I really like the Kyuss spells in Dragon 343, but wish they went up to 9th level with them. Here's my creations:
Wall of Worms
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Kyuss 8
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Close (25'+5'/2 levels)
Effect: One 5' Square/Level of Worms which must be connected.
Duration: 1 min/level
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No
This calls up a living wall of Kyuss worms which stretch up to 20' high. Creatures attempting to pass through the wall take 6d6 points of damage and the following round take 2d4 points of Intelligence Drain. The Intelligence Drain continues every round afterward until the creature reaches 0 intelligence or the effect is stopped by a Remove Curse, Remove Disease, or Heal spell. Passing through multiple squares of the Wall of Worms results in cumulative damage and intelligence drain. A creature in a square targeted by the casting of this spell is entitled to a reflex save to avoid the effect, but must immediately move out of the area on its turn or suffer the spell's effects. A creature reduced to 0 intelligence by this effect is immediately slain and rises as a Favored Spawn of Kyuss.
Material Component: A living Kyuss worm.
Breath of the Apostle
Necromancy
Level: Kyuss 9
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: 60'
Area: Cone Shaped Burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex Partial
Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell emulates the regurgitation ability of the Ulgurstasta, creating a horrific cone centering from the caster's mouth. This necromantic acid deals 3d6 points of Constitution drain to all living creatures within the cone, or 1d6 Constitution damage on a succesful save.
Thoughts? Comments? Overpowered? Underpowered? I'm considering using them by week's end...
They look good to me. I'd run with it - I love value added material.
Speaking of which, I allowed our cleric to cast a divine spell that protects the creature touched from Kyuss worm infestation.
The cleric in question worships Ehlonna, so we called the Spell "Ehlonna's Grace".
The worms fall harmlessly away from the magic barrier. I think I called on the spell to be 4th level and last for 10 minutes per level. At a higher level version of the spell, it affects multiple creatures selected by the caster within a range simliar to Mass spells.
This spell has been invaluable to the players and the DM (me) - Kyuss worms can easily spell havoc on an encounter. Early in the adventure (Encounter at Blackwall Keep) I figured that this is fun the first time, then not so fun en-mass and needed the players to have a spell that protects them from these worm effects.
I only have two scheduled game sessions before I end my AOW campaign, so I can add some parting thoughts on "Ehlonna's Grace". There were moments where worm effects play into the diffuculty of an encounter, and they were simply nerfed by my spell. However some worm effects would bypass this spell (such as the worm doors at the Tabernacle which are ethereal, and therefore by-pass Ehlonna's Grace). Also I ruled that many attacks made by Kyuss creatures that affect Ability scores (such as Knights worm-eyes that drain intelligence) also are unaffected by Ehlonna's Grace. In the end, I am satisfied with the spell. It can be (and was) dispelled leaving the creature suddenly vulnerable as well.
Likewise, Breath of the Apostle would affect my PCs under the effects of Ehlonna's Grace normally, while Worm Wall would not, unless it had the same ethereal attributes as the Tabernacle.
Consider also a spell that allows you to summon worm swarms (as outlined in the adventure SoLS). These would be very effective at disrupting grounded spell casters.
Wall of Worms seems overpowered to me. The continuous mental ability drain is extremely powerful and it has no save/SR, too. As a bonus, you can also create powerful undead at no cost (other than the "raw materials").
I would also clarify whether it has to be a flat, vertical wall (like a Wall of Iron) or if it's shapeable (like Wall of Thorns or Wall of Stone), as well as how exactly how tall it is (5'?).
overpowered as all hell.
overpowered as all hell.
Clarification? I believe the word 'commentary' implies constructive criticism, not a meaningless phrase. What strikes you as overpowered? Actually, Extrude Wormswarm, which is printed in that issue of Dragon, is 7th level and summons a mobile wormswarm. This 8th level version duplicates the effect of that spell in a way. It allows a greater area of effect but the effect can't move itself once cast, unlike the Extrude Wormswarm spell. The wormwall would be up to 10' high (debating 20'), and obviously has no save because its a conjuration. Its not as if players suddenly are stricken by the effect; they choose to walk through it or not. It also might be one of those whammer-jammer spells that simply gets nerfed by mobility such as dimension door, teleport, etherealness, and the like.
As for creating new undead, the undead are not necessarily under your control if they're created by this spell...
It allows a greater area of effect but the effect can't move itself once cast, unlike the Extrude Wormswarm spell.
I dont buy Dragon, but I had an inkling of a hint that there might be a worm swarm spell out there. Apparently there is.
As for being overpowered, I'm going to guess that the other posters might think Ehlonna's Grace might be overpowered as well - but I'm just guessing. As for being overpowered, I disagree. This is 8th and 9th level we're talking about. At 8th and 9th Spell Level you can do some pretty ugly things.
I like the additional Wormbound spells. Wall of Worms strikes me as a clever take on blade barrier.
Breath of the Apostle looks great, but I think you could get away with an even lower level. Maybe make it a substitution for horrid wilting, and 8th level. Or, for extra juice, make it a rounds/level spell, and usable every 1d4 rounds, as a 9th level spell. Consider the wonderful applications of those "breath" component spells from the Spell Compendium! Wow!
I haven't made any Wormbound spells, myself, but I did make a maneuver (Tome of Battle) for my evolved Kyuss Knights of my own design, instead of a spell-like ability, (similar to Manticore Parry of the aforementioned sourcebook). Here it is:
Writhing Blade
Wormspawn Executioner (counter)
Level: Warblade 7
Prerequisite: Three Wormspawn Executioner maneuvers, or special
Initation Action: 1 immediate action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Your blade sweeps through the air, twisting and writhing as if of its own volition. The instinctual swing catches the ray propelled toward you, and bats it away.
The writhing blade maneuver intercepts a ranged attack, and knocks it away from you. Upon activating this maneuver, make an attack roll with your weapon, opposed by the opponents ranged attack roll. If successful, you intercept the ranged attack, and knock it away from you. If you threaten a critical with your attack roll, roll to confirm. If you confirm, the ranged attack is redirected toward your opponent. Your attack roll to hit your opponent is the same that you have used to redirect the ranged attack. Any attack that requires a ranged attack roll can be redirected with this maneuver.
Evolved Kyuss Knights may use this maneuver instead of gaining a spell-like ability, as per the Evolved template (Libris Mortis), though they must expend an attack of opportunity to do so, in addition to any other costs to use this ability.
This ability could easily be applied as a spell-like ability of equal level (7th-level), usable as an immediate action 1/day, of the abjuration school of magic.
This ability helps Kyuss Knights from being just archery targets in mid-range (or further) combat. Take that, disintegrate!
I guess I'll probably go with the whole once every 1d4 rounds on the Breath, though the Ulgurstastas themselves can't do this...Hmmm... I'll probably end up dropping it to eighth and Wall of Worms to ninth. Upping the Wall spell, I'll probably allow it to infect Ethereal creatures and bypass creatures with high natural AC (I think I originally planned to allow +5 or higher to negate the worms effects, just like Kyuss worms.)Thanks for everyone's input, I agree, the breath is underpowered next to spells like Wail of the Banshee, Weird, Energy Drain, and the like. Hopefully these work out... (I still need a spell to fill the slot for sixth level on the Kyuss spell list from Dragon. I'm thinking maybe of a spell that allows the caster (usually undead) to host Kyuss worms like the Spawn of Kyuss, giving them a touch attack with worms.)
Again, thanks everyone for the criticism.
overpowered as all hell.Clarification? I believe the word 'commentary' implies constructive criticism, not a meaningless phrase. What strikes you as overpowered? Actually, Extrude Wormswarm, which is printed in that issue of Dragon, is 7th level and summons a mobile wormswarm. This 8th level version duplicates the effect of that spell in a way. It allows a greater area of effect but the effect can't move itself once cast, unlike the Extrude Wormswarm spell. The wormwall would be up to 10' high (debating 20'), and obviously has no save because its a conjuration. Its not as if players suddenly are stricken by the effect; they choose to walk through it or not. It also might be one of those whammer-jammer spells that simply gets nerfed by mobility such as dimension door, teleport, etherealness, and the like.
I wasn't thinking that creatures would walk into it so much as get stuck in it (e.g. cast a Wall of Worms and a Solid Fog on your enemies so they can't get out) or bull-rushed into it or whatever. I don't know the details of the Wormswarm spell, but presumably you can kill the swarm; you didn't list any way of destroying the Wall (other than Dispel Magic, obviously).
As far as the undead creation aspect goes, I don't really like the school of thought that goes: "It only helps the bad guys to create a bunch of free-willed kyuss spawn; therefore it's not overpowered." I know that Animate Dead works the same way (e.g. "It's evil, so it's not overpowered.") but I don't like that either. ;) If it gives anyone an unfair benefit (whether it's the PCs or the enemies), it's overpowered in my book. Otherwise, what's stopping a PC from researching a version that turns enemies into Neutral Good half-celestials after death?
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I guess if you’d let your PC's research it learn it and maybe modify it for them to use. Like maybe it doesn’t create Kyuss minions, it just does the Intelligence drain. Would you think it's a balanced spell to use against say the dragons in Kings of the Rift? I dont think a Garguantuan dragon could fall faster than by loosing it's mind in a few rounds.
We had 8th level spells there and if we had that one, there would defiantly be a few less dragons left lying around then there were after we got through with em.
Prismatic Wall has all kinds of death in it and it lasts awhile, but everything gets a saving throw to reduce or eliminate damage, same for the 9th Lvl Prismatic Sphere, but nothing about "No saves, no SR and creating uber minions in the spell effects spare time".
Defiantly 9th Level at a minimum. I really like the effect, I'd have someone use it on the party in the Worm crawl Fissure, just for fun, and put a side note if you can cast Greater Restoration or Heal on the member before they loose all of their Int the effect ends.
I wasn't thinking that creatures would walk into it so much as get stuck in it (e.g. cast a Wall of Worms and a Solid Fog on your enemies so they can't get out) or bull-rushed into it or whatever.
As written, I could cast wall of worms as a cube around several adjacent enemies (six 5-ft. squares, all connected, on 4 sides of each square plus top and bottom). Now the poor mooks are standing in worms (taking damage every round) and have to pass through them to escape (unless they teleport, etc.). Specifying that the wall must form a single plane, or that all segments of a bent wall must be vertically-oriented, or whatever would remove this threat. I'd also allow a Reflex save to leap clear of a square being bracketed by worm wall segments (as with all other attempts to trap/crush opponents with "wall of" spells).
You all raise very good points. The effect of Wall of Worms itself is right on par with spells of similiar levels, but the potential for abuse, even if I'm the only one running it, is high when combined with other spells. I'm doing this partially to surprise my PCs, who all have access to the Spell Compendium and all the Complete books. They no longer bat an eye when I use 8th and 9th level spells anymore (In Dawn of a New Age), so I want to give something they haven't seen before.
Revision 1:
Wall of Worms
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Kyuss 9
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 Full Round
Range: Close (25 ft+5 ft/2 levels)
Effect: Shapeable wall up to 5' square a level which must be connected, see text.
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No
By hurling a Kyuss worm at the ground, you cause a barrier of ghostly green worms to appear. The Wall of Worms must be cast on a relatively flat surface and does not move once in place. The wall is at least 5' wide and must be continuous. It may stretch up to 20' high, but the heighth must be continuous for the whole wall. Any creature attempting to pass through the wall must make a special grapple or escape artist attempt (DC= Caster Level+Int, Cha, or Wis Modifier, depending on class)or be unable to move forward. In any case, any living creature attempting to pass through the wall immediately takes 6d6 dmg and 2d4 Intelligence drain the following round. This intelligence drain continues each subsequent round until the victim dies or is subject to a Heal, Remove Curse, or Remove Disease. Creatures reduced to 0 intelligence are instantly slain. This wall extends onto the ethereal plane, working on Ethereal opponents. A creature that is within the Wall's space upon its casting is entitled to a Reflex save to avoid the effects, but they must move immediately out of the spell's area on their turn or suffer the effects of the wall. Passing through multiple sections of the wall does not result in cumulative damage or intelligence drain.
Material Component: A living Kyuss worm.
There...a bit more balanced, and no instant undead genesis.
My other revision if bumping the breath spell down to 8th level. Again, I like the criticism, so if it seems like I've just made the spell even worse, let me know...
Revision 1: Wall of Worms...
Looks really good; the increase in level to 9th may not even be needed now.
How about a spell that allows you to become a worm that walks for a short period of time?