Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dantedarkstar 02-19-04, 11:37 AM	OK. I recently thought up three [Light] spells I will probably be wanting to take in one of my games. Here are the descriptions: ----- Radiant Glow Evocation [Light] Level: Sor/Wiz 3, Clr 3 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 minute/level (D) The caster glows with very intense, blinding radiance, which makes it difficult to see him clearly, granting concealment (20% miss chance). The caster glows like a Daylight spell when Radiant Glow is active. Darkness has no effect on this spell, as it is supressed by Daylight part of this spell, but Deeper Darkness not only cancels out with Daylight part, but supresses the glow to the point where it's too dim to actually grant concealment, but it still clearly visible. Bow of Light Evocation [Light] Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 action Range: Personal and Long (400ft + 40ft/level) Effect: Radiant bow shooting rays of light Duration: 1 minute/level (D) or until discharged Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No and Yes (see text) You create a bow of light into your hand. It is immaterial and disappears if it ever leaves your hands. As an attack action (which possibly allows multiple attacks in full attack action, as well as use in conjunction with feats such as Shot on the Run), you can shoot a ray of light from the bow. These rays are ranged touch attacks, have Long range, are subject to Spell Resistance (roll only once for the spell as normal, not once per attack) and deal damage equal to 2d6 + your spellcasting ability modifier. You need both hands to shoot a ray from the bow and you can shoot maximum 1 ray per caster level (max. 15), after which the bow disappears and the spell ends. Wall of Light Evocation [Light] Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 action Range: Medium (100ft + 10ft/level) Effect: Opaque wall of light up to 20ft long/level or a ring of fire with radius of up to 5ft/2 levels; either form 20ft high Duration: Concentration + 1 round/level Saving Throw: Fortitude negates (see text) Spell Resistance: Yes An immobile, opaque wall of bright radiance springs into existence. One side of the wall, selected by you, is sending out intense magical light, blinding creatures within 10 feet and dazzling those past 10 feet but within 20 feet. Fortitude save negates the effect, but the save must be repeated every round the creature remains in the area. Blinding or dazzling from this spell last 1 minute. Creature can close its eyes to completely avoid blinding or dazzling, and the effects obviously do not work against sightless creatures. Any creature passing through the wall must succeed at Fortitude save or be permanently blinded. Creatures passing through the wall risk permanent blindness even if they close thier eyes or are temporarily blinded. Any darkness spell of at least 5th level supressed Wall of Light within it's area. Wall of light can be made permanent with a permanency spell. Material Component: A small piece of phosphorus. ----- Now, what do you think of them ? Are they overpowered/wrong/easily munchkined, etc. ? Edit: Updated, added clarifications in few places, etc.
Goreg Skullcrusher 02-19-04, 11:54 AM	Great ideas, I love the third one especially. Couple of things though. For the Bow of Light spell, you should probably indicate that the spellcaster suffers no penalty for nonproficiency. Also, Radiant Glow seems to be of the wrong level, as it more or less duplicates the effects of Daylight with the added blur effect. It should probably not be the same level as Daylight. Good stuff though, really like them.
dantedarkstar 02-19-04, 12:19 PM	Bow of Light: It's not a bow. It's a spell. It only looks like one, so I don't think I need to mention any proficiency. Though I admit my wording suggests you actually use it as bow. Radiant Glow: Not exactly. It is Blur, with added effect of Daylight. This added effect is: 1.10 times shorter than actual Daylight 2.Always on you. you can't place it on nice small stone which you hide in pocket so it doesn't glow until you take it out when you want light. 3.Can be hindrance - you are practically always visible, althrough concealed. Try it in Underdark... ;)
Fenris_CGA 02-19-04, 01:02 PM	If the Daylight effect of Radiant Glow is suppressed with a Darkness spell, do you still have the concealment?
tarkin 02-19-04, 01:53 PM	I have made a version of Radiant Glow before. My version was 4th level that also gave you a Shield Bonus, as it was a glowing magical shield. The problem is that at level 2 you get the blur, for 20%, and the light is not really enough to boost it in my opionion to level 3. So I made it level 4 and gave it a shield bonus to AC as well.
dantedarkstar 02-19-04, 02:01 PM	Fenris_CGA Hmm... Honestly, didn't consider exactly interaction with Darkness and like. Well... Darkness won't do anything, but Deeper Darkness could negate itself with Daylight glow. Daylight is actually more a side-effect here than main feature. The main feature is concealment. Aww... I guess that Deeper Darkness will cancel out the effect of this spell. So if caster enters Deeper Darkness, he loses the benefits of the spell. tarkin Actually, there is one added benefit - True Seeing won't do you anything good when confronted with Radiant Glow (you exactly see the same blinding light), while it pierces Blur just fine. But above Deeper Darkness thing actually makes it also not so hard to counter.
coofpsychycic 02-19-04, 04:26 PM	the first spell should have a greater range of effect,but a higher casting level,so more member's of party can use,specifically the second spell should have more damge and less uses for a casting(+int&wiz mod. every 4 levels) the third shouldn'e be able to blind unless a ultimatum class or epic class higher level is used,and enemies uneffected should include a variant chosen for the spell,'sight abilities','high fortitude','# effected','a wizdomous power' etc
Seeker95 02-19-04, 04:46 PM	coof's comments do raise some ideas (although I wouldn't worry about making his suggested changes). Radiant glow could have a Mass version as well. Even if its primary effect would be to make for a spooky entrance ratehr than a huge mechanics difference! The bow is "fine" as it is. I would not up the damage, since its duration makes for a very effective offensive spell anyway. This is a spell that does not take out the BBEG, it wears him down.
Sproik 02-19-04, 07:02 PM	Whilst ambivalent about the first two, I don't feel they are unbalanced. The Wall of Light is particularly nice - I think I might actually have to absorb this one into my home campaign. :D
Zitchas 02-19-04, 10:52 PM	Cool spells. I rather like all three of them. I tend not to use light spells at all, but none of these seem too powerful for their level, and I can see some rather practical use for all of them.... *grin*
Doctor Sarcasm 02-20-04, 12:49 AM	An immobile, opaque wall of bright radiance springs into existence. One side of the wall, selected by you, is sending out intense magical light, blinding creatures within 10 feet and dazzling those past 10 feet but within 20 feet. Fortitude save negates the effect, but the save must be repeated every round the creature remains in the area. Blinding or dazzling from this spell last 1 minute. Creature can close its eyes to completely avoid blinding or dazzling, and the effects obviously do not work against sightless creatures. Any creature passing through the wall must succeed at Fortitude save or be permanently blinded. Creatures passing through the wall risk blinding even if they close thier eyes. A possible clarification is needed here, it seems to me. Say someone is temporarily blinded by being within 10 feet of the wall. If they pass through the wall, are they still subject to being permanently blinded, given that they are "sightless" for the next minute?
Ellone 02-20-04, 05:54 AM	bow of light shouldn't have a spellcasting abilitie modifier to his damage. The spell, if fine with standard abilitie score becomes insanely powerfull with well boosted abilitie score. a spellcasting level bonus with a max would be better ( +1 per 2 level max +10 ) you should add an energy type too. You should also specify if it's possible to shoot more than one ray per round ( as an attack action implies )
dantedarkstar 02-20-04, 07:29 AM	coofpsychicic Radiant Glow: Hmm... perhaps mass version could be nice, but you get concealment not because you are brightly lit. It's because YOU emit light. It's like trying to attack something very bright, almost like sun. It doesn't really interfere much with attacking someone 10ft to the right for example. Light Bow: Why ? Can't a spell deal less damage/round, but last longer ? Perhaps more "concentrated" version would be also viable, but I don't see why this one should be like that. It is designed to be more a "weapon" type spell, not standard "blast them hard" type evocation. Wall of Light: I don't really understand what you are proposing here. Seeker95 Yeah, Mass version could be probably 6th level or something. But this one is made to be personal one. I actually play half-celestial sorcerer, and I feel like this is more appropriate than standard Blur for him. Doctor Sarcasm Hmm... you got me. Never thought of this... Of course I would like them also be possibly blinded, but that would be bit "stretchy". On the other hand, smart opponents can use it to thier advantage, failing save vs temporary blindness to wander safely through the wall. I would be rather inclined to say that creatures passing through risk permanent blindness anyway, similiar to ones that close thier eyes. After all, it's almost the only thing this wall really does... Ellone I'm fully aware that this spell may cause serious damage if you have high ability modifier. That's why it's 4th level spell. Besides, before epic, you can't really boost your score to the obscene values. I really can't see nonepic character with more than +12 modifier before epic (within core 3.5 rules), assuming normal race. But in normal games, I wouldn't expect more than +10 from wizard/sorcerer at level approaching 20, assuming availability of tomes/wishes. So the damage is tops at around 2d6+10 per attack. It's not huge for a spellcaster. If he wants, he can dish out far more. This spell is rather for "everyday use", when you need reliable damaging ability which doesn't expend half your slots in 3 rounds. This spell uses ability bonus to be more useful to races with ECL, which are severly hurt at being spellcasters. I actually play half-celestial, and IMHO, light spells fit very well. And the "bowlike" spell also is made this way to be more climatic. As for element, not single of damaging [Light] spells already in D&D deals elemental damage (Sunbeam, Sunburst). And yes, it can be shot more than once per round. Being it an attack action indeed implies that. The ONLY situation where this spell may be actually a bit too strong is when employed by Eldritch Knight with 4 attacks per round. Do others also think this spell is too strong ?
Seeker95 02-20-04, 09:22 AM	The easy way around Dr. Sarcasm's trick is simple... Temporary blindness and blindness overlap. The temporary blindness is caused by your retinas getting overloaded. The permanent blindness is caused by your retinas getting burned out. Overloaded retinas can still get burned out, even if you can't see what's doing the burning! Once the temporary blindness wears off, you discover that the permanent blindness is still there!
dantedarkstar 02-20-04, 10:27 AM	Yeah, I know. But I envision this blinding is because of the light. And if you are blind, it gets "stretchy" to say the light blinded you permanently. However, this is how I think it should work. Otherwise the spell is rather weak.
loydsamthird 02-20-04, 11:37 AM	okay how is this for a spell true daylight evoc/light 20ft radis fort part/refpart 8 lvl 1rnd per lvl it fills the area wit the full heat and power of the sun one must make a fort save and ref save to avoid the damge and the blinding effects of the spell 4d6 per round in the spell area while if you are caught in the spell are ayou must make fort save to keep you from going blind or you can close your eyes and not have to make save( but you are still blind ) to undead and shadow creaters they take 1d8 per lvl of caster and make fort or die i know it is a bit choppy right now i don't have my notebook with the full spell and wording on , so please tell me what you think I have a high lvl campaign and there are two shades in it and one of them is a shadow adapet so fun for me :sad: :sad: :sad:
VirgilCaine 02-20-04, 11:47 AM	Duration: 1 minute/level (D) or until discharged Spell Resistance: No and Yes (see text) You need both hands to shoot a ray from the bow and you can shoot maximum 1 ray per caster level (max. 15), after which the bow disappears and the spell ends. Okay, so I'm a 7th level Wizard, cast this spell, and can use it as long as I want, until I shoot a ray, and then it lasts at most 7 minutes? And what's with the "No and Yes" on SR? Cool spells though.
Wizzy of Eros 02-20-04, 12:27 PM	I like those spells :) Really neat work ^.^
dantedarkstar 02-20-04, 12:37 PM	loydsamthird Actually, I think it's a bit too powerful. Compare it to the very same level spell Sunburst. Sunburst deals 6d6 damage, reflex for half, blinds on failed save. Against undead deals 1d6/level (not 1d8/level) also with save, but true, destroys those who failed AND are specifically vulnerable to sunlight (Vampires for example). Yours last for 1r/level, which with dealing 4d6 per round AND blinding is quite much. Not to mention this thing about destroying undead on fort save, which is as good as saying there is no save (undead + fort save = no undead). The only thing that is lesser than in Sunburst is the area (sunburst is large area). Just look up to Sunburst and Sunbeam spells in >this great SRD< (http://geocities.com/sovelior/srd/) (or any other for the matter :D ) Sunbeam is Drd/Sun spell, while Sunburst is also available to wizzies in general. They are both heavy anti-undead sun spells of approximately the level you want. Virgil Caine Duration 1 min/level (D) or until discharged means that it lasts for 7 minutes (in your 7th level example) after being cast, but ends earlier if it's discharged (which is shooting all 7 shots in this case). And you can dismiss it any time you want. SR: No and Yes. Ok. I guess this IS a bit muddy. SR No, because the bow appearing on your person, as all personal spells isn't subject to SR. SR Yes, because the shots from the bow are subject to SR (which I forgot to put in the spell description :blush: ). I'll update it immediately. (as well as interaction with Deeper Darkness mentioned before, because I forgot to update that)
VirgilCaine 02-20-04, 12:40 PM	Thanks.
loydsamthird 02-23-04, 03:50 PM	thanks for the help I was going to use that spell on high lvl pc who are shades. I think the whole shadowweave ablitily is to strong since there is no limit on them for epic spells. by the way I am playing in FR
Ellone 02-25-04, 11:17 AM	Ellone I'm fully aware that this spell may cause serious damage if you have high ability modifier. That's why it's 4th level spell. Besides, before epic, you can't really boost your score to the obscene values. I really can't see nonepic character with more than +12 modifier before epic (within core 3.5 rules), assuming normal race. But in normal games, I wouldn't expect more than +10 from wizard/sorcerer at level approaching 20, assuming availability of tomes/wishes. So the damage is tops at around 2d6+10 per attack. It's not huge for a spellcaster. If he wants, he can dish out far more. This spell is rather for "everyday use", when you need reliable damaging ability which doesn't expend half your slots in 3 rounds. This spell uses ability bonus to be more useful to races with ECL, which are severly hurt at being spellcasters. I actually play half-celestial, and IMHO, light spells fit very well. And the "bowlike" spell also is made this way to be more climatic. As for element, not single of damaging [Light] spells already in D&D deals elemental damage (Sunbeam, Sunburst). And yes, it can be shot more than once per round. Being it an attack action indeed implies that. The ONLY situation where this spell may be actually a bit too strong is when employed by Eldritch Knight with 4 attacks per round. What about an hasted invisible arcane trickster with 5d6 sneak attack damage and rapid shot? well, eldritch knight looks immediatly weaker.
dantedarkstar 02-25-04, 01:15 PM	Hmm... I get this point. But not sure what to do about it. Every invisible, hasted, rapid-shooting arcane trickster will be... tricky. This isn't actually the fault of the bow spell, althrough I agree the spell makes the said trickster more powerful. Still, being rapid-shooted by invisible, hasted Arcane Trickster is always painful, even if he's using your regular GMW-ed mighty +4 corrosive, human bane composite shortbow. The only thing that changes is the attack-> touch attack. I know it IS big deal, but on the other hand this spell allows SR for example. Any specific proposals ?
Ellone 02-26-04, 05:25 AM	I suggest getting rid of the attack progression usability. You choose: one projectile per round without concentration or spellcasting level/4 projectile per round while concentrating. as with all ray attack, precision damage can be added only once per casting. I still suggest adding an energy type. This spell can do massive amount of damage from long range and there's no way to protect from it. You know magic missile is by design overpowered? other light spell does real damage only against undead and makes very weak damage against anyone else ( 6d6 for a level 8 spell, stupid isn't it? ), it's the limit of this damage type( it's positive energy ). We are here at level*(2d6+ability modifier ), without save it's huge!