Burial [3.5 spell]

[Lord Vukodlak]

I designed this spell basedon the idea of your evil animating cleric hiding his undead minions underground. But I got to thinking that a spell that only buried undead felt kinda sily, why couldn't it bury a regular corpse? or an object. I also figured any duration or dismissable effect was unnecessary unless I wanted to quickly excavate them. In the end I decided on a general use spell a cleric could use to bury up to a large sized creature, in a casket or no. I went with a strength check DC of 20 for two reasons. One fantasy is filled with stories of people, zombies or vampires digging there way out of there own grave, so the difficulty should be based on the fantasy not on the reality. And if a strength check DC of 25 can let you dig your way out of a collapsed dungeon ceiling, 20 should be enough for regular soil.

So thoughts?

Burial
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Clr 2, Drd 2
Components: V, S, /DF
Casting Time: One minute
Range: Touch
Target: Creature or object of up to large size.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: [see text]
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell causes the target creature or object to sink into the soil coming to rest horizontally six feet beneath the surface. While this spell could be cast on a creature it would need to remain motionless for the entire duration of the casting. So unless the creature is bound and helpless or willing the spell will fail. Should a creature be buried by this spell they can extract themselves with a DC 20 strength check. This spell can only be cast over soil it will fail over rock, stone, wood and other such materials.

[Gamer Girl]

This spell looks just fine.

[Mordokai]

Amusing, if highly situational. Has little to no combat use, but would prove interesting for an outside of combat uses. Maybe even as an interogation technique? Would probably add [Evil].

Would scribe it to my spellbook

[Lord Vukodlak]

Amusing, if highly situational. Has little to no combat use, but would prove interesting for an outside of combat uses. Maybe even as an interogation technique? Would probably add [Evil].

Would scribe it to my spellbook

Why would the spell be [evil] its impractacle to actually bury someone alive with this spell.

[Ashtagon]

Why would the spell be [evil] its impractacle to actually bury someone alive with this spell.

It works quite well if the victim is bound and helpless.

Incidentally, unless the person is also buried in a coffin (which has minimal air supply anyway), this is a 1simple way to instantly invoke the suffocation rules.

[Lord Vukodlak]

It works quite well if the victim is bound and helpless.

If there bound and helpless you could have just torture them with plenty of standard damaging spells that doesn't make ray of frost evil. You could also smother them with a pillow or lock them in a coffin and simply pretend you burried them alive, before setting the coffin on fire with an evocation spell and burning them alive. Move Earth could also bury a bound and helpless creature but its not evil.

Incidentally, unless the person is also buried in a coffin (which has minimal air supply anyway), this is a simple way to instantly invoke the suffocation rules.

If they've been bound and helpless for the full minute you could have simply smothered them with a pillow.

[Ashtagon]

If there bound and helpless you could have just torture them with plenty of standard damaging spells that doesn't make ray of frost evil. You could also smother them with a pillow or lock them in a coffin and simply pretend you burried them alive, before setting the coffin on fire with an evocation spell and burning them alive. Move Earth could also bury a bound and helpless creature but its not evil.


If they've been bound and helpless for the full minute you could have simply smothered them with a pillow.

The thing that makes it evil is that by spending so much extra time, it goes from in theory being a crime of passion to being pre-meditated.

[Lord Vukodlak]

The thing that makes it evil is that by spending so much extra time, it goes from in theory being a crime of passion to being pre-meditated.

That still doesn't justify why the spell should have the evil descriptor.

[Yitzi]

Spells with the [Evil] descriptor either actually invoke the power of Evil (e.g. Protection from Good) or else are pain-based. This is neither.

[Phosphate]

Now you should make a level 6 Improved Burial with standard action casting time. And a level 9 Greater Burial with Area of Effect.

[Gamer Girl]

Burial is in no way an evil spell. All it does is bury a creature, and that is not evil. No more 'evil' then say fireball.

Sure you could use it for evil, bury a living helpless victim.....but you can also drown a living helpless victim with create water. Should create water be evil?

[Nopraptor]

I agree, Burial is by no means an Evil spell all by itself.
cool spell, I think I can convince my DM to let me buy a wand of it so I can bury me pirate booty whenever and wherever I want! Muhahaha! Ya'rrrr...... and so on....

[Lappy9000]

Interesting; I'd definitely take this spell. Any chance of making it Sorc/Wiz friendly too?

[Cipher Stars]

@Phosphate:
Simple:

Greater Burial
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Clr 5, Drd 5
Components: V, S, /DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature or object of up to large size.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: [see text]
Spell Resistance: Yes
As Burial, but as a standard action.


Mass Burial
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Clr 8, Drd 8
Components: V, S, /DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creatures or objects of up to large size within 10ft of one another.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: [see text]
Spell Resistance: Yes
As Greater Burial, but effects not only the subject touched, but each subject within 10ft of another subject being effected by burial up to your caster level.



What would happen if you use it on a flying target? They're over soil, would they fall, possibly die from falling damage, then be buried 6ft under? How useful! kill'em and grave'em.

[Gamer Girl]

@Phosphate:
Simple:

Greater Burial
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Clr 5, Drd 5
Components: V, S, /DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature or object of up to large size.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: [see text]
Spell Resistance: Yes
As Burial, but as a standard action.


Mass Burial
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Clr 8, Drd 8
Components: V, S, /DF
Casting Time: Standard Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creatures or objects of up to large size within 10ft of one another.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: [see text]
Spell Resistance: Yes
As Greater Burial, but effects not only the subject touched, but each subject within 10ft of another subject being effected by burial up to your caster level.

What would happen if you use it on a flying target? They're over soil, would they fall, possibly die from falling damage, then be buried 6ft under? How useful! kill'em and grave'em.

Greater Burial will need to be rewritten as an attack spell. Burial's limit of touching the creature for a minute don't work for a standard action. And it's a bit powerful to bury a person, worse as it's no save.

And again Mass Burial would need a rewrite.

As an earth type spell, it would seem that it can only effect creatures standing on the ground.

[SowZ]

Yeah, Minimus Containment is probably one of the most evil, (and kinky,) spells out there but it doesn't have the EVIL descriptor.

[Lord Vukodlak]

What would happen if you use it on a flying target? They're over soil, would they fall, possibly die from falling damage, then be buried 6ft under? How useful! kill'em and grave'em.

The spell would fail as the ground swallows up the target. Flying would put them out of reach.