AWESOME. TACTICAL. HEALING. (Is the Goal)

[wayfare]

Hey All:

After 100 and some posts about how healing is not tactical or interesting in a thread around these parts, I've decided to brew some healing spells that are aimed at making healing more tactical, powerful, and fun.

PEACH me up, and please make suggestions for other effects!

Lesser Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short (25 ft + 5ft/2 levels)
Target: Two Creatures within range
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
When casting this spell, choose two targets within range. Make a ranged touch attack against one of the targets. On a success, the opponent takes 1d6 damage/2 levels (5d6 max; Fortitude half). Your second target heals as much damage as you inflicted on your enemy.

Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 3
As lesser life drain, but you inflict 1d6 damage/level (Max 10d6)

Greater Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 5
As Life Drain, but you can split the healing bestowed between any number of creatures with 30 feet of you. Greater Life Drain inflicts a maximum of 15d6 damage.

Vital Storm
Necromancy
Level: 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: 20 foot radius
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
You cause a vault of positive energy to rain from the heavens upon the battlefield, healing the living and damaging the undead.
Living targets in the area heal 1d8/2levels damage (max 5d8) and excess healing is converted to temporary hp. Undead in the area suffer an equal amount of damage.

Vital Transfer
Necromancy
Level: 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Swift
Range: Short (25 feet + 5 ft/2levels)
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
You create a parasitic link with an opponent, draining its energy to fuel yourself with unnatural vigor. Your target takes 2 damage/level (max 20) and you gain as much temporary hp. Until this temporary hp is depleted, you act as if under the effects of the Haste spell, while your opponent acts as if under the Slow spell.

Invigorating Spelldrain
Abjuration
Level: 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You cannibalize an existing dweomer to lend an ally strength. Treat this as a targeted dispel magic attempt with a maximum modifier of +15. On a successful dispel check, the spell is ended and one target of your choice within 30 feet gain 5 temporary hp per level of the spell canceled by this effect (max +30).

Invigorating Spellstrike
Abjuration
Level: 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Immediate
Range: Short
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None (see text)
Spell Resistance: No
You hijack an enemy’s spell, converting its energy into health for your beleaguered allies. Treat this as a Dispel Magic counterspell attempt with a maximum modifier of +20. If you successfully counter the spell, all allies within 30 feet of the target gain 5 temporary HP per level of the spell countered (max +30).

[TuggyNE]

Pretty decent selection here. However, all these spells need class list defined; i.e., are they Cleric, Druid, Wizard, or what? (Some should probably be available to Druids at higher levels than Cleric.) Also, there's a lot of "Duration: Instant", which should technically be "Instantaneous".


Lesser Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: 30 feet
Target: Two Creatures within range
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
When casting this spell, choose two targets within range. Make a ranged touch attack against one of the targets. On a success, the opponent takes 1d6 damage/2 levels (5d6 max; Fortitude half). Your second target heals as much damage as you inflicted on your enemy.

I'd suggest rejiggering the Target entry slightly to say something like one enemy and one ally within range, and then clarify that your ally does not have to save or use SR against their part of the effect.

Also, may as well change Range to Short (25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels).


Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: 30 feet
Target: Two Creatures within range
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
As lesser life drain, but you inflict 1d6 damage/level (Max 10d6)

Greater Life Drain
Necromancy (Healing)
Level: 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: 30 feet
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
As Life Drain, but you can split the healing bestowed between any number of creatures with 30 feet of you. Greater Life Drain inflicts a maximum of 15d6 damage.

These should all be condensed, listing only the changes made (i.e., life drain has the spell name, spell level, description, and nothing else). Greater life drain's Target should be changed to "One enemy and up to 1 ally/level within range", or something like that.


Vital Storm
Necromancy
Level: 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: 20 foot radius
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Half
Spell Resistance: Yes
You cause a vault of positive energy to rain from the heavens upon the battlefield, healing the living and damaging the undead.
Living targets in the area heal 1d8/2levels damage (max 5d8) and excess healing is converted to temporary hp. Undead in the area suffer an equal amount of damage.

Target should be Area; Range should list the full text of Short.

Personally, I'd make the temporary HP half as efficient as healing, so if a living creature has 55/60 HP and is healed for 13 HP, they end up with 4 temporary HP instead of 8. Otherwise it will be better used as a pre-combat buff, making action economy and positioning a lot less significant.


Vital Transfer
Necromancy
Level: 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Swift
Range: Short (25 feet + 5 ft/2levels)
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: Fort Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
You create a parasitic link with an opponent, draining its energy to fuel yourself with unnatural vigor. Your target takes 2 damage/level (max 20) and you gain as much temporary hp. Until this temporary hp is depleted, you act as if under the effects of the Haste spell, while your opponent acts as if under the Slow spell.

Should be Sor/Wiz 3 or even 4, not 2. This is pretty potent, since it combines three spell effects in one, and adds a faster casting time.


Invigorating Spelldrain
Abjuration
Level: 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Short
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You cannibalize an existing dweomer to lend an ally strength. Treat this as a targeted dispel magic attempt with a maximum modifier of +15. On a successful dispel check, the spell is ended and one target of your choice within 30 feet gain 5 temporary hp per level of the spell canceled by this effect (max +30).

Strictly speaking, dispel magic in targeted mode attempts to dispel all spells on a given creature (at least in 3.5; PF it checks until it dispels one and then stops).

Target should be "One creature and one ally" or the like; Range should have the usual parenthetical for Short.


Invigorating Spellstrike
Abjuration
Level: 6
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Casting Time: Immediate
Range: Short
Target: Single
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None (see text)
Spell Resistance: No
You hijack an enemy’s spell, converting its energy into health for your beleaguered allies. Treat this as a Dispel Magic counterspell attempt with a maximum modifier of +20. If you successfully counter the spell, all allies within 30 feet of the target gain 5 temporary HP per level of the spell countered (max +30).

As above, for the most part. This is probably not a sixth-level spell, though, since (for its purpose) it is strictly a great deal superior to greater dispel magic: temporary HP in an area, immediate-action casting time? Do want! Should probably be seventh- or even eighth-level.

Components can and should be abbreviated. There is no saving throw of any sort, so it should just be None.

[wayfare]

Pretty decent selection here. However, all these spells need class list defined; i.e., are they Cleric, Druid, Wizard, or what? (Some should probably be available to Druids at higher levels than Cleric.) Also, there's a lot of "Duration: Instant", which should technically be "Instantaneous".

I was thinking Cleric spells and maybe +1 for Druids?


I'd suggest rejiggering the Target entry slightly to say something like one enemy and one ally within range, and then clarify that your ally does not have to save or use SR against their part of the effect.

Also, may as well change Range to Short (25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels).



These should all be condensed, listing only the changes made (i.e., life drain has the spell name, spell level, description, and nothing else). Greater life drain's Target should be changed to "One enemy and up to 1 ally/level within range", or something like that.

Gotcha. I'll get on it in the morn :smallbiggrin:

Target should be Area; Range should list the full text of Short.

Will do

Personally, I'd make the temporary HP half as efficient as healing, so if a living creature has 55/60 HP and is healed for 13 HP, they end up with 4 temporary HP instead of 8. Otherwise it will be better used as a pre-combat buff, making action economy and positioning a lot less significant.

Ok, hmmmm. Maybe get rid of the temporary hp aspect and instead have some other secondary benefit for allies? Any suggestions?

Should be Sor/Wiz 3 or even 4, not 2. This is pretty potent, since it combines three spell effects in one, and adds a faster casting time.

I was hoping that the facts that it hasted only one target (and that target was the caster) would qualify for level 2. 3 seems reasonable to me, though.

Strictly speaking, dispel magic in targeted mode attempts to dispel all spells on a given creature (at least in 3.5; PF it checks until it dispels one and then stops).

Target should be "One creature and one ally" or the like; Range should have the usual parenthetical for Short.



As above, for the most part. This is probably not a sixth-level spell, though, since (for its purpose) it is strictly a great deal superior to greater dispel magic: temporary HP in an area, immediate-action casting time? Do want! Should probably be seventh- or even eighth-level.

Ok, where would you put just an immediate action counterspell?

Components can and should be abbreviated. There is no saving throw of any sort, so it should just be None.

Thanks for the input!

[WhiteLycan]

Vital Transfer could be broken soooo easily. Basically permanent haste since it lasts as long as you have the temp HP. Cast the spell and don't get hit. Boom. Infinite haste. Should make it last as long as the enemy target is slowed (ie alive) or something.

[wayfare]

Vital Transfer could be broken soooo easily. Basically permanent haste since it lasts as long as you have the temp HP. Cast the spell and don't get hit. Boom. Infinite haste. Should make it last as long as the enemy target is slowed (ie alive) or something.

Ok, so would a clause like "For 1 round/level or until this temporary HP is expended..." be a better option?