RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Shambler: Currently, you cast it (9th level druid spell), and you get 1d4+2 11HD shambling mounds for 7 days or 7 months if only on guard duty. Overall, not a big deal, since by the time you can cast 9th level spells, shamling mounds aren't a huge threat. However, the spell takes 1 standard action to cast, and has no limit as to how many times you can cast it in a time period. Therefore, even if you only have 1 9th level spell per day, you can cast it 6 days in a row before making an attack, entering a dungeon, etc. and have 6d4+12 shambling mounds.
Not to mention the guard version of the spell could easily have 10 times this number or more.
I think a simple fix would be to add a line that states: "Casting Shambler ends the effects of a previous casting of the spell."
I'd agree with the "only one Shambler spell at a time" limitation.
The spell description could rule that the caster can only maintain control over a number of shambling mounds equal to their caster level at a time (or half their caster level, if you want to cut it down even further). Any shambling mounds created beyond this number are free-willed, or at least as free-willed as shambling mounds ever are. This would allow an NPC druid to have a number of shambling mounds to call on without a PC druid using it to create shambling legions.
CR
The spell description could rule that the caster can only maintain control over a number of shambling mounds equal to their caster level at a time (or half their caster level, if you want to cut it down even further). Any shambling mounds created beyond this number are free-willed, or at least as free-willed as shambling mounds ever are. This would allow an NPC druid to have a number of shambling mounds to call on without a PC druid using it to create shambling legions.
I concur - this or one "Shambler spell per purpose", i.e. you can have one set of guard Shamblers and one set of non-guard Shamblers. Otherwise that's a nasty choice between protecting your grove and actually using a nice combat spell.
I don't think there's a need for a material component, if its restricted in some reasonable way.
The problem is that 1d4+2 Shambling Mounds with 11HD are NOT so powerful at 17th level or higher... limiting them to 'one casting only' would be too much of a nerf, IMHO.
Sure, if the spell was '1d4+2 Shambling Mounds, each with a number of HD equal to your caster level', now THAT would be a 9th level-spell which I would allow to 'one spell active at a time only' !
The problem is that 1d4+2 Shambling Mounds with 11HD are NOT so powerful at 17th level or higher... limiting them to 'one casting only' would be too much of a nerf, IMHO.!
Well, it's vaguely on a par with Summon Monster IX (in the sense that you can summon 1d4+2 CR 7 monsters).
But the point is not that the effect is too powerful (it isn't, of course), the point is that the duration is too long. 7 months?!
Then again, I find it hard to get worked up about high level spells (except for Gate) because I rarely play at those levels anyways.