Spell: flame of wrath

[Ossian]

Hi Folks.

I remembered the good old days of Heroquest and thought of giving it at a shot at home-brewing a spell.




It´s my first here on the forums, so all feedback on balancing and effectiveness, casting time, range and damage are very much welcome. The concept is pretty much that of a seeking missile with warhead camera. Just as harmful as a fireball, with less blast radius, but you can pilot it to seek and destroy. Here is the fire version, but I suppose you can homebrew it for Acid, Cold, Energy etc....I am a bit confused as to how to deal with a target which is concealed (perhaps a spot check with a high DC as you fly by it) or invisible.

Flame of Wrath
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Fire 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action + continuous full round actions
Range: long (400 ft base + up to 1 mile x point of INT or CHA bonus)
Target: One creature (10’ radius spread)
Duration: Instantaneous (to a max of 60 minutes)
Saving Throw: Reflex Half
Spell Resistance:Yes

A flame of wrath spell is an explosion of flame that detonates with a low roar and deals 1d6 points of fire damage per caster level (maximum 15d6) to one creature and half as much to other creatures within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The explosion creates almost no pressure.

When you cast this spell, you claps your fists together and stretch your arms above your head. As soon as the spell is cast, a stream of flames bursts out from your arms and sets out to seek its target. If the target is visible for the entire casting round, you may decide not to keep the concentration and just let the flame hit and deal its damage. In this respect, it works like a Fireball spell, only with different damage and blast radius.

If the target is not visible, you can decide to keep the concentration to pilot the flame to seek it and hit it. This spell requires a good deal of concentration, as the flame shoots towards the target at great speed. Thus, you must take a full round action each round you decide to keep the concentration. While you do so, you are considered as “casting” and may provoke attacks of opportunity. The reason behind this is that you literally use part of your mind to see as if you were riding the flame as it seeks out the target. It roughly as fast a fireball.

Piloting the flame successfully is automatic, as long as it goes in a straight path or does not bend, climb or plummet (i.e. if it does not turn by more than 45° in a single round). If you want to manoeuvre it, you must pass a Concentration check.
{table="head" ]DC|Turn
5|45 ° < turn < 90°
+5 | Per extra 45°
(i.e. DC 20 for a U turn)
[/table]

The Flame of Wrath cannot go on indefinitely. Beyond the base range and for every 400 ft increment (up to a maximum of 1 mile per point of Int (for Wizards), Wis (Domain Cleric) or Cha (Sorcerers)) add +2 to all manoeuvre DC. As soon as a concentration check is failed because of an attack, the flame detonates where it is at that moment. If the check fails during a manoeuvre, the flame continues straight for up to 40 feet and then it detonates then if it does not hit anything before. The flame will detonate anyways after 1 hour after having been cast. Depending on the conditions of the target, it might be considered surprised and flat footed when the flame hits. The spot and listen check to become aware of a Flame of Wrath coming out of nowhere start at a DC 20.

Scrying and Prying Eyes (standard and greater)

You can combine a Scrying / Prying Eyes spell with the Flame of Wrath. If you successfully scry on a target (or manage to “see it” with the prying eyes) and cast the Flame within the next hour (or hour per level in case of greater versions of the spells, and if the Scry has not been dispelled in the meanwhile / the eyes are still intact) you can guide the flame as if with the aid of a homing beacon. The Reflex Save DC to halve the damage is increased by +5 and every manoeuvre DC to guide the flame is decreased by 3.

Discern Location
If successfully cast “Discern Location” and the Flame within the “Discern Location” duration, add 10 to the reflex save DC and subtract 5 from all manoeuvres.


PS
I don´t know how to use the code for a table (the DC for turning, see above). Any help?


EDIT: Damage cap up to 15d6 like cone of cold, Level down to 5th, Area up to 10'

[Lysander]

Just get rid of the spaces between the bracket tags and the text:

[ table="head" ]A|B|C
1|2|3
4|5|6
7|8|9
[ /table ]

It looks like this:

{table="head]A|B|C
1|2|3
4|5|6
7|8|9
[/table]

You can add more rows or columns, just don't end with on the right side with |

[Glimbur]

This doesn't seem worth a sixth level spell slot to me. It does let you hit people from much further away than is standard, but 10d6 fire damage by level 11 isn't amazing.

[Ossian]

Good point. Cone of Cold has 15 D6 at one spell level less.
Chain Lightning on the other hand, is same level as Flame of Wrath, has 20 d6 (double the amount) and some kind of special effect (chain).

Not sure if it is better to leave level as it is and scale up to 15d6, move it one level down, or both. (5th level, 15d6 AND special effect (seek and destroy)).

O.

[DracoDei]

This doesn't seem worth a sixth level spell slot to me. It does let you hit people from much further away than is standard, but 10d6 fire damage by level 11 isn't amazing.

Damage before they even have LoS to you, and maybe as their first indication you are even there? I made an entire prestige class (Artillery Mage) on that concept, and it required you to have a familiar from 1st caster level (well, in most cases...). Nobody said it was underpowered... then again it WAS 10/10 casting and offered Rapid Barrage, which mechanically worked a lot like Delay Spell...

[Jane_Smith]

To weak for a damage-dealing, 6th level spell. Make the max damage 20d6/half that for area-damage. Even cone of cold has more damage output, incendary cloud, etc. Why would anyone use your spell to hurt something and use up such a high level spell slot? At the very least, knock the spell level down to 4-5th. All this is is a weaker-damage fireball with cruise control.

[DracoDei]

Come to that, this MIGHT even be worth it as a long range, long duration, high-speed scouting spell...

[Ossian]

Come to that, this MIGHT even be worth it as a long range, long duration, high-speed scouting spell...

Wow, I had not looked at it this way! Scouting that ends with a boom does seem a bit risky though :)

[DracoDei]

Wow, I had not looked at it this way! Scouting that ends with a boom does seem a bit risky though :)

Outdoors their is very little risk of premature detonation.

Incidently, "fast as a fireball bead" is very vague, since we don't know what fraction of a 6 second round it takes for a fireball to travel its range. I recommend 1,000 feet per round as a nice round distance. That may sound huge, but a dragon with the Run feat can hit that. If you prefer, you could probably go with as low as 200 and still keep the feel of the spell you have now I think.

[nxwtypx]

Perhaps assigning a manueverability class/fly speed to the Flame of Wrath would make adjucating the flight abilities of it easier?

[DracoDei]

The way it currently works assigns a fly speed (albeit of an odd sort, limited by total amount of turning in a round, rather than amount per square) to it... not so much a fly speed. You could ALSO give it a maneuverability, but I don't know if that would be an improvement, and I suggested the fly speed (so your seconding that is good).