Homeless spells

[YellowJohn]

In cataloguing all the spells in 3.5, I have found 10 spells which have no home. Originally published as being unique to domains, those domains were then re-published with the list changed and the unique spell(s) missing.

This didn't only happen with Dragon magazine domains; half the homeless spells are from the Portal domain from Underdark and the Diabolic domain from the Book of Vile Darkness.

On the flip side, Dragon Magazine #285's 'Four in Darkness' article (3.0) published five spells which were to be added to the elemental domains; a unique spell for each of Air, Earth, Fire and Water, and one added to all four. More interesting, perhaps, is the spell Mournland Reckoning, from Issue III of the Expeditionary Dispatches series on the WotC Website, which has 'Travel 2' listed among its spell levels. None of these spells mentions replacing the usual spells of their levels from these domains; they are simply added to the domain list. These set a precedent.

What I want to do, as part of my cataloguing effort, is to simply add these homeless spells back into their original domains, with a footnote explaining the irregularity. But before I do that, how would other people approach these homeless spells?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Start a homeless spell kitchen, set up a drug rehabilitation and spell-to-work program, and help them get back on their spell feet.

[thorr-kan]

I think your idea will work.

There is precedent for multiple spells per level in Domains, based on the Planar Domains.

[Wintermoot]

Start a homeless spell kitchen, set up a drug rehabilitation and spell-to-work program, and help them get back on their spell feet.

Pointless. Those spells are homeless because they choose to be. They could get a new home anytime they wanted, they're just too lazy and shiftless.

[Fizban]

Yes, restore the original domains of course. I must presume then you are doing so with the other domains whose most recent "printings" have non-"homeless" spells missing? I find it hilarious how much of Spell Compendium turns out to be a hack job while being such a go-to reference: when it's not breaking and removing balancing factors or restrictions from spells, it's "reprinting" domains missing their signature spells and failing to recognize basic updates that should have carried through to other spells making their signature domains terrible. But if you're tracing everything back, then again, I presume you must be aware of all that. You're also already aware of the web articles, where indeed the origins of quite a few spells can be found- I haven't made a list, no idea how much overlap or how many compared to the 10 you've counted, but yeah. No small number of spells from Frostburn, Sandstorm, and IIRC Savage Species (at minimum) came from web articles, and that's just the ones I've noticed.

[Saintheart]

Pointless. Those spells are homeless because they choose to be. They could get a new home anytime they wanted, they're just too lazy and shiftless.

You couldn't at least see clear to some free sessions with an adequately trained Spell Psychiatrist? Often homeless spells are suffering from poor mental health.

[pabelfly]

Posted this in the other thread where this was bought up but I'll post it here too:

"So let's assume the spells actually exist and have a spell level, they're just not on any caster list which makes most of the regular "add spells to your spell list" solutions invalid.

I have a solution: Master Specialist. At 2nd, 5th and 8th level "you can add one spell of your chosen school to your spellbook. The spell can be of any level that you can cast, and it is in addition to the normal spells gained when increasing your level." Unlike other prestige classes that let you add spells, this one doesn't specify that this has to be in any class's spell list, so I'd argue that this could legitimately pick the spells that aren't on any class list, as long as you're in the right school.

The other solution I've found is Boccob's Reading Room from Complete Mage. "A Spellcaster who prepares spells can write one new spell of any level he can cast into his spellbook." Sounds like if a prospective DM was willing to play ball with you, you can get your spells this way too.

Without more specifics on what spells are missing, it's hard to give better advice on how to add the spells to a character's spell list.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Pointless. Those spells are homeless because they choose to be. They could get a new home anytime they wanted, they're just too lazy and shiftless."Nothing you can’t spell will ever work."
--Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) humorist & social commentator

[Wintermoot]

You couldn't at least see clear to some free sessions with an adequately trained Spell Psychiatrist? Often homeless spells are suffering from poor mental health.

And why should my money... uh mana... why should my mana go to making free resources available to these spells, huh? It's not my fault they are homeless. It's not my fault they have poor mental health.

These spells need to buck up, pull up their trousers and climb back into somebody's spell list on their own, by their own power, or they'll never learn. But not my spell list... someone elses.... I recommend wu-jen.

[Bullet06320]

I have a solution: Master Specialist. At 2nd, 5th and 8th level "you can add one spell of your chosen school to your spellbook. The spell can be of any level that you can cast, and it is in addition to the normal spells gained when increasing your level." Unlike other prestige classes that let you add spells, this one doesn't specify that this has to be in any class's spell list, so I'd argue that this could legitimately pick the spells that aren't on any class list, as long as you're in the right school.



this only works if you ingnore or dont use the errata, it was changed to clarify only any arcane spell of your school


as to the op, when listing the spells just mention the source or sources and add any notes or exceptions that you've found where needed

[Beni-Kujaku]

May I have a list of these homeless spells? I only know about Annihilation (from Temple of the Elemental Evil), what are the others?

The alternate possibility would be to just consider the unupdated and updated domains as two different domains, and allow clerics to choose either of them (and then give them some improved welfare to compensate for the prejudice between newly-employed and senior domains).

[pabelfly]

this only works if you ingnore or dont use the errata, it was changed to clarify only any arcane spell of your school


as to the op, when listing the spells just mention the source or sources and add any notes or exceptions that you've found where needed

Didn't know about the errata, thanks for the information.

[Bohandas]

I usually interpret the domains with an alternate spell at a given level as being different for different deities

[ShurikVch]

Question: were deities to which domains associated with revised too, or not?

Because - if not, then you can reason it this way: "It's not just the Force Domain - it's Tharizdun's Force Domain! Sure, it still have Annihilation as its 9th-level spell!"
(The same reasoning can be used to "restore" the "old" domain granted power - if necessary)

[YellowJohn]

As befits the name of the thread, I created it & abandoned it for a few days. Anyway...


May I have a list of these homeless spells? I only know about Annihilation (from Temple of the Elemental Evil), what are the others?

The spells are:
Annihilation - evicted from the Force Domain between Dragon 294 and the Spell Compendium
Canabilize, Caustic Bile, Insatiable Hunger and Jaws of Adamantine - evicted from the Hunger domain between Dragon 312 and the Spell Compendium
Portal Barricade, Portal Reformat, Portal Stabilization and Portal-to-Portal Redirect - evicted from the Portal domain between Underdark and the Spell Compendium
Devil's Tail - evicted from the Diabolic domain between The Book of Vile Darkness and Fiendish Codex II (see; it's not just the Spell Compendium)


The alternate possibility would be to just consider the unupdated and updated domains as two different domains, and allow clerics to choose either of them (and then give them some improved welfare to compensate for the prejudice between newly-employed and senior domains).

I don't like having multiple domains with the same name. My opinion is that things with the same name are the same; even the two Wrath domains (BoED & SC version which was taken from the Seven Deadly Domains article in Dragon). So I really don't like using the 'different versions for different deities' approach, even though I totally understand the elegence of it. I also don't like the 'restore the original domains' idea. Mostly because I take the approach that Spell Compendium trumps all, but also because that leaves a different set of spells homeless.

I don't feel you can use the Planar Domains as precedent for multiple spells of the same level - they are specifically intended to be two domains in one. I also don't think the Mysticism domain (Holy Word & Blasphemy @ L7, Holy/Unholy Aura at L8) is the best precedent. I'm sure I saw a non-planar domain printed with multiple spells at level 2 once but can't find it now. Regardless, I've posted the citations I could find for that approach, and I still think it's the best answer I've found.

Thank you all for your input :smallsmile:

[Jay R]

Document the spells' actual origin and history, and let people decide what they will do about it.

One DM might want to have a choice of two different domains with the same name. Another might want to have multiple spells in the domain. A third DM might want to eliminate the homeless spells, and a fourth might want to make different decisions for different domains. If you simply document the spells, then you serve all of these DMs.

You're creating a catalogue, not an alternate rules set.

[YellowJohn]

Document the spells' actual origin and history, and let people decide what they will do about it.

One DM might want to have a choice of two different domains with the same name. Another might want to have multiple spells in the domain. A third DM might want to eliminate the homeless spells, and a fourth might want to make different decisions for different domains. If you simply document the spells, then you serve all of these DMs.

You're creating a catalogue, not an alternate rules set.

In many ways a fair point.
Practically, the spreadsheet is plenty big enough already. I'll do what I can with notes.

[St Fan]

You can treat those spells as rare, niche or ancient theological oddities that are found mentions only in a few old treatise hinting that deities have switched around the spells of their domains at some time in the past, kind of a cosmic retcon. Some of these spells may have been pronounced anathema and stricken from records.

An archivist would still be able to write down and cast those divine spells. It's actually quite coherent with the archivist's fluff, which is to uncover ancient hidden secrets. Other classes/prestige classes may add them to their class list through expanded knowledge tricks.

Also, there exists the "Customize Domain" feat for Clerics (Dragon #325) that allows to pick and choose the spells of your domain as long as they follow its thematic, which could thus include those homeless spells.