I need help designing epic spells.

[Jazath]

Alright, I've been flipping through the Epic Handbook Trying to get more ideas for a few new Epic spells. I came across a few interesting things, such as the Energy Seed for Weather.
I was wondering a few things.

What would be the DC modifiers involved (and Seeds) for creating a Hurricane of Epic Proportions? (Including the range of the storm)

I'm thinking it would be a combination of Energy (Cold) and Energy (Weather) seeds to create a immense winter hurricane of instant freezing. It deals 1d6 Str and Dex damage each round. So throw a Afflict seed into the mix.
Conjure Seed perhaps, to conjure immense 200 MPH winds, though I'm not sure.
It will freeze over virtually everything.

Damage: The Hurricane would hopefully deal 60d20 Cold damage, with addition of damage for 200 Mph winds (I'm guessing +120 DC modifier for cold damage, and +30 DC for damage die increasements, unknown for how much damage the wind would do. Any material on wind damage)
Participants: No rituals, I want it to be a one man show to cast it.
Casting Time: Hopefully quickened, but it could take longer.
Duration: Last for a long time, hopefully a day or two.

I have a spellcraft of +1,052. Can I pass all of this?
What are some of the modifiers (With maybe some Ad hoc from you great thinking wonderful PCs/DMs) of these things?
I need help!

[Asmotherion]

If you have trouble meeting the DC, just Buff-Loop your inteligence so much that you can. Epic-Spells 1-0-1. :)

If you think it's Broken, it's 'cause it is. It's 3.5 after all. Everything Breaks past a certain threshold. Just Embrace it.

[Tzardok]

What do you think about this?

Winter’s Wrath
Evocation [Cold]
Spellcraft DC: 436
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Area: 2 miles
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Fortitude, partial
Spell Resistance: Yes
Development: 3,924,000 gp; 79 days; 156,960 XP. Seeds: Energy (Weather) (Base) DC 25, Energy (Cold) DC 19, Afflict DC 19. Factors: two affected abilities (Str and Dex) (DC +4), casting time reduced to standard action (DC +20), Duration increased by 7,100% (DC +142), increase ability damage dice from d1 to d6 (DC +20), 58 additional cold damage dice (DC +116), increase cold damage dice from d6 to d20 (DC +40), freeze over effect (ad hoc DC +11), Storm arrives instantly (ad hoc DC +20)

Upon casting this spell, the weather in an area with a radius of 2 miles around the caster instantly changes into a hurricane charged with ice magic. Any creature in the area must takes 60d20 cold damage, 1d6 ability damage to strength and dexterity and gets coated in ice. A successful fortitude save (DC 20 + ability modifier) prevents the ability damage and the ice coating and halves the cold damage. Unattended objects and surfaces that fail their save against this are covered in ice, granting +5 to the DC of all skill checks to handle them or move over them. A creature coated in ice is immobilized until it manages to break free using a strength check against DC 22.
The heavy winds make attacks with ranged weapons impossible and bestow a penalty of -8 on attacks with siege weapons. All fires are extinguished automatically. Listen checks become impossible. Any Huge or smaller creature must resist the winds with a fortitude save (DC 20). Huge creatures that fail can’t move against the wind direction. Large creatures that fail fall prown. Medium or smaller creatures fall prown and are thrown back 1d4 x 10 feet, taking 1d4 bashing damage per 10 feet. For more information, see chapter 3 of the DMG.

This is the bare minimum of what the spell is supposed to do based on your description. Raising duration, area or save DC is always possible.

[Max Caysey]

What do you think about this?

Winter’s Wrath
Evocation [Cold]
Spellcraft DC: 456
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Area: 2 miles
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Fortitude, partial
Spell Resistance: Yes
Development: 3,924,000 gp; 79 days; 156,960 XP. Seeds: Energy (Weather) (Base) DC 25, Energy (Cold) DC 19, Afflict DC 19. Factors: two affected abilities (Str and Dex) (DC +4), casting time reduced to standard action (DC +20), Duration increased by 7,100% (DC +142), increase ability damage dice from d1 to d6 (DC +40), 58 additional cold damage dice (DC +116), increase cold damage dice from d6 to d20 (DC +40), freeze over effect (ad hoc DC +11), Storm arrives instantly (ad hoc DC +20)

Upon casting this spell, the weather in an area with a radius of 2 miles around the caster instantly changes into a hurricane charged with ice magic. Any creature in the area must takes 60d20 cold damage, 1d6 ability damage to strength and dexterity and gets coated in ice. A successful fortitude save (DC 20 + ability modifier) prevents the ability damage and the ice coating and halves the cold damage. Unattended objects and surfaces that fail their save against this are covered in ice, granting +5 to all skill checks to handle them or move over them. A creature coated in ice is immobilized until it manages to break free using a strength check against DC 22.
The heavy winds make attacks with ranged weapons impossible and bestow a penalty of -8 on attacks with siege weapons. All fires are extinguished automatically. Listen checks become impossible. Any Huge or smaller creature must resist the winds with a fortitude save (DC 20). Huge creatures that fail can’t move against the wind direction. Large creatures that fail fall prown. Medium or smaller creatures fall prown and are thrown back 1d4 x 10 feet, taking 1d4 bashing damage per 10 feet. For more information, see chapter 3 of the DMG.

This is the bare minimum of what the spell is supposed to do based on your description. Raising duration, area or save DC is always possible.


I would mitigate it down to DC 0 so it was free and took no time to develop! It’s really the only way to do epic spells...

[Jazath]

What do you think about this?

Winter’s Wrath
Evocation [Cold]
Spellcraft DC: 456
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Area: 2 miles
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Fortitude, partial
Spell Resistance: Yes
Development: 3,924,000 gp; 79 days; 156,960 XP. Seeds: Energy (Weather) (Base) DC 25, Energy (Cold) DC 19, Afflict DC 19. Factors: two affected abilities (Str and Dex) (DC +4), casting time reduced to standard action (DC +20), Duration increased by 7,100% (DC +142), increase ability damage dice from d1 to d6 (DC +40), 58 additional cold damage dice (DC +116), increase cold damage dice from d6 to d20 (DC +40), freeze over effect (ad hoc DC +11), Storm arrives instantly (ad hoc DC +20)

Upon casting this spell, the weather in an area with a radius of 2 miles around the caster instantly changes into a hurricane charged with ice magic. Any creature in the area must takes 60d20 cold damage, 1d6 ability damage to strength and dexterity and gets coated in ice. A successful fortitude save (DC 20 + ability modifier) prevents the ability damage and the ice coating and halves the cold damage. Unattended objects and surfaces that fail their save against this are covered in ice, granting +5 to all skill checks to handle them or move over them. A creature coated in ice is immobilized until it manages to break free using a strength check against DC 22.
The heavy winds make attacks with ranged weapons impossible and bestow a penalty of -8 on attacks with siege weapons. All fires are extinguished automatically. Listen checks become impossible. Any Huge or smaller creature must resist the winds with a fortitude save (DC 20). Huge creatures that fail can’t move against the wind direction. Large creatures that fail fall prown. Medium or smaller creatures fall prown and are thrown back 1d4 x 10 feet, taking 1d4 bashing damage per 10 feet. For more information, see chapter 3 of the DMG.

This is the bare minimum of what the spell is supposed to do based on your description. Raising duration, area or save DC is always possible.

This is probably the best thing since....ever.
But I would say creatures suffer the basic fall damage, 1d6 per 10 feet they fell. But they probably would be caught in the hurricane and slammed about.
Quickened spell (+28 DC)
No Verbal or Somatic Components (+4 DC)
I'll widen the area of effect by as much as I can muster.

[Tzardok]

I would mitigate it down to DC 0 so it was free and took no time to develop! It’s really the only way to do epic spells...

If you think you have a better way to balance epic spells, why don't you make a thread and post it?


This is probably the best thing since....ever.
But I would say creatures suffer the basic fall damage, 1d6 per 10 feet they fell. But they probably would be caught in the hurricane and slammed about.
Quickened spell (+28 DC)
No Verbal or Somatic Components (+4 DC)
I'll widen the area of effect by as much as I can muster.

I noticed that I made a mistake when using the "increase ability damage dice from d1 to d6" factor. Spellcraft DC reduced by 20. Reduction is already included in the original post.

[Max Caysey]

If you think you have a better way to balance epic spells, why don't you make a thread and post it?



I noticed that I made a mistake when using the "increase ability damage dice from d1 to d6" factor. Spellcraft DC reduced by 20. Reduction is already included in the original post.

There is no limit to how much mitigation you can apply... make the DC 0!

Do it! Do it!

[Tzardok]

There is no limit to how much mitigation you can apply... make the DC 0!

Do it! Do it!

Why? Why waste XP or hp or spellslots when the OP's character can succeed the skill check even with a natural 1?

[Raishoiken]

Why? Why waste XP or hp or spellslots when the OP's character can succeed the skill check even with a natural 1?
To learn the spell instantly at no cost

[martixy]

If you think you have a better way to balance epic spells, why don't you make a thread and post it?

There's only one uncapped spell mitigation factor.

If I ever get to play in an epic game, here's the solution I devised:

Rituals cannot have more than 5 non-epic participants.

It's not much of a fix, TO-wise, but plenty for any functional setting that isn't crawling with epic casters.

[redking]

First, a tool (http://pfwr.info/dnd/spells/epic.php) to help you create and calculate epic spells quickly.

Here are a bunch of epic spells that I wrote up (https://1drv.ms/b/s!At1QqAc0yBQTgYQ1jGa4u28gU39bpg?e=LanY0N). Check out how they are constructed. You may get some ideas.

[Jazath]

First, a tool (http://pfwr.info/dnd/spells/epic.php) to help you create and calculate epic spells quickly.

Here are a bunch of epic spells that I wrote up (https://1drv.ms/b/s!At1QqAc0yBQTgYQ1jGa4u28gU39bpg?e=LanY0N). Check out how they are constructed. You may get some ideas.

Thank you.

Thoon is going to enjoy using these epic Psionics.

[Bronk]

I think your character is the level 600+ wizard? You can mitigate by making the spell a ritual with as many epic casters as you want giving up an epic spell, then make that many simulacrums, or a few extra just in case. Then, use 'minute form' to shrink them down to diminutive size and have them ride around your head on ioun stones with wee saddles to keep them handy.

[icefractal]

If this is the same character who's building a solar-system-sized base of operations, I don't think cost to develop the spell is a problem. As for time, there are demiplanes for that.

0 DC for Epic spells is only a desirable goal if you have finite resources, otherwise might as well make it convenient to use.

[Jazath]

If this is the same character who's building a solar-system-sized base of operations, I don't think cost to develop the spell is a problem. As for time, there are demiplanes for that.

0 DC for Epic spells is only a desirable goal if you have finite resources, otherwise might as well make it convenient to use.

Not that big, my friend.

Only about....say.....the size of Uy Scuti. And anytime I go to crafting a epic spell we use replicators and I divorce myself from the timestream. So in roleplay terms i can "instantly" create new epic spells.

I don't think there is any reason I can't conjure materials using technology. So our DM let me and Thoon do so. It was easy and simplified things a great deal.