"With a word and a gesture, I cripple your every action." (3.5 spell, PEACH)

[Noctis Vigil]

I'd like to make these Evocation, but sadly I can't, as they don't manipulate energy directly. If anyone can think of a way to make them work as Evocation, poke me, I want to hear it.

Crippling Bolt
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: Up to five creatures, no two of which can be more than 15 ft. apart
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort half
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions exactly as the spell Magic Missile, only instead of getting an extra bolt every odd level you get one bolt per three caster levels you have (minimum 1), and each bolt causes 1 point of Strength, Dexterity and Constitution penalty. A successful Fortitude save negates this. This penalty lasts for 10 minutes per caster level, to a maximum of 100 minutes. Penalties from multiple bolts of one casting of this spell will stack with each other, however penalties from separate castings of this spell will not, nor will the penalties from this spell stack with penalties from other spells (although it will stack with actual ability damage or ability drain). Multiple bolts from the same casting require separate saving throws.


Befuddling Bolt
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: Up to five creatures, no two of which can be more than 15 ft. apart
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort half
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions exactly as the spell Magic Missile, only instead of getting an extra bolt every odd level you get one bolt per three caster levels you have (minimum 1), and each bolt causes 1 point of Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma penalty. A successful Fortitude save negates this. This penalty lasts for 10 minutes per caster level, to a maximum of 100 minutes. Penalties from multiple bolts of one casting of this spell will stack with each other, however penalties from separate castings of this spell will not, nor will the penalties from this spell stack with penalties from other spells (although it will stack with actual ability damage or ability drain). Multiple bolts from the same casting require separate saving throws.


Enervating Bolt
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: Up to five creatures, no two of which can be more than 15 ft. apart
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fort half
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions exactly as the spell Magic Missile, only instead of getting an extra bolt every odd level you get one bolt per three caster levels you have (minimum 1), and each bolt causes a target to take one negative level. A successful Fortitude save reduces this to two points of temporary Constitution damage.

If the subject has at least as many negative levels as HD, it dies. Each negative level gives a creature a -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and effective level (for determining the power, duration, DC, and other details of spells or special abilities).

Additionally, a spellcaster loses one spell or spell slot from his or her highest available level. Negative levels stack.

Assuming the subject survives, it regains lost levels after a number of hours equal to your caster level (maximum 15 hours). Usually, negative levels have a chance of permanently draining the victim’s levels, but the negative levels from Enervating Bolt don’t last long enough to do so.

An undead creature struck by a bolt gains 1d4+5 temporary hit points for 1 hour.

[Grod_The_Giant]

The thing that worries me is stacking. Especially since the text says "as magic missile," which could be interpreted as meaning that all 5 bolts could be targeted at 1 subject.

[bobthe6th]

and how temporary? that could flat out kill a lot of foes at higher levels

[Kane0]

One round per caster level, or one round per bolt?

[Kane0]

If anyone can think of a way to make them work as Evocation, poke me, I want to hear it.

Evocation is the direction and application of energy, not just the creation. If you take that to an extreme you could siphon energy, effectively redirecting it away or out of a foe for an effect similar to a necromancer applying negative energy to cancel out an enemies energy and drain them.
Also you could theoretically redirect energy attacks and effects if you were good (and quick) enough.

Given enough thought evocation could be a really OP school simply by screwing around with energy that is not their own.

Edit: Actually with that mindset Necromancy is essentially a subcategory of Evocation. It focuses on negative energy in all its forms and manipulation, where Evocation is all kinds. Interesting...

[bobthe6th]

...and if they made it a real school, instead of the pillaged remnant conjuration left in its wake.

round caster level of 2 damage to str and dex would be fine I think, but not con. con damage kills things, really fast.

[Noctis Vigil]

OK, for Enervating Bolt, I specifically said that the negative levels last one hour per caster level, maximum 15 hours. This can be crippling, but it's less than 24 hours, therefore the level loss will never be permanent. Additionally, you get one bolt per three caster levels you have, so at level 5 when the spell first becomes available you only get one bolt, topping out at 5 negative levels total at level 15 (one per bolt, one bolt per 3 caster levels).

Some of these comments I don't understand. Kane0, what do you mean by "One round per caster level, or one round per bolt?"? Bobthe6th, are you saying I should remove the Con damage from Crippling Bolt?

As for how temporary the damage is, I forgot to put a duration on that. Thanks for the catch.

[Grod_The_Giant]

On the other hand, Crippling and Befuddling bolt can impose a -10 penalty to three stats at level nine.

[Noctis Vigil]

How's it look now, Grod?

[Siosilvar]

On the other hand, Crippling and Befuddling bolt can impose a -10 penalty to three stats at level nine.

Which, more directly, means that if your opponents have a 10 or lower in any stat you can knock them unconscious for an hour and a half (duration of the damage) or kill them outright with the Constitution damage (which, by the way, also effectively does 1 point of damage per missile per level to the target).

That's with a first-level spell. I'm relatively certain the amount of ability damage you have here would be overpowered on a fifth-level spell.

[Kane0]

Kane0, what do you mean by "One round per caster level, or one round per bolt?"?

I was just suggesting a solution to Bobs question "How temporary" is all.

[Grod_The_Giant]

How's it look now, Grod?

I would have said make it so that the penalties from being struck by multiple bolts don't stack, similar to how ray of enfeeblement works. It's still pretty easy to find something with a low stat and missile it into unconsciousness.

[Noctis Vigil]

I would have said make it so that the penalties from being struck by multiple bolts don't stack, similar to how ray of enfeeblement works. It's still pretty easy to find something with a low stat and missile it into unconsciousness.

Ray of Enfeeblement has no such limit. It does keep you from dropping a stat below 1, though, so I added that to both stat-lowering spells.

[Absol197]

Ray of Enfeeblement has no such limit. It does keep you from dropping a stat below 1, though, so I added that to both stat-lowering spells.

Ray of enfeeblement doesn't do ability damage, though, it inflicts an ability penalty. That means that additional penalties from the same spell don't stack, you just use the higher one. It's not spelled out in the description, it's spelled out in the Magic mechanics.

[Noctis Vigil]

Where is ability penalties listed in the mechanics? I don't find it in the SRD under conditions. Does anyone have a link or page number in the PHB on that?

[Grod_The_Giant]

Where is ability penalties listed in the mechanics? I don't find it in the SRD under conditions. Does anyone have a link or page number in the PHB on that?

Stacking Effects

Spells that provide bonuses or penalties on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and other attributes usually do not stack with themselves. More generally, two bonuses of the same type don’t stack even if they come from different spells (or from effects other than spells; see Bonus Types, above).

Ray of Enfeeblement provides a penalty to "other attributes."

[Noctis Vigil]

OK, one more try at this. How do they look now?

[Yitzi]

Befuddling might be enchantment, but I don't see any way to give any of them to evocation.

[TuggyNE]

I would actually rephrase the descriptions to remove the explicit similarity to magic missile, since these spells do not directly do damage. (If you want to keep blocking these spells with shield, nightshield, and so on, add language like "The shield spell and similar negate this just as though it were a magic missile.")

Also, enervating bolt calls itself a ray in the last line.

[Noctis Vigil]

I fixed the copy pasta error on Enervating Bolt, thanks for the catch there. I will put some thought into the wording of the first two spells.