But can anyone tell what they do/did when there are two spells of the same name that do totally different things?
For example, Critical Strike in Complete Adventurer (published Jan 2005) is an Assassin 1, Hexblade 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 1 spell that adds 16d sneak damage, doubles the threat range, and adds +4 to confirm criticals.
However, in Complete Mage (published Oct 2006), it's just an Assassin 1 spell that ignores any miss chance due to concealment.
If the difference was just the description, I would probably go down the route of merging the two spells and making the players state which of the two variants they are selecting, as you can do with some other spells.
However, the diffences in who can learn/cast the spell prevents this.
Any (polite) suggestions gratefully received.
( That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger......................unless it rips your arms off
)That being said, if you do not think that the CA version is overpowered then do what Centauri suggests rename one of them and keep both.
That said, these spells seem so different that I doubt one is intended to be an updated version of another, so I agree with the 'just rename one' solution. Odds are, the author of the second book just didn't double-check to see if 'Critical Strike' had already been used.
Thank you all for the advice.
CRITICAL STRIKE
Divination
Level: Assassin 1, bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 swift action Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 round
Upon uttering the ancient phrase that completes the spell, you feel the weapon in your hand drawn toward a creature standing nearby.
Whenever you make a melee attack against a flanked foe or against a foe denied its Dexterity bonus, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage, your weapon’s threat range is doubled (as if under the effect of keen edge), and you gain a +4 insight bonus on rolls made to confirm critical threats. The increased threat range granted by this spell doesn’t stack with any other effect that increases your weapon’s threat range. Creatures immune to extra damage from sneak attacks are immune to the extra damage dealt by your attacks.
Some of the last books of 3.5E were poorly edited, and my guess would be that that's the case for Complete Mage and that's why there is a duplicate. If you also want that version, give the one in Complete Mage a different name.
OK - I'm fine with the fact that, over time, the descriptions and effects of spells were amended to fit the game better or to clarify certain points, and I always use the latest published version.
But can anyone tell what they do/did when there are two spells of the same name that do totally different things?
For example, Critical Strike in Complete Adventurer (published Jan 2005) is an Assassin 1, Hexblade 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 1 spell that adds 16d sneak damage, doubles the threat range, and adds +4 to confirm criticals.
However, in Complete Mage (published Oct 2006), it's just an Assassin 1 spell that ignores any miss chance due to concealment.
If the difference was just the description, I would probably go down the route of merging the two spells and making the players state which of the two variants they are selecting, as you can do with some other spells.
However, the diffences in who can learn/cast the spell prevents this.
Any (polite) suggestions gratefully received.
( That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger......................unless it rips your arms off
I think True Strike (Wiz/Sorc 1, PHB) ignores miss chance due to concealment AND gives a +20 to hit. Which sounds very similar to the Complete Mage version you described above.
WARNING: I had a sorcerer with the True Strike spell in his limited list and used True Strike 3 times in a row, only to roll a 1 each time. I'm not the only player to suffer this dreadful curse. Recently a new player refused to heed the warning of the True Strike Curse and his character rolled a 1 after casting True Strike and missed his target. So beware.