Birth! - New Spell


Homebrew and House Rules


My mother is playing her take on Ezren in a game I'm running that we started in the Beginner Box. During a discussion of birth pains vs. *ahem* "male" pain between my brother and sister my brother said, "You could hit me in the crotch any time! I can't just say 'Birth!' and you feel birth pains!" That inspired my mother thusly:

Ezren's Birth

School Evocation; Level Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Casting Time Instantaneous
Components V, S
Range 25 feet + 5 ft per spell level caster knows
Target One humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal or magical beast
Duration See text
Saving Throw See text

This spell can be cast to make a ranged touch attack. If the attack hits then the target is staggered for a number of rounds equal to the highest spell level known of the caster. The subject is then given a Will saving throw to resist falling prone.

Any and all comments are appreciated!


You could change the wording for rounds staggered to 1/2 caster level. Stagger is a very powerful condition and absolutely shuts down some foes almost entirely, particularly pounce chargers. The fact your giving them birth pains is insult to injury. Might want to find a way to weaken that a bit.

Contributor

I agree with Mr. Sin. Multiple rounds of Staggered is too strong for a 1st level spell. In addition, your stat block is a little off. "Casting Time" refers to the action required to cast the spell, so your version of Ezren's Birth requires no action to cast apparently. In addition, pain effects like this should have the pain descriptor and most pain effects are necromancy spells because they often tamper with your life energy. Something like this would probably be better:

Ezren's Birth
School necromancy [pain]; Level Sorcerer/Wizard 1, Witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range 25 feet + 5 ft per spell level caster knows
Target One humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal or magical beast
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude partial

A black ray projects from your finger tips. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack with the ray to strike a target.

A creature struck by this ray is immediately staggered for 1 round and fatigued for 1 round per caster level you possess. A successful Fortitude save prevents the staggered condition and reduces the fatigued condition to 1 round.

A character that is already fatigued becomes exhausted.

Unlike normal fatigue or exhaustion, the effect ends as soon as the spell's duration expires.


You also need to add flavor text! Thats one of the best parts. Especially with a skill like this. With a name like that I'd be more horrified about the side effects than anything. Black ray that causes staggered? not so much.


I'd go with illusion/phantasm
Description. This spell was invented by a mother who's son had just joined a gang. The target fells the pain of giving birth, briefly. If cast on a pregnant being, it can induce labor.


I'm really not a fan of it being either illusion or necromancy, amd may have found a way it works as evocation. I like the inducing of birth - it could actually be used in medical practice! I like spells for which you can see their non-adventuring utility. And it also gives me some ideas for flavor...

Ezren's Birth
School evocation; Level Sorcerer/Wizard 1, Witch 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range 25 feet + 5 ft per spell level caster knows
Target One humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal or magical beast
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude partial

A small swirling sphere of white energy shoots from your hand into your target. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit the target.

This sphere immediately induces labor in any pregnant creature it strikes. The struck creature's abdomen then begins to glow softly.. No further effect occurs if the creature is pregnant.

A non-pregnant creature struck by this sphere is immediately staggered for 1 round and fatigued for 1 round per caster level you possess as the sphere tries to induce labor. A successful Fortitude save prevents the staggered condition and reduces the fatigued condition to 1 round. There is no abdominal glow in struck non-pregnant creatures.

A character that is already fatigued becomes exhausted.

Unlike normal fatigue or exhaustion, the effect ends as soon as the spell's duration expires.

Thoughts?


Well Evocation is usually things like throwing lightning bolts and fireballs. Inducing pain or weakness is necromancies gig.

Beyond that I don't see any problems, its got alright scaling, and an excellent effect. Its also fun and flavorful, if a little terrifying.


I'm not sold on the actual labour-inducing bit for pregnant creatures. What that means is lots of premature births/abortions on unwilling targets.

That's a bit yuck for my tastes. And maybe a bit powerful - it essentially becomes a death effect on an unformed child/foetus.

That aside, I think it's a great idea. I think a lot of arcane mothers would learn it, just to share the joys of childbirth around :)


Its magic. Obviously it comes out safe and sound and extra healthy.

Share the joys of childbirth? Squick....


MrSin wrote:
Its magic. Obviously it comes out safe and sound and extra healthy.

Well, that should probably be clarified in the description then :) But I would still think that accelerating the development of a 6 week foetus to a healthy ready-to-be-born child in a standard action may still be pushing the limits of a 1st level spell...

It just doesn't need to be in there, is my opinion.

But like I said, I really like the idea, and I think I might try it out on my PCs next session >:-)


So I'll change the second paragraph to be more happy. I really don't want this to be used to cast abortion. Ew.

"This sphere immediately induces labor in any pregnant creature it strikes that has brought their baby to term. The struck creature's abdomen then begins to glow softly. No further effect occurs if the creature is pregnant."

EDIT: Just wanted to add that I run my game by Rule of Cool as much as is believable. One of my player's characters wields a magic crowbar for instance.


littlehewy wrote:
But like I said, I really like the idea, and I think I might try it out on my PCs next session >:-)

Tell us how that works out. Stagger is a painful condition and fatigue can be shutdown for barbarians!... or were you getting at something else, eh?

Its a little ont he powerful side still I think, but I don't see it being so much that its at the point of abuse. Its similar to snowball which makes some people freak out, but I don't think that spell is really as scary as people claim. Also if your doing rule of cool its always okay to bend power a bit so long as you aren't going way over the edge. Leads to fun spells rather than just mechanical.


She has used it as was originally written for one session, and it shut down a troll. I talked to her about the changes today after posting the revised version and she's excited about it and likes the flavor so we're good!
I would love to hear how it goes in any of your games. :)


Poor troll. Can't move and attack at the same time and loses 2 of its attacks while staggered, on top of all that pain. Definitely a bit powerful as it was.


Yeah it doesn't help that it failed the save and was knocked prone. The rework is definitely better.

Don't feel bad for the troll though! It was really a quasit disguised as a troll, so it being beaten on just made the world a better place!


That... Sounds like a story. My last group would say "but it could be redeemed!" They weren't about killing things so much I guess. Totally forgot about it being knocked prone too... Oh well! It probably had it coming being made of tortured souls and evil and whatnot.

Hope you come up with other spells like this. Sounds like a fun adventure and the forums are always here to help.


Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I think I would make this a Transmutation spell -- you are, after all, introducing a change to the affected creature.

For the effect on a pregnant creature, I would add one of whatever unit the pregnancy is measured in to the effective time that she has been pregnant, and have her immediately go into labor if that brings her to full term. In the case of a human female, this would mean that she would go into labor to deliver a fully developed infant if she is at least 8 months pregnant at the time. Of course we should specify that multiple castings have no additional effect (so you cannot get an "instant baby" that way).

Since inducing labor prematurely is not good for the mother, the spell should probably include a Fortitude damage to avoid taking damage from the induced labor (with the damage roll being high enough to potentially but not necessarily kill a 1st level commoner).


I want to throw my vote behind necromancy. Necromancy needs good spells, and it is all about manipulating life energy. The cure spells used to be necromancy in previous editions, before someone decided that necromancy should be "icky" and moved all of them into conjuration (healing).

Plus, this way, you could be a white necromancer :)


David knott 242 wrote:
I think I would make this a Transmutation spell -- you are, after all, introducing a change to the affected creature.

Well transmutation would infer a whole lot more squick, especially if used on a male or creature. Maybe if it were a higher level and you wanted a slightly different effect.(btw, if its magic why not just say everyone turns out okay? Much easier than roll fort or die...)

Evocation is calling on unseen forces for a desired effect and calling things out of existance to do so, but its lines with conjuration get crossed sometimes. Necromancy is manipulation of "death, unlife, and the life force".


+1 to necromancy, for the flavor alone. Ew...


Well, if its not in the last trimester it causes false labor. 1st level is fine for an illusion. The 3rd level necromancy version lets you torture undead. 3rd level transmutation changes damage from giving birth to pain, so it might be a while before the mother regains consciousness. Thoes are my suggestions as of now.


@Goth Guru
False Labor would be a good way to keep it un-squicky. Danke.


The 2nd edition Forgotten Realms book 'Powers & Pantheons' had a 3rd level priest (of Shiallia) spell (pages 57-58) 'ease labor' which in the reverse form ('inflict labor') afflicted the target with 'all the pains of labor'. Males got no save aganst it, and females only did if they'd given birth at least once previously. It hit a victim with three phases of suffering. In the first phase a victim was nauseated. In the second phase a victim was fatigued. In the third phase it caused increasing amounts of pain which caused temporary loss of hit points and strength.


Daaang. That's a hardcore spell. I'm glad I don't play in the Realms...

I have played and run a bit of AD&D and one thing I miss are the reversible spells.


So just wanted to update on this spell... The wizard made it more terrifying: she did additional research to give this thing the target progression of magic missile, then took spell specialization for the spell, then reworked the flavor to be "a number of jelly bean-sized bursts appearing as tiny babies shoot forth from your hand, striking the pelvises of their targets and causing the pain of contractions".

She also took craft wand as a means of marketing the spell. Eventually someone else is getting that spell. >:D

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