Izmud's page

Another "balancing" thing a GM can do is to require extraordinary ingredients/sacrifices on the part of the player to create the new spell or mag-c item. A teardrop from a Vampire Lord, a phoenix feather, permanent loss of HP/Stats to imbue the item, etc. How bad does the character want that item? Not only can this be used as story devleopment but it also usually stretches out the creation process, thereby giving hte GM time to assess and develop ripples in the story that the new item/spell will create.

As a GM, I've had players ask to create their own items/spells a few times, and I've always allowed it. The thing is, even more so than with a published spell, it's possible for it to be abused. There are two things I do that easily eliminate that possibility, however:

1) Anything the player introduces is on a probationary basis. If it doesn't work out, or is just totally broken, I retain the right as GM to say, "sorry, this isn't working," and either have the player go back to the drawing board or just scrap it entirely.

2) If there is a problem and we don't want to deal with futzing with the spell, I just make a gentleman's agreement with the player: he won't abuse the new content, and I won't outlaw it. It's as simple as that!

For example, take NobodysHome's "preserve plants" spell. If he's just using it to keep some herbs fresh, no problem! When he pulls it out to try and preserve the corpse of a rare plant creature that (for some reason) would be a problem as a 1st level spell, I'd say to the player, "Look, I really wasn't anticipating this when you designed the spell, and it kind of breaks my plot for you to do this. Is it OK if your druid just forgets he can do that spell for the moment so we can get on with the story?"

Assuming the GM and the players are all reasonable people, it's easy as pie!

I agree with your Reset Button approach. Or it might be a mod, but yes, to prevent the rabid abuse that NobodysHome mentioned.

Slice of Death is nice--about the same as Fireball though with damage over time vice all at once.

Norgrim's Siege Construct seems unbalanced to me. First, you are creating a siege engine (which has a much longer range than you list--perhaps youa re confusing spell range with weapon range?). Siege engines don't fire at people--they fire at immovable targets like castles and other buildings or siege engines. They don't shoot quickly, and they require a crew to operate. Suggest you rethink concept.

Baleful Boon seems pretty balanced to me. In fact, I might drop the level from 5 to 4.

For the Robe, I don't fancy the idea of "storing" live (undead) things in the robe. Look at how expensive a Portable Hole is. What might work better is a Summon Ally type set of expendable pins attached to the robe that when cast upon the ground summons the creature from wherever you left them (max range 1 mile /level). Think necklace of Fireballs type item. But of course those undead have to be already under your control and each attuned to the specific pin on the robe. The other enhancements are okay, but this is a pretty powerful robe with a high cost to create and high level to cast too (16th+).

I personally think all this emphasis on "balance" and the noble GM not wanting to break the game are high minded nonsense.

The bottom line is it is that GM's game and s/he can allow/forbid whatever s/he wants.
That's all well and good, but this GM also sounds like a douche. If said person won't consider adding anything not in a PF book, furthermore won't even glance at the player's creation, they don't sound like the kind of person I want to play with. I'd say half the magic items that appear in our game are created by one of the GMs (we have four that round robin).
I don't play rpgs for the rich interaction of carefully balanced stat blocks fitting together like the well oiled cogs of a machine. I play to have a laugh with my friends and temporarily escape the emphasis on bookkeeping I experience in my real life.
Finally, the notion that the game is some esoteric, high minded construction that most folks can't wrap their heads around enough to achieve the magical equilibrium (re: "balance") folks opine about ad nauseum is absurd. The current iteration of the game has been mostly in its present form for more than a decade. Get over yourselves and your jug of Kool Aid.

Perhaps a tad confrontational in tone, but I agree with the intent.

I thinks some of the responders are taking this WAY to seriously. The GM is running a game, not curing cancer where messing up costs someone a life. If you can't stand to have a little fun and creativity in your group, what is the incentive to stay in that GM's group? You don't post the GMs response other than denial. Try approaching her/him again with the idea that RPGing for you includes being able to be creative--not just follow the GM's set path. If you wanted that yo'd read a book. RPG is interactive, and you want to help shape your environment with a new weapon, spell, or whatever. Be open to the idea of small gains in this area--"what will you allow me to do? Tell me the boundaries."