Greater Consumptive Field

[TK-Squared]

Let us say I'm an evil cleric 20 and I have hired a few level 1 Warriors to hang out at my place when the good guys come charging in.

Let's say that there are about 30 level 1 warriors that you can fit into a 30-foot radius emenating from me.

Let's say I cast Greater Consumptive Field to kill them all and gain +60 Strength and 30d8 Temporary Hit points for 20 rounds.

Does this work?

[Jacob Orlove]

Chickens are smaller, and cheaper.

But yes, this works. Note that you also gain a big boost to Caster Level. Sounds like a good time to cast Blasphemy!

[Reel On, Love]

Yes. But then, so does gating in a Solar or whatever for 9k via a Candle of Invocation.

Just because you can do it by the rules doesn't mean that it's okay.

[TK-Squared]

Chickens are smaller, and cheaper.

But yes, this works. Note that you also gain a big boost to Caster Level. Sounds like a good time to cast Blasphemy!

I like the way you think.

[goat]

Does this work?

Yes, the first time.

After that, it probably gets a lot harder to find Level 1 warriors who will hang out with you.

[Catch]

Chickens are smaller, and cheaper.

But yes, this works. Note that you also gain a big boost to Caster Level. Sounds like a good time to cast Blasphemy!

Here's another away: Take a leisurely forest walk. How many 1 HD animals and insects do you figure there are in your average copse?

For more cheese, there's the Permanent Emanation feat, though it's Epic and therefore automatically broken.

[Jack Mann]

Also, it's a vanishingly short time before the DM smacks you with a blunt, heavy object.

[Chronos]

I agree that the OP's idea is broken, but from what I'm reading of that spell, I'm not sure how else it's supposed to be used. Is there some non-broken purpose for a spell like that? Why would any DM (or game designer or playtester) ever allow it in the first place?

[Jasdoif]

I'm not sure about the +60 Strength part. The description says you get "1d8 temporary hit points per death caused by this spell and +2 Strength", suggesting the Strength bonus isn't affected by the number of deaths.

[yango]

I'm not sure about the +60 Strength part. The description says you get "1d8 temporary hit points per death caused by this spell and +2 Strength", suggesting the Strength bonus isn't affected by the number of deaths.

What version of the Spell Compendium do you have? Mine reads "1d8 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus to Strength for each death."

[Jasdoif]

What version of the Spell Compendium do you have? Mine reads "1d8 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus to Strength for each death."

I don't have the Spell Compendium. I was reading it out of Libris Mortis.

I do hate it when stuff is updated in books I don't have.

[RTGoodman]

Actually, as broken as it sounds, I think this is the perfect thing for a BBEG to do when the PCs have their first encounter with him (well, but with fewer minions).

The PCs enter the inner sanctum of the High Temple of Generic Death God, whose High Priest the PCs have been trying to kill. He surrounds himself with minions, and so the party thinks they'll have to fight there way through, like a generic "boss battle." Of course, then he simply kills everything around him and proceeds to beat the party down for a bit. Afterwards, he's either killed them or he's about to die, and thus he makes his exit.

Using that, he's now not just a High Priest of GDG, but you're party also knows he's completely evil and will probably just refer to him as "that crazy cleric that killed his own people!" And that's the kind of impression a BBEG should leave on a party.

Of course, if you're a PC, your DM is gonna beat you with a stick the first time you try this.

[Jothki]

Yes, the first time.

After that, it probably gets a lot harder to find Level 1 warriors who will hang out with you.

That's why you use cultists.

[yango]

That's why you use cultists.

Or a bag of tricks.

[Kurald Galain]

Let's say I cast Greater Consumptive Field to kill them all and gain +60 Strength and 30d8 Temporary Hit points for 20 rounds.

Is this not subject to being dispelled?

[yango]

Is this not subject to being dispelled?

Yes, but the spell also bumps up your caster level by 1/death to a maximum increase of 1/2 your original caster level.

Good luck dispelling a CL 30 spell.

[Jasdoif]

Yes, but the spell also bumps up your caster level by 1/death to a maximum increase of 1/2 your original caster level.

Good luck dispelling a CL 30 spell.

It's not a CL 30 spell. It's a CL 20 spell. The dispel check is made against the spell's caster level, which will be 20 since you cast it before you got the bonus from the spell.

[Jack_Simth]

It's not a CL 30 spell. It's a CL 20 spell. The dispel check is made against the spell's caster level, which will be 20 since you cast it before you got the bonus from the spell.

Note to self:
Cast Twice (or just use a Bead of Karma and an Orange Prism Ioun Stone first - or both) when using Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell).

Then follow up with a blasphemy if anything interrupts your stroll through town.

[Douglas]

It's not a CL 30 spell. It's a CL 20 spell. The dispel check is made against the spell's caster level, which will be 20 since you cast it before you got the bonus from the spell.

Which is why you cast it again and walk within 30 feet of another batch of chickens. Combine with Divine Metamagic Persistent Spell for true cheese, and I recall reading some trick on the charOp boards that doubles the bonus caster level somehow, allowing for an endless upward spiral. There's a reason this spell got onto the Campaign Smashers list.

Edit: Ninja'd, but only partially.

[Jasdoif]

Note to self:
Cast Twice (or just use a Bead of Karma and an Orange Prism Ioun Stone first - or both) when using Divine Metamagic (Persistent Spell).

Then follow up with a blasphemy if anything interrupts your stroll through town.

Hmm. That'd work.

Makes me wonder if the spell was a "covert" attempt to get disjunction used in a game.

[Jack_Simth]

Hmm. That'd work.

Makes me wonder if the spell was a "covert" attempt to get disjunction used in a game.

Nah, wouldn't.

See, I've yet to find a spell that will stop the falling cows.

[Jasdoif]

See, I've yet to find a spell that will stop the falling cows.

Falling cows, huh? So what you need...is a spell that maintains a slaughterhouse over the air above you, and then sells the rare falling air-blessed beef at premium prices, giving you 10% of the proceeds.

Or maybe you just need to start a McDonald's franchise.

[yango]

Which is why you cast it again and walk within 30 feet of another batch of chickens. Combine with Divine Metamagic Persistent Spell for true cheese, and I recall reading some trick on the charOp boards that doubles the bonus caster level somehow, allowing for an endless upward spiral. There's a reason this spell got onto the Campaign Smashers list.

IIRC, the idea was based around a risky wording. Since each one limits the max by your "original caster level", each successive one increases the max caster level you can go up to (e.g. first one maxes at CL 30, next one at CL 45, next one at CL 67, etc.). Not that that sort of thing would be allowed by any sane DM...

[Damage Control]

Any DM with players who want to do this can't possibly still be sane by now.

[yango]

Any DM with players who want to do this can't possibly still be sane by now.

They'd probably decide to play a party of 4 Druid 10/Planar Shepherd 10's before they tried this.

[Jack_Simth]

Falling cows, huh? So what you need...is a spell that maintains a slaughterhouse over the air above you, and then sells the rare falling air-blessed beef at premium prices, giving you 10% of the proceeds.

Or maybe you just need to start a McDonald's franchise.

Doesn't help.

See, the cows are similar to rocks, in what they do and what comes after.