Uncapped spells power

[Lightlawbliss]

Hi, I am trying to homebrew some way to make the BBEG in a campaign I'm running special. The current idea is to give him some way (metamagic, item, spell, or other) to ignore the hard limits on a spell (such as 1d6 per caster level (max 15d6) be treated as only 1d6 per caster level). What do experienced homebrewers feel this would be worth and which form would you recommend. For reference, the party is fairly optimized and has multiple t1s. The current plan is for the first fight with the BBEG to be around lvl 11.

[Melcar]

Hi, I am trying to homebrew some way to make the BBEG in a campaign I'm running special. The current idea is to give him some way (metamagic, item, spell, or other) to ignore the hard limits on a spell (such as 1d6 per caster level (max 15d6) be treated as only 1d6 per caster level). What do experienced homebrewers feel this would be worth and which form would you recommend. For reference, the party is fairly optimized and has multiple t1s. The current plan is for the first fight with the BBEG to be around lvl 11.

I am a heavy user of 3rd party material, where a lot of spells dont specify a limit. For instance I have: Greater Shatter. 2d6 sonic damage per caster level.

But to answer your question. I think its fine. If the spell in question dont specify a max there is non. For the most part this is not a problem. Besides a multiple enhanced spell can always give a total of caster level as max, no matter what the spells limit is. So either dont make a limit in the spell or use multiple enhance metamagic to get it to the caster level limit. Easy!

[Vedhin]

1st party material has a solution. The Reserves of Strength feat from the Dragonlance Campaign Setting allows this, with some other benefits and drawbacks.

[Lightlawbliss]

I am a heavy user of 3rd party material, where a lot of spells dont specify a limit. For instance I have: Greater Shatter. 2d6 sonic damage per caster level.

But to answer your question. I think its fine. If the spell in question dont specify a max there is non. For the most part this is not a problem. Besides a multiple enhanced spell can always give a total of caster level as max, no matter what the spells limit is. So either dont make a limit in the spell or use multiple enhance metamagic to get it to the caster level limit. Easy!

I am not looking at making a new spell with no max, I am looking at letting him use existing spells and, somehow, removing the max.


1st party material has a solution. The Reserves of Strength feat from the Dragonlance Campaign Setting allows this, with some other benefits and drawbacks.

interesting. However, with how I am reading it, that doesn't remove the cap, it simply moves it by up to 3.

[Vedhin]

interesting. However, with how I am reading it, that doesn't remove the cap, it simply moves it by up to 3.

It doesn't actually state that the cap is broken by a maximum of three levels, and whether it implies it varies from reader to reader. But I've played with the feat in the more permissive reading before, and can attest that it is fair to have it ignore the cap entirely. The exception is when you start applying it to spells like Alter Self (cast by a nonhumanoid) and Greater Consumptive Field. If you wish to avoid those shenanigans, just houserule it to apply only to hp damage spells (the designers intended use, as far as I can tell).

[Lightlawbliss]

anyone else have any input?

[TheTeaMustFlow]

Is there not a way you can justify in-story to just give it to him?Just have him, say, sell his soul to Vecna (or if you're not using normal gods for whatever reason, whoever your local evil god of magic is) in exchange for a strange and terrible mastery over magic beyond that of most mortals. Have him be blessed by another evil magical group you intend to introduce as villains, with the PCs discovery of this leading them into the next story. Or just leave it unexplained - `you don't know how the heck he's doing this, but somehow he is`. Villains don't always have to obey the rules, particularly against heroes how are very powerful within those rules - like a T1 heavy party. Sometimes a villain should have an edge that no one else, heroes included, does - and personally, I don't see why you need a feat drawn from some random 3rd party sourcebook to justify that.

[TuggyNE]

Reduce the spell slot adjustment and prerequisites for the epic feat Enhance Spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#enhanceSpell).

[Melcar]

I am not looking at making a new spell with no max, I am looking at letting him use existing spells and, somehow, removing the max.

As I said. enhance spell will do this for you.

EDIT: What TuggyNE said! :smallbiggrin:

[Andion Isurand]

The Transcendant Spell metamagic feat from the d20 book for World of Warcraft: Magic and Mayhem will do it at a cost of 7 spell slots. It eliminates the cap altogether.