Experimenting with sigils

[jjordan]

Self-scrubbing for reasons.

[foobar1969]

JJordan, I like your rituals much better than your antics in Congress (or the locker room).

Know 1st Level, Divination (Ritual)

Reasonable.

Magic Circle, Variant 1st Level, Abjuration (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 minute Range: 10 feet Components: V S M (Chalk and the powdered, energy-specific material from the list below) Duration: 3 hours Classes: Wizard The process of drawing and imbuing the circle with magic energy creates a ten foot diameter circle which prevents the passage of a specified type of energy across the established boundary. It does this by absorbing the energy. There are limits to this. If subjected to too much stress the circle will break. Creatures of that energy type will take damage crossing the boundary, but not be prevented from crossing.

This should be 3rd level, an actual variant of Magic Circle.
It's many times more powerful than Protection from Energy (larger effect, longer duration, no concentration, damages enemies), which is partly balanced by the longer casting time.

Simple Sigil 1st Level, Evocation (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 Action Range: Person/Touch Components: V S M (a non-living material to mark on) Duration: Permanent Classes: Wizard Creates a complex, 2 dimensional graphic on a non-living material which stores information. The information can be 1 minute of memory regarding the caster's experience in the past 10 minutes or the next 5 minutes OR the experience of a willing person/creature the caster touches for the duration of the casting OR 1 minute of information the caster wishes to encapsulate OR information about a single item/creature

Compare this effect to Encode Thoughts from Ravnica. I'd increase the spell level, and give it a better name. "Simple Sigil creates a complex graphic"???

Open Sigil Cantrip, Evocation Casting Time: 1 Action Range: Touch Components: V S Duration: Permanent Classes: Wizard A cantrip used to open a sigil that isn't keyed to open to the touch of the caster. Caster must make an Arcana check with a DC equal to 5 plus the level the sigil was cast at times five.

Why is this a cantrip rather than a leveled spell (which would make it easy to balance regarding high level sigils).

Change Sigil

Also known as corrupt sigil. Used to change/overwrite information in a sigil. 1st level can be upcast against more powerful sigils.

This needs more details.

Complex Sigil 3rd Level, Evocation (Ritual) Casting Time: 1 hour Range: Touch Components: V S M (Incense and 200gp worth of powdered diamond which is consumed in the casting) Duration: Until dispelled or triggered Classes: Wizard When this spell is cast it creates a visible sigil upon a non-living material. This sigil can contain multiple simple sigils (the same number as the level the complex sigil is cast at) or a single spell (one level lower than the level the complex sigil is cast at). Creation of the complex sigil is automatic if the caster is not interrupted during the casting. The caster must make a DC10 Arcana check for each simple sigil they embed and a DC15 Arcana check to embed a spell.

So this is a variant Glyph of Warding. I guess it's about right.

Disguised Sigil

Makes a sigil look like something else. EG regular writing, or a different sigil

Invisible Sigil

Makes the sigil invisible to normal sight. Upcast to make it invisible to detect magic cast at a lower level

Is this also a ritual? Magic that makes other magic better shouldn't be a ritual.

Viral Suggestion 3rd Level, Enchantment Casting Time: 2 actions Range: 150 feet Components: V M (a drop of polluted water which is consumed in the casting) Duration: Until dispeled or suggestion is completed Classes: Wizard You suggest a simple course of action to the target. The action must not be complex (it cannot include trigger conditions or multiple steps) and must be phrased in a way that sounds reasonable to the target. It can include self-harm. The caster must make a DC15 Arcana check to successfully infect the target. The target must make a DC1 Wisdom saving throw to avoid carrying out the task. If they fail they must do their best to carry out the task. They must make a DC30 Wisdom saving throw to attempt to 'shake off' the viral suggestion. If they succeed the spell fails and the target is no longer infected. The target must make their saving throws, in order (carry out the task then shake off the spell), every 24 hours. The DC to avoid carrying out the task goes up by 1 every 24 hours. The DC to shake off the viral suggestion goes down by 1 every 24 hours.

The DCs on this are way too complicated.

[Squire Doodad]

I'm not entirely sure what the "Viral" part of the Viral Suggestion is supposed to be. Viral Suggestion sounds like it's being used to spread it throughout a group (like charming someone and telling them to charm other people with orders to repeat the same task), but it sounds like you're just making it so that it can be shaken off. Maybe call it Temperamental Suggestion or if you want to keep it with the whole disease theme maybe Pestilent Suggestion?

[jjordan]

I'm not entirely sure what the "Viral" part of the Viral Suggestion is supposed to be. Viral Suggestion sounds like it's being used to spread it throughout a group (like charming someone and telling them to charm other people with orders to repeat the same task), but it sounds like you're just making it so that it can be shaken off. Maybe call it Temperamental Suggestion or if you want to keep it with the whole disease theme maybe Pestilent Suggestion?

My thinking was that it was similar to a computer virus in that it hides in the regular sigils and infects your mind when you read them. I renamed it to persistent suggestion for now.

[Squire Doodad]

My thinking was that it was similar to a computer virus in that it hides in the regular sigils and infects your mind when you read them. I renamed it to persistent suggestion for now.

Persistent Suggestion feels like it gets the point across much better. Also, not all viruses work the same way; for the most part people would be thinking of a Trojan when they say that (the "looks fine but is actually dangerous" aspect, I am not a cybersecurity expert and so wouldn't know much).
The idea is interesting, I like the concept of an effect that can persist like that (maybe simplify how it works a little). It makes for a good way to set up a situation where a party member/benefactor is being forced to do something, but you want to give the player a chance to escape it.