Grimoire Tempestus (PFRPG)

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Grimoire Tempestus (PFRPG)
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Grimoire Tempestus rages forth!

Master destruction with the 101 evocation spells storming within. Your words shall turn to dragons, your fires shall rend the heavens and the four winds shall heed your beck and call.

These spells make evocation even more dynamic and have been thoroughly playtested.

Design Goals:

  • Offer offensive casters reliable spells covering the gamut of elements at every spell level.
  • Breed exciting play out of give-and-take relationships between the action, spell and component economies.
  • Encourage elemental specialization via unique interactions within each element.
  • Incentivize cooperation and support with strong buffs and other cooperative spells.

Product Availability

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Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

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Mechanically interesting evocations with some filler

4/5

This pdf is 38 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 25 pages of content, so let's check this one out!

The latest installment of Dreadfox Games' Grimoire-series deals with a vast selection of evocation-spells. After 7 pages of spell-lists covering all the core-classes, APG-classes and the magus, we dive headlong into a selection of evocation spells, so do they do anything but blandly blowing up things?

Now, evocations are essentially mechanically not too exciting - and this pdf somewhat strives to change that. Take the very first extract, Alchemist's Revenge: Almost impossible to force down the throat of a foe, this extract burns away his nerves, dealing massive attribute damage. It also forces the subjected victim to vomit forth bile and finally detonate in an explosion of fire, acid and bile. Disturbing and, surprisingly, mechanically interesting with some story-telling potential.

On the other side of the equation, we actually get a spell that is rather genius and has a lot of uses: Arcane Extraction. On a successful caster-level check, it allows a caster to destroy items and transform a part of the item's value into arcane dust that can be used to cover costs of magic item creation. Speaking of cool ideas: Arcane Surge grants you a +5 bonus to overcome spell resistance, but the spell lasts 11 rounds and every round, the bonus is lowered by 1, thus resulting in a penalty in later levels. Cool spell with some interesting tactical decisions. Magi, Wizards and Sorcerors may now emit a blast of cylindrical electricity, fire or coldness they can continuously emit. Those caught by the blast and fail the save will be up for even more damage if the continuously try to block the blast. Can you see the tough-as-nail dwarf struggling towards the caster while getting progressively more and more blasted? The Blizzard-spell at 9th level is also rather interesting not in its raw damage output, but also since it actually conveys vulnerability to cold, comes with air-control effects and even the option to pin foes beneath ice. I'm also a big fan of the ranger-spell burning caltrops, which actually provides us with a valid caltrop option at higher levels.

Among the decidedly lame spells herein are Chain Lightning, least and Chain Lightning, lesser, at 2nd and 4th level, which cap at 5d6 and 10d6, respectively. Boring. There also is a spell that is essentially a variant of a fire shield and a really cool witch-spell: Curse Elements, a level 9 spell, which gives each elemental spell (through strangely not those with the [acid]-descriptor) a 40%+1% per caster level to blow up in the face of the caster. There are also 4 different elemental primer spells, which allow you to lace yourself with an elemental current, dealing 1d6 damage, but enhancing the next corresponding elemental spell, but also risking having to save against the added effect if you take a lot of damage. There also are explosive spells that e.g. emit a lightning bolt which detonates afterwards. The level 9 explosive reprimand counterspell not only counters spells and deals damage to the casters - unless the spell in question is an abjuration, in which case, the spell backfires on the caster. Nice! Frigid Chrysalis is another interesting spell, encasing the target in a cocoon of ice which, while dealing minimal ice damage, also provides a layer of rigid protection. Surely a spell that takes some thinking to properly use, but I consider it an interesting concept.
Speaking of interesting concept: Jarl Spear grants you a magical weapon, which actually improves if you have a title and are recognized by the populace as a leader. Cool concept that links magic and roleplaying achievements. The witch-cantrip "Lips of Darkness" is also interesting, blowing out an unprotected flame with a whisper, providing us with some interesting iconic options for witches.

Bards also get 3 interesting spells, the songs of fire, ice and storms, which can be prolonged by expending bardic performances and succeeding a performance check. Nice synergy of class-abilities and spells. On the slightly less interesting side, we also get the "Soul of..."-spells (Fire, Ice and Thunder), which help against detrimental temperature effects and can be canceled by appropriate damage dealt to you. There also are spells to conjure a fox of ice and snow, a thunder hawk ad similar elemental quasi-sentient beings that you can direct and send through foes. Ok, I guess, but not too exciting.

What I really enjoyed were the 4 wind-spells: From the refreshing rain brought by the Eastern Wind to the elemental-enhancing properties of the northern wind, these spells not only are interesting, they also come with a rather cool idea: If you provide an expensive component, you can actually store the respective wind in a bag, suspending the spell until you open it. A neat idea straight from classic fairy-tales and implemented rather well.

Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are very good, I didn't notice any significant glitches. Layout adheres to Dreadfox Games' 2-column b/w-standard with its vine-borders. The pdf has no artworks apart from the one on the cover and comes with extensive nested bookmarks. I fully expected to be underwhelmed by Grimoire Tempestus - after all, evocations are those flashy damage-dealers that don't make for too interesting spells. Dreadfox Games have managed to do something unexpected here, that is there actually are some rather interesting spells herein: The synergy between class features and spells is fun and there are some spells here that require some clever thinking to properly use - which is nice indeed! However, there also are a couple of script-spells that mechanically feel a bit bloated. There also are a couple of spells I'd consider at best filler, the lesser variants of chain lightning being prime examples. Nevertheless, generally, the spells felt rather interesting. The pdf is not exactly cheap, coming sans artworks, which constitutes another minor detrimental factor. All in all, I found this installment of the Grimoire-series enjoyable, though it does not rise to the brilliance of the Mutamateria or Illusionatus-installments, not due to balance-issues this time around, but due to there being some spells herein that can be considered as fillers. Since the majority is rather well-crafted, though, and since there's not much filler, I'll settle for a final verdict of 4 stars.

Endzeitgeist out.


Contributor

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Thanks, Liz!

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Dracoscript:

Dracoscript
School evocation; Level bard 5, cleric 7
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S, M (dragon's blood), F (see text)
Range 60 ft.
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes

You must speak Draconic to cast this spell.

The focus of this spell is a page from a bestiary, mythological tome or religious script worth at least 1,000 gp that contains an illustration of a dragon. You may create such a page by using fine inks and paper worth 500 gp and making a successful DC 30 Craft or Profession skill check of an appropriate subtype (Craft (book), Profession (beastiographer), etc.). Once used, the focus becomes dormant for a number of hours equal to 40 - twice your caster level. While dormant, the focus cannot be used to facilitate spells.

You cause physical harm to one creature that can hear you as if a dragon had made a full-attack against them. Choose one dragon with a number of HD equal to your caster level + 5. Make every attack roll that the chosen dragon is capable of making, applying the chosen dragon’s modifiers as normal.

You gain a +4 bonus to caster level checks related to this spell if you have personally encountered a dragon of the chosen type.

Dragons are immune to this spell.

Elemental Primer, Electricity:

Elemental Primer, Electricity
School evocation [electricity]; Level druid 2, magus 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 round

You charge yourself with volatile currents of lightning, vastly increasing the power of your next electricity spell. The next time you cast a spell with the electricity descriptor, you suffer 1d6 points of electricity damage and the first creature damaged by that spell must make a Fortitude save against that spell’s DC to avoid becoming dazed for 1 round. If electricity elemental primer causes you to suffer at least 5 points of electricity damage, you must make this Fortitude save as well.

Frost Fox:

Frost Fox
School evocation [cold]; Level magus 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, summoner 3
Casting Time 1 round
Components V, S
Range 5 ft.
Effect one quasi-real, fox-like creature
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no

You conjure a Tiny, quasi-real, fox-like creature comprised of ice and snow. A frost fox has a white head and body, black eyes and a black nose. It has what seems to be constantly-falling fur. It does not fight.

This spell requires concentration; however, the concentration required to hold a frost fox together requires only a swift action and does not preclude other actions (including casting spells). You may direct the frost fox to take two move actions each time you maintain the spell.

The fox is semi-incorporeal - it takes half damage from weapons and magical weapons. It is AC 18 (+2 size, +6 Dex) and has 8 hit points + 1 hit point per caster level. If it loses all its hit points, the frost fox disappears. A frost fox is healed (and may only be healed) by cold damage and is vulnerable to fire damage. A frost fox has a speed of 40 feet.

The frost fox passes through creatures as if it were incorporeal (except you). Creatures suffer 2d6 points of cold damage the first time that the frost fox moves through their space each round (Reflex negates). The frost fox may reduce its speed by half to disallow opportunity attacks it would provoke by moving for 1 round.

This spell may never be contained within a magic item of any kind, including but not limited to: scrolls, staves and wands.

Song of Storms:

Song of Storms
School evocation [air]; Level bard 5
Casting Time 1 round
Components V
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect 10 ft./level radius storm, 80 ft. high
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will negates (object, harmless); Spell Resistance yes (object, harmless)

Your song calls magical wind and rain. Effects within the area that were caused by fire spells are immediately ended and fire spells cast from, through or into the area automatically fail. Creatures of the fire subtype suffer 10d6 points of damage each round they start their turn within the storm (Fortitude half). This storm lasts for 1 round.

Once per turn as a free action, you may expend one round of bardic performance to attempt to maintain the effect for an extra round. Maintaining a song of storms requires a successful DC 23 Perform skill check. Using Perform (wind instrument) grants a +4 bonus to this check. This spell may not be maintained at the same time that any other bardic performance is being maintained.

Each time you maintain this spell, the severity of wind within the spell’s area increases by 1 step (to a maximum of Windstorm). You may direct these winds, and your direction supersedes the direction of any winds of lesser strength. You may choose one of four basic wind patterns to function over the spell’s area.

A downdraft blows from the center outward in equal strength in all directions.

An updraft blows from the outer edges in toward the center in equal strength from all directions, veering upward before impinging on the eye in the center.

Rotation causes the winds to circle the center in clockwise or counterclockwise fashion.

A blast simply causes the winds to blow in one direction across the entire area from one side to the other.


How to navigate the PDF:

Click the name of a spell to travel directly to that spell's description.
Click a class to travel to that class's spell list.


Wow, these spells look super rad, gonna grab this ASAP. I'm sure my players will you hate you for it!

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

So End when are you going to review this one?


I don't get complimentary copies from Dreadfox, thus this will have to wait until I've temporarily eliminated the complimentary copies from other 3pps and the latest bunch of books I've bought. Then, I'll buy it. But I WILL review this as well. :)


And reviewed here, on DTRPG and sent to GMS magazine. Once I've completed the whole Grimoire-series, I'll also submit a batch-review to Nerdtrek. Cheers!

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