Deathless spell on magic items

[seh1337]

Item balance question. I feel the spell Deathless(shown below) would be awesome added to a ring of regen or some sort of item of healing( something with a continuous cure light wounds healing for 1 HP, cheaper knock off of a ring of regen)
""DEATHLESS
School necromancy; Level alchemist 4, cleric 4, inquisitor 4, sorcerer/wizard 4, witch 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target living creature touched
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
The target's soul is strongly anchored to its body, preventing death from hit point damage. No matter how low the target's hit points get, it remains alive (though not necessarily conscious).

This spell doesn't prevent death from sources other than hit point damage—such as Constitution damage or drain, death effects, or energy drain. Spells that cure hit points affect the creature normally.

Mythic: If you expend one use of mythic power when you cast the spell, you become an anchor for the souls of you and your cohorts. The range increases to 30 feet, and instead of affecting one creature, it affects all allies within a 30-foot-radius emanation centered on you.

Augmented (8th): If you expend three uses of mythic power, the range increases to 1 mile, and the area to a 1-mile-radius emanation centered on you.""

what is the Hiveminds thoughts an balance?

[Lathiira]

While there ARE creatures that can kill via Con damage/drain, suffocation, or negative levels (note: death effects rarely actually kill anyone, they got nerfed just to do tons of hp damage), these creatures are a very small minority. Most creatures will ultimately want to reduce your hp to zero to deal with you. Against most creatures you are therefore unkillable. Most of the creatures that would still be effective are undead. Not very balanced at all, as you'd more or less be like Wolverine. Sure, you can be KO'ed. But in time, you'd recover.

[Orfamay Quest]

I don't see it as unbalanced; so you can't "die," so what? At the level at which this item would become available, death is little more than a speed bump, to be addressed by the cleric spending some gold. (If the cleric is really prepared, it doesn't even cost money, as breath of life doesn't have a gold cost.)

It won't save you in combat; you can still be knocked out and all sorts of bad things can still happen to you. If there's a TPK, the bad guys will probably still loot the bodies and remove the ring -- and then you (and the rest of the party will be dead.

How would this actually affect the play of the game?

[Pizza Lord]

I would have to think about how it interacts with Ferocity and Die Hard. Basically since dealing hit point damage is the only way 90% of creatures deal with challenges (ie. not Con damage, or energy drain) that basically invalidates a lot of challenges involving combat (which tends to be about 90% of challenges.)

Otherwise, I suppose it would just come down to dealing 1 point of non-lethal damage just like dealing with Ferocity and Die Hard.

Would also have to mention how it works on a living creature like an outsider which is considered to have its soul and body as one. Does it just work normally or does it not work for them?

[Sangerine]

Note that Deathless is a mythic spell. Definitely something that would make me wary of allowing as an enchantment as a GM. Even more so if the enchanter isn't mythic.

As for balance, it mostly seems like an attempt to cheese while using Ferocity, Die Hard or a method to acquire undead defenses.

Especially when combined with

seh1337 wrote:

something with a continuous cure light wounds healing for 1 HP, cheaper knock off of a ring of regen

I'd get a little cautious about permitting it.

[Berti Blackfoot]

You can, but note it only lasts 1round/level, so it won't be constant unless you pay for it. And if duration is measured in rounds then you mulitiply that again by 4:

spell level 4 x caster level 7 x 2,000gp x 4 = 224,000 purchase price

so even to create is 112,000gp, for that price it seems pretty balanced. There is a lot more you could do with that money to become super powerful. You could just add Determination to armor (once/day Breath of Life) costs 30,000gp, it is less foolproof. But there are a lot better rings out there.

I would not allow the mythic features to be added, not sure how to price those.

[Arakhor]

seh1337 wrote:

Item balance question. I feel the spell Deathless(shown below) would be awesome added to a ring of regen or some sort of item of healing( something with a continuous cure light wounds healing for 1 HP, cheaper knock off of a ring of regen)

Whilst I like the deathless effect and would happily have it as some sort of item effect, the bold words above already tell you exactly what you should or should not be doing as regards to balance.

[seh1337]

when you compare a ring of regen to Boots of the Earth
it is kinda over priced to "keep a limb" granted these are boots, with specific restrictions, and not rings.
I just thought it would be a cool idea and as said earlier make you wolverine, pre augmentation. thought it sounded cool someone that just keeps coming, huge damage (below 0) and next round up. takes damage, down, next round up again. or how awesome would it be if your guy is on a cliff, looks over says "f@$$ it this going to hurt", jumps and 10 minutes later is whole again. I would throw in a Will save to address the mental side of so much pain. maybe some stat loss, int or wis. I didn't think of Ferocity or Die Hard those are some good points to take into account when building it.

[Arakhor]

Fair enough, but good luck jumping over a cliff and landing at the bottom both conscious and upright, whilst also suffering otherwise-terminal damage.

[Cevah]

Boots of the Cat: Never take more than 20 points of damage, and you land on your feet. Only 1,000 gp.

/cevah