[3.5] Disintegrating spell [Metamagic]

[Yehomer]

Disintegrating spell [Metamagic]
You need to get rid of that commoner... and leave no traces. Why waste a high level spell when you can use magic missile?
Benefits: This metamagic feat can be applied to any spell that deals damage, constitution damage or negative levels. If the target of the spell is reduced to zero hit points, zero constitution or gains negative levels equel to her current hit dice, she is immediatly disintegrated, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. Her equipment is unaffected.
A disintegrating spell uses a spell slot two levels higher than the original spell.


Any thoughts?

[Zeta Kai]

Disintegrating spell [Metamagic]
You need to get rid of that commoner... and leave no traces. Why waste a high level spell when you can use magic missile?
Benefits: This metamagic feat can be applied to any spell that deals damage, constitution damage or negative levels. If the target of the spell is reduced to zero hit points, zero constitution or gains negative levels equel to her current hit dice, she is immediatly disintegrated, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. Her equipment is unaffected.
A disintegrating spell uses a spell slot two levels higher than the original spell.


Any thoughts?

Hmmm... that's not bad at all, really. It's reasonably balanced too, considering that it does no damage on its own. It's effect is only dealing with the remains of the resulting corpse. Normal spell = dead guy; Disintegrating spell = scorch mark. Pretty cool.

[J.Gellert]

You could just make it one level higher, seeing that the bonus is purely for roleplaying. In some cases, it actually makes the spell worse (for example, no wight after being killed by negative energy).

The effect comes down to making resurrection harder, but you don't need the feat to do that.

[Eloel]

It's mostly roleplaying-only. Duh.

It IS good for roleplaying (and barely for mechanics, just when you need to force a true resurrect), but it's not worth 2 levels of spells on each spell & a feat. Make it no-level, and the feat will be the cost, or make it 1-level, but even then it'll be expensive. I have no idea how to negate the feat.

[Almn]

I'm going to note that killing when the spell reduces you to zero, as opposed to negative ten is still an effect, but ot a majorly powerful one.

[DracoDei]

Yeah, change 0 to -10 say I. Other than that... looks good, provided that the rules lawyering doesn't let it kill regenerating creatures.

[Kornaki]

If it doesn't kill regenerating creature, then it doesn't do anything. Which is pretty lame given that you have to spend a feat on it. And for this to be effective you have to know that your spell is going to kill the opponent, or else you might cast it and the ability has literally NO effect.

[Jalor]

You already spend a feat on it, so why not make it no change to spell level? Using a feat is drawback enough.

[DracoDei]

To clarify (and it might or might not matter), I meant that if the spell would not NORMALLY kill the target despite regeneration.
Disintegrating Fireball the troll to -10? Fine (as long as non of that was subdual from other sources).
Disintegrating Greater Shout on the Troll? You wasted the feat (not that you necessarily could help it if you were a wizard).

[Pyrusticia]

If the target of the spell is reduced to zero hit pointsero constitution or gains negative levels equel to her current hit dice, she is immediatly disintegrated, leaving behind only a trace of fine dust. Her equiipment is unaffected.

Nifty idea! Some thoughts, though:

First, I second the motion that if you want an rp effect, this should be -10, not 0 hp (although it should also be less than 2 levels higher, so if you want to keep the level modifier, 0 hp isn't unbalanced).

Second, how does it tell the difference between the target creature and her equipment? Does it only affect living tissue? That would mean that undead, constructs, and elementals would all be unaffected...

With that limitation, and assuming that you change it to -10 hp, I second that this should really be +0 levels. You're already spending a feat slot for something with little to no game effect, there's no need to add further penalties.

[DracoDei]

No game effect for a PC you mean... in the hands of a BBEG, this feat becomes VERY scary if it is +0 since there is no reason not to apply it to every spell prepared.

[tyckspoon]

Second, how does it tell the difference between the target creature and her equipment? Does it only affect living tissue? That would mean that undead, constructs, and elementals would all be unaffected...

The same way the Disintegrate spell itself does, which is: We don't know. It's magic. Game-wise, if it sapped equipment as well people would never apply it to anything *except* the undead/constructs/etc. Although Disintegrate itself would still be a useful effect (its alternate name of 'Greater Knock' is well earned, after all), a Disintegrating Spell metamagic would lose much of the reason for using it.