Spell Thematics

[JellyPooga]

So, what's your favourite "theme" for your spells?

There's the obvious ones like lightning, skulls/bones and such, but does anyone have any particular favourites?

After a thread about Magic Missiles came up the other day, my new favourite has to be magic missiles as a theme; as silly as it might sound, if you think about it, it actually works remarkably well. Even stationary effects like the Wall spells can be represented by very fast moving magic missiles producing a de facto solid wall.

[Kobold-Bard]

Feathers, darkness, fire and swords/blades are common ones.

An unusual one I've seen used was wolves (the guy is a serious wolf fanatic).

[oxinabox]

What about water?

Fireball that looks like water?

wizard: "Oh no your you on fire, let me put that out."
casts fireball of water.
victem: "AHH! the water! it just makes it burn more!"

[Foryn Gilnith]

Money. It was a wizard cult leader of a dead god of greed.

[Toliudar]

Money. It was a wizard cult leader of a dead god of greed.

I SO want to do this one now.

I had a caster who had every spell take shape from a pool of black goop in his backpack. Missiles and rays were gouts of the goop. Walls and summoned creatures flowed out and took shape, etc.

[Evil the Cat]

I think the most amusing one I came up with was Spell Thematics: Hill Giants.
Exploding Hill Giant Fireballs, Hill Giant Phantasmal Steed, etc.

It made for some of the silliest imagery I've had in a while.

On a more serious note:

Paintings: The wizard used a paintbrush, and would paint the spells into existence.

Paper: For anyone who has seen Read or Die.

Fire: For people who want to play a master of fire, but still use other energy types!

[Armar]

I'd have to say Spell Thematics: Bad theathre props. For example:

- Grease: a gnome assistant throw a bucket of grease on the target area.
- Bull's Strenght: mage puts stuffing inside her clothing.
- Fireball: a gnome assistant runs to the target, and throws a bucket of yellow and red paper shredding all around him.
- Mage Hand: the object moves, but you can see it hanging from small strings that move it.
- Mage Armor: the mage puts on a cardboard box with holes for head and arms.
- Mount: a wooden stick horse.
- Summon monster: gnomes dressed in monster suits.
- Enlarge person: a pair of stilts and oversized clothes.

And so on.

[Johel]

1. Disguise Self
2. Invisibility
3. Major Image
4. Shadow Conjuration
5. Shadow Evocation
6. Shadow Walk
7. Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8. Shadow Evocation, Greater
9. Shades

This one is easy but effective for a Wizard.
Upside is, you always get the right spell ready.
Downside is, your spells will sometime fail and will cost higher slots than usual.
This can also provide a sorcerer with a larger spell selection.

[El Dorado]

I'd have to say Spell Thematics: Bad theathre props. For example:

- Grease: a gnome assistant throw a bucket of grease on the target area.
- Bull's Strenght: mage puts stuffing inside her clothing.
- Fireball: a gnome assistant runs to the target, and throws a bucket of yellow and red paper shredding all around him.
- Mage Hand: the object moves, but you can see it hanging from small strings that move it.
- Mage Armor: the mage puts on a cardboard box with holes for head and arms.
- Mount: a wooden stick horse.
- Summon monster: gnomes dressed in monster suits.
- Enlarge person: a pair of stilts and oversized clothes.

And so on.

That is awesome.

[JellyPooga]

1. Disguise Self
2. Invisibility
3. Major Image
4. Shadow Conjuration
5. Shadow Evocation
6. Shadow Walk
7. Shadow Conjuration, Greater
8. Shadow Evocation, Greater
9. Shades

This one is easy but effective for a Wizard.
Upside is, you always get the right spell ready.
Downside is, your spells will sometime fail and will cost higher slots than usual.
This can also provide a sorcerer with a larger spell selection.

Buh? What's the theme? Shadow magic? I wasn't asking for spell lists (though I guess you could theme your caster around a particular sub-set of spells), but rather for visual themes provided by the Spell Thematics feat...if you're unfamiliar with it, all it does (largely) is change the visual effect of all your spells to fit in with a particular theme...so if your theme was "shadows", regardless of what spell you cast, it will have some relation to shadows (but the effect remains the same): Fireball will be an explosion of shadowy darkness, Summoned monsters will emerge from a sinister patch of coalescing shadows, Bulls Strength might surround its recipient with a wreath of fortifying shadows, etc.

@Armar: That is awesome! I especially liked the Mage Hand one...you could of course extend that to higher forms of telekinesis and even potentially Hold/Dominate Person...I'm envisioning a number of strings attached to the target to make them look like a puppet who's had his strings cut (Hold Person) or being manipulated (Dominate)

[Animefunkmaster]

Johel probably had a misfire, too many tabs open.

[Violet Octopus]

Muffins and other sweet treats

Grease ---> cake batter
black tentacles ---> giant liquorice
fireball ---> a flying oven that opens its door at the enemies
floating disc ---> an unusually sturdy crepe/pancake
magic missile ---> magic muffin
various buff spells ---> sugar high

[Fishy]

I saw 'Chains' done once. Summons were attached to the caster by weird spectral leashes, Grease was a tangle of chains that tripped you up, Magic Missile was a nasty lash, Mage Armor was chains wrapped around his body, stuff like that.

[Sinfire Titan]

I saw 'Chains' done once. Summons were attached to the caster by weird spectral leashes, Grease was a tangle of chains that tripped you up, Magic Missile was a nasty lash, Mage Armor was chains wrapped around his body, stuff like that.

Possibly inspired by the Dementia Summoner himself.

[Zaq]

I had a friend who took Spell Thematics: Ki Powers. He was a sorcerer who called himself a monk. Lived a monastic lifestyle, acted monkly, had max ranks in Bluff, and really genuinely seemed to believe that he was a monk. It was pretty cool.

Oh, and then he fluffed Disrupt Undead as "Laser Eye Beams." It took a few minutes for us to stop laughing enough to finish that fight.

[The Neoclassic]

Muffins and other sweet treats

Grease ---> cake batter
black tentacles ---> giant liquorice
fireball ---> a flying oven that opens its door at the enemies
floating disc ---> an unusually sturdy crepe/pancake
magic missile ---> magic muffin
various buff spells ---> sugar high

I entirely approve. I myself was going to say "baked goods."

Fireball ---> giant exploding red velvet cake?

[J.Gellert]

Spell Thematics: Invisibility!

But Spell Thematics: Chickens has got to be the best legal one.

Alternatively, tiny blue gnomes. Yes, smurfs. Fireball creates 200 tiny blue gnomes with torches. Magic missile sends 1-5 levels tiny blue gnomes flying unerringly to kick your enemy's private parts. Sleep creates one tiny blue gnome over each target's neck, and the smurfs proceed to karate-chop your foes at exactly the same time. Dismissal creates 4 tiny blue gnomes dressed like the ghostbusters, who shoot the outsider with laser beams.

[Lapak]

Film Noir:

* Magic Missile: Gunshots ring out from an unseen source.
* Charm Person: Sorceress adopts mysterious, irresistible "femme fatale" attitude
* Sleep: A hand reaches out from the shadows to thump enemies in the back of the neck
* Dominate Person: Caster summons a manilla folder full of grainy blackmail photos
* Locate Creature: Caster finds a matchbook which continuously displays the direction of the target creature's current position.
* Contact Other Plane: Caster receives a mysterious phone call, unknown voice on the other end answers some questions in a threatening manner.
* Confusion: Caster creates a MacGuffin at the center of the burst. All creatures suddenly break out into bizarre behavior out of a desire to possess/avoid/destroy the MacGuffin before others can.

EDIT:
* Summon Monster (I-IX): Monsters appear as normal, but all are wearing dark trenchcoats and fedoras.

[Johel]

Buh? What's the theme? Shadow magic? I wasn't asking for spell lists (though I guess you could theme your caster around a particular sub-set of spells), but rather for visual themes provided by the Spell Thematics feat...if you're unfamiliar with it, all it does (largely) is change the visual effect of all your spells to fit in with a particular theme...so if your theme was "shadows", regardless of what spell you cast, it will have some relation to shadows (but the effect remains the same): Fireball will be an explosion of shadowy darkness, Summoned monsters will emerge from a sinister patch of coalescing shadows, Bulls Strength might surround its recipient with a wreath of fortifying shadows, etc.

...Ok, misfire indeed.
I don't know the feat.
I understood it as a list of spells that could work together to produce a specific theme. Hence the "all illusion" wizard.

[Signmaker]

I CHOOSE YOU, UNICORN!
Really, the spell description screams Pokeball.


Other favorites are Musical Notes for sonic spells, and phantasms of mimes walking against the wind for air spells.

[Kulture]

Cleric of ST Cuthbert who was a thinly veiled Alexander Anderson clone had the theme of throwing knives, including his turning which was a barrage of them.

In the past my destruction spell has instead conjured pyramid head in all his skin-rippy glory.

[Tavar]

Film Noir:

* Magic Missile: Gunshots ring out from an unseen source.
* Charm Person: Sorceress adopts mysterious, irresistible "femme fatale" attitude
* Sleep: A hand reaches out from the shadows to thump enemies in the back of the neck
* Dominate Person: Caster summons a manilla folder full of grainy blackmail photos
* Locate Creature: Caster finds a matchbook which continuously displays the direction of the target creature's current position.
* Contact Other Plane: Caster receives a mysterious phone call, unknown voice on the other end answers some questions in a threatening manner.
* Confusion: Caster creates a MacGuffin at the center of the burst. All creatures suddenly break out into bizarre behavior out of a desire to possess/avoid/destroy the MacGuffin before others can.

EDIT:
* Summon Monster (I-IX): Monsters appear as normal, but all are wearing dark trenchcoats and fedoras.

Okay, this is win.

[Toric]

I have two:

Science Fiction!

* Various rays and missiles are fired from a very complex lockpick.
* Summoned monsters are alien in appearance, and appear in a shimmering field.
* Charm Person conjures a mind-control helmet that falls onto the victim's head.
* Whisper conjures a communicator in your hand, which makes a chirping noise when you use it.
* Planar travel is initiated by entering an absurdly spacious rectangular shack.
* Fireball is delivered via orbital laser, even indoors.

Comic Book!

* Mage Armor outfits you in a distinctive red and yellow costume.
* Web has a specific somatic component and always creates the sound *Fwip!* when cast.
* The Flight spell requires that you always extend one arm forward while airborn.
* Darkness takes the form of a swarm of bats.
* Enlarge Person inexplicably colors the target's skin green.
* Disguise Self conjures a thin black piece of fabric with holes cut out over your eyes. Or, alternatively, it changes your appearance to that of a merchant with spectacles.
*You are struck by a harmless bolt of lightning every time you change forms using the Polymorph line of spells.

[arguskos]

*You are struck by a harmless bolt of lightning every time you change forms using the Polymorph line of spells. Vaguely, the word "Shazam!" can be heard in the background.

Sorta missed a vital bit there.

[Korivan]

What about Love?

"Sure, they will laugh, they will all laugh. But who will laugh last when your raining death and destruction in the form of Hearts and Lollipops. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...hahahaha...hehehehehe...heh. ..sorry."

[PId6]

I CHOOSE YOU, UNICORN!
Really, the spell description screams Pokeball.

Ghost Sound: Ghastly appears and starts making weird sounds.
Shield: Summon Shieldon to block attacks for you.
Grease: Muk spits a puddle of goo at the ground to make enemies slip.
Sleep: Butterfree! Use Sleep Powder!
Hypnotism: Hypno! Hypnosis!
Gust of Wind: Pidgeot! Whirlwind!
Spectral Hand: Haunter appears and touches things for you.
Lightning Bolt: A small yellow rat thing shoots lightning for you.
Phantom Steed: Go! Rapidash!
Telekinesis: Alakazam! Use Psychic!
Polymorph: NOW I AM A POKEMON!!!

[Sinfire Titan]

I feel some poor taste is required for this thread.

Targeting Ray

Spoiler

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Disguise Self

Spoiler

Show

http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/fellow-engineer.jpg

Jump

Spoiler

Show

Alarm

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Meteor Swarm

Spoiler

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Grease and/or Glitterdust

Spoiler

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Crushing Despair

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Anticipate Teleportation

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Sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity to make bad jokes.

[Dixieboy]

Film Noir:

* Magic Missile: Gunshots ring out from an unseen source.
* Charm Person: Sorceress adopts mysterious, irresistible "femme fatale" attitude
* Sleep: A hand reaches out from the shadows to thump enemies in the back of the neck
* Dominate Person: Caster summons a manilla folder full of grainy blackmail photos
* Locate Creature: Caster finds a matchbook which continuously displays the direction of the target creature's current position.
* Contact Other Plane: Caster receives a mysterious phone call, unknown voice on the other end answers some questions in a threatening manner.
* Confusion: Caster creates a MacGuffin at the center of the burst. All creatures suddenly break out into bizarre behavior out of a desire to possess/avoid/destroy the MacGuffin before others can.

EDIT:
* Summon Monster (I-IX): Monsters appear as normal, but all are wearing dark trenchcoats and fedoras.

You win the game, pass start and collect seven internets.

[Korivan]

I feel some poor taste is required for this thread.

Targeting Ray

Spoiler

Show

Disguise Self

Spoiler

Show

http://www.halolz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/fellow-engineer.jpg

Jump

Spoiler

Show

Alarm

Spoiler

Show

Meteor Swarm

Spoiler

Show

Grease and/or Glitterdust

Spoiler

Show

Crushing Despair

Spoiler

Show

Anticipate Teleportation

Spoiler

Show

Sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity to make bad jokes.

For the love of all thats geeky, TELL ME WHERE YOU FOUND THE METEOR STORM PIC!!!!!


p.s. plese

[MCerberus]

For a while I had a "Disco Mage". Everything from glitterdust to a mirror ball flaming sphere. Of course my DM killed him with rock (thrown from a giant).