[3.5] Restoration

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Looking for some ways for my party to have access to Restoration, or another method of restoring ability drain.

Party has two casters: Favored Soul 8 and Warmage 6/Sand Shaper 2. Other members are a Paladin 8 and Ranger 8 (both non-casting variants).

Scrolls for the Favored Soul are getting expensive.

I'd rather not use up one of the FS spells known slots if I can help it.

Knowstones are an option. I was considering a Domain Staff, but no domains seem to have restoration (only Lesser or Greater versions).

Any other thoughts?

Cheers - T

[remetagross]

This spell is level 3 for Healers, this means it is eligible for an Eternal Wand. An Eternal Wand of Restoration would cost 10.900gp.

[Thurbane]

This spell is level 3 for Healers, this means it is eligible for an Eternal Wand. An Eternal Wand of Restoration would cost 10.900gp.

Hmm, Eternal Wands are arcane spells, but I guess the Healer could create it using Southern Magician or a similar method.

[Khedrac]

This spell is level 3 for Healers, this means it is eligible for an Eternal Wand. An Eternal Wand of Restoration would cost 10.900gp.

Slight problem - Eternal Wands are arcane only and Healers are divine casters.

As for the problem, sorry I don't have any useful suggestions.:smallfrown:

Edit: swordsaged so deftly I didn't even notice...

[heavyfuel]

What kind of campaign are you playing that ability drain is such a constant threat?

Anyway, if it is, maybe give your FS the heads up of learning Restoration at lv 10 (or retcon it and let him swap it in for another spell)

[Vertharrad]

Wand of Restoration 26000gp.

[Lapak]

Do they need access to Restoration on the go? Giving them the chance to befriend a non-adventuring caster with access to it might suffice if they’re operating out of a home base.

[remetagross]

Huh, entirely right guys, I should have double checked. Though through Southern Magician, or Alternative Spell Source from Dragon Magazine 325, the spell could be cast as a divine one.

There is another way: minor schemas, from Magic of Eberron. They can be used 1/day, and be activated by any character that has the contained spell on its list, regardless of whether the spell is arcane or divine. They cost spell level * caster level * 400gp, so that would mean 6000gp for a minor schema of Restoration crafted by a Healer as said above.

[Deadline]

Two items from the Magic Item Compendium to the rescue!

Orb of Mental Renewal - 3,100gp
Rod of Bodily Restoration - 3,100gp

That's assuming you are after the ability damage healing.

Since you specifically call out Ability Drain, a more powerful version of either of those using Restoration (rather than Lesser Restoration) as the base ought to work just fine.

[Thurbane]

What kind of campaign are you playing that ability drain is such a constant threat?

Anyway, if it is, maybe give your FS the heads up of learning Restoration at lv 10 (or retcon it and let him swap it in for another spell)

It's just something that seems to crop up a bit. hey are involved in fairly undead-heavy adventure at the moment.

I'd prefer to avoid using up spells know if possible.


Wand of Restoration 26000gp.

Expensive, but that works.


Do they need access to Restoration on the go? Giving them the chance to befriend a non-adventuring caster with access to it might suffice if they’re operating out of a home base.

That's also an option. They do have a couple of friendly NPCs who can do this, but non that are handy or close by.

[Thurbane]

Huh, entirely right guys, I should have double checked. Though through Southern Magician, or Alternative Spell Source from Dragon Magazine 325, the spell could be cast as a divine one.

There is another way: minor schemas, from Magic of Eberron. They can be used 1/day, and be activated by any character that has the contained spell on its list, regardless of whether the spell is arcane or divine. They cost spell level * caster level * 400gp, so that would mean 6000gp for a minor schema of Restoration crafted by a Healer as said above.

Actually, that's a very solid idea.

6000gp for a Minor Schema compared to a Knowstone of Restoration (16,100gp) is a good deal.


General item pricing (exlcuding costly components etc.):




Potion
Drow House Insignia Spell)
Eternal Wand
Wand
Schema
Scroll
Knowstone


0
-
-
460gp
375gp
-
12.5gp
500gp


1
50gp
620gp
820gp
750gp
400gp
25gp
1,000gp


2
300gp
3,300gp
4,420gp
4,500gp
2,400gp
150gp
4,000gp


3
750gp
8,200gp
10,900gp
11,250gp
6,000gp
375gp
9,000gp


4
-
-
-
21,000gp
11,200gp
700gp
16,000gp


5
-
-
-
-
18,000gp
1,125gp
25,000gp


6
-
-
-
-
26,400gp
1,650gp
36,000gp


7
-
-
-
-
-
2,275gp
49,000gp


8
-
-
-
-
-
3,000gp
64,000gp


9
-
-
-
-
-
3,825gp
91,000gp

[heavyfuel]

Correct me if I'm wrong (it's late here so I may be misremebering) but don't #/day items require you to pay expensive components 50 times?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

You're the DM, so make a custom magic item that allows him to cast it a few times/day as though it's one of his spells known. For example, a Periapt of the Sullen Sea from the Raiment of the Four set in MIC allows the wearer to cast Freedom of Movement 2/day, another 4th level spell, and allows the wearer to hold their breath for 12 hours, for 6,000 gp. A similar item for the same price could allow the wearer to spend their own spell slots (and provide material components) to cast Restoration 2/day, and have some secondary benefit such as allowing the wearer to forced march for 12 hours before making a check.

[Mordaedil]

I'm guessing this isn't really an option, but there's also taking a level in binder to get that vestige that cures an ability damage.

Maybe get an item that replicates this vestige.

[Fizban]

I'll second giving them a widget of being able to cast the spell. Runestaves are arcane-only, but MiC clearly uses the same formula for a number of non-runestave items including those that work for divine casters. Swapping Restoration instead of Death Ward on a Phylactery of Virtue (6,500gp) would work just fine, aside from still needing the material component. But that brings up the second point: if you're getting ability drained so often, why not Death Ward? Unless the drain is coming from weird sources that you can't Death Ward in which case yeah just Restoration.

The Orbs of X Renewal are cheap, but don't restore drain. Ability (and level) drain is supposed to be "permanent," until you use powerful magic to remove it, which is why the normal and Greater Restoration spells have expensive/xp components (100gp normal, 500xp greater). They also restore lost levels even after you fail the save to a negative level, so not exactly a minor effect there.

Edit: regarding Minor Schemas, spells with costly components are specifically prohibited from being put in Minor Schemas, which is hilarious considering their standard example is Continual Flame spells which of course have a costly component. I also personally find the practice of hunting for non-standard classes with spells at a lower level in order to reduce item costs quite distasteful, since anyone can see that's not how the books price their items. It also rather cheapens what should be a significant reason to play that class by literally selling it to everyone else.

[remetagross]

Crap for the schemas. I don't own Magic of Eberron and so hadn't the full complement of rules before my eyes.

Also Fizban on the topic of hunting classes that can cast spells at lower levels, I don't agree with you. It does not always imply diving into a ton of splatbooks; it can start right at the PHB. Clerics can cast Plane Shift at level 5, Wizards can do it at level 6. Even though the DMG explains that 70% of all found scrolls are arcane, and thus fundamentally sets into the fundations of the game the assumption that magic items are naturally more arcane-based than divine-based (see also the Artificer who has much more of an arcane than a divine flavor, etc), which party would say "ok let's roll with the intent of the game and buy an arcane scroll of Plane Shift rather than a divine one even if it's 50% more expensive" if that party can equally use both?

Besides, the DMG more or less limits that practise in game by explaining that finding scrolls created by rangers and paladins is rare, which gives the DM reasons to make the players deserve that cheaper scroll by having to befriend a ranger, etc.

Finally, that is indeed not how the prices in the book are calculated, but if one finds them too expensive (as is the case here with the 26000gp wand or the repeated scrolls) then this technique gives both a solid baseline to find how to reduce such prices, rather than doig a hazardous attempt, and an RP explanation as to why cheaper versions of these items exist (we found this wand of restoration crafted by a healer at only 16150gp because we could leverage our connection with the duke for him to ask his healer to do it for us)

[Goaty14]

Arcane Disciple could work out, given the right selection of deities.

[Darrin]

Arcane Disciple could work out, given the right selection of deities.

Not quite, as plain ol' vanilla restoration doesn't actually appear on any domain lists. Lesser restoration and greater restoration yes (Renewal domain, for example), but not the middle one.

I've been digging around trying to find something you can call or summon that has restoration as an SLA, but nothing low enough for lesser planar ally/binding. Best I can find is ghaele (10HD, MM) has it as a cleric spell, and dao (8HD, MotP) could use limited wish to replicate it.

[Thurbane]

Edit: regarding Minor Schemas, spells with costly components are specifically prohibited from being put in Minor Schemas, which is hilarious considering their standard example is Continual Flame spells which of course have a costly component. I also personally find the practice of hunting for non-standard classes with spells at a lower level in order to reduce item costs quite distasteful, since anyone can see that's not how the books price their items. It also rather cheapens what should be a significant reason to play that class by literally selling it to everyone else.

Damn, the Schema was looking like the perfect option.


Not quite, as plain ol' vanilla restoration doesn't actually appear on any domain lists. Lesser restoration and greater restoration yes (Renewal domain, for example), but not the middle one.

True. If it did, a Domain Staff would be an option.

Thanks all for the suggestions - I'm currently leaning towards a Knowstone, or just plain old Scrolls and Wands. A Schema of Sheltered Vitality might also work as a preventative (last batch of ability drain was from a Lamia attack, so Death Ward wouldn't have helped); I do intend for the FS to pick up Death Ward at some point, though).

I'd like to avoid custom items if possible.


The Restoration domain, DLCS p.104.


Remove Fear
Restoration, Lesser
Remove Disease
Restoration
Raise Dead
Heal
Restoration, Greater
Resurrection
True resurrection

[Darrin]

Hmm. Possible work-around: restoration appears as a 4th-level arcane spell on the Knight of the Weave spell list. So that makes it eligible for greater anyspell (Spell domain 6). So... Domain Staff of Spells (36K, CChamp) or Domain Draught (3300 GP, MIC) might work.

[remetagross]

Oh, it's an arcane spell for Knights of the Weave? Then it means that via a Sanctum Spell feat, the spell level of Restoration could be decreased to 3, thus making it eligible for an eternal wand. Indeed, since during the crafting of the item, the spell must be cast, and not simply memorized, one can argue that what matters it its effective spell level when it is cast at that time, and not in which level of spell slot it is being memorized. Hence, eternal wands of Restoration, at 15900gp each. Expensive, but not out of reach for the common funds of an ECL 8 party.

[Shalist]

A set bonus for having the complete 'Wraith's Woe' set (MIC, 24,000g total):


3 Pieces: You can activate wraith’s woe as a standard (mental) action to cure all ability damage you have, as well as restore all points drained from a single ability score of your choice. This ability can be used once per day.

[Thurbane]

A set bonus for having the complete 'Wraith's Woe' set (MIC, 24,000g total):


3 Pieces: You can activate wraith’s woe as a standard (mental) action to cure all ability damage you have, as well as restore all points drained from a single ability score of your choice. This ability can be used once per day.

That's a good find. Thanks. :smallsmile:

[Thurbane]

Hope this isn't thread necro, but in a search for a domain with Raise Dead, I've also discovered one with Restoration.

The Restoration domain, DLCS p.104.


Remove Fear
Restoration, Lesser
Remove Disease
Restoration
Raise Dead
Heal
Restoration, Greater
Resurrection
True resurrection



It is thread necro, sorry, I misread the date of last post :smalleek: