Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Galen_Michael 08-11-04, 02:52 AM	I'm posting this in the general forum instead of the forums on magic or monsters because it is intended as more of a resource for DMs than a discussion of living spells per se. I am intrigued by the idea of living spells, but not just living fireballs and stinking clouds - I am interested in some of the truly unique stories that could be built upon the foundation of a living spell. Consider these ideas: :dice: An enchanter keeps a living mind fog as a "pet." Whenever a PC is unfortunate enough to become engulfed by or suffer the effects of the living mind fog, the enchanter targets that PC with an enchantment spell. :dice: A living plant growth creates a thornweed jungle in the Mournland, possibly overrunning the very place the PCs are trying to reach (ala Sleeping Beauty). Alternatively, this jungle grows out of control, exceeding the bounds of the Mournland and encroaching on nearby settlements. Can the PCs find the living spell responsible and put and end to it? :dice: A group of PCs entering a cavern inhabited by a living spike stones are in for some trouble, as the entire floor is riddled with camouflaged spikes. Any PC actually struck or engulfed by the living spell takes additional damage as spikes grow up beneath their feet. Escape could get tricky once one or more party members have their speed reduced to half. :dice: A living gate spell attacks, striking or engulfing a hapless PC and whisking her away to some unknown plane. Do the PCs allow themselves to be engulfed and follow? Since a gate is two-sided, does the same living spell exist on the destination plane? Are they the same creature? Will killing one kill the other, or merely make the portal one-way? :dice: While fighting a strange living spell, the PCs discover that the creature is actually a whispering wind spell that must have been transformed into a living spell before reaching its intended location. Could it be a message sent by a wizard on the Day of Mourning? Was the message simply a warning, or might it provide some clue as to what caused the Day of Mourning? Can the PCs determine its original destination of the spell and get the living spell there (alive) so that it will relay the message? Have others? Please post them! Galen
Cunning Gnome 08-11-04, 02:28 PM	Living otto's irressitable dance. The PC's enter and ancient audience chamber in the ruins of Cyre and are taken over by there worst nightmare, the living incarnate of Mikel Flatley:D.
Teslacoil1138 08-11-04, 02:48 PM	Living horrid wilting: imagine if this thing got into the ocean ;) Living antimagic field: is it even possible?? :eek: Living storm of vengeance: an entire town dies when this thing comes to visit
DireHawk 08-11-04, 03:18 PM	A Living Color Spray with a caster level 5. If it could be controlled, it's a great guard for a very wealthy person since it completely incapacites whoever it engulfs or hits. Just keep the ooze stretched out over a doorway and anyone that tries to pass through it gets engulfed automatically.
JDubTrafficGod 08-11-04, 03:50 PM	Any living raise dead type spells would be a definite problem with all the bodies about. Also a living wish/miracle spell could be the target of a high level adventure. i.e. Race enemy agents to the location and try and shut it down/kill it.
DaveReaves 08-11-04, 09:37 PM	A cabin in the woods turns out to be a living Leomund's Secure Shelter. Seems like an inviting prospect for weary adventurers, but once they walk inside...
MavrickWeirdo 08-11-04, 10:35 PM	Living Gentle Repose spell keeping an old battlefield perfectly preserved.
Egres 08-12-04, 03:38 AM	Living Earthquake...let's dance!:D
Endless_Helix 08-12-04, 08:47 AM	Living Chaos Hammer... that'd be interesting to see. Living Confusion! Living Create Water:D Living Disintigrate would be nasty, from a 20th level caster. 1d8+ Disintigrate (40d6)...
Guttercrawl 08-12-04, 09:35 AM	Not all living spells have to be devastating or grand in scale. There is something to be said for annoying PC's as well. How about this : -- A living dancing lights spell that chooses to follow one of the PC's like a lost puppy. -- The party happen upon a living alarm spell that takes revenge on the party for trespassing. -- A living Tenser's floating disk who acts as a rogue. -- A living ghost sounds spells decides to follow the party. -- The wizard of the party encounters the dreaded living erase spell. -- A living charm person spell could also be pretty amusing if you think about it.
Alfred 08-17-04, 02:54 AM	It's long past my bedtime, and I'm up preparing to DM my group's next session of 'Shadows of the Last War' (Michael, if you're reading this, STOP.) :twitch: .. in one of those odd flashes of inspiration that strikes only the sleep deprived, I tried applying the Living Spell Template to 'Invisibility Sphere'. Genius! The thing's invisible, and anything it engulfs, or slams, becomes the center of another 10' radius invisibility sphere. Better yet, the spell effect winks out of existence the instant someone tries to attack. Imagine the 3rd level party, stalking across the blasted wastelands of the Mournlands .. the ranger hears a faint squishing noise behind him, and BAM! Half the party disappears. But they're not dead, or gone, or, odds are, even badly wounded. And those within the same sphere can see each other. They may not even realize they're invisible. The fun begins when the adventurers, invisible or not, all draw swords and try to locate their foe by listening for him .. Hee hee .. the party members flicker in and out of sight, stabbing each other, while the spell rolls around, wreaking havoc. And good luck finding your invisible possessions. :) Ah, the wonders of insomnia .. Incidentally, here it is, for those who're interested .. it's no Living Mord's Disjunction, but then again, what is? Living Invisibility Sphere Medium Ooze Hit Dice: 5d10+5 (32 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 20 ft. Armor Class: 13 (+3 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+3 Attack: Slam +3 melee (1d4+1 plus invisibility sphere) Full Attack: Slam +3 melee (1d4+1 plus invisibility sphere) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Engulf, invisibility sphere Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/magic, ooze traits, spell resistance 15, Natural Invisibility Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +4 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 13 Skills: - Feats: - Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 5 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Invisibility Sphere (Su): Being hit by a living invisibility’s slam attack or engulfed by it confers invisibility upon all creatures within 10 feet of the victim. The center of the effect is mobile with the recipient. (Will save DC 14 negates). Those affected by this spell can see each other and themselves as if unaffected by the spell. Any affected creature moving out of the area becomes visible, but creatures moving into the area after the spell is cast do not become invisible. Affected creatures (other than the recipient) who attack negate the invisibility only for themselves. If the spell recipient attacks, the invisibility sphere ends. Natural Invisibility (Su): This ability is constant, allowing the living invisibility sphere to remain invisible even when attacking. Ooze Traits: An ooze is blind (blindsight 60 ft.) and has immunity to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight. It has immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits or flanking. p.s.: Oddly, the ooze itself, being medium (approx. 5 X 5), is significantly smaller than it's 10 ft.-radius spell effect. This may make it easier to find, as bushes and rocks disappear as it passes by ..
Egres 08-17-04, 04:53 AM	What about a Living Teleportation Circle ?
MarkB 08-17-04, 07:04 AM	Living Entangle. Imagine a tangle of writhing vegetation around a central mass of living earth. Anyone who comes within range is grabbed, immobilised, bludgeoned and dragged into the central mass to serve as extra compost. Similarly, a living Web, entangling and suffocating its victims. Imagine if a group of monstrous spiders, immune to its attacks, were to colonise it, forming a symbiotic relationship - they help it to subdue opposition and use their own webbing to 'heal' it of injuries, it grants them a mobile base of operations that makes capturing prey easier. This one would be great in a dungeon.
Endless_Helix 08-17-04, 08:27 AM	How about a Living Unseen Servant? It could follow around the party cleaning up after them, floating over an item when they say "wouldn't it be great if I had a ______" plus it could be fun to have an adventure based around that. While fighting a strange living spell, the PCs discover that the creature is actually a whispering wind spell that must have been transformed into a living spell before reaching its intended location. Could it be a message sent by a wizard on the Day of Mourning? Was the message simply a warning, or might it provide some clue as to what caused the Day of Mourning? Can the PCs determine its original destination of the spell and get the living spell there (alive) so that it will relay the message?" originally posted by Galen" Or is it infact a very distorted order for Milk, Cheese, a dozen eggs, a chicken, and a couple of heads of lettuce from the corner store?
Galen_Michael 08-17-04, 12:59 PM	:dice: A living wish spell is rumored to dwell deep within the Mournland. While this living wish has the effect of granting anyone it touches a +1 inherent bonus to Dexterity (or another ability score of the DM’s choosing), it also shares a symbiotic relationship with a living disintegrate or other lethal spell. Do the adventurers risk being engulfed or struck by the wish to gain the inherent bonus at the risk of being utterly destroyed by the disintegrate?
The_other 08-17-04, 03:03 PM	Living Eternity of Torture Huge Ooze Hit Dice: 17d10+68(153) Speed: 20ft Armor Class: Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+24 Attack: +14 melee (1d8+6 plus Eternity of Torture) Full Attack: same Space/Reach: 15 ft/ 10 ft Special Attacks: Engulf, Eternity of Torture Special Qualitities: Damage Reduction 10/magic, Ooze Traits, Spell resistance 27 Saves: fort +9, ref +8, will +8 Abilities: Str19, Dex16, Con19, Int--, Wis16, Cha19 Envirement: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 19?(i dont know directions confusing) Treasure: None Alignment: Always Neutral Evil Advancement: 18-20 (Huge) Level Adjustment: -- [b]Combat A Living Eternity of Torture engulfs its prey and leaves it in none other than a eternity of torture. Eternity of Torture (Su) A Creature hit by a Living EoT slame attack or engulfed by it is must make a fortitude save (19) or the creatures body is twisted and wraped in a wracked pain. The subject is rendered helpless, but as long as the spell continues(it lasts forever unless dispelled) it is sustained and has no need for food, drink, air. The subject does not age and loses 1 ability point to every score until 0(but Con stays at 1) The subject cannot heal or regenerate. A true eternity of unimaginable torture. If the subject saves they instead take 5d6 damage and takes a -4 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks for 1 round for every HD the Living EoT has. Engulf (Ex) A Living EoT can flow around a Huge or smaller creature as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The Living EoT merely has to move over the opponents affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the Living EoT, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 23 reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (oppenents choice) as the spell moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the full normal effect of the Eternity of Torture spell from BovD each round on the Living spell's turn and are considered grappled. Ooze Traits: An ooze is blind(blindsight 60ft) and has immunity to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight. It has immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities, poison, sleep effects, paraylsis, polymorph, and stunning. It is not subject to sneak attacks and critical hits or flanking. only truly evil dms would use this
DwelleroftheDeep 08-17-04, 04:17 PM	living prestidigation: "what do you mean I taste like chicken"
UltimaGabe 08-17-04, 04:47 PM	Hmm... is it possible to make Living Epic Spells? You know you're all thinking about a Living Vengeful Gaze of God.
Teslacoil1138 08-17-04, 05:05 PM	You know you're all thinking about a Living Vengeful Gaze of God. Wow, if that existed, that would probably be what destroyed the Mournlands... lol.
ChrisTheS 08-17-04, 10:49 PM	There's a living vampiric touch in my War-Torn novel submission... because it looks like a gaseous form, everyone is convinced that it's a real vampire. Here's one that's interesting: a living cure serious wounds. Everyone it engulfs, it ends up healing more damage than it deals, which just makes it hopping mad (alternately, if it's a good living spell, it can be a haze of light that settles randomly on people and makes them healthy and happy).
Egres 08-18-04, 03:11 AM	Originally posted by ChrisTheS There's a living vampiric touch in my War-Torn novel submission... because it looks like a gaseous form, everyone is convinced that it's a real vampire. Here's one that's interesting: a living cure serious wounds. Everyone it engulfs, it ends up healing more damage than it deals, which just makes it hopping mad (alternately, if it's a good living spell, it can be a haze of light that settles randomly on people and makes them healthy and happy). The template can be applied to any spells that create an area or effect (not targeted spells), Vampiric Touch Necromancy Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Target: Living creature touched Duration: Instantaneous/1 hour; see text Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: Yes Can you apply the template to this spell?!?
ChrisTheS 08-18-04, 03:48 AM	Exercising GM's prerogative to change the rules as I see fit, and creative license to do whatever I think makes the story better. Under those conditions, yes, I can apply the template to it, if I want :P
Laiqualasse 08-18-04, 03:54 AM	Can you apply the template to this spell?!? No, it does have to be an area effect. Thus the cure wounds one wouldn't work either. Even Vengeful Gaze of God is just a single creature, IIRC. Though a living hellball :mymy: As for more ideas, here's a few just off the top of my head: --A living Teleportation Circle has emerged from the Mournland and begun sending people . . . somewhere. The PCs have to find the missing villagers, and there's only one way to do that . . . :angel: --A living shatter somehow gets loose in Sharn . . . hijinks ensue. --A living incendiary cloud (or fireball, or burning hands, or any fire spell) starts wreaking havoc across Breland's farmland (or anywhere with lots of agriculture) --A living stone to flesh spell + any large castle / fortress made of stone = gooey mess --A living holy word is seen wandering through Thrane. The Church of the Silver Flame would love to use it . . . certain other groups want it dead. --And last but not least, a living reverse gravity. Anywhere. Doesn't matter. :D Though I have to say the meanest one is the living mordenkainen's disjunction over at http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=274509
Egres 08-18-04, 04:58 AM	I'll admit that i did like the Living Anti-Magic field too.
MarkB 08-18-04, 05:03 AM	Here's another one, which I've posted before in another thread: A Living Lightning Bolt spell that's hooked itself up to the Lightning Rail network, and is zipping around causing havoc in towns along the route. Very difficult to catch.
Endless_Helix 08-18-04, 12:49 PM	--A living Teleportation Circle has emerged from the Mournland and begun sending people . . . somewhere. The PCs have to find the missing villagers, and there's only one way to do that . . . Heehee! I'm am so going to use this in my next campaign. How about a living true creation? If someone got a hold of this, they'd have a lot of trading material, so much so that they would quite possibly are the richest person(s) in the world. Hmm... Maybe the Aurum has a couple...
LewisLlynn 09-01-04, 12:53 PM	Whether you can apply the template or not, a living disguise self would be pretty interesting... A living plane shift... hmmm...
GoodGuy89 09-01-04, 02:49 PM	A living Erase gets loose in the Korranberg Library while the heroes are there studying up facts about <insert your adventure here>. Can they stop it before too many of the irreplacable scrolls and tomes are destroyed? How did it get there? Could it have been brought there by <insert the BBEG/opposed organization here> to prevent them from finding what they need? And by the way, a living Desecrate/Consecrate could make a fine pet for a cleric of the corresponding alignment.
Saurenda 09-01-04, 03:13 PM	Everyone keeps suggesting a living spell be kept as a pet, but with no intelligence score how will it recognize it's care taker from it's next meal?
Myrddin Wyllt 09-01-04, 03:27 PM	Everyone keeps suggesting a living spell be kept as a pet, but with no intelligence score how will it recognize it's care taker from it's next meal? Two Words: Charm Monster....or....Dominate Monster More interesting, though, would be a wondrous item that could be somehow attached (where do you put a collar on an ooze?) which allowed the person attaching to control it as if charmed/dominated (would definitely be at least a relic, probably an artifact).
Alac Luin 09-01-04, 03:28 PM	A powerful wizard is traped in a living Phase Door A living Dispel Magic?
Saurenda 09-01-04, 03:42 PM	Still this is something that needs to be cast regularly? I don't see how the mindless can be influenced by a mind effecting spell. =(
Boirin son of Naerin 09-01-04, 04:36 PM	I'm not sure if something like this has been done before, but here it goes. A group of vampires, which vastly outnumbers and outguns the party, are keeping a town under mindcontrol for a sort of vampy fast food joint. In order to save the village the adventurers need to find a living daylight spell thats been lighting up the night in the wilderness.
Gren Arach 09-02-04, 09:55 AM	More interesting, though, would be a wondrous item that could be somehow attached (where do you put a collar on an ooze?) which allowed the person attaching to control it as if charmed/dominated (would definitely be at least a relic, probably an artifact). Maybe something like a Docent? It has it's own int stats, but instead of special abilities, it's been modified to interact with living spells, super imposing its ego on them.
Foxboy2000 09-02-04, 07:58 PM	I'm not sure if something like this has been done before, but here it goes. A group of vampires, which vastly outnumbers and outguns the party, are keeping a town under mindcontrol for a sort of vampy fast food joint. In order to save the village the adventurers need to find a living daylight spell thats been lighting up the night in the wilderness. Y'know, that scared the living daylight out of me when I read that. ;) Ignoring the template prereqs for a moment, how disturbing would the effects of a living polymorph any object spell be? "It turned me into a newt!" "It turned me into a half black dragon bulette!" "It turned me into a rock."
Pocket Ace Pretender 09-02-04, 09:45 PM	For my campaign I fixed up a "Mass Blindness" Spell, so that I could apply the template to it. It takes the form of a slithery black mass that occasionally manifests claws and jaws. Because Eberron is all about pulp and vivid imagery, this monster doesn't just blind people... it rips out their eyeballs. Fun fun fun! I can't wait til I can use a Living Ice Storm. And kudos to whoever thought of Living Shatter. That is so unbelievably cool, I can't not use it.
Megrim_Lord 09-02-04, 10:09 PM	A living Shapechange that suddenly drops into the midst of a raging battle, engulfing the combatants and changing them all into random forms... Living Insanity would be just plain annoying. Living Heroes' Feast... Lol Living Astral Projection... force them out of there bodies and have them robbed by goblins just a few ideas...
Athos 09-03-04, 10:34 AM	People have metioned a living wish spell before, but what if said spell went above the other living spells, to a form of intelegence, something that can talk with the PC's, a sentient being. Think for a second, living deep in the mournland, a living spell that will grant you a wish, or maybe it won't or maybe it will ask you for something in return. Perhaps, it has been trapped by a spell or something, and will grant you a wish if you promise to kill it, and end it's meaningless existance. Or maybe it's got an ego and doesn't think you diserve a wish, maybe itonly grants wishes to those it deems worthy.
Rajorke 09-04-04, 12:12 AM	living spells only being area effect spells are too limiting so i use many different kinds depending on what i want but i have three words for you living temporal stasis
ChrisTheS 09-04-04, 12:26 AM	Now, I'd like to see a living true creation that leaves random objects in its wake...
atanhel 09-04-04, 04:09 AM	how about a living control weather? lyrandar must be interestid...or the ones who set it loose!
Psychonaut 09-04-04, 10:44 PM	Living Enlarge!
Rajorke 09-05-04, 01:37 AM	living clone living bigsby's "ANYTHING"
GoodGuy89 09-06-04, 08:48 AM	On controlling living spells: I remember seeing a saddle for a gelatinous cube in the Arms and Equipment guide, but not if there was stats for it. Still, if the spell is large enough, it could be ridden... "Charge, my loyal holy word steed!"
Sarlax 09-06-04, 02:15 PM	On controlling living spells: I remember seeing a saddle for a gelatinous cube in the Arms and Equipment guide, but not if there was stats for it. Still, if the spell is large enough, it could be ridden... That'd be the Amulet of Ooze Riding. It protects the user with a field of force which blocks all contact with the ooze. He slowly shifts to the middle of the ooze, which he then controls by tapping it from the inside to trick it into believing its blindsight has indicated food. This would work pretty well for the bigger living spells.
Sarlax 09-06-04, 02:59 PM	Living Disintegrate: a thin-green line of energy whips about, coiling around itself and striking out to attack living creatures. Its touch renders anything into a fine dust. Living Forbiddance: this cube of shimmering air engulfs everything it detects, dealing terrible damage to creatures whose alignments are not true neutral. Creatures with one neutral alignment component take 6d6 damage while creatures of LG, CG, LE, or CE alignments take 12d6 damage. Living Simulacrum: this monster is a mass of living ice and shadow. Creatures who suffer its attack are duplicated in an adjacent square; these creatures are as intelligent as the original yet under the control of the living spell. It has gathered a large force of duplicates who serve its mindless urges. Living Unhallow: this circular field of feint black energy is laced with a permanent silence effect. A swarm of undead is always within it or close behind. Living Wall of Iron: this strange beast is a massive square of iron which snakes back and forth across the land, leaving an immobile iron "trail" in its path. It attacks by simply falling onto its enemies, crushing the life out of them. Ray Swarm: this group of a living ray of enfeeblement, a living ray of exhaustion, and a living polar ray have become tangled together. They have become a single living spell. Living Continual Flame: this small creature is a pulse of flame and light. It attacks small creatures like rats with its slam and illuminates the corpse. [This spell has both an effect and a target. It might be possible.] Living Guards and Wards: this mass of fog and webs leaves in its wake a massive and tangled collection of webs, confusion effects, invisible doors, and suggestions to attack strangers. Living Produce Flame: this small beast moves slowly but attacks distant enemies with small balls of fire as a ranged touch attack. Living Repel Metal or Stone: this unusual ooze has been annoying the followers of the Lord of Blades for months. Any warforged it touches is pushed away at 40 feet per round for more than minute. Living Blasphemy: this terrible and innately evil spell delights in destroying creatures of good. Only the strongest of creatures can survive its attacks: any creature with less than 13 hit dice is at least dazed without a saving throw, allowing the spell to destroy it at its leisure with its slam attack. Although living spells are mindless, this monster seems to enjoy the suffering inflicts. Witnesses have watched it from a distance as it spent hours killing its dazed enemies.
Solarious 09-13-04, 12:47 AM	I love this thread! You guys are bringing in some really hilarious ideas... and some great adventure seeds as well! Lemmie add some spells to your growing repitiore of living spell creatures. Living Whirlwind: Somehow, this spell has ended up in Sharn, and it's ability to spontaneously create funnels of tornado-force winds has made it prohibitively difficult to stop. Worse, the manifestation zone that keeps Sharn's towers afloat have also made this twister of an ooze more powerful. It's only a matter of time before it really does start to cause real damage to the great city, and that's not counting the people and objects it's been hurling around a city based on a series of hovering bridges and towers. Living Creeping Doom: The Children of Winter have found their tool in this manifested disaster: a virtual horde of insects that can depopulate towns, even possibly small cities. It appears as a swarm of venomous vermin, pratically indistinguishable from it's carpet of insects, making it nigh-impossible to locate. Living Hallucinatory Terrain: This bizzare ooze wanders around, randomly replacing terrain with illusionary versions; sometimes it replaces a forest with open plains, making it rather easy to walk into trees, while making a perfectly smooth plains into a forbidding chasm. A massive inconvienience, to say the least Living Arcane Lock and Living Fire Trap: These two spells have teamed up together to make a House Enclave rather interesting, never mind the dangerous part. Living Arcane Lock may lock everything with a discernable egress, but Living Fire Trap has taken to making every book and scroll a booby-trap as well. Boom-voyage. Living Emotion: This particular multi-coloured spell has been a cause of great distabilization in a major city. Sometimes it causes people to become so apethetic that they start to starve to death, while it stirs others into wild frenzies of rage and irrational hate, causing riots and mayhem in general. Now who ever said that a fourth (third?)-level spell isn't able to level a city before it gets destroyed? Living Leviate: Oi. It's been making everything around it float off aimlessly in random directions. What happens, do you suppose, when the spell duration runs out? Living Sleet Storm: Hello, unseasonal snowstorms. Living Contagion: Hello, epidemic. Living Create Greater Undead: Hello, massive infestation of undead. :P Maybe I should stop the flow of bad ideas now...