Umbral Arcana [Spells]

[ghost_warlock]

I made these and posted them with my Shadowmage, but I'd like to get some seperate criticism for them, particularly shadow bolt. Also, wings of gloom seems a bit underpowered for a 5th-level spell to me. So, gentle readers, what do you all think?

Night’s Stealth
Illusion (Shadow) [Darkness]
Level: Asn 1, Rgr 1, Sdm 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

This spell surrounds you with shadows, which obscures your position and grants a +5 circumstance bonus on Hide checks and Move Silently checks.
This spell is dispelled in daylight or in the area of a light spell of 2nd level or higher.

Shadow Bolt
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sdm 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One bolt of shadow
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

By weaving energy from the Plane of Shadow, you create a partially real missile and hurl it at a foe.
A creature struck by the bolt takes 1d10 points of damage. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit an opponent with the missile. For every two caster levels beyond 1st, your bolt deals an additional 1d10 points of damage: 2d10 at 3rd, 3d10 at 5th, 4d10 at 7th, and the maximum of 5d10 at 9th level or higher.
However the bolt is only one-fifth real and any creature struck is allowed a Will disbelief saving throw to realize the missile’s illusory nature. Creatures who succeed on the save receive only 20% damage, similar to a creature making its save against an attack created with shadow conjuration or shadow evocation.
A creature that successfully saves against this spell receives a +4 bonus on its saving throws against further castings of this spell by the same caster for 24 hours.
Objects automatically succeed on their Will saves against this spell.

Darklands Well
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sdm 8, Sor/Wiz 8

This spell functions as shadow well except as noted.
You cause the target's shadow to become a temporary gateway to a negative energy-infused region of the Plane of Shadow known as the Darklands. The target must make a Will save or be pulled into the gateway. Inside the pocket realm, the target sees a deserted, gloomy duplicate of the real world, while shadowy phantasms stalk and taunt it but do not actually attack. However, on the beginning of each round that the creature remains in the Darklands, it takes 1d6 points of negative energy damage from the harsh environment.
Each round, as a standard action, the creature can attempt another Will save against the original DC to end the spell and return from the Darklands. Failure means that the creature gains one negative level and remains trapped until it frees itself or the spell’s duration expires.
Being trapped in a Darklands well can be terrifying; upon returning to the real world, the subject must succeed on another Will save or be frightened for 1d4 rounds.
Upon leaving the pocket realm, the subject reappears in the spot it had been in when the Darklands well spell was cast. If this spot is filled with a solid object, the subject appears in the nearest adjacent empty space.
Spells and abilities that move a creature within a plane, such as teleport and dimension door, do not help a creature escape a Darklands well spell, although a plane shift spell allows it to flee to another plane as normal. The target might still become frightened upon leaving.

Wings of Gloom
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Sdm 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0
Effect: Personal
Duration: 10 minutes/level (D)

A pair of shadowy, gossamer wings sprout from your shoulders, granting you a fly speed of 100 feet (good maneuverability). You can’t carry aloft more than a light load. Additionally, the spell makes your movements supernaturally silent, granting a +10 competence bonus on Move Silently checks.
Material Component: a moth.

[Matthew]

They seem okay to me. Darkland's Well is the only one of any significant power and comparatively, it seems fine.

[ghost_warlock]

Thanks for the comments, Matthew!

Does anyone have any more feedback for me of should I just hit the theoretical "publish" button?

[Spiryt]

Wings of Gloom

Flying on the wings of night haha...
Pretty cool, but in my opinion should be nerfed. It last to long, gives insane speed... you know fly is much worse and anyway is often considered as abused.
Such wings should have some weak points. Maybe grat speed (already have) but some poor maneuverability?

[Matthew]

Yeah, but Wings of Gloom is a Level Five Spell and Fly is a Level Three Spell; there's no balance issue there, except that magic is too powerful and easily available in D&D, but this isn't a fix...

[FoeHammer]

Shadow Bolt
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sdm 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One bolt of shadow
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

By weaving energy from the Plane of Shadow, you create a partially real missile and hurl it at a foe.
A creature struck by the bolt takes 1d10 points of damage. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit an opponent with the missile. For every two caster levels beyond 1st, your bolt deals an additional 1d10 points of damage: 2d10 at 3rd, 3d10 at 5th, 4d10 at 7th, and the maximum of 5d10 at 9th level or higher.
However the bolt is only one-fifth real and any creature struck is allowed a Will disbelief saving throw to realize the missile’s illusory nature. Creatures who succeed on the save receive only 20% damage, similar to a creature making its save against an attack created with shadow conjuration or shadow evocation.
A creature that successfully saves against this spell receives a +4 bonus on its saving throws against further castings of this spell by the same caster for 24 hours.
Objects automatically succeed on their Will saves against this spell.

Seems a little overpowered for a lvl 1 spell. 1d10 pts of damage, even with the 'reality check', mabye elevate it to lvl 2 or 3. Does this spell have anything to do with the palne of Shadow?

[ghost_warlock]

First off, let me answer the easy question: Yes, this spell, because it has the (Shadow) descriptor, has a lot to do with the Plane of Shadow.

Enhanced magic. Spells with the shadow descriptor are enhanced on the Plane of Shadow. Such spells are cast as though they were prepared with the Maximize Spell feat, though they don’t require the higher spell slots.

Furthermore, specific spells become more powerful on the Plane of Shadow. Shadow conjuration and shadow evocation spells are 30% as powerful as the conjurations and evocations they mimic (as opposed to 20%). Greater shadow conjuration and greater shadow evocation are 70% as powerful (not 60%), and a shades spell conjures at 90% of the power of the original (not 80%).

DMs may rule that shadow bolt, like its big brothers shadow conjuration and shadow evocation, is also 10% more powerful when cast on the Plane of Shadow, but it's really up to them (I would rule that any shadow-descriptor spell indicating a percentage of a real effect would get the 10% boost).

Now, as for it being overpowered... I'm not so sure, myself.

On one hand, yeah, 1d10 is a lot of damage for a 1st-level spell. But it's not the only 1st-level 'spell' to deal that much damage. Mind thust sets the precedent as being another 1st-level effect that deals 1d10+ damage. Granted, it's a Mind-Affecting effect, which means it won't work on everything. But shadow bolt requires both a ranged touch as well as allows a save. Plus, if the target does save it's likely to be only marginally affected if targeted again that day. And there's a number of other spells, such as the lesser orbs in Complete Arcane or Spell Compedium that deal 1d8 damage with a ranged touch, but don't allow a saving throw. By that comparison, requiring a touch attack as well as a saving throw could allow the spell to have a higher maximum damage. It's a trade-off: give the foe more chances to resist, but do more damage if he doesn't.

In any case, direct damage spells are generally considered the worst kind spells available to spellcasters. I only really created it because I realized that my shadowmage class (see sig) doesn't really have any damage spells until higher level and sometimes you just want to blast something! (Especially at low-level when you want to stay as far from combat as possible and are unlikely to hit with anything that's not a ranged touch). Really, this spell is a bit of a last-resort, miniature shadow evocation effect.