Band of Blood Brothers [Spell] (P.E.A.C.H.)

[DracoDei]

I've decided to move into 5e homebrewing. Let's see how close I came with my first public attempt...

Spell lists: Cleric... perhaps Druid, probably NOT Bard, and certainly not any others in the PHB.

Band of Blood Brothers
9th-level abjuration (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a matched set of platinum rings worth at least 50 gp each, which you and the targets must wear for the duration)
Duration: 1 hour
This spell wards yourself and up to 5 other willing creatures you select and creates a mystic connection between each of you until the target ends. None of the creatures may be the subject or caster of a currently active Warding Bond. Each of you gains a +1 bonus to AC and saving throws. Each time any of you takes damage, the damage is instead distributed as evenly as possible amongst all targets. Remaining points are lost*. This redistribution occurs after all resistances, immunities, vulnerabilities, reductions, etc from the original target are applied. Such things from the other targets of this spell are ignored.
*For example if you cast this on 3 other people, and then are struck for 9 points of damage, each of you would take 2 points of damage, with the 9th point not being applied to anyone. If you were instead struck for 15 points of damage you would each take 3 points of damage, with 3 points being "lost".

The spell ends if any of the targets drop to 0 hit points or any pair of targets becomes separated by more than 80' feet. It also ends if this spell or Warding Bond is cast again on any of the connected creatures. You can also dismiss the spell as an action.


EDITING QUESTIONS IN:

Should I drop the spell level to 8th?

Should I increase the range between targets that causes the spell to fail from 60' to 80' or perhaps even further?

Should this be on any other spell list than Cleric?

[DracoDei]

49 views and no responses.

Bumping this.

I have ended up using a variant of this as the capstone for a Domain in a contest, so I really would like to have a firmer idea of its balance.

Based on the one person from the contest who gave me feedback from that contest so far, I have removed the rule about how points of damage that can't be evenly distributed are divided and just had them go away.

I also am considering reducing the duration, because it seems like it makes single target attacks (even many of them in a single round) basically incapable of dropping anyone in a reasonably-sized party where the cleric casting this spell is also making reasonable use of Cure Wounds and/or Heal. Come to that, even Healing Word is going to be pretty effective.

In parties with less of a spread of maximum hitpoint values substitute the Mass versions of the above, while keeping the slot-levels spent on them approximately constant.

...but then I look at Meteor Swarm and Foresight and realize 9th level spells are supposed to remain pretty nuts in 5e.

So, I'm not sure.

tl;dr:
Please
Examine
And
Critique
Honestly

P.S. Other than clerics, which classes, if any, should get this spell?

[Potato_Priest]

I'm definitely not worried about this being overpowered. The limitations to mobility (everybody needs to be within 60 feet) and the basic function of the spell (when this is in play, the party's wizard is always going to die first, which is very not ideal) both combine to make it an acceptable option at best. Basically, you prevent the enemy from focus firing but prevent any kind of good tanking from happening, since when the fighter gets hit everybody including the squishies gets hit.

You should specify whether this effect occurs before or after resistances, immunities, and damage reducing effects.

[DracoDei]

I have made both changes you suggested.

A 9th level ritual seems sorta... suspect, but I will do it for now.

What would people think of dropping the level to 8, but with only 3 additional targets, with using a 9th level slot increasing it to 6 (7 including the caster)? I think the power of this may scale exponentially with party size, since not only is it protecting more people, but each one is better protected. Shoot, going down to 6th or 7th, but only starting out at 2+caster, and then +2 targets/slot-up* might be even better.
*My own term. Do people approve?

Looks up how variable-slot spells work with rituals.

Eh... can't slot-up when casting as a ritual.

Spoiler: Note to self regarding future homebrew.

Show

Write in an exception to that when writing up the 5e Grace-Gift.

[JNAProductions]

What does it mean "Remaining points are lost"? Does that mean that, if I have the max of six people in the spell, any instances of 5 damage or less are just ignored, since they can't go to everyone?

[DracoDei]

What does it mean "Remaining points are lost"? Does that mean that, if I have the max of six people in the spell, any instances of 5 damage or less are just ignored, since they can't go to everyone?

Precisely. This was suggested in the sub-class creation contest I used this (with very slight modifications) as the capstone to a Clerical Domain for.

Do you happen to have a suggestion on how I should go about stating this more clearly? Should I just leave that sentence out and assume that people will remember the usual rules for dividing in 5e? I guess 5e's Warding Bond has that property too (I.o.W.: odd numbered points of damage are prevented), unlike the 3.x/PF equivalent Shield Other which had it phrased something like "The amount of damage not taken by the warded creature is taken by you.".

[JNAProductions]

Precisely. This was suggested in the sub-class creation contest I used this (with very slight modifications) as the capstone to a Clerical Domain for.

Do you happen to have a suggestion on how I should go about stating this more clearly? Should I just leave that sentence out and assume that people will remember the usual rules for dividing in 5e? I guess 5e's Warding Bond has that property too (I.o.W.: odd numbered points of damage are prevented), unlike the 3.x/PF equivalent Shield Other which had it phrased something like "The amount of damage not taken by the warded creature is taken by you.".

Just give an example. That should clear up confusion.