[Spells] Kaleidoscope eyes? Can do.

[Peregrine]

From the Gaming (d20) forum...

Is there a spell that would allow you to permanently change someone's eye colour? Minor I know, but I can't find anything, short of a Polymorph Any Object, and that seems like a touch of overkill.

I set the gnome wizards I've got locked in the cellar onto this problem. Of course, as we learn from Wizards Customer Support, ask three wizards a question and you'll get three different answers...

Cosmetic Change
Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You cause a part of the target's body to change colour. You may designate any single feature (such as hair, irises, or fingernails) and any colour. A single creature may not be under the effects of more than one cosmetic change at a time; further castings negate any earlier effects.

Focus
A soft-bristled brush, brushed across the target area.

Uncanny Eyes
Illusion [Glamer]
Level: Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature with eyes
Duration: 1 day/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless), then Will disbelief (if interacted with); see text
Spell Resistance: No

You create two (or more, up to your caster level plus one) illusory discs that overlay the target's eyes, causing them to appear to be a different colour. The spell must be cast at the eyes of a creature within range, but thereafter the uncanny eyes remain with the target, even if you are out of range.

The target creature may make a Will save to refuse the spell, in which case it fails. Creatures closely observing the eyes may make a Will save to disbelieve the illusion.

You determine the initial colouring of the illusion at casting time. Thereafter, so long as the target is within range, you can alter the colour as a free action. The eyes may be any colour or colours, transparent or opaque, and can even glow.

Material component
A sliver of coloured glass.

Create Contact Lenses
Conjuration [Creation]
Level: Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One or more contact lenses
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

You create several thin, transparent lenses, of a size, shape and number to suit the eyes of one creature within range (to a maximum number of lenses of your caster level plus one). The lenses form directly on the eyes of the creature, which may make a Reflex save to move its head and interrupt the spell, causing it to fail.

The lenses are clear or coloured (caster's choice). When newly created, they provide the wearer a +1 circumstance bonus to Spot checks, but their clarity dims over time: the bonus is lost after 1 hour, then the lenses provide a -1 circumstance penalty after 8 hours. The creature can remove the lenses at any time, as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. The lenses become useless after being removed.

[Kurald Galain]

I assume you want feedback on that?

Cosmetic Change
I would consider such permanent changes outside the domain of the bard. Also, purely for flavor reasons, I would generally consider permanent spells a level higher (not because it's unbalancing per se, but because an apprentice wizard should not be able to do this flavor-wise).
People will want to know if this can give bonuses to charisma (probably not), disguise rolls (probably so), intimindate (plausibly) and reaction rolls (likely) or even bonuses to fingernail combat rolls (you munchkin!). Because giving someone glowing red eyes would likely be disadvantageous, the spell should probably be "willing target only".
With "furhter castings negate earlier effects", do you mean that if I cosmagic my eyes, it would undo an earlier cosmagic on my fingernails?


Uncanny Eyes
You know, it's kind of weird to have the spell create overlaying discs, rather than simply "changing the target's eye color". Also, technically glowing illusory discs have a ton (well, okay, a few kilograms) of other uses, as per Dancing Lights.
I'd say one target only, regardless of how many eyes said target has.
Cantrips don't last a day per level, period. Same reasoning as above, really, and consider the intimidate/reaction/etc stuff. This spell seems pretty much redundant with the above.


Create Contact Lenses
Just, no. The flavor is silly. I'd envision magical lenses more as a monocle than a contact lens. Otherwise, as above.

[Fax Celestis]

Peregrine, I was looking through the Compendium the other day, and I have to say: you make good spells.

[Peregrine]

I assume you want feedback on that?

Naturally. :smallsmile:


Cosmetic Change
I would consider such permanent changes outside the domain of the bard. Also, purely for flavor reasons, I would generally consider permanent spells a level higher (not because it's unbalancing per se, but because an apprentice wizard should not be able to do this flavor-wise).

I know, I know. But it's just not worth a higher slot (I'd have people telling me exactly that if I'd made it higher, y'know), and the thread this was a response to specifically wanted a permanent effect.


People will want to know if this can give bonuses to charisma (probably not), disguise rolls (probably so), intimindate (plausibly) and reaction rolls (likely) or even bonuses to fingernail combat rolls (you munchkin!).

No, maybe, no, RP-only, heck no.

I thought about Disguise. I eventually decided no, for the way it's written right now. If I rewrote it a bit more freeform, rather than trying to make something that suits what someone asked about in Gaming, I might make it non-permanent and give an actual mechanical benefit.


Because giving someone glowing red eyes would likely be disadvantageous, the spell should probably be "willing target only".

Well, I don't see that cosmetic change (unlike uncanny eyes) should really be able to make your eyes glow... In any case, it offers a Fort save. What more do you want? You really want to forbid people turning the BBEG's hair green? (In that vein, permanent duration just seems to suit it perfectly after all... perhaps it grows out after a while? Wears off after a month, like arcane mark?)


With "furhter castings negate earlier effects", do you mean that if I cosmagic my eyes, it would undo an earlier cosmagic on my fingernails?

Yes. The spell can only affect one part of you (you have no idea how much of a headache I went through trying to put some concrete numbers to how much it can effect... if you go by surface area, skin is fine but hair is just right out). A new casting 'moves' any existing effect to a different part of the body, so to speak. Otherwise you could just stack them up...


Uncanny Eyes
You know, it's kind of weird to have the spell create overlaying discs, rather than simply "changing the target's eye color". Also, technically glowing illusory discs have a ton (well, okay, a few kilograms) of other uses, as per Dancing Lights.

I'm sure I was going for some particular approach when I wrote the spell, but I eventually just went for a simple glamer. The discs thing should probably be scrapped as a result, you're quite right.


I'd say one target only, regardless of how many eyes said target has.
Cantrips don't last a day per level, period.

Point. Bumping it down to cantrip status was a late change, and may need undoing.


Same reasoning as above, really, and consider the intimidate/reaction/etc stuff. This spell seems pretty much redundant with the above.

Well I did say they were three different answers to the same problem. :smallsmile: Actually... this one is more likely to give an Intimidate bonus (if nothing else), in my opinion... such a bonus would be justification for putting it back to level 1.


Create Contact Lenses
Just, no. The flavor is silly. I'd envision magical lenses more as a monocle than a contact lens. Otherwise, as above.

Yes, this was the silly one of the lot (and it's not a very serious lot to begin with). But other people independently had the 'just make contact lenses!' idea in the other thread, so I'm not alone.

Speaking of which... Did you hear the one about the guy with the contact lens monocle? All you could see was a chain dangling from his eye...


Peregrine, I was looking through the Compendium the other day, and I have to say: you make good spells.

:smallredface: Thank you, Fax.

[Setra]

I am gonna have that song stuck in my head now.

[Peregrine]

I am gonna have that song stuck in my head now.

I write spells. I title spell thread with song lyric. You get song stuck in your head. You complain about the annoyance. I get idea stuck in my head. I write more spells. And so the circle goes round*. :smallsmile:

Jingle
Enchantment [Mind-affecting, Sonic]
Level: Brd 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You sing, hum or chant a few bars of a simple, yet somehow compelling melody. The target of the spell must succeed on a Will save or have the melody stuck in their head.

For most creatures, this is no more than a minor irritation, which fades after a few hours. However, into the melody is woven an echo of the patterns of magic. Any spellcaster subject to the jingle who tries to cast a spell will find themselves thinking of the melody instead of the spell on which they are trying to focus. The caster must make a Concentration check in order to cast a spell. Failure means the spell is lost.

Two successful Concentration checks in a row will negate the effect of the jingle thereafter. Otherwise, the jingle fades from memory 1d4 hours after the target last attempted to cast a spell.

Jingle, Mass
Enchantment [Mind-affecting, Sonic]
Level: Brd 5
Targets: One creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart

This spell functions like jingle, except that it affects multiple creatures.

* Actually, for the circle to go round, I have to use another lyric, quote, or other snippet that will get lodged in someone's head, don't I?

"It's the ciiiiir-cle of life..." :smallbiggrin:

[Kurald Galain]

Jingle

Should have the "evil" descriptor :)

[Peregrine]

Should have the "evil" descriptor :)

Thank you. :smalltongue: But does nobody else have any comments or feedback?

[Human Paragon 3]

Great spell for a bard, useful and flavorful. What is the DC of the concentration check?

[Peregrine]

Same as the save DC (as per the 'Distracted by nondamaging spell' line of the table in the Concentration skill description). I could have written it in explicitly but I can never seem to remember the formula for save DCs. :smallsmile:

Of course, having spent the effort to look up the Concentration skill description... I might as well have just looked the formula up.

(On the other hand, explicitly spelling it out would preclude the use of DC-boosting feats and stuff. So I stand by my original phrasing. :smalltongue:)

[Assasinater]

Heh, Jingle is very good, though I may have some suggestions about it. For example, it can have a whole different effect on bards, who dabble in music themselves. Something like: it can overwrite all level 1 bard spell slots of the people who fail their will saves with Jingle.

And perhaps a greater version of the spell, that has a very long duration (days), in which it randomly activates itself for some time, and then being suppressed with a will save. Three successful will saves in succession can negate the spell.

Anyway, regardless of my ideas, it's a fine spell.

[Fualkner Asiniti]

Peregrine is a freaking spell factory. Good job on all three.

[Edivad]

These are some interesting "flavour"spells, however I agree that a duration of Permanent might be too much.
Perhaps we could switch to a long duration, something like 1 day/caster level, with the spell being dismissable if the caster used it on him/herself?

[Dennetik]

I love the spells you wrote, and I am most certainly going to try them out in my own campaign. Without the written Deck of Many Things clause though, they're just going to have to find out themselves what happens when you turn around a Deck of Many Things. :smallamused:

[Maldraugedhen]

Cosmetic change suits the bard well, actually--it helps in storytelling, just like changing one's voice for different characters does.

[Icewalker]

Well Jingle is AWESOME. Yoink! But whats the DC on the check? Unless there's a set number in a rule which I'm missing, I'd go with 10 + bard level.

[Peregrine]

Oops... I didn't even notice these replies! Fortunately it hasn't been a month and a half yet, so I'm inside the thread necromancy limit. :smallsmile:


I love the spells you wrote, and I am most certainly going to try them out in my own campaign. Without the written Deck of Many Things clause though, they're just going to have to find out themselves what happens when you turn around a Deck of Many Things. :smallamused:

Thanks! I take it you're referring to coin trick?


Cosmetic change suits the bard well, actually--it helps in storytelling, just like changing one's voice for different characters does.

Well, when you put it like that... cosmetic change was the one I was least satisfied with of the three, but your perspective is giving me ideas on how to brush it up...


Well Jingle is AWESOME. Yoink! But whats the DC on the check? Unless there's a set number in a rule which I'm missing, I'd go with 10 + bard level.

Thank you, thank you. The DC is indeed a set rule: Concentration checks forced by a non-damaging spell have the same DC as saving throws against the spell (10 + spell level + relevant ability modifier, or 11+Cha mod for jingle, 15+Cha mod for mass jingle), to which you add the level of the spell you're trying to cast. (Reference (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/concentration))

And because people keep saying nice things about my spells in this thread, I've finally caved to vanity and put some in my sig. :smallredface:

[martyboy74]

Are you sure that you don't want to give Cosmetic Change an instantaneous duration? Having your hair revert back to normal after a Dispel Magic, or inside and AMF is just silly. Although that would make Reaving Dispel funnier...