"Hold still for a minute. Heh heh heh..." (3.5 Spell, PEACH)

[Noctis Vigil]

Stunning Burst
Evocation [Electricity]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half, Fortitude partial (see spell description)
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell functions as the spell Fireball, except that the damage done is electricity damage, and the damage cap is 20d6. In addition, any foe who takes damage from this spell must immediately make a Fortitude save or be paralyzed one round and stunned one round for every 20 damage taken; on a successful save, this is reduced, and the character is treated as being staggered for one round. Creatures who succeed on their Reflex save to avoid damage gain a +4 bonus on this save.

This spell does not work under water.

Material Component: A tanglefoot bag and a ball of copper worth at least 20 gold.

[Yitzi]

A multi-area multi-turn stun that effectively targets two stuns? And has no level cap?

If you're trying to make an evocation spell that's as broken as some of the non-evocation spells out there, this is a good approach.

[Eurus]

A multi-area multi-turn stun that effectively targets two stuns? And has no level cap?

If you're trying to make an evocation spell that's as broken as some of the non-evocation spells out there, this is a good approach.

Heh, that's a good way to put it. There are definitely more/equally powerful spells out there, but they're generally acknowledged as broken.

A damage cap of 20d6, and reducing the paralyze/stun duration to 1 round seems fairer. It's still an AoE blast and save-or-lose-a-turn (and possibly get coup de graced), so it'd still be quite useful.

[Kholai]

Except it's better than two stuns; it's Paralysation, hence all targets within a 40ft Sphere that don't have evasion are at Fort: drop their weapon and become helpless CDG bait. Widen that and it's a damage-causing Wail of the Banshee.

And since they're helpless and stunned, you can cast this spell a second time; they automatically fail their reflex save the next time you cast it for a free -4.

[Kasbark]

If you want to balance this a bit, here is what i would do to make it less overpowered:

Change the fortitude save modifier, so a successful reflex save gives you +4 on the fortitude save.
Change the stun duration to either one round, or one round only if you suffer 15+ points of damage. If you really want it to be able to stun for more rounds it should properly be 1round per 15-20 damage, and the spell should go up to level 7.

oh, and are you aware that a 50gp copper ball would weigh about 100 pounds if you follow the trade goods list of 0.5 gp per pound?
I guess that might be a limiting factor - you can only cast it with around the 18 strength required to lift such a ball in one hand.

[Yitzi]

oh, and are you aware that a 50gp copper ball would weigh about 100 pounds if you follow the trade goods list of 0.5 gp per pound?

It never says it has to be a plain ball; you could have a skillfully crafted smaller ball, which is worth more due to the skill needed.

[Kholai]

It never says it has to be a plain ball; you could have a skillfully crafted smaller ball, which is worth more due to the skill needed.

If that were possible, this brings up an interesting issue; can you use 50 Copper pieces to fashion a Copper Ball worth 50 GP?

Not that being able to fabricate 50 GP's worth of copper out of 16.6 GP's worth of copper makes sense either.

[TuggyNE]

Not that being able to fabricate 50 GP's worth of copper out of 16.6 GP's worth of copper makes sense either.

Why not? Fundamentally, craftsmanship is expected to be able to make things more valuable than their raw materials, otherwise no economy would work.

[Noctis Vigil]

Several changes added:

• Damage cap is now 20d6
• Paralysis only lasts for one round on a failed save
• Stunned lasts for one round per 20 damage
• One a successful save the target is treated as staggered for one round, but is not stunned or paralyzed
• Copper ball reduced to 20GP in value
• Spell no longer works under water

[Kholai]

Why not? Fundamentally, craftsmanship is expected to be able to make things more valuable than their raw materials, otherwise no economy would work.

Craftsmanship, by RAW, is the act of creation, not craftsmanship; that's what Masterwork is for. Creating a featureless block of copper into a larger featureless block of copper is pretty much literal truth.

You could, notionally, craft three masterwork balls of copper worth 1 CP, linked together by a coil of copper wire; then pull these apart; they're each worth 50.0333 GP each, though with the new suggestion you could have a reel of seven copper balls.

Stunning means they're still ultimately helpless, but at least it's not "kill everyone with a Sudden Maximised Electrobolt" any more. Absolute Mage killer spell.

[Yitzi]

If that were possible, this brings up an interesting issue; can you use 50 Copper pieces to fashion a Copper Ball worth 50 GP?

Technically, by the rules, no (as Craft has a raw material cost equal to 1/3 the final worth), but you could do it in several stages (perhaps copper into fine copper wire into copper thread etc. into a ball that's a masterpiece of art).

Not that being able to fabricate 50 GP's worth of copper out of 16.6 GP's worth of copper makes sense either.

Of course you can't do that; you can, however, fabricate 50 GP's worth of copper products out of 16.666... GP worth of copper.