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Fear-based spells can be a lot of fun. They offer players certain options--scaring opponents off rather than having to kill them, disabling or hindering opponents to make them less effective, etc. When they work, they add extra color or flavor to combat instead of just hacking away at enemies.
The problem is that certain lower-level fear spells have hit dice restrictions:
Cause Fear - one living creature with 5 HD or less.
Scare - one living creature/three levels, each must have 5 HD or less.
To me, these hit dice restrictions seem arbitrary and unnecessary. The spells already have a DC. Why add second layer of hit dice restriction? (It might even be a third layer if the monster has spell resistence.) Since these are low-level spells, the DCs end up being lower than those of other spells. High level monsters will generally have better saves than low level monsters, so it already works out that higher-level monsters are less likely to be affected.
Consider the following: a first-level wizard can use Cause Fear to scare monster with five hit dice, but a 20th-level wizard can't use Cause Fear against a monster with six hit dice. Any six hit dice monster that isn't scared of a 20th-level wizard is an idiot. This rule doesn't make any sense.
I would be fine with implementing a restriction based on the caster's level/hit dice. For example, we could make it so that Cause Fear is not effective against monsters that are more than three hit dice higher than the caster.
As it currently works, the spell caster reaches a certain point in level progression and discovers that these two spells have suddenly become completely worthless. It's fine if these low-level spells seem less effective over time, but it's another thing if you're only facing monsters with 6 or more hit dice and they literally can't be affected by the spell. Also consider that the spells I listed appear both on the bard and sorcerer spell lists--spell casters with limited lists of spells known. It is unfortunate that these spells have such strict restrictions.
I would be fine with implementing a restriction based on the caster's level/hit dice. For example, we could make it so that Cause Fear is not effective against monsters that are more than three hit dice higher than the caster.
As it currently works, the spell caster reaches a certain point in level progression and discovers that these two spells have suddenly become completely worthless. It's fine if these low-level spells seem less effective over time, but it's another thing if you're only facing monsters with 6 or more hit dice and they literally can't be affected by the spell. Also consider that the spells I listed appear both on the bard and sorcerer spell lists--spell casters with limited lists of spells known. It is unfortunate that these...
I agree. Good idea.
Some spells are used just because they lose their effectiveness too soon
I don't see it as much of a problem for sorc/wiz, because they get access to the higher level Fear spell which has no HD cap.
Clerics however, do have a problem there, as Fear is not on their spell list. Simple solution? Give Clerics Fear as part of their spell list. I think this makes sense. I think Clerics really should be able to do that kind of thing in addition to Sorcs/Wizs.
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I'm not a big fan of static HD caps on any spells. I much prefer no cap at all for single target spells (the saving throws of high HD creatures are better, while the spell saving throw is static, that should be enough), or if there is a need for HD caps, to make them level dependant, so cause fear might have an HD cap of 1HD/caster level +2, or something like that.
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My only issue with that is that Fear is Area of effect (cone). No single target version of Causer Fear exist in the PHB that I know of.
The spell Command can duplicate a fear effect, although it is not quite a fear affect, it can cause targets to flee. Although I believe it is cleric only.
I'm not trying to defend it. I'm just saying... There's also Greater Command, which is another multi-targeter but is basically as Command, but effects last 1r/caster level.
Maybe they thought a fear affect with a long duration was too good for a 1st level spell, Charm isn't great to use in combat, Command? Maybe just because it was 1 round. I dont know dude, it's just what they did.
Although, I guess I agree that Fear is too good for a first level spell, even if its only a single target. But I'd say 2nd or 3rd level for single-target Fear would not be too broken.
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But since we brought it up. How come Command doesnt have a HD limit? Or Charm Person for that matter? Both of those effects could easy be more useful than Cause Fear.
If we do add hit dice limits to these spells, I would like to see them be scalable limits, based on the caster's level/hit dice. I'm not a big fan of the idea of disposable spells that become useless.
I'm thinking of the drawn out dungeon crawl. At the end of a series of combats, a high level caster might be down to just low level spells. Some of them are still useful (magic missile), but others are completely useless because of hit dice restrictions. I guess I don't get why some spells will always have some usefulness, while others have planned obsolescence.
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Hit die limits are just an awkward in my opinion and should be done away with. Let the Saving throws relfect the difficulty of effect targets. I just makes no sense for a cowerly theif with no will willpower to be immune to Cause fear because he is 7th level but the 5th level cleric with a +4 wisdom bonus to will saves can still be affected.
Excellent point! Yeah, this is exactly the kind of thing that I had in mind when I started this thread. The restriction just seems arbitrary--the specific example makes it seem even more arbitrary. The timorous rogue is immune because of his level.