New Spell Idea: Weapon Transmutation Rituals.

[bloodshed343]

A series of rituals for making different weapons.

All rituals take one hour, have a permanent duration, and require a weapon the caster is proficient with as a focus.

Prismatic Blade:

Transforms your weapon into a long, elegantly curved blade of myriad colors. It gains the two-handed and finesse properties and loses all other properties. Its damage die becomes 1d10.

Whenever you use a spell or ability that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, the blade gains one charge. The weapon can hold a number of charges equal to your spellcasting ability modifier. Whenever you use an ability that does one of these damage types, you may spend a bonus action to expend any number of charges, dealing an additional 1d6 damage per charge spent. If you do, this weapon cannot gain charges until you finish a short rest.

Staff of the Sun King:

Your weapon transforms into a long, bronze staff topped with a brazen sun. The weapon gains the two-handed property and loses all other properties. Its damage die becomes 1d8.

The staff gains a charge every hour while in direct sunlight. The staff can hold a number of charges equal to your spellcasting ability modifier. As an action, you may spend one charge to cast Produce Flames.

As an action, you may spend five charges to cast Burning Hands as a first level spell. If you do, the staff cannot gain charges until you finish a long rest.

Totem of Growth and Decay :

Your weapon becomes a short, gnarled club tipped in thorns. It gains the light property and loses all other properties. Its damage die becomes 1d6.

You activate an aura around yourself with a range of 30'. Whenever a creature of CR 1 or greater dies within the aura, you may use your reaction to capture the creature's life force, gaining a charge. This weapon may hold a number of charges equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.

As an action, you may expend one charge to cast Thorn Whip.

As an action, you may expend any number of charges to heal each ally in the aura for 1d4 hit points per charge spent. If you do, the totem cannot gain charges until you finish a short or long rest.

Moonsilver Trident:

Your weapon becomes a long, slender, pearlescent trident, with a long blade crossed by a dramatically curved crescent moon forming the three points. It gains the thrown (30'/60') and finesse properties and loses all other properties. Its damage die becomes 1d8.

The weapon gains one charge per hour while in moonlight. It can hold a number of charges equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.

As an action, you may spend one charge to cast Control Water.

As an action, you may spend any number of charges to make a ranged spell attack against an enemy within 30', dealing 1d8 radiant damage per charge spent on a hit. After using this action, the spear may not gain charges until you complete a short or long rest.

[MrStabby]

As an idea I like it but I dont know about the execution. For a start if these are rituals you are not giving up much for some potentially pretty huge bonuses.

It might help to know the spell level for each of these - certainly high enough that gatting these would be a considerable cost for a martial class.

On the specifics - worth eliminating finesse on the two handed weapon. By having this you let sneak attack benefit from things like great weapon fighting style - which is severely unbalanced. Maybe just let it use dex as the ability modifier like Monk weapons do.

EDIT: can only the caster use the weapon?

[xroads]

I agree with McStabby. These are fun ideas, but they seem a bit powerful.

I’d drop the ritual tag and turn them into instant casts with concentration (think Flame Blade). And make it targetable on others. I’m not sure what level, but these would probably be moderate to high level spells.

[bloodshed343]

As an idea I like it but I dont know about the execution. For a start if these are rituals you are not giving up much for some potentially pretty huge bonuses.

It might help to know the spell level for each of these - certainly high enough that gatting these would be a considerable cost for a martial class.

On the specifics - worth eliminating finesse on the two handed weapon. By having this you let sneak attack benefit from things like great weapon fighting style - which is severely unbalanced. Maybe just let it use dex as the ability modifier like Monk weapons do.

EDIT: can only the caster use the weapon?

Yes, only the caster can use the weapon.

Also these would be limited to a specific class.

These would be level 3-5 spells. Or I might just make them a feature of the class.

I forgot to add that these should all require concentration.

[GiantOctopodes]

Prismatic Blade is perfect

Staff of the Sun King is crazy overpowered, I have no recommendations for how to fix it. A potential 16 1st level spells gained by it, *in addition to* a free extra cantrip? That's more powerful than most magic items, frankly I could see that being a minor artifact.

Totem of Growth just needs the same "cannot gain charges until short rest" limitation, and the healing scaled down (1d4 or 1d6 at most per charge spent, forgo the +ability mod, that's already reflected in the larger number of charges) and it's fine. As is, it would provide, for someone with a +5 in their spellcasting modifier, a potential 5d8+25 HP of healing, which is greater than Mass Cure Wounds cast using a 9th level spell slot.

[xroads]

I forgot to add that these should all require concentration.

A concentration type spell that takes an hour to cast? I suspect few casters would use it then. Though I suppose they could cast it on a few choice champions in an army then stand as far out of harms way as possible. :smallbiggrin:

[bloodshed343]

Prismatic Blade is perfect

Staff of the Sun King is crazy overpowered, I have no recommendations for how to fix it. A potential 16 1st level spells gained by it, *in addition to* a free extra cantrip? That's more powerful than most magic items, frankly I could see that being a minor artifact.

Totem of Growth just needs the same "cannot gain charges until short rest" limitation, and the healing scaled down (1d4 or 1d6 at most per charge spent, forgo the +ability mod, that's already reflected in the larger number of charges) and it's fine. As is, it would provide, for someone with a +5 in their spellcasting modifier, a potential 5d8+25 HP of healing, which is greater than Mass Cure Wounds cast using a 9th level spell slot.

For Staff of the Sun King: What if casting the spell cost 5 charges?

Or maybe make an effect similar to Burning Hands that deals less damage. Like, a 10' cone and 1d8 damage.

For Totem of Growth: I realized this is worded poorly, it's only meant to add your modifier once. It's also meant to be once per long rest.

I think I'll tone down the healing to 1d4 per charge, with a short rest limitation, but let it also grant the thorn whip cantrip while it has a charge.

Edit: Would these be more balanced as spells or as, say, an alternate class feature to spellcasting for the eldritch knight.

I'm thinking of making these a spell, but instead of concentration, they prevent you from recovering the spell slot used for as long as you maintain the transmutation.

[GiantOctopodes]

For Staff of the Sun King: What if casting the spell cost 5 charges?

Or maybe make an effect similar to Burning Hands that deals less damage. Like, a 10' cone and 1d8 damage.

For Totem of Growth: I realized this is worded poorly, it's only meant to add your modifier once. It's also meant to be once per long rest.

I think I'll tone down the healing to 1d4 per charge, with a short rest limitation, but let it also grant the thorn whip cantrip while it has a charge.

Staff of the Sun King that might work- have it where each hour it is exposed to direct sunlight it gains a charge, to a max of 6, each charge can be used to replicate "produce flame", all 6 can be spent at once to replicate "burning hands". That would be much more reasonable.

[bloodshed343]

Staff of the Sun King that might work- have it where each hour it is exposed to direct sunlight it gains a charge, to a max of 6, each charge can be used to replicate "produce flame", all 6 can be spent at once to replicate "burning hands". That would be much more reasonable.

And spending six to cast burning hands prevents the staff from gaining charges until you finish a long rest. Good.

This also tells me what I should do about the totem.