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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Doorhandle's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Australia
    Gender
    Male

    Default [PF] Detonate rune [P.E.A.C.H]



    Like this, basically.

    Detonate Rune
    School Abjuration ;
    Level sorcerer/wizard 1, Witch 1 Domain runes, special:
    Casting Time: 1 immedtiate action.
    Components: V, S, M (a short fuse)
    Range Short (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
    Effect: Activate 1 prexisisting symbol trap
    Duration: instant
    Saving throw: No, See text.
    Spell resistance: No, see text

    You activate a pre-existing symbol trap, causing it to detonate and have it’s usual effect on all creatures within a 10-foot burst, or it’s normal radius, whichever is higher. “Symbol trap,” in this case, includes all spell effects that normally have to be inscribed on a surface and read to have their full effect, such as Explosive Runes, Sepia Snake Sigil, and the Symbol of- series. Spells that were not A.O.E before Detonate Rune was cast gain the 10ft area of effect and affect every creature within that area.

    This can affect Symbol traps that were not created by you.

    While spell resistance and saving throws do not affect this spell, the symbol traps Detonate Rune triggers are affected by spell resistance and give Saving throws as normal for those spells.

    Special: A cleric with the runes domain can prepare this spell as a second-level spell, but only in his domain slot.


    Questions? Comments? PEACH?

    I made it level one despite it’s potential use because it's worthless without a symbol trap to affect.

    I have a question: should this spell be able to affect multiple such traps at once, and if so, how many? Or should that be regulated to a greater version of the spell?

    Awaiting your comments!
    Last edited by Doorhandle; 2013-08-09 at 05:38 PM.
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  2. - Top - End - #2
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    BlackDragon

    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    US (Central Time)

    Default Re: [PF] Detonate rune [P.E.A.C.H]

    Okay, I'm far from an expert, so my opinions should be taken with a grain of salt.

    To my eyes, this is overpowered as a 1st level spell. Naturally, there are many circumstances where it is worthless, but no one is going to learn the spell unless they think they can use it. And here's what it can let you do:

    1) Keep a bag of rocks with Explosive Runes cast on them. Throw them towards distant enemies, and detonate them the next turn. Since it only uses a 1st-level spell to detonate them, you've got a steady supply of 6d6 bombs to throw at people, with a few days' preparation. And if you're going TO, throw books on which you've cast Explosive Runes on every page. People already talk about that trick, but this makes it easier to pull off. Especially as an immediate action. I gather that this was the intent of the spell, but making it 1st level opens up greater abuse. (And on re-reading your appeal for comments, I realize that you were asking about that. I don't think you should be able affect multiple such traps with a level 1 spell.)

    2) If you suspect a trap, you can cast the spell from maximum range and see what happens. If nothing happens, there's no trap; if it is a trap, you just disabled it from a safe range with a level 1 spell. A niche application, to be sure, but with a wand of Detonate Rune, you can safely check every book or inscription for traps before reading it. Perhaps there should be a caster level check to detonate someone else's rune this way?

    That said, I don't know what spell level would balance this spell. And I think a lot of DMs would outright ban it, because of the TO potential.

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