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Silkensword
2018-02-01, 04:23 AM
Welcome! You have set foot into the Arcaneum.


I'm starting this thread for feedback on homebrew spells that I have made.
Since I have only made two so far, it might seem a bit early to start a thread on this already -
but I enjoy doing it somewhat immensely, and there are a few things that I find lacking in 5e spells, in particular when it comes to offensive buffs.

Here is the link to the design document in which I work on all of the spells:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uj5l5t3DfVri7cEYc-RbKJLG34_lnYqXcZGytirRNk4/edit?usp=sharing

For your, as well as my, convenience, I'm also going to put spells I have "finished" (take that with a grain of salt as all of these are subject to change) in this thread:

none so far

1st Level Enchantment
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, Paladin
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Components: V
Range: A willing creature within 30 ft.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Description: Reaching into the tumultuous furnaces of raw magical power,
you grant yourself or an ally the ability to do potentially devastating
damage. Any damage die rolled by the affected creature are rolled again
and added to the damage total if the result of the dice rolled is the highest
possible. This is only done once for every dice.
At higher levels: When cast at higher levels, the amount of times the dice can be rolled
again should the highest outcome be reached is changed to twice the
spell slots level. (four times at level 2, eight times at level 4, to a
Maximum of 18 times at level 9)


none so far

none so far

none so far

5th level evocation

Classes: Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting time: 1 action
Components: v, s, m (the retina of a dragon)
Duration: concentration up to 1 minute
Range: a creature within 60 feet
Ritual: no
Description: You cause the flow of the weave around a creature to whirl around and over it. Any complex magical effects are obliterated, while mundane ones become impossible to escape.
Saving throws made by the creature against spells or spell-like effects that would negate or halve damage fail automatically.
Saving throws made by the creature against other spells or spell-like effects automatically succeed.
If a spell deals damage and would have a secondary effect, such as placing a condition on the creature, it instead only deals damage, but an additional 2d6 force damage as well.
At the beginning of their turn, a creature affected this way may attempt to roll an int-save. If it succeeds, it takes 1d6 force damage and the spell ends. Effects that cause a creature to drop to 0 hit points are not considered damage.

none so far

none so far

8th Level Necromancy
Classes: Wizard, Druid
Casting Time: 1 Action
Components: VSM (the bone of a large beast)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Range: 150 ft.
Description: At your behest, the bones of ancient creatures pierce the earth, creating
deadly obstacles for your enemies. When you cast this spell, you receive
a pool of 16d4. When you first cast this spell, you may make 5 feet of
ground difficult terrain per d4. Upon casting, any creatures in this area
Take 1d4 of piercing damage.
If you use more than one d4 on 5 feet of ground, the bones grow denser there, and creatures in that area take the equivalent amount of d4 in piercing damage.
If you place more than 6d4 on 5 feet of ground, the terrain becomes impassable instead, and a spire of bone reaches up 10 feet into the air.
Creatures large or smaller in this area must succeed on a dexterity saving throw and move 5 feet away, or take an additional 2d4 for a final 8d4 of piercing damage and be lifted. On their next turn, they have to move or succeed on a athletics or acrobatics check as it is difficult to stay on the slim spire.
Using all of your d4 on 5 feet of ground will result in a single spire, 50 feet tall. Creatures huge or smaller in this area must succeed on a dexterity saving throw and move 5 feet away, or be lifted up along with the spire. On their next turn, they have to move or succeed on a athletics or acrobatics check as it is difficult to stay on the slim spire.
For every 5 feet of movement a creature makes through difficult terrain created this way, they take 1d4 of piercing damage. A creature knocked prone on this terrain takes 4d4 of piercing damage.
To sustain the field, you must use your bonus action on your turn.
As an action, you may rearrange the distribution of the d4’s.
8th Level Divination
Classes: Cleric, Wizard, Bard
Casting Time: 1 Action
Components: VSM (a Black Sapphire worth 5000 gp, consumed when cast)
Range: Touch, willing creature
Duration: Instantaneous, lasts 10 minutes
Ritual: Yes
Description: You wreathe arcane energy into a cloak around a creature within
range. It counts as an attuned magical item that cannot be taken
off, and counts towards the attuned item total of that creature.
While worn, any attack roll made by the enchanted creature,
provided it hits, counts as a critical hit, and deals damage
accordingly. If this spell is cast on a creature who is attuned to as
many magical items as their limit allows, the spell fails and the
spellslot is wasted, the gem however is not consumed.

none so far

My to-do list:

-> More buff spells! Clerics know all of their spells for a reason, situational spells can be so much fun with classes that get to adapt to those situations!

-> Debuff spells? Battlefield control is already a big big thing in 5e and really what most spellcasters should focus on, but the concentration mechanic has made it hard to debuff enemies without giving up on other utilities.

What do you think? Do you have other ideas for spells that could be fun to have but can't bother to deal with the specifics? leave it to the mystical menagerie of the Arcaneum to do for you! :smalltongue:

Silkensword
2018-02-01, 04:26 AM
Reserved - - for future announcements

Composer99
2018-02-01, 10:07 PM
Let's have a look at the two spells thus far, shall we?



First Level
1st Level Enchantment
Classes: Bard, Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, Paladin
Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action
Components: V
Range: A willing creature within 30 ft.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Reaching into the tumultuous furnaces of raw magical power, you grant yourself or an ally the ability to do potentially devastating damage. Any damage die rolled by the affected creature are rolled again and added to the damage total if the result of the dice rolled is the highest possible. This is only done once for every dice.

At higher levels: When cast at higher levels, the amount of times the dice can be rolled
again should the highest outcome be reached is changed to twice the spell slots level. (four times at level 2, eight times at level 4, to a Maximum of 18 times at level 9)


Holy exploding dice, Batman!

1) This spell should probably have a casting time of 1 action.

2) The extra die rolls once you upcast this spell get rapidly out of hand. It's a recipe for players to start checking out of the game and checking their smartphones while the target rolls a bucket o' dice, as it were.

You're fine just not having an upcast option at all. Anyone you cast this spell on rolls more damage dice, therefore has more chances to trigger the effect, as they gain levels, what with higher-level spells, extra attacks, scaling sneak attack and smite damage dice, and the like.

3) This spell loves casters, rogues, and paladins. It's nice for battlemasters, barbarians, and monks, to a lesser extent. I'm on my phone, so can't math it out, but I suspect rangers get shafted.

Overall, it's an interesting spell, but almost certainly overpowered as written.



Eighth Level
8th Level Necromancy
Classes: Wizard, Druid
Casting Time: 1 Action
Components: VSM (the bone of a large beast)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Range: 150 ft.

At your behest, the bones of ancient creatures pierce the earth, creating deadly obstacles for your enemies. When you cast this spell, you receive a pool of 16d4. When you first cast this spell, you may make 5 feet of ground difficult terrain per d4. Upon casting, any creatures in this area take 1d4 of piercing damage.

If you use more than one d4 on 5 feet of ground, the bones grow denser there, and creatures in that area take the equivalent amount of d4 in piercing damage.

If you place more than 6d4 on 5 feet of ground, the terrain becomes impassable instead, and a spire of bone reaches up 10 feet into the air.

Creatures large or smaller in this area must succeed on a dexterity saving throw and move 5 feet away, or take an additional 2d4 for a final 8d4 of piercing damage and be lifted. On their next turn, they have to move or succeed on a athletics or acrobatics check as it is difficult to stay on the slim spire.

Using all of your d4 on 5 feet of ground will result in a single spire, 50 feet tall. Creatures huge or smaller in this area must succeed on a dexterity saving throw and move 5 feet away, or be lifted up along with the spire. On their next turn, they have to move or succeed on a athletics or acrobatics check as it is difficult to stay on the slim spire.

For every 5 feet of movement a creature makes through difficult terrain created this way, they take 1d4 of piercing damage. A creature knocked prone on this terrain takes 4d4 of piercing damage.

To sustain the field, you must use your bonus action on your turn.

As an action, you may rearrange the distribution of the d4’s.


I like the concept, but this strikes me as an unnecessarily convoluted implementation.

I'm just about out of brainpower tonight, so I haven't much in the way of suggestion on how to simplify it while retaining the concept.

Maybe offer field of bones, a few 10-foot spires, and the single 50-foot spire as the three area of effect options, with the ability to switch between them (as a bonus action is probably fine), and ditch the 16d4 dice pool?

Ninja_Prawn
2018-02-02, 08:04 AM
can't math it out, but I suspect rangers get shafted.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

You don't need maths to know that.


I like the concept, but this strikes me as an unnecessarily convoluted implementation.

Agreed. I'd say either forget the homebrew and just re-fluff spike growth, or remodel this into some halfway house between guards and wards and mighty fortress.

Silkensword
2018-02-02, 08:58 AM
(Lots of good and constructive criticism that has been redacted for brevity as the post is right up there)

Very good points! I changed the casting time to a full action, and removed the manual scaling as the spell, like you pointed out, ends up scaling automatically!

As for the Field of Shards spell, I realized today after i was in the creation mindspace that it was wayyyy too convoluted to be viable. I'm going to rework it, but I haven't quite decided what exactly I'll do.

Silkensword
2018-02-04, 07:34 AM
Added new spell!

Sariel Vailo
2018-02-04, 01:08 PM
More bard damage spells please. I want ro stay relevant

Silkensword
2018-02-07, 01:20 PM
More bard damage spells please. I want ro stay relevant

See, I'm hesitant to give too much blasting to bards since they are so powerful in other ways and the classes that have the best blasting often lack in other ways- playing bards as blasters should, if anything, become its own subclass of bard, imo

Ninja_Prawn
2018-02-07, 01:30 PM
See, I'm hesitant to give too much blasting to bards since they are so powerful in other ways and the classes that have the best blasting often lack in other ways- playing bards as blasters should, if anything, become its own subclass of bard, imo

Agreed. Adding blasting spells to the general bard list would be destabilising. Trust your instincts.

Flashy
2018-02-07, 05:25 PM
See, I'm hesitant to give too much blasting to bards since they are so powerful in other ways and the classes that have the best blasting often lack in other ways- playing bards as blasters should, if anything, become its own subclass of bard, imo

Among other things the bard always has the option of cherry-picking the best blasting spells with their magical secrets if that’s what they care about. This is definitely the correct response.