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Chimaera
2016-05-16, 11:51 AM
Greetings, homebrewers.

I'm playing a generalist wizard who was trained to eventually become a Head Teacher in the Runestone Academy (an arcane order) and the DM gave me approval to design a custom spell, but he wanted me to post it somewhere in the forums and see what people think of the balance of it.

So after thinking a little I got a couple ideas.

I appreciate any sugestions and avaliations, but please be gentle: it's my first time.

Chimaera
2016-05-16, 11:53 AM
Portal Hitchhike

Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Wizard 3
Components: V
Casting Time: Immediate Action
Range: Close (Special)
Target: one space-time distubance
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: No

Hurt and weakened, it sure was reckless to try and take on that many would-be heroes. With a smug smike in his devious face, the infernal knight bid them farewell and swears he'll be back and then his vengeance will be bloody.

Johann watch as the fiendish slaver Teleport away, barely standing. It was a long and costly battle to end in a tie. He grip his runestaff and look at his allies: a couple dead and others too weak to keep on fighting, but he doesnt have the time to ler his enemy escape.

Calcifer sit on the ground, his wounds grieveous and his pride tainted, but the landscape has changed from the winding alleys of the City of Power to the fiery domains of Phlegethos. But its a short respits as the pesky wizard appears right by his side.

"How?", the devil asks, but the only answer he gets is a well placed Disintegrate in his face. Calcifer is no more.

Created to avoid enemies from escaping perilous battles just to get back another day recovered and with bitter vengeance, this spell allows the spellcaster to pursue an Teleporting enemy by getting a ride on the disturbance of the Time-Space created by a Teleportation spell.

The caster can take himself plus 50 pounds on him (his familiar doesnt count for this spell capacity) to the same end point of a Teleportation spell is being cast within the range of the spell, even if he doesnt know the destination or have no idea where it will take him.

The spell gives no previous information to where it will take the caster, so it's a dangerous gambit. If the Teleportation who was pursued occurs a mishape, the caster will be taken to the same place anyway.

Chimaera
2016-05-16, 11:54 AM
Portal Caravan

Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Wizard 7
Components: V
Casting Time: Immediate Action
Range[/b]: Close (Special)
Target: one space-time distubance plus caster and one willing creature/5 levels
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Yes (Benign)
Spell Resistance: Yes (Benign)

This spell works similarly to Portal Hitchhike (above), except that it allow the caster plus up to creature/five levels to follow along. All creatures to be teleported must be within the spell range to be affected and be willing.

Darth Ultron
2016-05-17, 04:11 PM
First off third level is way too low a level for a teleport spell that is equal to a 5th level or higher teleport spell.

The ''easy and balanced'' way to make this spell is to just make it a pure divination: the spell just lets you know where a teleported foe went, you must provide your own teleport to follow.

If you want to keep it as an ''attack'' teleport spell, it will really need a failure chance against the opposing teleporter. For example, a straight save to negate, if this is cast on the foe. I nice, and more interesting twist, might be a caster level check. So the spell can ''add'' someone to another persons teleport. This has the nice balance of a powerful spellcaster can ''hitch a ride'' often, but maybe not always.

Gildedragon
2016-05-17, 06:05 PM
I feel 3rd level is adequate for this spell; it allows players to follow the "typical" escape [Tp]: Dimension Door; furthermore it allows one to be a 'rider' for a teleport spell, which is evocative of the relationship between Astral Traveler and Astral Caravan.

Because of its "privacy" breaking nature I feel the spell ought be dual schooled (Divination, Conjuration)

However, Portal Hitchhike ought affect multiple individuals; it affecting only the caster makes it so that in parties the spell is near useless.

Also it should be considered how it interacts with spells like Fire Stride (SpC) a Transmutation spell with the [Teleportation] description; the Psychoportation psionic school -especially stuff like Call Weaponry which has the [teleportation] descriptor: is one teleported to the place whence the weapon was called?-; the shadow hand discipline, and corner cases like using a Gate spell or a Portal or Ring Gates to travel.

Chimaera
2016-05-17, 06:22 PM
The game I'm playing doesnt use psionics and ToB content is not allowed for the players.

Also, the spell allow you to go to the end point of the teleportstion, not the beginning, so you vant summon or call a monster to use the space distortion to go where it came from.

In the case of Call Weapon, unless the weapon was teleported from (not into) a place in range, you wouldnt be able to follow it.

And the spell as I thought was to follow (teleportation) spells, which are mostly conjurations but not limited to, so I think it would be okay to make it able to follow such spells.

Darth Ultron
2016-05-17, 08:04 PM
A spell that just automatically follows anothers' teleport with no chance of the other to resist is broken. Your ''fluff'' in the spell seems to think the effected creature would be surprised too. Now a good way to get a feel of the balance of a spell is to ask: would you want this used on your character?

If this is your first homebrew spell, you might note that most magic spells don't work that way. And, yes, you can find a couple that do..but they should be rare and not common. Saves and things like caster level checks add balance to spells.

If your spell is an auto follow any teleport, why stop there? Why not just make it ''obliterate teleport''? Make the spell ''if someone teleports you can cast this spell as an immediate action and auto kill them''.

Like I said, the most balanced way is to just make it a divination to find out where a foe went. You get a ''snapshot'' of their teleport location.

Chimaera
2016-05-17, 11:07 PM
The idea was just that: ask around and see how balanced (or not) the spell would be. The idea of a divination spell is interesting, but I think it would be better for a third spell.

Adding an opposed caster level check to see if it work or not seems fair: on a sucess you follow up the teleportation, on a failure you are kicked away before you manage to take a ride, maybe even ending a round dazed.

I believe something between 3rd or 5th level should be fair enough.

DeadpanSal
2016-05-17, 11:30 PM
If your spell is an auto follow any teleport, why stop there? Why not just make it ''obliterate teleport''? Make the spell ''if someone teleports you can cast this spell as an immediate action and auto kill them''.

Dimension Skipping Haymaker

Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Wizard 1
Components: M (One or both fists)
Casting Time: Immediate Reaction
Range: Five feet
Target: Any creature you don't like
Duration: No
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: No

There was no time to think about it. Teleporting away was the only way Howl could live to make his plans come to fruition. And he had only the teleportation spell left in his spellbook. If he cast it now, maybe, just maybe he'd see the end of his machinations blossom into hellfire raining down on Bloodtalon Bicepblast the Mighty.

With a wave of his hand and a cackle, Howl opened a portal to anywhere, a plane far from here. He didn't even have time to add a quip to punctuate his departure. All that mattered was that he was out of Bicepblast's attack range. But then, just before the portal closed behind him, he saw one final flash of his enemy - a smile. And Howl had just enough time to scream in terror before a fist cracked the plane asunder.

Dimension Skipping Haymaker lets you follow any target anywhere after they teleport. If you are next to the teleporting creature, you can jam your fist through the portal before it closes, or both if you choose. The portal closes behind the target, leaving you dismembered. At the start of your next turn, your fist becomes animate, pummeling the plane your target flees to into atoms. All denizens of the world die instantly with no saving throw. If your target dies because of the spell, your hands regenerate at the end of the attack.

---

Okay, maybe it's not THAT overpowered.

Gildedragon
2016-05-18, 12:03 AM
The idea was just that: ask around and see how balanced (or not) the spell would be. The idea of a divination spell is interesting, but I think it would be better for a third spell.

Adding an opposed caster level check to see if it work or not seems fair: on a sucess you follow up the teleportation, on a failure you are kicked away before you manage to take a ride, maybe even ending a round dazed.

I believe something between 3rd or 5th level should be fair enough.

Caster level check is definitely something it should have; a bad effect for a failed check might not be uncalled for dazing one or teleporting one off-target or to a similar location; could be CLC off by less than 5: no teleport, just dazed; otherwise you're off to some odd area (make your own chart for the probabilities of 'off target' false destination, and mishap). Though if you do allow for the getting shunted off somewhere strange effect: maybe making the spell bidirectional might be good.

... a couple of spells come to mind: one that limits who can teleport in or out (a divination-abjuration) if the person(s) teleporting in don't meet the credentials (must have at least one elf; must bear the emblem of Lord Whatshisface; etc...) the CLC is treated as X higher. A sort of semipermeable forbiddance.

Jormengand
2016-05-18, 04:12 PM
To me, 3rd seems fair; you haven't necessarily any idea that they even teleported (as opposed to turned invisible or plane shifted) so you might straight-up waste your slot if you didn't sink points in spellcraft, and it's entirely possible that they've teleported somewhere exceptionally dangerous for you. Also, you could easily end up following to a place that even the caster didn't want to go, if they used a normal teleport. Maybe they were heading for an oasis and ended up miles out, in a desert, in the middle of nowhere. You don't know because it's not a divination. Plus, it's such a niche spell that how rare it is to need it almost bumps it down a level on its own. Finally, following someone's teleport, on your own, isn't necessarily a great idea and is liable to get you killed.

Chimaera
2016-05-18, 04:15 PM
To me, 3rd seems fair; you haven't necessarily any idea that they even teleported (as opposed to turned invisible or plane shifted) so you might straight-up waste your slot if you didn't sink points in spellcraft, and it's entirely possible that they've teleported somewhere exceptionally dangerous for you. Also, you could easily end up following to a place that even the caster didn't want to go, if they used a normal teleport. Maybe they were heading for an oasis and ended up miles out, in a desert, in the middle of nowhere. You don't know because it's not a divination. Plus, it's such a niche spell that how rare it is to need it almost bumps it down a level on its own. Finally, following someone's teleport, on your own, isn't necessarily a great idea and is liable to get you killed.

Risks and rewards.
:smallbiggrin:

Jormengand
2016-05-18, 04:17 PM
Risks and rewards.
:smallbiggrin:

Yeah. By point of comparison, Door to Great Evil is an unlimited-range, 4th-level teleportation spell. However, it's generally considered awful. Why? Because it takes you somewhere you can't control, to fight something that could well kill you. Which is exactly what this spell does.