New Spells, feedback wanted

[KeresM]

Ruya is a wizardly PC of mine, and of late is engaging in some spell research.

Ruya’s Fear My Power
Respect My Power

Transmutation
Level:2
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 sa
Target: Personal
Duration: 1 rd
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell grants a +1/caster level bonus to the spell DC of the next spell cast within the duration of this spell.
Fear My Power

Transmutation
Level:4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 sa
Target: Personal
Duration: 1 rd/lvl or until expended
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell grants a +1/caster level bonus to the spell DC of the next spell cast within the duration of this spell.

Ruya’s And Your Little Dog Too!
Transmutation
Level: 9
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 1 sa
Range: Long
Area: 20′ radius
Duration: Instaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude (partial)
Spell Resistance: Yes

As disintegrate, but as a 20′ radius spread.

Ruya’s Brutal Retaliation
Evocation
Level:9
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 min
Range: Personal
Target: Personal
Duration: 1 hour/level (Instantaneous)
Saving Throw: Reflex partial
Spell Resistance: No

Once cast, this spell is held in contingency. Should the caster die, the spell takes effect. Everything in a one mile radius of the caster takes 1d6/5 caster levels of fire and 1d6/5 caster levels force damage. A successful reflex save halves the fire damage. Everything within 100′ of the caster takes 1d10/caster level of fire damage, 1d6/caster level of sonic damage, and 1d4 level force damage. A successful reflex save halves the fire damage. The caster and gear are obliterated, and the caster can only be restored by means of a true resurrection spell. Only a wish can restore any of the caster’s belongings.

Ruya’s You Have My Sympathy
Illusion(Phantasm)
Level: 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: free action
Range: close
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 1rd/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None

This spell conjures a tiny, translucent floating violin that plays a sorrowful tune. Once cast, it will follow the target around, playing softly, until the spell expires. The soft music imposes a -1 penalty to concentration checks.

Ruya’s Respect My Personal Space
Evocation [Cold]
Level:5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 sa
Range: Touch
Target: Personal
Duration: 1 rd/lvl
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

With a gesture, the caster surrounds themselves with a 10′ radius circle of freezing air (the caster is unaffected). Everything within or entering the circle takes 1d6/caster level of cold damage.

Legend holds this spell was crafted by a lady mage tired of being hit on and decided to take the cold shoulder to a whole new level.

Ruya’s You Need To Shut Up Now
Illusion (Glam)
Level: 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 rd
Range: touch
Target: one object
Duration: permanent until discharged, 1/min per level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None

This spell is cast on an item that can then be given to another individual. When a command phrase chosen at the time of the casting is spoken, the person holding the enchanted item is under the effects of a silence spell that lasts for 1 minute per caster level.

Material Components: 200gp

[Milskidasith]

Brutal Retaliation is more likely to kill your party and innocent commoners than do anything useful. Plus, destroying all your gear is like getting Disjunctioned! It's a double whammy of suck!

[KeresM]

Brutal Retaliation is more likely to kill your party and innocent commoners than do anything useful. Plus, destroying all your gear is like getting Disjunctioned! It's a double whammy of suck!

That's kind of the point, actually ;) It's a combination last ditch option and big middle finger. Ruya isn't always a particularly nice person.

[Milskidasith]

That's kind of the point, actually ;) It's a combination last ditch option and big middle finger. Ruya isn't always a particularly nice person.

So killing your allies and losing all your gear is worth the ability to also kill innocents within a mile radius?

[KeresM]

So killing your allies and losing all your gear is worth the ability to also kill innocents within a mile radius?

In the circumstance in which she would actually use this spell, her allies would either be dead or dying and there wouldn't be any innocents within a mile radius. Or at least, nobody she considers to be innocent.

And she's carrying items she doesn't want any survivors/looters to get their hands on and is willing to sacrifice everything else she owns to ensure those don't get taken. And before you ask, no, leaving them behind in a safe place isn't an option, they'll actually be needed to have any chance of success in the scenario.


Think of it kind of like a last option for a paladin in hell type scenario.

[DracoDei]

my shift key doesn't work.

the first one is so utterly broken it isn't funny... despite the standard action casting time, it makes assay spell resistance look well balanced.

[KeresM]

my shift key doesn't work.

the first one is so utterly broken it isn't funny... despite the standard action casting time, it makes assay spell resistance look well balanced.

Isn't to different from True Strike, actually.

[Milskidasith]

A +1 to the DC is not the same as a +1 to hit. It is nowhere close to being the same. +25 (reasonable level 20 caster level) to the DC of your next spell means it's "roll a nat 20 or die." True Strike, while similar, is a personal spell and, well, not that great for wizards. Plus, it's easy enough to get an attack bonus high enough to hit no matter what, while DC is much harder to raise.

[KeresM]

Plus, it's easy enough to get an attack bonus high enough to hit no matter what, while DC is much harder to raise.

Which is the reason for the spell.

At higher levels, there are creatures whose saves are so high they are virtually immune to all spells that don't end in high amounts of damage. There are enough 'touch attack' spells that end in high amounts of violence that it is better to use those against a high-save opponent you want to kill. But sometimes options like charm, hold, etc... are better options.

[Milskidasith]

Which is the reason for the spell.

At higher levels, there are creatures whose saves are so high they are virtually immune to all spells that don't end in high amounts of damage. There are enough 'touch attack' spells that end in high amounts of violence that it is better to use those against a high-save opponent you want to kill. But sometimes options like charm, hold, etc... are better options.

Saves are more important than AC, in most cases, because there are ways to bypass needing AC, but not spells. As for saves being too high... are you kidding? At level 20 your saves should be 22+spell level, which is enough to kill both Solars and Pit Fiends half the time (assuming you beat SR, which isn't hard with Assay Spell Resistance).

[Dante & Vergil]

You may need to scale back the DC increases just a bit. Don't get rid of them, just make them smaller.

[Shpadoinkle]

Which is the reason for the spell.

At higher levels, there are creatures whose saves are so high they are virtually immune to all spells that don't end in high amounts of damage. There are enough 'touch attack' spells that end in high amounts of violence that it is better to use those against a high-save opponent you want to kill. But sometimes options like charm, hold, etc... are better options.

Thing is, there are no "instant death" or "save or be useless long enough for me to finish off your allies and then lop your head off" physical attacks aside from bullrushing someone into a pit of lava or something, which is extraordinarily situational. On top of that, a melee attack can only affect a single target. The REASON saving throws are so high for high-end monster is so that the caster (theoretically, anyway) CAN'T end literally every encounter with a single spell in round 1 or 2.

At least, that's what I expect they intended. WotC did a really bad job of balancing high-end stuff.

I would never allow either of the first two spells, and I don't think any DM in his right mind would either. The others I have no real opinion on.

[Gpope]

Which is the reason for the spell.

At higher levels, there are creatures whose saves are so high they are virtually immune to all spells that don't end in high amounts of damage. There are enough 'touch attack' spells that end in high amounts of violence that it is better to use those against a high-save opponent you want to kill. But sometimes options like charm, hold, etc... are better options.

Either you're overestimating monster saves or you're running some seriously under-optimized spellcasters against them. If you're trying to hit a monster's best save then yeah that's not going to work, but there are exceedingly few enemies that don't have something you can hit them with and have a good chance of sticking with even a reasonably dedicated caster. Moreover, as other people have said there's just no way to compare a fighter's chance to hit and slightly injure an enemy vs. a spellcaster's chance to instantly defeat an enemy.

Player's Handbook II has a spell called Mystic Surge. It's a 4th level spell, standard action, 1 round duration, adds +2 DC and +1 caster level. Also look at Enervation, a 4th level core spell that slaps 1d4 negative levels on a target for -1 to -4 to saves in addition to several other useful debuffs (definitely more potent than Mystic Surge, but as an offensive spell it's also subject to a wider variety of defenses). These should be your standards for spells that make it easier for save-or-lose spells to work.

[DracoDei]

Enervation has a bunch of other effects than lowering their saves though.

[Delandel]

First two spells are way too powerful. Respect my Power is just a flat out no. Fear My Power could be fine if you allow it to be +5 DC maximum, and even then it's a top notch spell that every wizard would scramble for.

As is, it just begs for a high level wizard to cast quickened, or time stop'd, whatever, and make his save-or-die spell turn into roll20-or-die. Silly.