engine, so for them its Save or Die. So the Short range is designed that way to make it risky to use. If they pass their save, you risk point blank hits (Which will almost certainly hit) and possibility of boarding.

BWR
2013-11-29, 02:55 AM
Well all those got Evocation because the fluff I had was gusts of winds, which, as the Spell of the same name, is Evocation. But it could easily be Transmutation as well.


Powerful winds, by RAW, force a Fortitude save every round for its knockback effects, as described in the link provided in the spell. The DC's for those were really high range, so I forced them to comply with the DC of the spell, for consistency. And yes it should be Partial.



1. You're totally right. I didn't see the bit about winds doing the work. In that case, Evocation is perfectly appropriate.

2. Ah, forgot about that. Again, you're choice was the right one.


That seems to be all I can think of.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2013-11-29, 12:25 PM
Not in a position to really comment (hard to do homebrew analysis from a cell phone), but unload really needs a longer range. It's an offensive ship-to-ship spell, but its range is WAY to close to make it practical for combat use: you'd open yourself up to a lot of unnecessary firepower while closing the distance.

MesiDoomstalker
2013-12-01, 01:13 AM
Not in a position to really comment (hard to do homebrew analysis from a cell phone), but unload really needs a longer range. It's an offensive ship-to-ship spell, but its range is WAY to close to make it practical for combat use: you'd open yourself up to a lot of unnecessary firepower while closing the distance.

Oh man! I was in a rhythm of putting Short I missed that. Its supposed to be Long.

Haldir
2013-12-01, 02:19 AM
A thought for your line of sight issue: magical circuitry. Not really circuitry, mind you, but something that runs from the weapon up to your location that you can cast the spell on to affect the desired weapon out of your LoS.