Homebrew Transmutation Spell Critique

[NightScar]

Animus Crystal
1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: One minute
You transform part of your animating spirit into a translucent crystal shard that extrudes from a point on your body, then breaks off to float within one foot of you. The crystal shard has 1d6+1 hit points, has your defensive statistics such as AC and saves, and has a color reflecting your mood. As an action, you can send the shard forward at the speed of thought, automatically hitting a target within range that you can see, dealing 1d6+1 piercing damage and taking an equal amount of damage before returning to orbit you. As a reaction, the shard can intercept one attack that deals damage, reducing the attack's damage by 1d6+1 and taking an equal amount of damage. The shard can never deal or reduce damage greater than its maximum hit points. If the shard is reduced to zero hit points, it shatters and the spell ends. You can only create one Animus Shard at a time.
special: If there is a target within five feet of your when you first summon the shard, you can use a bonus action to attack the target with it on the turn you create it.
At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the Hit points, damage, and damage interception of the shard are increased by 1d6+1 and the shard counts as a magic weapon.

My thought process was to create a transmutation version of magic missile and it gradually turned into this. My goal is to keep it non-concentration (costing an action to summon and an action to attack with) and flavorful. Main questions: Does it fit transmutation fluff? Is it overpowered/underpowered? Does it scale well/poorly with higher spell slots? How would you change it to make it fit or would you? I'm planning on using it for a transmuter wizard character if i can get it approved by my group and figured I might as well post here for some feedback as well. If anyone has other cool homebrew spells, especially transmutation spells, I wouldn't mind seeing them to compare.

[burninatortrog]

a transmutation version of magic missile

I know it's not always helpful to say "why would you do this," but I'm really really really curious about the reasoning behind this.


Does it fit transmutation fluff?

It really seems more like a conjuration to me.

[NightScar]

I know it's not always helpful to say "why would you do this," but I'm really really really curious about the reasoning behind this.

My character is a transmutation wizard (college student interning at an adventuring guild) and would rather focus on his specialization than broaden his school repertoire with his personal research time. The idea came about when we were fighting a shadow demon and i did half damage with all my spells. I figured i should learn MM because the evocation wizard in the group could auto hit for full damage. I was going to learn the spell as well, then gradually worked my way into animus crystal and gave up on regular magic missile.


It really seems more like a conjuration to me.

I can see that. I'm kinda bending over backwards with the "shaping your animating spirit" bit. Maybe I should add a material component that physically changes into a crystal.

[burninatortrog]

If I were you, I'd do this:

Magical Missiles
1st-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a handful of darts)
Duration: Instantaneous

You hurl three darts. Each dart hits a creature of your choice that you can see within range. A dart deals 1d4 + 1 piercing damage to its target. The darts all strike simultaneously, and you can direct them to hit one creature or several. The darts count as magical. This spell has no effect on targets that are wielding shields.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can throw one more dart for each slot level above 1st.

Note: This spell won't be blocked by the shield spell. I think any reasonable DM would allow it into their game!

[MrStabby]

I agree that it doesn't seem quite like a transmuation spell but it does seem an appropriate power (if somewhat versatile). Bear in mind that a non concentration d6+1 hitpoints from a level 1 spell is on average equal to the d8 of a cure wounds spell so you might be seen as stepping on the toes of clerics and druids a little. On the other hand its personal so probably not a big deal.


Other spells with a transmuation flavour you could use as you go through the lower levels:

Leaden lvl 2
Duration one round, concentration

Transmute up to three enemy's weapons into lead. The characters gets disadvantage on all attack rolls and initiative rolls whilst using those weapons. When cast from a higher level spell slot the duration increases by one round per level of spell above second.

(so multiple target spell with a moderately nasty effect and no save, balanced by very short duration - suspect that this would become a good use of low level spell slots as the character gets higher in level)


Heart of Gold
Level 2
Duration 1 minute, concentration

You make a melee spell attack roll against the target. If you hit, their heart begins to turn to gold. They take 2d10 psychic damage and are incapacitated. They may take a constitution save to avoid the incapacitation. At the start of each of their following turns the target must take a constitution save or remain incapacitated and take a further 2d10 psychic damage. A successful save ends the spell. This spell has no effect on plants and non living enemies such as undead and constructs

(situational spell with potential high damage against the right targets balanced by melee range, not working against some common enemies and targeting what is often a good save. Good low level anti caster spell)

[NightScar]

Magical Missiles

This is actually a pretty interesting inversion. A magic missile spell that's blocked by physical armor and bypasses magic armor. It took me a minute to see, I'll admit. I thought you just copied the MM description and changed the school :P. I'll pass this on to my group and see what they think.


Heart of Gold

This is awesome. Makes me think about the stories of all the ancient alchemists that spent time trying to turn lead into gold. I may steal both of these spells.


As for Animus Crystal, I think I may drop the damage blocking portion of it because it steps on both abjuration wizards and healer characters' toes as mentioned. I'm thinking of moving in the direction of the shard being a one shot launch, but keeping the hit point mechanic and having it leave an effect where it lands and have a different effect when it shatters. Maybe bringing it closer to the transmutation sub school by having it be made out of blood when you get hit by an attack.