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Sindeloke
2015-06-30, 09:28 AM
These are just some homebrew spells I whipped up to help fill some of the gaps in the table for dragon sorcs who want to go blaster-style with anything other than fire, plus three cantrips for clerics (particularly those who find incessant Sacred Flame a bit monotonous or counter to their chosen flavor), and a whole bunch for Eldritch Knights and a Warmage class I'm working on. I'll be adding more spells to this over time so I've reserved a little extra space.


Arvad's Expulsion
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self (5-foot radius)
Components: V, S
Availability: Eldritch Knight, Sorceror, Warmage, Wizard

A burst of force pulses out from your body, forcing away enemies who have gotten too close. Each creature within 5 feet of you must make a strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 5 feet away from you.
This spell pushes creatures an additional 5 feet away when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

This should probably be thunder damage in most settings; we've houseruled thunder (as separate from bludgeoning) away in ours.

Blisterwind
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: S
Availability: Warmage

A fierce wind kicks up around a creature within range, sweeping up dust and dirt from the ground and scoring into exposed flesh. Make a ranged spell attack. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 magical slashing damage.
You can whip up a more violent storm as you reach higher levels, increasing the damage the winds cause or the number of creatures they can affect. If you target only a single creature, the damage increases by 1d10 at 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level. If you choose instead to increase the area of effect, you may make a second attack against a second target at level 5, a third at level 11, and a fourth at level 17; roll 1d8 for damage in this case, and apply it to any enemy who you hit.

Fire Fan
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Availability: Druid, EK, Warmage

You whip your weapon around in front of you, trailing a fan of blistering heat that lashes out to sear your foes before dissipating. Select a 120 degree arc centered on you, with a radius of 5 feet (on a grid, you may simulate this by selecting four adjacent squares). Any creature within that space must make a Dexterity save or take 1d6 fire damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Hand of Wrath
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.
Availability: Cleric

Make a melee spell attack against a creature you can reach. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 radiant damage and is branded with a glowing mark of your deity's wrath, which deals an additional 1d4 radiant damage at the end of each of your target's turns, unless it makes a successful Constitution saving throw to end the spell.
This spell's initial and recurring damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Homing Strike
Transmutation cantrip
Casting time: 1 bonus action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Availability: Eldritch Knight, Ranger, Warmage

A weapon you touch temporarily becomes an uncanny magical force, inexorably seeking enemy flesh. You don't make an attack roll with your next attack with that weapon (which prevents the use of accuracy-affecting abilities like Archery style or Great Weapon Mastery); instead, it automatically hits, and is treated as magical for the purpose of bypassing damage resistance or immunity. If the target of your attack makes a successful Constitution saving throw, the damage is halved.

Korrin's Fist
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: touch
Components: V, S
Availability: Cleric, EK, Warmage

You sheathe your fist in magical force and slam it into your foe, augmenting your own strength with the intense momentum of the spell. Make a melee spell attack against the target. On a hit, you deal 1d12 necrotic damage, adding your Strength modifier (if positive) as magical bludgeoning damage.
This spell's necrotic damage increases by 1d12 when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Prayer of Pain
Evocation cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, M (a holy symbol)
Availability: Cleric

You present your holy symbol to a creature within range and call out a short, castigating curse in your deity's name. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage, and suffer disadvantage on its next saving throw this round.
This spell's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Prayer of Warding
Abjuration cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, M (a holy symbol)
Duration: 1 round
Availability: Cleric

You extend your holy symbol toward a creature within range and utter a short prayer for protection, surrounding the target with a faint, pure halo of light. Whenever that creature is subject to a melee or ranged attack before the spell ends, it can roll a d4 and add the result to its AC against that attack.

Quickfoot
Transmutation cantrip
Casting time: 1 bonus action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
Availability: Druid, Eldritch Knight, Ranger, Warmage

You touch a willing creature. The creature may immediately move up to 10 feet, and does not provoke any opportunity attacks for this movement.
The distance the creature can move increases by 5 feet when you reach 5th level, 11th level, and 17th level.

Screaming Blade
Transmutation cantrip
Casting time: 1 bonus action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Availability: Eldritch Knight, Warmage

A weapon you touch becomes charged with disruptive magical force. The next successful weapon attack you make before the spell ends deals an extra 1d4 psychic damage. If your target is forced to make a Concentration check due to this attack, it does so with disadvantage.
This spell's psychic damage increases by one die size when you reach 5th level (1d6), 11th level (1d8), and 17th level (1d10).

Voidshield
Abjuration cantrip
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Availability: Bard, Cleric, EK, Warmage, Wizard

You create a faint weave of protective shielding around a target within range, warding them against hostile magic. Until the beginning of your next turn, whenever that creature is targeted by hostile magic that forces a save, it may roll a d4 and add the result to its saving throw.

Sindeloke
2015-06-30, 09:29 AM
Ice Lance
1st-level evocation
Casting time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 minute
Availability: Druid, Eldritch Knight, Sorceror

You gesture, and a glittering shaft of ice bursts into being in your hand. The ice has the same size and shape of a spear, and behaves as a one-handed melee weapon with the Thrown property (20/60 foot range) that deals 1d10 cold damage (1d12 versatile). You are proficient with your own ice lance regardless of your normal weapon proficiencies.
The ice lance dissolves into water if it is sundered or leaves your hand for more than 1 round, but you may summon another ice lance as a bonus action as long as the spell lasts.

Modify Beast
1st-level transmutation (ritual)
Casting time: 8 hours
Target: One beast, monstrosity, or plant creature that is friendly to you
Components: V, S, M (a selection of natural chalks and paints, and a figurine of the creature to alter, carved from rare wood or stone worth 100 gp)
Duration: permanent (or until removed)
Availability: Druid, Ranger

During the eight hours of this ritual, you sit quietly in a circle of runes with a single beast, plant creature, or monstrosity, using your magic to reknit its bones, reshape its skin, and imbue it with new abilities. Each casting of the ritual adds a single modification, and a single creature can have a maximum number of modifications equal to its proficiency bonus. The ritual can also be used to remove a modification or exchange one for another.
Possible modifications include:
Amphibious Alteration: You give the creature the ability to breathe water or air, and a swim speed equal to its current walk speed or a walk speed equal to its current swim speed.
Bolster Damage: Select one attack type the creature possesses. The damage dice for that attack increase by one die size.
Enchant Weapons: The creature's natural weapons are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance or immunity.
Grow Wings: The creature grows leathery or feathered wings that permit it to fly (with poor maneuverability) at its highest current speed. You must be at least level 10 to grant this modification.
Harden Skin: You grant the creature a +1 increase to its armor class.
Increase Speed: You grant the creature a +10 foot increase to a movement speed of your choice.
Improve Senses: You grant the creature either 60 ft darkvision, 10 ft tremorsense, or advantage on Perception checks with one sense of your choice.
Reduce/Enlarge: You change the creature's size by one size category. This reduces or increases its damage rolls by one die size, respectively.

This would be free to BMs, of course, it's not fair to force them to waste a precious spell known on it. At low levels this will be too powerful if you don't even out the BM curve somehow (removing +prof to damage, for instance, and instituting natural hit die scaling instead). At high levels, though, it will be essential.

Also note the wording "include" as opposed to "are limited to"; if there's something else of a similar level of power/utility that makes sense, a DM should feel free to allow it.

Mystic Aurora
1st-level transmutation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 hour
Availability: Paladin

With a prayer and a shift into a meditative stance, you call upon your inner power to cloak yourself in a shimmering mantle of color that sheds light as a torch, and grants resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.
While the aura is active, your natural attacks are enhanced, dealing 1d8 additional radiant damage and overcoming any resistance or immunity to nonmagical weapons. This damage is also dealt to any creature who damages you with a natural weapon.
You may also use your action to project a flare of the mantle's power at a foe; this behaves as the cantrip flame bolt, but deals radiant damage rather than fire.
You cannot cast this spell if you are wearing armor or a shield, and the spell also immediately ends if you attempt to don either.

Inhibiting Charge
2nd-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Availability: Sorceror, Wizard

A crackling aura of blue-white electricity bursts up around a creature you can see within range. The target takes 2d4 lightning damage and becomes charged with painful static that deals an additional 1d4 lightning damage whenever it comes into contact with another creature (including with a melee weapon or spell attack). At the end of each of its turns, the affected creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it takes an additional 2d4 lightning damage; on a success, the spell ends.

Acidic Aura
2nd-level transmutation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self
Components: V, M (a shed scale from a rust monster)
Duration: 1 minute
Availability: Druid, Sorceror

While this spell lasts, you have the rust metal and antennae abilities of a rust monster, except that the saving throw DC used for antennae is your own, rather than 11.

Corrosive Slime
3rd-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Availability: Sorceror, Wizard

You gesture and a geyser of black slime bursts from the ground around a creature you can see within range. The target takes 5d6 acid damage, and an additional 5d6 acid damage at the end of each of its turns while the spell lasts. A successful Constitution save when this spell hits halves the initial damage and ends the spell, preventing any recurring damage.

Freezing Vortex
3rd-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a chip of ice)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Availability: Druid, Sorceror, Wizard

You create a swirling tornado of snow and ice in a 5-foot cube within range, which lasts for the duration of the spell. If the vortex cuts through a creature's space when it appears, the creature must make a Strength saving throw. On a success, it moves 5 feet away from the vortex in a direction of its choice; on a failure, it takes 4d6 cold damage and stays within the vortex.
Any creature that begins its turn within the vortex, or which attempts to pass through it, must make a Strength save. On a failure, it takes 4d6 cold damage and 1d6 slashing damage from the whirling winds, and is trapped within the vortex, unable to move further. On a successful save, the creature takes only half damage and may move out of the vortex freely (though the space occupied by the vortex is considered difficult terrain). Small or smaller creatures who try to fly through or out of the vortex cannot make this save; they are automatically trapped. The vortex also imposes disadvantage on any ranged attacks fired out of or through it.
The vortex cannot trap a creature larger than its space.
At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th or 6th level, the size increases to a 10 ft diameter vortex, dealing 6d6 cold damage and 2d6 slashing damage and trapping flying creatures of Medium or smaller size with no save. When cast at 7th or 8th level, the vortex has a diameter of 30 feet, deals 8d6 cold damage and 3d6 slashing damage, and traps Large or smaller flying creatures with no save. When cast at 9th level, the vortex has a diameter of 40 feet, deals 10d6 cold damage and 4d6 slashing damage, and traps Huge or smaller flying creatures with no save.

Sindeloke
2015-06-30, 09:30 AM
Lightning Swarm
4th-level conjuration
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (the wing of a lightning bug)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Availability: Druid, Sorceror, Wizard

When you cast this spell, a swarm of bright, flickering lightning bugs appears in a 5-foot diameter cloud within range and lasts for the duration unless slain first. The swarm constantly crackles with yellow and white light and illuminates its surroundings like a lantern. It has the statistics of a swarm of wasps, except that its bite attack deals 4d4 lightning damage, and incapacitates the target for 1 round.
The swarm acts on your initiative, and will attempt to engulf the closest enemy it sees when you create it, pursuing that particular creature of its own accord until one or the other dies. If its target dies before it does it will move on to the next closest foe. You may use your action to override its normal behavior and direct it to a new target at any time.

Caustic Quicksand
4th-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Availability: Druid, Sorceror

Your gesture turns a 15-foot radius circle of earth or stone into a bubbling, tar-like morass that lasts for the duration. Any creature attempting to enter the quicksand or beginning its turn there takes 4d6 acid damage, and must make a Strength saving throw or fall prone.
The quicksand is 2 feet deep, and is considered difficult terrain. If a creature is more than half submerged when this spell damages it, it instead takes 7d6 damage.

Sindeloke
2015-06-30, 09:31 AM
Corrosive Curtain
6th-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a drop of acid in a glass vial)
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Availability: Sorceror, Wizard

You create a bubbling curtain of falling acid, falling over the edge of a nearby vertical surface or simply cascading from open air. The curtain is roughly four inches thick and can form a circle with a radius of up to 10 feet, or a line of any shape up to 80 feet in length.
A creature that attempts to pass through the wall, or which is currently in a space the wall occupies when it forms, must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 6d10 acid damage, or half as much on a success.
As the falling acid hits the ground, it pools into an acidic puddle that expands over time. At first, this puddle only fills the spaces occupied by the wall, but every ten rounds, it expands by 5 feet in both directions. It is considered difficult terrain and deals 3d10 acid damage to any creature that begins its turn standing in its area. This puddle remains after the spell ends until it evaporates naturally or is otherwise actively removed.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the damage the wall deals to creatures passing through it increases by 1d10, and the speed at which the puddle expands by 3 rounds, for each slot level above 6th.

Whiteout
8th-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 360 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Availability: Druid, Sorceror, Wizard

When you cast this spell, a tiny ball of ice forms at a point within range and then blooms instantly into a towering cloud of wintery blizzard with a radius of 60 feet, that lasts for the duration. The storm is brilliantly white and dense, making any creature within it effectively blinded and invisible, and the driving winds and sudden drifts of snow make flying impossible and triple the cost of moving through the area. Any creature who enters or begins its turn in the area of the whiteout takes 10d6 cold damage, or half that with a successful Constitution saving throw.
As a bonus action, you can move the center of the blizzard up to 30 feet. In its wake, and anywhere the spell touched once it ends, a blanket of slush and ice remains on the ground, creating difficult terrain until it melts naturally.

Acid Rain
9th-level evocation
Casting time: 1 action
Range: 1 mile
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round
Availability: Sorceror, Wizard

A billowing, sickly green cloud swirls into being as you cast this spell, covering an area with a radius up to 360 feet and dumping sheets of biting acid on the ground before dispersing at the beginning of your next turn. Any creature that ends its turn under the cloud takes 12d6 acid damage from the falling acid, or half that much with a successful Constitution save. Any nonmagical, organic armor or weapon exposed to the acid (worn or otherwise) is destroyed; nonmagical metal, stone or otherwise inorganic armor and weapons are badly damaged, causing weapons to deal haf damage and armor to halve its AC value; magical weapons and armor of any kind take a -1 penalty to AC or -2 to damage. Other forms of equipment exposed to the acid are also affected according to their nature; your DM will determine a reasonable handicap or other effect.

If you're running a game where magic items are so rare and special that PCs have no reasonable way to repair or restore them once damaged, it might be best to grant blanket them blanket immunity to this spell so the players don't lose their treasure. Apart from Wish, 9th level spells aren't really supposed to be a tradeoff with gains and costs, they're just supposed to be good, and losing treasure isn't good.

Sindeloke
2015-07-07, 02:22 PM
All perfectly balanced, then? Go me. :smallamused:

Twelvetrees
2015-07-07, 03:18 PM
Just glancing over these, they seem reasonably balanced.

Arvad's Expulsion:
I'm not seeing anything that's unbalanced here. Thunder damage might make a little more sense.

Blisterwind:
This is essentially a weaker version of Eldritch Blast. Nothing wrong with it, but it feels unnecessary.

Hand of Wrath:
This feels a little strong to me, but I'm not certain of that. It certainly could boost the damage that a cleric could deal over several rounds, but I don't think it would have too much of an impact.

Homing Strike:
No. This is better than True Strike. I'm not sure what to suggest here. If the target took no damage on a successful Constitution saving throw, the spell would be all but useless. What do you think about two Constitution saving throws? 1 save, half damage, 2 saves, no damage and no effects. I'll see if I can come up with other options if that doesn't feel right to you.

Prayer of Pain:
Duplicate of Poison Spray for Clerics. It's balanced, but I'd prefer to see something new. I'll see what I can come up with later.

Prayer of Warding:
This is cool. It feels like Bless in reverse and as a cantrip, but because of its short range, it makes it harder to use. Feels balanced to me. Doesn't step on Blade Ward's toes, either.

Quickfoot:
Feels far too similar to Expeditious Retreat. Changing it to instantly allow to target to move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks could work better, but it still feels similar to Expeditious Retreat.

Screaming Blade:
The low-level version of this is fine. It even fills a hole that was missing in the game -- an easier way to shut down spellcasting. The higher-level versions make two-weapon fighting an increasingly lackluster option, which is a problem. I'm coming up blank with how to fix this.



I'll get to the other spells soon.

Sindeloke
2015-07-23, 06:43 AM
First off, thanks so much for the great feedback!


Arvad's Expulsion:
I'm not seeing anything that's unbalanced here. Thunder damage might make a little more sense.

Oh, right. You're seeing the result of a house rule there, compressing thunder and bludgeoning both into just bludgeoning. It's a wave of pressure, so however that translates at your table. :smallsmile:


Blisterwind:
This is essentially a weaker version of Eldritch Blast. Nothing wrong with it, but it feels unnecessary.

It exists solely for the benefit of the Warmage; I'm designing that as a "simple caster" to compare to the "simple fighter" and it thus needs a simple, effective attack action that it can take every turn forever just like swinging a weapon. Which is basically Eldritch Blast. But the flavor of that spell doesn't fit and also I've turned it into a single-target invocation anyway, so: Blisterwind.


Hand of Wrath:
This feels a little strong to me, but I'm not certain of that. It certainly could boost the damage that a cleric could deal over several rounds, but I don't think it would have too much of an impact.

I could cut the initial damage down to 1d6 maybe? It'd make it a bit less elegant to scale it, but it'd be less of an obvious choice over stuff with higher up-front burst.


Homing Strike:
No. This is better than True Strike. I'm not sure what to suggest here.

Well, True Strike is fairly terrible this edition, so that's not saying much. If you compare it to TWF, you're spending a bonus action to either guarantee at least half damage, or double your chance to deal full damage. Greataxe vs two longswords actually works out in favor of the longswords (before extra attack, 8.5 average TWF damage at 18 Str vs 7.875 for the HS user, if I did my math right. Extra attack doesn't end up making a difference because neither TWF nor HS scale to further attacks).


Quickfoot:
Feels far too similar to Expeditious Retreat. Changing it to instantly allow to target to move 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks could work better, but it still feels similar to Expeditious Retreat.

The trouble with trying to make more buff cantrips is that all the good buffs are taken. :smallsigh: It doesn't bother me overmuch - Fire Storm is basically just up-scaled Fireball, which is upscaled AoE Fire Bolt, after all - but making the movement instant couldn't hurt. I'll change it.


Screaming Blade:
The low-level version of this is fine. It even fills a hole that was missing in the game -- an easier way to shut down spellcasting. The higher-level versions make two-weapon fighting an increasingly lackluster option, which is a problem. I'm coming up blank with how to fix this.

Eh, even with a mundane weapon, your level 17 cast is only adding 1d10 damage, while an offhand weapon is adding 1d8+5. If the weapon is magical, add another +1-3 or 2d6 fire or whatever, and it's still a much better choice for pure damage (and probably even for spell disruption, since its DC will be so much higher). It's true you're almost always going to get the 1d10 and your offhand attack might miss, but then we're back to the Homing Strike thing, where in the end it averages out (and a 50% hit chance requires a pretty generous AC if you've got a high-level attacker).

eleazzaar
2015-07-24, 12:32 AM
Are you aware of the spells in the EE players companion?

Some of your have the same basic idea of the EE spells such as thunder wave and ice knife.

Flashy
2015-07-24, 02:45 AM
On the whole I really like these but I have a handful of criticisms. If I don't mention a spell assume I liked it.

Homing Strike
My worry here is that it combos too effectively with great weapon mastery. Assuming 18 str and a greatsword the GWF power attack still does 10 average damage on a save compared to 11 average damage for a cantripless hit without the power attack. It's one less damage, but with no risk of missing. On a failed save the damage is much higher. I can't imagine many rounds in which a great weapon eldritch knight wouldn't use this cantrip. The same applies to ranged characters with the sharpshooter feat.

Prayer of Warding
The full round duration might be a bit much? Applying this to a sword and shield full plate fighter with defensive fighting style starts to break bounded accuracy, since they would have a permanent 22-25 AC (assuming you reapply it every round). I know that's an incredibly specialized case, but it still seems a bit iffy to me. If it just applied to the next attack I think it would be more reasonable.

Inhibiting Charge/Corrosive Slime
What happens if the target makes the initial save on these spells? It's not explicit, which sort of implies the spells do nothing (though I imagine that's not actually the case). I would probably skip the initial save altogether and only have a save for the recurring damage.

Freezing Vortex
I'd change it so that ranged attacks through the vortex are made at disadvantage rather than blocked outright. I know it's a much smaller area but even the 6th level Control Winds doesn't outright block ranged attacks (and it doesn't also do damage).

Submortimer
2015-07-24, 03:40 AM
Homing Strike:
No. This is better than True Strike. I'm not sure what to suggest here. If the target took no damage on a successful Constitution saving throw, the spell would be all but useless. What do you think about two Constitution saving throws? 1 save, half damage, 2 saves, no damage and no effects. I'll see if I can come up with other options if that doesn't feel right to you.


How about something like this:
On the next attack you make with this weapon, if you roll less than 10 on the die, you may treat it as if it were a 10.

This limits its effectiveness at higher levels with GWM, while still keeping the feel and making it better than True Strike (which is an unholy waste of a cantrip)

If you consider a high level fighter, with luck he will have a +14 to hit with his favorite weapon (+6 prof, +5 stat, +3 magic weapon), but will more than likely have a +12 or +13. Taking a 10 gets you 21 or 22, which hits most anything in the game (save the big baddies), but when you knock 5 off that for GMW, that baseline number becomes 17 or 18, which will still miss someone in half or full plate with a shield.


Screaming Blade:
The low-level version of this is fine. It even fills a hole that was missing in the game -- an easier way to shut down spellcasting. The higher-level versions make two-weapon fighting an increasingly lackluster option, which is a problem. I'm coming up blank with how to fix this.


Up the damage to a d6 or d8 and don't let it scale.

Sindeloke
2015-07-27, 07:52 PM
GWM+Sharpshooter

You know this honestly doesn't even ping to me as an issue. Ever since my 3.path days I've been giving martials random abilities to target non-AC defenses (cone attacks, sweeping strikes) and at first I used to make it explicit that you couldn't use Power Attack with them, but eventually we got to a point where it was just obvious. If you're not making an attack roll, you can't use an ability that gives a bonus in exchange for a penalty to that attack roll. It would never occur to me to let a player GWM on an attack that requires a save.

Perhaps I should make that clear in the spell, though.... :smallredface:


Are you aware of the spells in the EE players companion?

Some of your have the same basic idea of the EE spells such as thunder wave and ice knife.

I know it exists. I haven't really spent any time reading it. I suppose I should.


Prayer of Warding
The full round duration might be a bit much? Applying this to a sword and shield full plate fighter with defensive fighting style starts to break bounded accuracy, since they would have a permanent 22-25 AC (assuming you reapply it every round). I know that's an incredibly specialized case, but it still seems a bit iffy to me. If it just applied to the next attack I think it would be more reasonable.

Generally defense is less powerful than offense. It's part of why combat healing is so useless in this game. I can think of an edge case where you get the S&B fighter standing in the middle of a 5-foot corridor blocking a creature that has no abilities other than a weapon attack where this basically shuts down the encounter. Otherwise, though, an enemy can just turn and try to hit someone else, or grapple the fighter out of the way, or use an ability that targets a different defense, and then the caster wasted a turn that could have been spent on Hold Person or a damage cantrip that would move the fight forward. It'll be most useful for getting a character past OAs or surviving some kind of capture-the-flag or plant-the-bomb scenario where killing or controlling the enemy isn't the objective.


Inhibiting Charge/Corrosive Slime
What happens if the target makes the initial save on these spells? It's not explicit, which sort of implies the spells do nothing (though I imagine that's not actually the case). I would probably skip the initial save altogether and only have a save for the recurring damage.

Freezing Vortex
I'd change it so that ranged attacks through the vortex are made at disadvantage rather than blocked outright. I know it's a much smaller area but even the 6th level Control Winds doesn't outright block ranged attacks (and it doesn't also do damage).

Good points, I'll tweak them.

Sindeloke
2015-08-12, 12:48 PM
Updated: modified Blisterwind and Prayer of Pain for simplicity and uniqueness, respectively, and added Korrin's Fist and Fire Fan cantrips and Mystic Aura as a 1st-level Paladin spell. As ever, input welcome!

Belac93
2015-08-12, 03:23 PM
Many of these cantrips are given to rangers and paladins, who don't get cantrips. Also the description for eldritch knight says that they choose spells from the wizard list, so there are no spells they only have.
Other than that, this seems good!

Bharaeth
2015-08-13, 04:51 AM
Hey, nice work on all these!

So, a couple of points:

I'm a little confused about some of your damage type choices - namely Homing Strike, Korrin's Fist and Prayer of Pain, all doing necrotic damage. So, I suppose the 5e rulebooks aren't too specific about what the various damage types represent, and I am away from my books at the moment, so can't check. But, to me, necrotic damage is all about undeath, disease and withering away. I would argue to change some of those damage types to force damage - which, admittedly, does make them even more powerful, as there is very little resistance to force around...

Mystic Aurora - should that read 'Mystic Aura'? This is a bit of a kitchen sink spell that does loads, and is particularly sweet as it doesn't rely on concentration. But I can't imagine too many paladins would be going around unarmoured to benefit from it. hmm. Very interesting.

With Corrosive Curtain, I find it difficult to imagine when an acidic puddle might naturally evaporate - what would neutralise a huge puddle of acid? This spell is bad ass.

And with Whiteout and Acid Rain, are they expected to only work outdoors? Additionally, depending on the lore of individual settings, I would be wary about having magic items automatically take damage from falling acid. That sort of thing can't be repaired, right?

Sindeloke
2015-08-13, 06:53 AM
Ok, tossed in a Ranger ritual to let Beastmasters retain their primary class feature even when faced with tight spaces, ocean travel, flying castles, magical monsters, and other normal adventuring challenges that the default Beastmaster is woefully, pathetically unable to work around without being a huge drain on party resources. Also got the voidshield cantrip up.

And on to the well-appreciated feedback:


Also the description for eldritch knight says that they choose spells from the wizard list, so there are no spells they only have.

And that never struck you as silly? It certainly does me!

We've been working on a unique EK (and AT) spell list to make those classes a little more coherent and less like an afterthought. Haven't added any high-level spells yet but the cantrips are a good start.

As far as rangers go, we give 'em Wis mod Druid cantrips out of pity. You can just ignore that tag when you see it if you don't do so yourself. :smallwink:


Hey, nice work on all these!

So, a couple of points:

I'm a little confused about some of your damage type choices - namely Homing Strike, Korrin's Fist and Prayer of Pain, all doing necrotic damage.

Yeah, I try to avoid force damage when I can. Particularly for classes other than Wizard or Warlock, who I feel like should have a thematic monopoly. But Homing Strike should probably definitely be force, if it's anything. I might just make it not change the damage type apart from giving it the [magical] tag for purposes of resistance bypass. Prayer of Pain, on the other hand, is mostly designed for evil Clerics who don't like radiant damage - its' absolutely supposed to have that connotation of unnatural cruelty. Korrin's Fist sort of defaulted to that for the same reason (it's a Cleric spell that doesn't deal radiant), but I suppose it could as easily be cold or electric damage (Korrin is a morally dubious storm deity).


Mystic Aurora - should that read 'Mystic Aura'?

It is "aurora" - it's supposed to look a bit like being wrapped in an Aurora Borealis. I typoed on the update post. :smallredface:


With Corrosive Curtain, I find it difficult to imagine when an acidic puddle might naturally evaporate - what would neutralise a huge puddle of acid?

Not much! Eventually most puddles would eat their way into the ground until all the acid had reacted off. Good way to slow pursuit, and also leave a lot of ugly grooves in a dungeon you don't like.


And with Whiteout and Acid Rain, are they expected to only work outdoors? Additionally, depending on the lore of individual settings, I would be wary about having magic items automatically take damage from falling acid. That sort of thing can't be repaired, right?

Well, I'd certainly let a player fix a magic item. You're right though, in a more rareified setting where players aren't expected to have the means to even make Sting, much less Harizawn, a DM should definitely be more sparing about it. I'll put in a conversion note.

I would also let a player cast either of those indoors, but they might not like the result. :smallamused:

Twelvetrees
2015-08-14, 12:11 AM
Apologies for the delay in getting to the rest of these, but here you are:

Korrin's Fist:
Equivalent to a weapon attack. Looks fine.

Voidshield:
Might be a little weak. I'd have to see it in play to really know for sure how useful this is.


1st-3rd level

Ice Lance:
It's a thematic spell, but with similar damage to Fire Bolt, I feel that it doesn't give much benefit for the use of a slot.

Modify Beast:
This is awesome. The only question I have is whether a beast can gain the same modification multiple times. I can imagine players only picking Bolster Damage over and over...

Mystic Aurora:
To be blunt, I don't like this spell. It's certainly balanced, but it allows Paladins to become pseudo-barbarians, hedging in on their niche. That said, there's nothing wrong with the mechanics.

Inhibiting Charge:
Could you clarify what coming into contact with another creature is? It's a little unclear right now. Does the creature come into contact with another creature when it's attacked or just when it's successfully attacked?

Acidic Aura:
Cool, but situational. Looks balanced to me.

Corrosive Slime:
Simple single target damage spell. No problems here.

Freezing Vortex:
Feels like an icy version of Watery Sphere, but still works on its own. Seems balanced. Only suggestion I've got is perhaps to change "and is trapped within the vortex, unable to move further" to "its speed becomes 0"


4th-5th level

Lightning Swarm:
I'd be a little wary about giving the swarm the ability to incapacitate when it attacked, but other than that, the spell looks fine. Maybe give a save against the incapacitation?

Caustic Quicksand:
Damage on this is good, but I'm a little confused as to how you determine whether a creature is half submerged. Is it only if they're prone? What if the creature is Large? Or Small/Tiny? Large and Prone? A little clarification would be good. :smalltongue:


6th-9th level

Corrosive Curtain:
This spell is amazing. Good balance with damage, and its got terrain-affecting utility as well. Well done.

Whiteout:
The duration is a little long for everything that it gives. I might change it to 1 minute.

Acid Rain:
Melt everything! Yep, this works well.


Nice work, Sindeloke. These are some of the best-balanced homebrew spells I've seen yet. :smallsmile:

Sicarius Victis
2016-08-26, 11:23 PM
What, nothing for the warlock? I can see Bladelocks wanting to make use of a lot of these.

Sir cryosin
2016-08-27, 10:02 AM
[QUOTE=Sindeloke;19571353]First off, thanks so much for the great feedback!



Oh, right. You're seeing the result of a house rule there, compressing thunder and bludgeoning both into just bludgeoning. It's a wave of pressure, so however that translates at your table. :smallsmile:


A wave of pressure I'll say force damage