Can you use Telekinesis as Feather Fall?

[SangoProduction]

I'm talking about the Telekinesis Sphere in Spheres of Power, at least for this specific use case. So, it would appear that Telekinesis is fairly binary in its interaction. You either lift it entirely, or you can't at all. Is there any precedent for being able to "partially lift" an object?

[Daefos]

Unless there's a talent I've forgotten, then you're right: you can either lift yourself entirely and slowly descend, or not lift yourself at all and plummet like normal. I don't think it would be unreasonable to partially mitigate a fall (only taking 1d6 damage per 20/30 feet fallen, for example) if you're only one size category above your maximum, but per the rules, telekinesis does nothing if you're too big to lift.

Edit: Mind you, the Kinetic Drift feat is fluffed as being a natural extension of one's telekinesis, and explicitly does give a constant featherfall effect (as well as letting you float everywhere and sit down on thin air; this feat is classy). That would give you what you're looking for.

[SangoProduction]

Unless there's a talent I've forgotten, then you're right: you can either lift yourself entirely and slowly descend, or not lift yourself at all and plummet like normal. I don't think it would be unreasonable to partially mitigate a fall (only taking 1d6 damage per 20/30 feet fallen, for example) if you're only one size category above your maximum, but per the rules, telekinesis does nothing if you're too big to lift.

Edit: Mind you, the Kinetic Drift feat is fluffed as being a natural extension of one's telekinesis, and explicitly does give a constant featherfall effect (as well as letting you float everywhere and sit down on thin air; this feat is classy). That would give you what you're looking for.

Yeah. I guess that works. Kinda sucks that it won't help the party down, but shoulda picked teleportation if I wanted that so early.

[Afgncaap5]

Actually, for Feather Fall I wouldn't use Telekinesis at all. I'd use the Alteration Sphere and Spellcrafting to give some creature a weakened version of the features granted by Aerial Agility, Avian Transformation, Elemental Transformation, or... Orb Transformation? That one's new to me, but I like it... anyway, using Spellcraft, take one of those, but then weaken it so that the only ability being conferred is the flight speed, and instead of it being actually reliable flying that the target can control, make it a gradual downward flying that the target can't really do a lot to control. Reduce it that much for some severe penalties (although looking over the Orb transformation, its Float ability is almost perfect), but then add in the benefits of doing it at a range and incorporating multiple targets (though I can't find a talent for that in Alteration so I think I'll dip into Enhancement for that), and I'm guessing you can get something an awful lot like Feather Fall for a cheap amount of spell points. I'm not confident in my math on Spellcraft, but I think it could be done like this...



Base sphere ability: Shapeshift, using the Blank Form, adding the Float trait from the Orb transformation; Add in the Ranged Alteration talent for... 0 spell points? Wow... 0 spell points; we could also make the spell last for 1 minute per caster level without concentration, but since we're emulating feather fall let's skip that and keep it to a duration of Concentration which has a duration of "Until landing, or 1 round per caster level." This'll also keep our core cost at... 0 spell points? I'm not big on the Alteration sphere, I might be missing a spell point charge somewhere, but I'll assume 0 for now. Moving on...

Current Complexity: 0? (I think so, anyway, since it's still just a sphere effect and not a spell proper.)
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 0? (Unless I missed a basic expenditure of a spell point somewhere...)

Non-Base Ability: Mass Enhancement from the Enhancement sphere. Since we're adding that without adding in another base sphere ability, it only increases our Complexity by 1, and the talent itself costs 1 spell point. This'll let us cast our Ranged Shapeshift at 1 target, plus 1 for every 2 caster levels (minimum of 1 extra).

Current Complexity: 1
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 1

So, we've got a 1-cost spell that's got a complexity of 1. Unfortunately, this sphere ability has a standard action casting time, and a complexity of 1 increases our casting time by 1 step (though it still only costs us a single spell point!) Feather Fall is meant to have an Immediate casting time, and that's hard to arrange, so let's do some pruning. The good news is that our current ability is more generous than Feather Fall in a couple of ways, so let's lower our complexity by making it more like Feather Fall!

Duration: currently it's set at Concentration, but we can make that go lower. "1 round/caster level or until we hit the ground" feels like it would be less time than I could concentrate (especially since I'm pretty sure I'd be concentrating for a good long while if I was plummeting to my death otherwise), so let's do that. This is more or less in line with one of the examples of duration reduction from the Spellcrafting examples, so I feel pretty good about this reducing the cost by 1.

Current Complexity: 0
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 1
Casting Time: Standard Action

Now then... casting time. Oh, that pesky casting time... that's the only thing left, and our complexity can't drop below 0! So let's just... decrease our casting time and alter Complexity accordingly. We're on some shakier ground here because while a two-step time increase in casting time is said to grant a -1 reduction in Complexity, it feels like a two-step time decrease might be more than a +1 increase. However, let's pretend we've got a generous GM. I'll include some alternate calculations for GMs who aren't nice.

Current Complexity: 1 (or 2 if our GM is a meanie)
Current Base Spell Points: 1 (or 2 if our GM is a meanie)
Casting Time: Immediate Action Swift Action

Whoops! Our complexity came with a time increase, so our Immediate Action became a Swift Action. Kinda ruins the point... ah, well. What say we make this even more like Feather Fall? Let's reign in our targets: now, instead of affecting any targets within Close range up to our maximum number of targets, let's also say that the targets must be within Close range of each other! Or if your GM is a meanie, within 20 feet of each other! And hey, we don't need to add in the total Float ability, just have it work so that a creature falls slowly and takes no damage (meaning that, like in the Feather Fall spell, you can't choose to stay in the air or float in a given direction). And if your GM absolutely insists, add 1 extra spell point for good measure.

Current Complexity: 0 (or 1 if your GM is a meanie)
Current Base Spell Points: 1 (or 2 if your GM is a meanie)
Casting Time: Immediate Action

Okay, so we're good, I think! Let's take a look at our results...


Afgncaap's Feather Fail
[Not affiliated with Feather Fall, use at your own risk]


Sphere: Alteration
Cost: 1 spell point (or 2 if your GM is a meanie and really insists)
Casting Time: Immediate Action
Range: Falling creatures within 20 feet of you, no two of which can be more than 20 feet apart
Duration: Until landing, or 1 round/level
Saving throw: Fortitude negates (harmless)
Crafting Time: 4 days (1 each for Blank Form, Orb Transformation, Ranged Alteration, Mass Enhancement, I think)
Effect: Basically the Feather Fall spell, sans items and with a different saving throw


Now, this isn't perfect, of course... I use Fortitude instead of Will to negate, and I didn't allow it to work on objects, merely creatures... but hey, if you want, you can incorporate the Enhance base ability from the Enhancement sphere and the Enhance Equipment talent to shore this up. It'll increase the transformation (which, as we all know, is murder on the casting time) but it'll work on objects if you do that. In the meantime, though, all it really takes to make Feather Fall is two spheres, four talents within them (two of which come with the spheres for free), and 4 days to craft. ...and the feat that lets you use Spellcrafting, of course.

Back to the original question of Feather Fall via Telekinesis particularly, though... I've never seen a Feat incorporated into Spellcraft, but I don't see why it couldn't be done with a generous GM. If you could combine the Kinetic Drift feat with Mass Enhancement in a similar fashion, you might be able to get something.

[EldritchWeaver]

Actually, for Feather Fall I wouldn't use Telekinesis at all. I'd use the Alteration Sphere and Spellcrafting to give some creature a weakened version of the features granted by Aerial Agility, Avian Transformation, Elemental Transformation, or... Orb Transformation? That one's new to me, but I like it...

Maybe you haven't read the shapeshifter's handbook. It contains a number of talents like Aerial Agilitiy.


anyway, using Spellcraft, take one of those, but then weaken it so that the only ability being conferred is the flight speed, and instead of it being actually reliable flying that the target can control, make it a gradual downward flying that the target can't really do a lot to control. Reduce it that much for some severe penalties (although looking over the Orb transformation, its Float ability is almost perfect),...

Not sure, why you want to weaken the effect, unless you can reduce the complexity for reduced costs.


...but then add in the benefits of doing it at a range and incorporating multiple targets (though I can't find a talent for that in Alteration so I think I'll dip into Enhancement for that), and I'm guessing you can get something an awful lot like Feather Fall for a cheap amount of spell points. I'm not confident in my math on Spellcraft, but I think it could be done like this...

It's difficult to find the Mass Alteration talent. I managed to overlook it right now, while searching for it. Anyway, no need to spellcraft things. Just add 1 SP and you get 1 additional creature per two CL.



Base sphere ability: Shapeshift, using the Blank Form, adding the Float trait from the Orb transformation; Add in the Ranged Alteration talent for... 0 spell points? Wow... 0 spell points; we could also make the spell last for 1 minute per caster level without concentration, but since we're emulating feather fall let's skip that and keep it to a duration of Concentration which has a duration of "Until landing, or 1 round per caster level." This'll also keep our core cost at... 0 spell points? I'm not big on the Alteration sphere, I might be missing a spell point charge somewhere, but I'll assume 0 for now. Moving on...

Current Complexity: 0? (I think so, anyway, since it's still just a sphere effect and not a spell proper.)
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 0? (Unless I missed a basic expenditure of a spell point somewhere...)

Non-Base Ability: Mass Enhancement from the Enhancement sphere. Since we're adding that without adding in another base sphere ability, it only increases our Complexity by 1, and the talent itself costs 1 spell point. This'll let us cast our Ranged Shapeshift at 1 target, plus 1 for every 2 caster levels (minimum of 1 extra).

Current Complexity: 1
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 1

So, we've got a 1-cost spell that's got a complexity of 1. Unfortunately, this sphere ability has a standard action casting time, and a complexity of 1 increases our casting time by 1 step (though it still only costs us a single spell point!) Feather Fall is meant to have an Immediate casting time, and that's hard to arrange, so let's do some pruning. The good news is that our current ability is more generous than Feather Fall in a couple of ways, so let's lower our complexity by making it more like Feather Fall!

Duration: currently it's set at Concentration, but we can make that go lower. "1 round/caster level or until we hit the ground" feels like it would be less time than I could concentrate (especially since I'm pretty sure I'd be concentrating for a good long while if I was plummeting to my death otherwise), so let's do that. This is more or less in line with one of the examples of duration reduction from the Spellcrafting examples, so I feel pretty good about this reducing the cost by 1.

Current Complexity: 0
Current Spell Base Spell Points: 1
Casting Time: Standard Action

Now then... casting time. Oh, that pesky casting time... that's the only thing left, and our complexity can't drop below 0! So let's just... decrease our casting time and alter Complexity accordingly. We're on some shakier ground here because while a two-step time increase in casting time is said to grant a -1 reduction in Complexity, it feels like a two-step time decrease might be more than a +1 increase. However, let's pretend we've got a generous GM. I'll include some alternate calculations for GMs who aren't nice.

Current Complexity: 1 (or 2 if our GM is a meanie)
Current Base Spell Points: 1 (or 2 if our GM is a meanie)
Casting Time: Immediate Action Swift Action

Whoops! Our complexity came with a time increase, so our Immediate Action became a Swift Action. Kinda ruins the point... ah, well. What say we make this even more like Feather Fall? Let's reign in our targets: now, instead of affecting any targets within Close range up to our maximum number of targets, let's also say that the targets must be within Close range of each other! Or if your GM is a meanie, within 20 feet of each other! And hey, we don't need to add in the total Float ability, just have it work so that a creature falls slowly and takes no damage (meaning that, like in the Feather Fall spell, you can't choose to stay in the air or float in a given direction). And if your GM absolutely insists, add 1 extra spell point for good measure.

Current Complexity: 0 (or 1 if your GM is a meanie)
Current Base Spell Points: 1 (or 2 if your GM is a meanie)
Casting Time: Immediate Action

Okay, so we're good, I think! Let's take a look at our results...

The base complexity is 0. Otherwise, as stated above, you don't need spellcrafting. Still, to get around the casting time (which is a standard action), you can take the Spell Dabbler feat and learn as your spell the core Feather Fall. Problem solved.

[Afgncaap5]

Not sure, why you want to weaken the effect, unless you can reduce the complexity for reduced costs.

That's basically it, yes. Makes it cheaper to cast, less complex, and has the added benefit of being closer to an exact match to Feather Fall. I definitely get wanting it to be more powerful, though.


It's difficult to find the Mass Alteration talent. I managed to overlook it right now, while searching for it. Anyway, no need to spellcraft things. Just add 1 SP and you get 1 additional creature per two CL.

Ah! Yes, that simplifies it a great deal, thanks.


Otherwise, as stated above, you don't need spellcrafting. Still, to get around the casting time (which is a standard action), you can take the Spell Dabbler feat and learn as your spell the core Feather Fall. Problem solved.

Aye, though I'd personally rather use Spell Dabbler for other rituals. By keeping it as a spell, I can always have it ready for emergencies with no prep time, and make the ritual something that might be harder to do via Spellcraft.

[EldritchWeaver]

Aye, though I'd personally rather use Spell Dabbler for other rituals. By keeping it as a spell, I can always have it ready for emergencies with no prep time, and make the ritual something that might be harder to do via Spellcraft.

With Spell Adept you have more than one ritual available. It does cost another feat, though.