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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next 4 New Homebrew Spells, I'm out of clever titles atm...



Gr7mm Bobb
2016-11-07, 09:34 AM
Currently trying to brew up material for a homebrew campaign I am DM-ing using the Planescape: Zendikar. So here's my take on a (in)famous counterspell:

Mana Drain
5th-level abjuration
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell
Range: 60 feet
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous
You attempt to interrupt a creature in the process of casting a spell. If the creature is casting a spell of 5th level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect as you absorb the spells energy. If it is casting a spell of 6th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s spell fails and has no effect as you absorb the spells energy. When you absorb a spell's energy you gain a temporary spell slot that disappears at the end of your next turn. The temporary spell slot is one lower than the absorbed spell slot level.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the interrupted spell has no effect if its level is less than or equal to the level of the spell slot you used.

Nothing too impressive here, just wanting to get a feel for how out of balance this is. Deliberately worded it to have the temporary spell slot not fuel more uses of this spell (save for the rare instances of countering during your own turn). Anyway please let me know what you think.

@Ninja_Prawn, I would have submitted this for your contest, but I don't feel it fits the Change theme too well.

Reiterate
2nd-level Divination
Casting Time: See Description
Range: See Description
Components: V, S, M (a small mirror)
Duration: Instantaneous
Reaching into the recent past you weave a spell that you’ve seen cast. You recreate a spell of 1st level with a duration of instantaneous that you have seen cast since the end of you last turn or the beginning of combat, whichever is most recent. The spell is cast using its normal casting time and is treated as though it were cast using a 1st level spell slot. You still need to provide any required costly components or foci.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher the level of spell you can recreate and the effective slot level increases by one for each slot level above 2nd.

Entry to Ninja_Prawns Spellbrew Contest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?505138-5e-Spellbrew-Contest-II-The-Themes-they-are-A-changing).
Spelljack
3rd Level Enchantment
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a loop of thin chain attached to a ring)
Duration: See Description
Choose a creature within range. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save a spell of your choice of 3rd level or lower controlled by that creature becomes your spell for the remainder of that spell’s duration and you control it as your own. You must use your own concentration to maintain the spell if required and the you automatically gain control of the spell if the target willingly lets go of its concentration.
At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, you may target an additional spell to steal for each spell slot level above 3rd.

Hey look, a cantrip!
Deja Vu
Enchantment Cantrip
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
You choose a creature that you can see within range and leave a mental trigger in its thoughts. The creature is prompted to take the same actions it made in the previous round for the duration of its next turn (moving closer to its original target, casting the same spell, attacking the same target, or using an object again). If the subject does not take the same actions it must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save the target takes 1d6 psychic damage and has disadvantage on next attack roll and ability check made before the end of its next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1D6 when you reach 5th level (2D6), 11th level (3D6), and 17th level (4D6).

- Is deja vu ok as is, or should i bump up the damage to d6? Also had an idea for it being able to affect objects, just not too certain of how to implement it AND it is just a cantrip. But the idea of being able to Mickey mouse a broom to clean for you seems like fun.

EDIT: Added MOAR spells. And a cantrip. Fixed said OP af cantrip, making it more of a nuisance and minor debuff spell instead of action slapping with an at-will ability.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-11-07, 09:50 AM
@Ninja_Prawn, I would have submitted this for your contest, but I don't feel it fits the Change theme too well.

How did you know I would be reading this? :smalleek:

I'll have a look at the actual spell in a second.

So yeah, I like it. The trick with 'improved counterspells' is to make them useful without making them overpowered - because ultimately, Counterspell V is a good spell, and yours has to be better than it to be worth preparing. With my own attempt (EvilAnagram's Sinister Misspelling, here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20471202&postcount=9)), I made it ludicrously overpowered then tempered it by making it basically DM's call on how it works.

Certainly it's important to prevent endless spell slot recycling here. I still feels it's a bit too powerful... maybe creating a spell slot two levels lower would be better, and you don't gain anything if the target spell was 2nd level or lower?

Gr7mm Bobb
2016-11-07, 12:04 PM
How did you know I would be reading this? :smalleek:

Operating on a hunch is all, you tend to be one of the regulars who's input I value. Also added Spelljack to your contest thread in the same post as Poison Fang.

Gr7mm Bobb
2016-11-07, 02:42 PM
Certainly it's important to prevent endless spell slot recycling here. I still feels it's a bit too powerful... maybe creating a spell slot two levels lower would be better, and you don't gain anything if the target spell was 2nd level or lower?

You're probably right to have the spell slot be able to be 0. I am trying to bear in mind that this is a spell that is competing with the likes of contagion and raise dead. Not in just a battlefield scenario, but also as a prepared spell for the day or even a spell known.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-11-07, 02:52 PM
Hey look, a cantrip!
Deja Vu
Enchantment Cantrip
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Choose a creature that you can see within range. The target must make a Charisma saving throw. On a failed save the target is forced to take the same actions it made in the previous round for the duration of its next turn. If the situation has changed in such a way that the subject can’t take the same actions again (if its target is unavailable, or the subject has run out of spell slots, and so on), the subject instead takes 1d4 psychic damage and has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks made during its next turn.
This spell's damage increases by 1D4 when you reach 5th level (2D4), 11th level (3D4), and 17th level (4D4).

- Is deja vu ok as is, or should i bump up the damage to d6? Also had an idea for it being able to affect objects, just not too certain of how to implement it AND it is just a cantrip. But the idea of being able to Mickey mouse a broom to clean for you seems like fun.

...that's very similar to a spell I wrote last year (page 9 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/r5ii4j22vebleu7/Spells%20with%20Lists.pdf?dl=0)). Granted, my version is a Wis save and doesn't do damage, but they're clearly based on the same seed.

I'd say the 'repeat your turn' effect is too strong for a cantrip. In the right situation it could be crippling - or suicidal.

Gr7mm Bobb
2016-11-07, 03:02 PM
I swear i was "borrowing" from 3.5 See: Not mine I don't own this (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Deja_Vu).

Was considering that if I wanted to keep the damage aspect and the repeat actions bit, just tagging someone mentally. Then if they don't repeat the actions, they get a little mental jolt for "disobeying".

Edit: Just looked at yours, definitely more true to the original than the one I'm working on here. Hmmm, Maybe deja vu the dude then when he does something different than his last turn, he makes the save. If he fails, he gets jolted and has disadv on attack rolls and skill checks during that turn. Also, kudos on your spellbook being more organized than mine (still trying to find the function to make multiple collumns).

clash
2016-11-07, 03:17 PM
Am I reading it correctly that Spelljack a level 3 spell lets you take control of a level 4 spell? That seems OP to me. Its basically casting a level 4 spell in a level 3 slot.

Gr7mm Bobb
2016-11-07, 03:55 PM
Am I reading it correctly that Spelljack a level 3 spell lets you take control of a level 4 spell? That seems OP to me. Its basically casting a level 4 spell in a level 3 slot.

good catch, fixed it up to be 3rd. thank you.

Also fixed Deja Vu to be less OP for an at-will verbal only ability.