Ionari
2007-06-26, 08:25 PM
Spitfire Strafe
Conjuration/Evocation [Fire] (dual-school)
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium
Effect: Magic construct of force and fire
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You call into being a vaguely bird-shaped creation of force and flame, which proceeds to swoop above the battlefield, emitting an ominous droning noise and descending into strafing runs against opponents you designate.
The "spitfire" shoots fiery bolts using your base attack bonus plus your Intelligence (for wizards) or Charisma (for sorcerers) modifier as its attack bonus. It can fire one bolt on the round it is created, and on each round in which you designate a new target for it (as an immediate action on the beginning of your turn); otherwise, it may have multiple attacks based on its base attack bonus. The spitfire has a fly speed of 120' (good), and is considered to be benefiting from the feat Shot on the Run during its strafing runs. It must either begin or end each turn within the spell's area, and its specific strafing pattern is determined by the DM.
Each bolt does 1d6+1 damage if it hits (divided evenly between force and fire damage). The spitfire strikes as a spell, not a weapon, and thus can bypass damage reduction; it also ignores the normal miss chance associated with incorporeal creatures.
Although a nonsentient creation, the spitfire's attack patterns are imbued with traces of your own combat abilities. In addition to your base attack bonus, the spitfire is endowed with the following feats, if you have them: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Plunging Shot. Further, the spitfire deals precision / skirmish damage, causing a number of dice of extra damage equal to one third of any such dice that you would deal, rounded down. (For purposes of calculating how many extra dice of damage you would deal, include the effects of feats such as Improved Skirmish).
A spitfire cannot be attacked or harmed by physical attacks, nor can it be banished (it is a creation, not a summoned creature, though its appearance may mislead foes regarding its nature). However, it is subject to dispel magic, disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation, and a rod of cancellation. Its AC against touch attacks is 15 (10 + size bonus for small object + Dexterity bonus of 4). Each time the spitfire attempts to strafe a creature it has not strafed before, make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the creature's spell resistance, if any. If the spitfire is successfully resisted, it disintegrates and is dispelled; else, it has normal effect on that creature for the duration of the spell.
Material Component: A small bit of sulphur.
Comments:
This spell is intended for gish builds, obviously, and benefits from high BaB and various combat feats and special class abilities (sneak attack, skirmish).
Balance-wise, I modelled it after Spiritual Weapon, cutting down a little on the base damage but allowing for extra damage to be packed on via feats and precision damage. I cut the extra damage dice to 1/3 so that, summing across several attacks, the spitfire could average as many such dice as the caster - equivalent to how Cloud of Knives gets the benefit of the full precision damage of the caster, but on only one attack each round. Here, the damage dice are spread out - only 1/3 the dice on each attack, but several attacks.
Any thoughts on this spell's balance? Should it be higher/lower in spell level? How would you use this in combat - any particular situations in which it could be broken?
Conjuration/Evocation [Fire] (dual-school)
Level: Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium
Effect: Magic construct of force and fire
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
You call into being a vaguely bird-shaped creation of force and flame, which proceeds to swoop above the battlefield, emitting an ominous droning noise and descending into strafing runs against opponents you designate.
The "spitfire" shoots fiery bolts using your base attack bonus plus your Intelligence (for wizards) or Charisma (for sorcerers) modifier as its attack bonus. It can fire one bolt on the round it is created, and on each round in which you designate a new target for it (as an immediate action on the beginning of your turn); otherwise, it may have multiple attacks based on its base attack bonus. The spitfire has a fly speed of 120' (good), and is considered to be benefiting from the feat Shot on the Run during its strafing runs. It must either begin or end each turn within the spell's area, and its specific strafing pattern is determined by the DM.
Each bolt does 1d6+1 damage if it hits (divided evenly between force and fire damage). The spitfire strikes as a spell, not a weapon, and thus can bypass damage reduction; it also ignores the normal miss chance associated with incorporeal creatures.
Although a nonsentient creation, the spitfire's attack patterns are imbued with traces of your own combat abilities. In addition to your base attack bonus, the spitfire is endowed with the following feats, if you have them: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Plunging Shot. Further, the spitfire deals precision / skirmish damage, causing a number of dice of extra damage equal to one third of any such dice that you would deal, rounded down. (For purposes of calculating how many extra dice of damage you would deal, include the effects of feats such as Improved Skirmish).
A spitfire cannot be attacked or harmed by physical attacks, nor can it be banished (it is a creation, not a summoned creature, though its appearance may mislead foes regarding its nature). However, it is subject to dispel magic, disintegrate, a sphere of annihilation, and a rod of cancellation. Its AC against touch attacks is 15 (10 + size bonus for small object + Dexterity bonus of 4). Each time the spitfire attempts to strafe a creature it has not strafed before, make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the creature's spell resistance, if any. If the spitfire is successfully resisted, it disintegrates and is dispelled; else, it has normal effect on that creature for the duration of the spell.
Material Component: A small bit of sulphur.
Comments:
This spell is intended for gish builds, obviously, and benefits from high BaB and various combat feats and special class abilities (sneak attack, skirmish).
Balance-wise, I modelled it after Spiritual Weapon, cutting down a little on the base damage but allowing for extra damage to be packed on via feats and precision damage. I cut the extra damage dice to 1/3 so that, summing across several attacks, the spitfire could average as many such dice as the caster - equivalent to how Cloud of Knives gets the benefit of the full precision damage of the caster, but on only one attack each round. Here, the damage dice are spread out - only 1/3 the dice on each attack, but several attacks.
Any thoughts on this spell's balance? Should it be higher/lower in spell level? How would you use this in combat - any particular situations in which it could be broken?