4E Ritual: Horizon Reach

[gareth]

Your spell is infused with wild magic, spreading out to afflict friend and foe alike, as far as the eye can see.

Level 28
Category Metamagic
Time 1 hour
Duration Special
Component Cost 100,000 gp
Market Price 1,000,000 gp
Key Skill Arcana

Before performing the ritual, you expend a daily power with the attack type Area (burst) or Close (burst), and the power source Arcane. The power has no effect until the ritual is completed. Then it has its full effect, in an area centred on the caster and with a radius depending on the skill check. Every creature and object in the radius is fully affected by the power, including the caster himself and his allies. Groups larger than 20 are treated as minions and die in numbers proportional to the chance of hitting. The Dungeon Master may, to simplify the mechanics, designate any number of monsters or NPCs affected by the ritual as minions. He may also choose to have minions die in proportion to the chance of the power hitting. For example, a power with a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a human minion would kill 300 humans in a group of 1,000. The 300 dead minions would be evenly distributed amongst the group of 1,000. The duration of each effect is the same as the original power. Only allies that can cast the power can assist with the ritual, but only the caster's power is expended.

Radius of the power:
24 or lower Same as the original power.
25-29 20 squares.
30-34 200 yards.
35-39 1 mile.
40 or higher 5 miles.

[Erk]

It doesn't establish how to determine who dies. If allies are affected and the group is larger than 20, how do you know if your allies are among the "minions" slain, for example? What about the unlikely event that there are 25 PCs, are some random percent just wiped out?

It seems more like a ritual that you wouldn't bother writing too many rules for, and would instead run as a specific story point in a game. Nothin' wrong with that :)

[Suzuro]

I like it, I see it being used when an opposing army is advancing on your position. But, I'd have to agree, the minion thing...is rather odd...


-Suzuro

[gareth]

Good point on the minion thing - I've edited it. Any comment on the ranges? The ones I have there are mostly arbitrary. Although a 24 or lower should be pretty useless, and a 40 or better should be more than 3 miles, the distance of the horizon at eye level on Earth.

[KKL]

This ritual, while seemingly awesome, is in dire need of better wording. As is, it's really confusing.