Just some spells I came up with or at least think I did. As far as I know there isn't any arcane spells like these at least. Anyways, I was hoping to get some help in reigning in a good spell level and making sure it stays balanced yet usable.
Bleed Out
School: Necromancy
Wizard / Sorcerer 2
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Components: Somatic
Range: Medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Yes.
Spell Resistance. No (maybe yes?)
With a simple wave of your hand your opponent begins to bleed uncontrollable from almost every orifice. Target opponent must make a fortitude save. If they succeed they are unaffected by the spell and the spell is lost. If they fail their save however, they take bleed damage equal to your caster level. The bleeding cannot be stopped by mundane means, but can be stopped by magical and supernatural means (i.e. regeneration, cure light wounds, etc...)
Notes: I feel this is pretty fair. They get a save, there are quite a few things that don't bleed. In fact, I'm wondering if it's not quite strong enough?
Entrapment
School: Evocation
Wizard / Sorcerer 3
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Range: Medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Yes, partial.
Spell Resistance. No (Maybe?)
You create a specially made warded circle around your opponent that once breached can deal serious damage. Select one element upon casting this spell (fire, acid, ice, electricity, force) if the opponent fails a reflex save and moves out of their current position, they are dealt 1d6 damage of the chosen element type for every 2 caster levels. If the opponent succeeds on their reflex save, they take half damage.
Creatures that can fly, are incorporeal or can teleport are not affected by this spell. You may have only 3 Entrapment spells up at any one time.
Notes: Again not sure it does enough. The idea was to sort of hold an enemy in place with a damaging sort of pseudo prison cell. Perhaps make it so that it can affect fliers? Or maybe if force is chosen can affect incorporeal creatures?
Clipped Wings
School: Transmutation
Wizard / Sorcerer 4
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Range: Long
Duration: 1 round / level.
Save: Yes.
Spell Resistance: Yes.
Through harsh magics, you cut off all methods of movement save for mundane walking. Target creature must make a will save or lose any movement speed or ability other than the standard walking speed. If they do not have a walking speed, they are unable to move. This ability also negates supernatural and spell movement such as teleportation, phasing and magical flight. An affected target may make another will save at the beginning of each of your turns to negate the effect.
Note: Perhaps too powerful. May need to move it to 5. Not sure though.
Well that's them for now. Any tips, pointers on how to make them better?
The last one strikes me as too powerful because it also bars planar travel.
The first one should have a CL cap at, say, CL 10. Remember that those same spells can be used by a BBEG of the same class, and it's pretty brutal to hit a group with a high-end bleed effect.
The second one should have Sonic instead of Force; Force itself is really powerful and basically can't be reduced in any way. Either that or remove the option for the other elements and stick a [Force] descriptor on the spell.
The third one is definitely strong. It's basically a super-powered version of Dimensional Anchor. Removing the teleportation, etc. clause would keep it in line for its level. You'd also need to input a clause determining what happens when you cast this spell on a creature who's climbing or earthgliding or flying, etc. because this can definitely cause instakills in the right circumstances (Flyer going over a cliff to get away from the party, climber forever stuck on a wall with no means to move except to drop down, etc). You also might want to make up a better name, since this spell includes so much more than reducing a creature's ability to fly.
On my phone right now, but awesome input. Thanks. I'll get to tweaking later tonight and myabe throw up draft 2.
Bleed Out
School: Necromancy
Wizard / Sorcerer 2
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Components: Somatic
Range: Medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Yes.
Spell Resistance. No (maybe yes?)
With a simple wave of your hand your opponent begins to bleed uncontrollable from almost every orifice. Target opponent must make a fortitude save. If they succeed they are unaffected by the spell and the spell is lost. If they fail their save however, they take bleed damage equal to your caster level up to a maximum of 10. The bleeding cannot be stopped by mundane means, but can be stopped by magical and supernatural means (i.e. regeneration, cure light wounds, etc...)
Entrapment
School: Evocation
Wizard / Sorcerer 3
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Range: Medium
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Yes, partial.
Spell Resistance. No (Maybe?)
You create a specially made warded circle around your opponent that once breached can deal serious damage. If the opponent fails a reflex save and moves out of their current position, they are dealt 1d6 force damage for every 2 caster levels. If the opponent succeeds on their reflex save, they take half damage.
Creatures that can fly, are incorporeal or can teleport are not affected by this spell. You may have only 3 Entrapment spells up at any one time.
Land Lover
School: Transmutation
Wizard / Sorcerer 4
Casting Time: 1 Standard action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Range: Long
Duration: 1 round / level.
Save: Yes.
Spell Resistance: Yes.
Through harsh magics, you cut off all methods of movement save for mundane walking. Target creature must make a will save or lose any movement speed or ability other than the standard walking speed. If they do not have a walking speed, they are unable to move.
Creatures that are flying that are affected by this spell, immediately drop to the ground underneath them, taking any applicable falling damage. Creatures with a climb speed affected by this spell, must make a climb check equal to this spells save or fall to the ground below them, taking any applicable falling damage. Creatures using earth glide that are affected by this spell, must immediately move to the nearest open adjacent point outside of the earth in which they are.
There we are. Made changes as mentioned. I took out the no teleporting bit, so it's sort of like the cousin to dimensional anchor, albeit probably slightly less useful. I did take out the new save every round, since the duration is already round based. Took the bleed to a max of 10, but I might make a greater bleed out, either allowing this to be used on a group of creatures, or increasing the max bleed damage. Lastly, changed the entrapment spell to deal force damage. Still thinking it should at least be usable against incorporeal or fliers, else I might lower the level. Overall it seems just situational if you can only keep those on the ground from wanting to move without getting hurt.
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Greater Bleed
School: Necromancy
Cleric/Oracle 2, Inquisitor 2, Wizard/Sorcerer 2, Witch 2
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Components: V, S
Target: One Creature
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 caster levels)
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: YesYour target begins to bleed uncontrollably from multiple orifices. It must make a fortitude save or take bleed damage equal to your caster level (maximum 10). A successful save negates this effect. The bleeding persists and cannot be stopped by natural means, such as from the heal skill or an extraordinary ability, but can be stopped by magical and supernatural sources, such as cure light wounds or channel energy. A creature that does not have blood is immune to this effect.
Entrapment
School: Evocation [Force]
Wizard/Sorcerer 3
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Area: 20 ft. radius
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Duration: 1 minute/level
Save: Reflex partial
Spell Resistance: YesYou weave a ward of pure force that encircles a target area. Any creature that walks out of the affected area triggers the ward and suffers 1d4 force damage for every 2 caster levels you possess.
Creatures that fly over, burrow under, are incorporeal, or teleport out of the target area are not affected by this spell. You may have only 3 Entrapment spells up at any one time.
Crippling Disfiguration
School: Transmutation (Polymorph)
Wizard/Sorcerer 4, Witch 4
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Components: Verbal, Somatic
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level.
Save: Fortitude Negates
Spell Resistance: YesThrough harsh magics, you temporarily alter the physiology of a creature to reduce its mobility. Target creature must make a fortitude save or lose all movement speeds and abilities other than the standard movement speed. If the target does not have a standard movement speed, they are unable to move from their position (though another creature may bull rush, drag, or reposition it as normal), but are given a new saving throw each round to end the effect.
Creatures that are flying that are affected by this spell begin to plummet to the ground. Creatures with a climb speed affected by this spell must make a climb check equal to the save DC or lose their grip and fall to the ground; they may climb using a skill check, but do not receive any benefits from otherwise having a climb speed. Creatures using earth glide that are affected by this spell must immediately move to the nearest open space outside of the earth they currently inhabit.
I made some changes to them; let me know what you think.
Definitely has far better wording than my own haha.
I feel like the damage for the entrapment spell at 1d4 for 2 levels is a bit low for a 3rd level. Granted it's a 20ft radius, but at say 5th level, that's 2d4 which most mundane warriors would probably giggle at. After all, this is a level when one could do 5d6 with a fireball (or even a snowball) and those can hit fliers and such. It's probably my fault at the original design really. I was looking for something where a creature would see this circle around them and know it would really suck to move out of it and would think twice about doing it.
What if I added a second save, that if they take damage and fail the save, they are sent back into the circle? Perhaps that's what the first save should do instead. Keep the lower damage, and instead of the save halving the damage, it's to see whether or not an enemy can get out or is forcibly shoved back in.
Crippling Disfiguration works, but now that I look back at it (both my own and yours) it leaves me wondering why anyone would bother with it over say, hold person.
I definitely like Greater Bleed / Bleed Out though. Out of the three, this one will probably be the one a wizard of mine will try to make some day. Seems fair and effective at the same time.
Thanks for the help!
I'd suggest making entrapment a single target effect at 1d6/level (cap 10) If they leave the square it triggers. Basically a hostile glyph triggered by movement instead if reading.
/random thought
Some interesting input Splendor.
With Bleed Out, if I were to move it to say a 3rd level spell, would you say that would be fair to keep the magical / supernatural healing only and the instantaneous duration? I ask because even a wizard could stop the spell if they had infernal healing a cleric friend or even just a potion of cure light wounds. Honestly, while I love the spell, I know that once you reach higher levels it will be more and more situational. Encountering undead, plants, trolls, constructs, oozes and such more often.
I am fine with it having SR and a closer range of course.
Entrapment is interesting and I'll add the SR and as many targets as you can cast the spell, except only one to a target. I may just use Rathendar's suggestion and simplify it a bit. With 1d6 force damage/level (capped 10) if they leave their square. Not sure if it will affect fliers or incorporeal, but I could see it working on earth gliders who try to dig through it. Wouldn't work on water, but it could work under water on the sea / lake floor. I'll have to re-re-write this one I think.
I'll more than likely make the suggested changes you made for Clipped Wing / Land Lover / Crippling Disfigurement. I may just call it Cripple. Anyways, I'm still on the fence about the save per turn thing. I could make it 5th and take the consecutive saves away (keeping the first one of course), making it a sort of amplified dimensional anchor. As it is now, it's sort of just hold person with a bit of dimensional anchor.
Thanks for the input again everyone.
Why wouldn't entrapment affect incorporeals? Force effects are specifically called out as being one of the few things fully effective against them.
I suppose I was thinking that they could just sort of phase away / through the ground past the "trap". Although, going through the ground would still trigger it I think and since it's magic, I would guess that it (the trap) would be able to sense incorporeals too.