There is a tiny paragraph in the Pathfinder Core Book about wizards researching variant spells.
Independent Research: A wizard can also research a spell independently, duplicating an existing spell or creating an entirely new one. The cost to research a new spell, and the time required, are left up to GM discretion, but it should probably take at least 1 week and cost at least 1,000 gp per level of the spell to be researched. This should also require a number of Spellcraft and Knowledge (arcana) checks.
I'm hoping by keeping the spell I want VERY close to an existing spell, I can keep the costs/time down to the minimum from these guidelines. I'm trying for a version of Chill Touch that works more like a first level version of the level zero cantrip Disrupt Undead. My character is loathe to channel negative energy and not very keen on Necromancy. If a way could be worked out to EVOKE or CONJURE positive energy rather than channel it, even better, but if it has to stay Necromancy, so be it. Here are the base spell(s).
Disrupt Undead
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect ray
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
You direct a ray of positive energy. You must make a ranged touch attack to hit, and if the ray hits an undead creature, it deals 1d6 points of damage to it.Chill Touch
School necromancy;
Level sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Targets creature or creatures touched (up to one/level)
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude partial or Will negates; see text;
Spell Resistance yes
A touch from your hand, which glows with blue energy, disrupts the life force of living creatures. Each touch channels negative energy that deals 1d6 points of damage. The touched creature also takes 1 point of Strength damage unless it makes a successful Fortitude saving throw. You can use this melee touch attack up to one time per level. An undead creature you touch takes no damage of either sort, but it must make a successful Will saving throw or flee as if panicked for 1d4 rounds + 1 round per caster level.
Here's the version I'd like to research
Warm Touch
School evocation or conjuration (if possible, DM call, see commentary)
<all other details remain the same>
Saving Throw Will negates secondary effect; see text;
A touch from your hand, which glows with yellow energy, disrupts the animating force of unliving creatures. Each touch evokes positive energy that deals 1d6 points of damage.<No strength damage as undead are immune>.You can use this melee touch attack up to one time per level. A living creature you touch takes no damage of any sort, but an undead creature must make a successful Will saving throw or flee as if panicked for 1d4 rounds + 1 round per caster level.
Change log;
I changed "blue energy" to "yellow energy". It's just fluff, but it makes it obvious that it's not a standard chill touch spell to anyone observing.
I changed "life force of living creatures" to "animating force of unliving creatures". Because that's the point.
I changed "channels negative energy" to "evokes positive energy". Because the character LOATHES the idea of channeling negative energy. It could become "conjures positive energy" if that works better.
I removed the strength damage sentence. Undead are immune to damage to physical ability scores, for one thing.
I changed "An undead creature you touch takes no damage of either sort" to "A living creature you touch takes no damage of any sort". A living creature does get a warm feeling, but that's again just fluff.
I retained the "Will saving throw or flee" but had to change the "it" to "an undead creature" since I'd changed the original sentence's subject.
Is this a reasonable first level spell ? If not, what should be changed ?
Maybe. Here's why I'm hesitant:
Chill Touch does 1d6 damage and 1 str damage to Living OR scares away undead.
Your version does 1d6 damage AND scares undead. Less versatile yes, but more focused and therefore more powerful against its intended target.
I'd rather you upped the damage a bit (like 1d6 +1/2 levels, max +10), and call it 2nd level. First level generally isn't the level to have combined effect spells (Cause Fear + Disrupt Undead, essentially).
Also.. perhaps "Blazing Touch"?
I'd rather just drop the "Will saving throw or flee" part, in that case. I was simply trying to change as little as possible. My reasoning was also that I can do 1d6 per standard action with the level 0 cantrip, so a first level spell that does the same thing (and not at range, either !) would be underpowered in comparison. Might as well research a variation of the "disrupt undead" cantrip that's a melee touch attack instead of a ray.
If you're willing to deviate from the positive energy theme, there was a spell in Sandstorm (desiccating touch, I think?) which dealt 1d8 untyped damage, no secondary effect, otherwise the same as chill touch.
Thank you tejón. I don't own Sandstorm and I don't think anybody in the group does, but it's a good suggestion. I was trying to stick to Pathfinder core, but if the DM says "NO GO" to Warming Touch, then that's a good backup plan. Do you recall what school that spell is in ?
Do you recall what school that spell is in ?
No clue. :) I can look it up when I get home, though.
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The spell seems balanced. It's highly specific, but even in a campaign heavily focused on fighting undead, it's not 'too good' by any means, being essentially a touch range Disrupt Undead combined with half of the utility of Chill Touch.
I'd make it a Conjuration spell, due to the fear-undead component (which could be considered a feature of the positive energy). If it didn't have that component, and just did more damage, it would be a fine Evocation spell.
Blazing Touch or Sun's Rebuke or Hearth Fires sounds better than 'Warm Touch,' IMO.
My 3 cents (so to speak).
1.Trying to keep the game text similar to Chill Touch makes the last sentence confusing.. this spell only affects the undead whereas Chill Touch affected both the living and undead, and was written the way it was because of this.
2. If you are damaging or causing fear in undead, then you are channeling positive energy. You don't have to worry about channeling negative energy, because negative energy would be used to cure undead, not harm them.
So you can simply put "Each touch channels positive energy".
If you dislike the idea of the term "channel" at all, then you can look to Cure spells, since they use Conjuration (Healing). They list "channel positive energy" in their description though, so I think "conjuring" and "channeling" positive energy are pretty much interchangeable in this case.
3. The worth of the spell is that it does 1d6 positive energy damage to undead, and a Will save or be panicked for 1d4 +1/lvl rounds.
Since before, Chill Touch was doing either 1d6 damage + 1 Str damage OR panicked for 1d4 +1/lvl rounds to a subset of creatures, it might be a bit much to have both effects lumped together on the one subset of creatures.
I'd probably tone the secondary effect down to "frightened for 1d4 rounds", similar to the Cause Fear spell (although no HD limit, since with undead, HD:CR ratios are off the charts, and we are talking about a smaller subset of creatures).
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Overall, it would be a good spell to have against undead, however I can see a person still occasionally wanting to use Shocking Grasp (for the higher damage up front and often an easier time landing the hit) or Burning Hands (higher damage up front plus area effect). Even against undead.
That's a true judge of power... if it holds it's own against other spells, without becoming the best/only option.
Haven't read anyone elses posts, but hey, if this is a positive energy version of a negative energy spell.
Make it so that the spell heals creatures with positive energy.
Meaning that it heals a living creature, and damages an undead creature.
I like the ideal of white energy more so than yellow, but hey.