Is this balanced?

[mehs]

Questioning a third party spell party member is using. It is called hibernate, 1st level spell, touch range, allows spell resistance, and it sends the target to sleep for 3 days (or until awakened by loud noises, being hit, or winter is over if the creature hibernates). Things like dragons and bears take a -2 on the will save. It isnt limited by target's HD.


Questioning other third party now.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dragons are immune to magic sleep effects by default, so regardless of their save they'll just ignore it.

A battle is a -10 DC Listen check, so I'd say it's 100% useless during combat, due to the loud noises clause.

Does it have a verbal component? If not, it would be superb for infiltration, but otherwise it looks too situational to be overpowered.

[mehs]

Verbal and Somatic components, It specifically lists dragons as creatures that are "weak" to the spell. The necromancy used it+spectral hand to apparently 1 shot an advancing wall of doom type monster, sending it to go back to its nest to sleep.

[SangoProduction]

Compared to Sleep, which is the same level and only lasts a minute (which is still a save or lose / die to coup de grace), no, it is not balanced. If a sound that's no more than 0 DC is good enough to break it from sleep, then it's more limited, as you could only use it in single monster combats. But that's still not balanced.

[Buufreak]

By the sound of it, it is less a magical sleep and more a compulsion effect to go sleep. At least, that'd be my take based on the wall example.

[Elkad]

If you make it go to sleep, it really doesn't matter if the duration is 10 rounds or 43,200 rounds. It's lost the fight. (I guess at 1st level a fight might go past that duration, but even by 2nd it's probably never going to).

Touch range. Weaker than Sleep.
Noise will awaken. Weaker than Sleep.
Unlimited HD. More powerful. Also more powerful than Deep Slumber, a 3rd level spell.

I'd be OK with it at L2. L1? Maybe not. But it's close.

Edit: Casting Time. Sleep has a big fat penalty with the full round casting time. If this is Standard Action, then another point towards it being too powerful.

[mehs]

It is a standard action

[Silva Stormrage]

Then yes I would agree it's too powerful. A save or lose the fight as a 1st level spell that works on basically any target? At high levels it would become the spell to fill your low level spell slots with. Plus you can deliver it with Spectral Hand to basically ignore any risk from melee.

[SangoProduction]

Then yes I would agree it's too powerful. A save or lose the fight as a 1st level spell that works on basically any target? At high levels it would become the spell to fill your low level spell slots with. Plus you can deliver it with Spectral Hand to basically ignore any risk from melee.

Although you have to admit that's as much of a problem with Spectral Hand as anything else.

[Kurald Galain]

It's an uncapped save-or-lose effect at level 1. No, that's not balanced; such spells belong at level 3 at the least.

[mehs]

This week on "Is this balanced": (new thing to quibble about)
a(n encounter against a) CR 4-6 monster with a free action non mind effecting fear effect. It is a limited number of times per day, but even if you save the first round It can use it again. The direct target does not get a save, and it effects everyone in line of sight. Causes frighten for 2d4 round, though you get a save every at the end of every round that you are out of line of sight. To repeat, it doesnt have the "A creature that successfully saves against the moan cannot be affected by the same ghost’s moan for 24 hours" clause that similar monsters have. It also managed to effect an undead with the fear effect.

Other than that, it is incorporeal, uses a large weapon with a 15 ft reach, +8 to attack, 3d8+6 damage, and if it feints it can add on 3d6 sneak attack.

We are level 3.

It flashed twice, dropped a player to -9 in two hits, and caused all of the party to be either running away or unconscious all within two rounds

[Kurald Galain]

This week on "Is this balanced": (new thing to quibble about)
a(n encounter against a) CR 4-6 monster
There is no such thing as a "CR 4-6" monster. A monster has one CR, not multiple.

A CR4 encounter is fair for a third-level party. A CR6 encounter is possible for a hard boss encounter for this same party. And this does sound like a mix-and-match monster your GM made up, so the question is how he made up its CR; this seems unreasonable for a CR4 encounter.

[mehs]

I did the sense motive thing to see roughly what it's cr was. 4-6 was the range given