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View Full Version : DM Help Burrowing Bonds [3.5]



Aotrs Commander
2023-07-10, 06:46 PM
Apparently I am a glutton for punishment. As part of my desire to remove 3.5 hardbackrd books from my backpack (and condense the contents down into documents), I am now working on Complete Psionic.

I cam across Burrowing Bonds.


BURROWING BONDS
Metacreativity (Creation)
Level: Shaper 4
Display: Auditory and material
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One Medium or smaller creature
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 7
A pealing chime accompanies the appearance of a long, slender, malleable shaft of crystal. It entwines your foe in its loops, piercing his flesh and holding him bound.

The crystalline bonds deal 3d6 points of damage when they first entwine and pierce the target's flesh, and 1d6 points of piercing damage (see the Metacreativity and Damage Reduction sidebar, below) every round thereafter
as they continue to writhe and burrow, tightening their grasp.

A target caught by the bonds can attempt purely mental actions, such as manifesting a power. However, the burrowing nature of the bonds requires that a manifester make a Concentration check for each power attempted with a DC of 20 + half the continuous damage last dealt. (The continuous damage is that damage dealt in each round after the initial round of the effect.)

The target can break loose by spending 1 round and making a DC 20 Strength check or a DC 25 Escape Artist check. Alternatively, cutting or damaging the bonds can free a victim. The crystal has AC 5, hardness 12, and 30 hit points.
Augment: You can augment this power in one or more of the following ways.

1. For every 2 additional power points you spend, this power's save DC and the DCs to break loose increase by 1.
2. For every 2 additional power points you spend, this power can affect a target of one size category larger.
3. For every 2 additional power points you spend, the continuous damage increases by 1d6 points.

The bolded sentence (and the fluuf text) implies that the target can ONLY take purely mental actions (otherwise why bother specifying, since you can take purely mental actions at any other time). However, the spell doesn't explicitly say the target is immoblised, paralysed, grappled, denied its dexterity bonus etc. If the intention is a to basically save or loose (except for other psionists) it's not terribly clerly worded. (Also, maybe a bit strong for a 4th level power...?)

Am I missing something obvious here? (It's late, I've been copying PHB2 spells all day and I'm short of rest because my bedroom is being redone, it's very possible i have.)

icefractal
2023-07-10, 07:01 PM
I've always read it (and seen it run as) paralyzing the victim, but now that you mention it, it doesn't actually specify that. However, I personally would run it as paralyzing.

Re: too strong - I don't think so?
Compared to Hold Monster:
+ One level lower (although two levels higher than Hold Person, and it is specialist-only)
+ Not mind-affecting, no SR
= Strength or Escape Artist to break out, vs a Will save
– Target's allies can free them by breaking the bonds
– Has a size limit

I'm not counting the damage for much, since it's an unimpressive amount at 7th level and doesn't scale well either (and paying for the scaling makes it comparable to a higher-level spell). It's definitely better against some foes, but the "allies can break them out before you get a chance to CdG" is a fairly big downside.

I guess it depends on how much you buy into the "specialist-only powers can be a level lower sometimes" argument, because as a 5th level Psion/Wilder power this definitely wouldn't be OP.

Aotrs Commander
2023-07-10, 07:04 PM
I've always read it (and seen it run as) paralyzing the victim, but now that you mention it, it doesn't actually specify that. However, I personally would run it as paralyzing.

Re: too strong - I don't think so?
Compared to Hold Monster:
+ One level lower (although two levels higher than Hold Person, and it is specialist-only)
+ Not mind-affecting, no SR
= Strength or Escape Artist to break out, vs a Will save
– Target's allies can free them by breaking the bonds
– Has a size limit

I'm not counting the damage for much, since it's an unimpressive amount at 7th level and doesn't scale well either (and paying for the scaling makes it comparable to a higher-level spell). It's definitely better against some foes, but the "allies can break them out before you get a chance to CdG" is a fairly big downside.

I guess it depends on how much you buy into the "specialist-only powers can be a level lower sometimes" argument, because as a 5th level Psion/Wilder power this definitely wouldn't be OP.

I was very dubious about my "too strong" thought and I'm quite open to this sort of arguement that says it'd be fine, if indeed it is supposed to paralyse like apparently we both read.