Help with some home brew feats.
I have been pretty open with regard to my players home brewing feats, classes, races, gear, etc. provided they are fair, but these are some feats my players sent me for approval that are awesome ideas but feel over powered and or abuseable. I would like some help keeping the core function of them but making them level for use in a standard 3.5 campaign. Thanks; “Combine Spells” is kind of long, sorry, our wizard is a bit long-winded.
Critical Aim
Prerequisites:
Improved Critical, Power Critical and Weapon Focus in any ranged weapon.
Critical Aim functions much like power attack, but instead of sacrificing attack bonus for extra damage, an archer, crossbowman etc. may sacrifice attack bonus for a higher critical multiplier
On your turn, before taking any attack rolls, choose to subtract an even number from your attack roll (This number may not exceed your base attack bonus.) and add half that number to the critical multiplier. After making the adjustments to your modifiers, you may make a make a single attack as a full round action. If it hits This attack counts as an automatic critical threat.
Combine Spells
Prerequisites:
Any two Metamagic feats, and the ability to cast 3rd level spells.
Combine Spells functions somewhat like Quicken Spell in that it allows the caster to cast multiple spells per round however unlike Quicken the spells are cast simultaneously and dynamically alter and or enhance each other.
Taking this feat implies that the caster has spent time experimenting with lower level spells and has become adept at combining spells to create new and deadly or beneficial effects. Using this ability to its fullest potential takes an equal ensure of magical talent and creativity.
A druid for example may want to use a combination Gust of Wind (level 2) and Contagion (level 3) to disease and knock prone foes in a 60 foot line. To do so, the druid must have both spells prepared, and must be able to cast level 5 spells since the combination of the two spell levels adds up to 5. The combination of the two spells does not need to be prepared as a level 5 spell however, this may be done on the fly. Both the preparation of Gust of Wind and that of Contagion are expended and cast simultaneously. The save DC for this combination would be calculated thus: (10 + combined spell level 5 + the druid’s wisdom modifier)
An example for a spontaneous caster would be this: an evil sorcerer who finds it amusing to combine Viscid Glob (level 4), Burning Hands (level 1), and Acid Spash, (level 0), and watch his victim writhe in agony as he is glued to the floor by a sticky mass of flaming, acidic goo. The sorcerer must be able to cast level 5 spells, and must expend casts per day from levels 4, 1, and 0. (The save DC = 10 + combined spell level 5 + the sorcerer’s Cha. Modifier.)
Note: The spell levels of the combined spells when added together may never exceed the maximum spell level to which the caster has access.
Creating spell combinations is difficult and somewhat similar to preparing spells from a borrowed or stolen spell book in that one is not always certain what the outcome will be. Because of this the first time a caster with this ability tries a given combination he must roll a Spellcraft check equal to 10 + the combined spell levels of the combination. A failed skill check implies that something went wrong in the casting of the spell. This all spells to fail and ends the spell caster’s turn. (All spell preparations / casts per day are expended regardless of the outcome.)
I think it should be worked as a straight multiplier, not tied into critical hit mechanics. Also, the maximum multiplier should be based on the number of attacks you'd be giving up by using this. So, at base attack bonus +6, you can deal double damage with a -2 penalty; at base attack bonus +11 you can deal triple damage at a -4 penalty; and at base attack bonus +16, you can deal quadruple damage at a -6 penalty.
Since the relative benefit of a critical hit is lowered with the effect described above, it would be fine to increase the critical threat range. In fact, multiplying it by the same amount as the damage makes the average results pretty comparable between using this feat and full attacking. In this case, I mean a literal multiplier, but since Dungeons and Dragons doesn't work that way, I'll propose an alternative. Assume bows as the baseline, and add +1 to the threat range per -2 penalty. You should note that it applies before keen or improved critical and is doubled by either of those as normal.
These suggestions are based on a comparison with a full attack, which isn't really valid with crossbows or thrown weapons unless the character has certain feats. It would be easiest to make the feat only work with bows with which the character is proficient.
Combine spells is similar to quicken, in that it lets you cast two spells in a round. It's better than quicken, in that you wind up with your swift action still available. Also, combine spells could be applied to two quickened spells (or spells that naturally have a casting time of one swift action). I would suggest quicken spell be a prerequisite.
I wouldn't allow casting more than two spells with the same action using this feat. If more spells per round are absolutely necessary, I'd rename this to double spell and have another feat called triple spell. It would increase the spell slot of each spell by four, allow casting of three spells with one action, and have double spell as a prerequisite.
When you use quicken spell to cast two spells in a round, one takes up a slot four levels higher, and the other uses its normal slot. For combine spells, I suggest each spell take up a slot two levels higher. This should replace that limitation based on the sum of the spell levels.
Naturally, the time spent casting the combined spells should be the longer of the casting times of individual spells.
I generally agree with you on Critical Aim, Maat, though I'd disagree about the limit on weapon types, since those weapons already have limitations that make them less desirable, and increasing the threat range seems to naturally favour bows (with a higher critical multiplier that benefits more from any increase in threat range).
- the type of spell: as written currently, you can combine a cheap area spell with a powerful targeted spell. Detect Magic + Charm Person = Charm a crowd at level 1.
While it will prevent a lot of cool effects, I recommend only allowing Combining spells that have the same targetting/area.
And consider whether you allow 0-level spells to be combined since it's free to do so.
- the duration: it's not clear how it works. Should each effect expire on its own, or is it set to the shortest duration (those are good ideas)? Or is it the longer duration (bad idea!)?
Basically go line-by-line in a spell description, and decide what the Combined spell should have on that line.
- Descriptors: probably a combination of the descriptors of the two spells
- Components: if any spell has a V,S,M,F/DF component, then the Combined spell has it. The cost in material components or XP gets added.
- Casting time: e.g.
swift+swift = std
swift + std = swift+full-round
std+std = 1 round
std+1 round = 2 rounds
- Range: shortest of the two
...
For the latter, steal mechanics from the Arcane Fusion spells in... Dragon Magic, I'm pretty sure. It's a much smoother way to cast two spells at once. The spell itself is sorcerer-only, but the mechanics could be used by your wizard. (It's usually also combined with Arcane Spellsurge, which alters casting time in an interesting way, but a wizard probably won't need this)
Arcane spellsurge is from Dragon Magic, arcane fusion is from Complete Mage.
But I have to agree about stealing mechanics from arcane fusion... since it's basically what I was suggesting as well.
Combining the area of effects, is >> reshape spell meta or similar.
Nearer to the earliest Linked Power discussions, but better.
Caster Level has to be set separately.
Combining the area of effects, is >> reshape spell meta or similar.
Nearer to the earliest Linked Power discussions, but better.
I remember it being insane, but I don't recall the exact hijinks you're referring to here. It can still be used, to, say, manifest Genesis as an immediate action (instead of several weeks), but that doesn't really play with the area of effect in the way I think you're referring to.
Thanks for all your input, another comment on critical aim. So I talked to my would be crossbowman, and he would like to use the great crossbow from Races of Stone, but with a 5 bolt repeating clip adaptation like the one discussed in the PHB. He said that the weapon would have a 2 round reload time so he wants to max out damage per shot. He wants to go with a Rogue / Scout build to stack skirmish and sneak attack dice, and use the critical aim to increase the critical multiplier. I feel like this may be getting over powered. But Maat_Mons, you are exactly right in that he is going for that Many Shot idea (the damage of a full volley in a single well placed shot). If I used your idea of a straight multiplier not tied to critical mechanics what about when he does critical? I cant give him a x3 from Critical Aim, then another x3 for his critical hit. I would like to make this work for him, any other suggestions?
Rogue and scout don't interact that well with either version of critical aim, since damage multipliers never apply to extra dice of damage.
#1: Quick Loading is a +1 enchantment and gives you a semi-automatic crossbow with 100 round internal magazines (Magic Item Compendium pg. 41). Since it fires just as fast as you can pull the trigger it allows you to do some odd things crossbows (or siege ballistae) were not really intended for such as Rapid Shot.
#2: Poorly written though it may be, Double Crossbows as described in this supplement to Races of the Dragon could very easily help supplement crossbow based combat.
Dungeons and Dragons has multiple multipliers interact in an odd way. With your example of x3 from the feat and x3 for the critical, it winds up combining into x5 damage.
Rogue and scout don't interact that well with either version of critical aim, since damage multipliers never apply to extra dice of damage.
Exactly: you're never multiplying total damage, you're multiplying original damage from the roll, so extra damage is only multiplied if it specifically says that it is added directly onto the original damage roll, rather than added in seperately.