Have you used a Spell Chain in your game? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Have you used a Spell Chain in your game?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
hermitix
Mar 27, 2008 10:42:36 I think I made up the term Spell Chain, it’s when you use a series of spells where one spell impacts the success, or use of the next spell. My example is thus.

I use Detect Thoughts to read a captured minions mind while a team member questions him about what his leader looks like.

I take the mental image he has in his mind and use Prestidigitation to create a picture of the villain leader.

I then use Scry with the picture as a focus to lower the difficulty.

After we get a good look around I then use Teleport to get us in to the villains’ base.

So my chain was Detect Thoughts => Prestidigitation => Scry => Teleport

Any one else made any clever spell chains?
#2
EscherEnigma
Mar 27, 2008 11:36:14 That seems like a pretty clever one. My group have done spell combinations that were particularly effective, but I'm not sure about creative.

Example: force cage on the spell caster, then anti-magic field so he can't get out (we used a funny class ability trick to make the field centered on an area.

And of course, some are kinda obvious. unluck (from spell compendium) followed by any save-or-suck effect. assay spell resistance or true casting followed by anything when you need to get past the bad guy's SR.

So... using spells in conjunction for greater effect? Yep. But I don't think we've really done anything suprisingly creative.
#3
xavon
Mar 27, 2008 19:09:11 There's the OotS trick, casting Owl's Wisdom on the Wis gimped Paladin or Ranger so she can cast the low level divine spell you need.
#4
kuros81
Mar 27, 2008 19:33:59 Want to get 4,000 miles with 3 spells but you (a cleric/wizard) and your friend (a wizard/cleric) are only 9th level?

Plane Shift to the Astral. Plane Shift within 5-500 miles of your final destination. Teleport to the final destination.

Want badass undead, but have no bodies? Planar Ally, immediately kill the summoned ally, and animate dead the body.
#5
hermitix
Mar 28, 2008 12:54:52
There's the OotS trick, casting Owl's Wisdom on the Wis gimped Paladin or Ranger so she can cast the low level divine spell you need.

I read that one. But that wisdom trick only works for scrolls the paladin/ranger would have to rest and pray to get spells and the Owls Wisdom spell doesn’t last that long.
#6
casttiltowait
Mar 29, 2008 14:48:04 Waaay back in 2nd Ed, the party had to go up against a demon who was protected vs. magic by an array of permanent anti-magic fields (don't ask). This of course made it a bit difficult for my 19th level wizard to affect him. One of the other PC's was playing a dwarven cleric with a magic'd up crossbow. I came up with the idea of having a bunch of telephone pole sized crossbow bolts made up which I then cast reduction on, thus making them two or three times normal size. I then cast enlarge on the dwarf so that his crossbow became the size of a small ballista. When the bolts would pass into the anti-magic field, the reduction would be eliminated, but due to the whole "Magic ignores physics" thing, they'd keep their original velocity, but would now have this immensely greater mass. This is essentially a spell chain "Reduction-->Enlarge--->Anti-Magic Sphere"

I'd also reduced myself, shape shifted into a winged form, cast improved invisibility on myself, project image and mirror image AND hid just behind the Full Plate wearing dwarven cleric (who was enlarged). The idea was that no one would be able to spot me since 1) I was verrrry wee, 2) I was invisible, 3)all my spells, etc. would seem to emanate from my projected (invisible) image, 4) my projected image was protected by a bunch of (invisible) copies, 5) any attempt to spot/hear/detect me would be interfered with/blocked/confused by the cover provided by the giant-sized dwarven cleric with all his magical stuff. Oh, and I had a necklace of Non-detection To my thinking, that equalled the ability to launch my most destructive spells, etc. without having to worry too much about any effective retribution.

It all worked for naught. By some strange co-incidence, when we all teleported in, there JUUUUUSSSSTTTT happened to be a uber-powerful beholder floating above where I and the cleric appeared (we teleported in with a small army of elves, etc., so it's amazing how the beholder happened to be right above this one pair out of nearly 100 individuals ). Before we had any opportunity to do anything, it zapped us with it's anti-magic ray, making a massive pile of lumber suddenly sprout up as the 20+ crossbow "bolts" suddenly reverted to their normal size, completely shredding the quiver.

I think I'd scared the DM with the Kinetic Energy calculations for the bolts, plus he didn't want my wizard floating around essentially invulnerable to his attacks. Oh well, we still pwn'd the badguys through some good impromptu tactics and massive luck (critting a god-like dragon who'd poked his head out of the anti-magic so he could breath on us with a borrowed Thor's Hammer and rolling instant-death on the crit chart, etc.)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 hermitix Mar 27, 2008 10:42:36	I think I made up the term Spell Chain, it’s when you use a series of spells where one spell impacts the success, or use of the next spell. My example is thus. I use Detect Thoughts to read a captured minions mind while a team member questions him about what his leader looks like. I take the mental image he has in his mind and use Prestidigitation to create a picture of the villain leader. I then use Scry with the picture as a focus to lower the difficulty. After we get a good look around I then use Teleport to get us in to the villains’ base. So my chain was Detect Thoughts => Prestidigitation => Scry => Teleport Any one else made any clever spell chains?
#2 EscherEnigma Mar 27, 2008 11:36:14	That seems like a pretty clever one. My group have done spell combinations that were particularly effective, but I'm not sure about creative. Example: force cage on the spell caster, then anti-magic field so he can't get out (we used a funny class ability trick to make the field centered on an area. And of course, some are kinda obvious. unluck (from spell compendium) followed by any save-or-suck effect. assay spell resistance or true casting followed by anything when you need to get past the bad guy's SR. So... using spells in conjunction for greater effect? Yep. But I don't think we've really done anything suprisingly creative.
#3 xavon Mar 27, 2008 19:09:11	There's the OotS trick, casting Owl's Wisdom on the Wis gimped Paladin or Ranger so she can cast the low level divine spell you need.
#4 kuros81 Mar 27, 2008 19:33:59	Want to get 4,000 miles with 3 spells but you (a cleric/wizard) and your friend (a wizard/cleric) are only 9th level? Plane Shift to the Astral. Plane Shift within 5-500 miles of your final destination. Teleport to the final destination. Want badass undead, but have no bodies? Planar Ally, immediately kill the summoned ally, and animate dead the body.
#5 hermitix Mar 28, 2008 12:54:52	There's the OotS trick, casting Owl's Wisdom on the Wis gimped Paladin or Ranger so she can cast the low level divine spell you need. I read that one. But that wisdom trick only works for scrolls the paladin/ranger would have to rest and pray to get spells and the Owls Wisdom spell doesn’t last that long.
#6 casttiltowait Mar 29, 2008 14:48:04	Waaay back in 2nd Ed, the party had to go up against a demon who was protected vs. magic by an array of permanent anti-magic fields (don't ask). This of course made it a bit difficult for my 19th level wizard to affect him. One of the other PC's was playing a dwarven cleric with a magic'd up crossbow. I came up with the idea of having a bunch of telephone pole sized crossbow bolts made up which I then cast reduction on, thus making them two or three times normal size. I then cast enlarge on the dwarf so that his crossbow became the size of a small ballista. When the bolts would pass into the anti-magic field, the reduction would be eliminated, but due to the whole "Magic ignores physics" thing, they'd keep their original velocity, but would now have this immensely greater mass. This is essentially a spell chain "Reduction-->Enlarge--->Anti-Magic Sphere" I'd also reduced myself, shape shifted into a winged form, cast improved invisibility on myself, project image and mirror image AND hid just behind the Full Plate wearing dwarven cleric (who was enlarged). The idea was that no one would be able to spot me since 1) I was verrrry wee, 2) I was invisible, 3)all my spells, etc. would seem to emanate from my projected (invisible) image, 4) my projected image was protected by a bunch of (invisible) copies, 5) any attempt to spot/hear/detect me would be interfered with/blocked/confused by the cover provided by the giant-sized dwarven cleric with all his magical stuff. Oh, and I had a necklace of Non-detection To my thinking, that equalled the ability to launch my most destructive spells, etc. without having to worry too much about any effective retribution. It all worked for naught. By some strange co-incidence, when we all teleported in, there JUUUUUSSSSTTTT happened to be a uber-powerful beholder floating above where I and the cleric appeared (we teleported in with a small army of elves, etc., so it's amazing how the beholder happened to be right above this one pair out of nearly 100 individuals ). Before we had any opportunity to do anything, it zapped us with it's anti-magic ray, making a massive pile of lumber suddenly sprout up as the 20+ crossbow "bolts" suddenly reverted to their normal size, completely shredding the quiver. I think I'd scared the DM with the Kinetic Energy calculations for the bolts, plus he didn't want my wizard floating around essentially invulnerable to his attacks. Oh well, we still pwn'd the badguys through some good impromptu tactics and massive luck (critting a god-like dragon who'd poked his head out of the anti-magic so he could breath on us with a borrowed Thor's Hammer and rolling instant-death on the crit chart, etc.)