Battle Glyphs
Battle Glyphs are a sub-set of Abjuration. In order to cast a Battle Glyph you must have a clear surface (does not count as difficult terrain) and line of sight. The Battle Glyph may be cast underneath an opponent who may choose to make a reflex save (DC of the spell) to make a 5' step as an immediate action (following all the rules for 5' steps, if only difficult terrain remains around the opponent then they forfeit the ability to make this save). This will cost the opponent an attack of opportunity. If their attack of opportunity is used up for the round then they may not make this reflex save and will be affected by the Battle Glyph as normal. If the opponent makes their reflex save or if the Battle Glyph is cast in an unoccupied square then it will trigger the moment anyone, except the caster, moves into that square. If cast on a wall or ceiling then it will only trigger if touched. Incorporeal and flying foes cannot trigger a Battle Glyph normally. A Battle Glyph typically glows with light equivalent to a torch and must fill a 5ft square. It may not overlap squares nor may multiple Battle Glyphs be cast on the same square.
The following is a list of Battle Glyph spells, feats and a prestige class.
Blinding Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description) and Fortitude ends
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a shattered lantern with many beams of light bursting from it. When this glyph is triggered it explodes into a burst of light. Anyone in 20' must make a Fortitude save or be blinded for one round. Whoever triggered the glyph is blinded for the duration or dazzled if their save was made. This is a sight based affect. Undead who trigger the glyph take 2d6 holy damage and undead in the 20' radius take 1d6 holy damage.
Component: a piece of glass exposed to the sun for an entire day.
Defending Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description) harmless, Will save ends
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a glowing yellow shield covering a crouching angel. Anyone of medium size or smaller triggering this glyph gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC and CMD as well as a +2 resistance bonus to saving throws so long as they remain on the glyph. Anyone else trying to enter the glyph or attack the affected must first make a Will save. Doing so ends the spell after their turn (the bonus' apply against their attack). Failure indicates the attack must be redirected at a new target or the attack fails. If the individual affected by the glyph tries to attack anyone or leave the glyph then the spell ends.
Component: Focus; a small replica of a shield made from ivory.
Devouring Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description)
Spell Resistance no
This Battle Glyph appears as a black toothy maw with many grasping claws inside it. When this glyph is triggered make a CMB check using your caster level in place of base attack and your spellcasting ability score (Intelligence for Wizards, Wisdom for Druids, ect) in place of strength. If successful then the target is grappled. Next turn, on your turn you may take a standard action to make another CMB check (using the same modifiers) to pin the target. At the start of your turn if the target is pinned then you may take a standard action to make another CMB check. If successful then the victim is dragged into the glyph where they will take 1d6 slashing damage per level (max 10d6) each round for the remaining duration of the spell. If you fail to grapple the victim initially or if the target breaks free of the grapple the spell ends. If the target breaks free of the pin they are still grappled and the spell continues. If you fail to drag the victim into the Devouring Glyph you may try again the following round. You do not need line of sight for the grapple checks, but if you are farther than medium range away (100ft + 10ft/level) then you may not actively participate in the spells effect. Without you to guide it the Devouring Maw only grapples the target. It does not try to pin on its own. If the victim is devoured and is still alive when the spell ends then they are deposited in the square the glyph occupied. A victim who is killed by the Devouring Glyphs damage cannot be raised or resurrected, but a wish or similar effect can return them to life.
Component: A scrap of dried meat from an aberration.
Gruesome Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description); Fortitude negates and Will negates (see below)
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as twisted face crying out in horror. Anyone triggering this glyph must make a Fortitude save or suffer a terrible transformation. There form twist and pustules appear in horrible places. The victim is sickened and may make a Fortitude save each round to end the spells effect early. Anyone in 30ft who views the victim must make a Will save or be nauseated for one round.
Component: A vile of bile.
Lightning Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description)
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a angry face with lightning bolts shooting from its eyes and mouth. Anyone who triggers this glyph is struck by a bolt of lightning that rises up out of the glyph. This bolt deals 1d6 electrical damage per 2 levels (5d6 max). Anyone damaged by this bolt must make a Will save or be under the effects of confusion and rage for the remainder of this spells duration. The victims weapon attacks also gain the shocking quality so long as they are affected by the spell.
Component: Hair burnt by an electrical source.
Spider Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description)
Spell Resistance no
This Battle Glyph appears as a spider made up of hundreds of smaller spiders. Anyone triggering this glyph is immediately covered in a spider swarm. Strength damage from this swarms poison attack ends when the spell ends. These spiders will not leave the target or move to attack anyone else. If the target dies before the spell ends and they are medium sized or less then the spiders begin to feast on the body. If the swarm is not stopped in 2 rounds only web-crusted bones will remain thus preventing the body from being raised.
Component: A dried spider corpse.
Spinning Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description) Fortitude ends (see below)
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a pair of boots tumbling around a spiral. Anyone of Medium or smaller size triggering this glyph is assaulted by a force effect. Make a CMB check using your caster level in place of base attack and your spellcasting ability score (Intelligence for Wizards, Wisdom for Druids, ect) in place of strength. If successful then the target is tripped. So long as the spell remains in effect the victim must pass a Fortitude save in order to stand up. The victim may spend a move action to crawl 5ft off of the glyph or an ally may pull them off, but not up so long as they are over the glyph. Once the target has made their Fortitude save or moved off the glyph the spell ends.
Component: A broken bootlace tied together.
Stunning Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description) and Fortitude ends
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a pair of crossed fist holding lightning bolts. Any humanoid triggering this glyph who fails their Fortitude save is stunned. At the start of each of the victims turns they may attempt an additional Fortitude save to overcome the glyph. Anyone attacking or moving the victim out of the affected area ends the spell.
Component: A piece of wood from a tree that was struck by lightning.
Vexing Glyph
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect Brightly glowing Glyph in a 5ft square.
Duration 1 round +1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex (see Battle Glyph description)
Spell Resistance yes
This Battle Glyph appears as a hag coiling around the outer circle of the glyph, she appears to be pointing and laughing at terrified figure in the center. Anyone triggering this glyph must make a Will save or become deafened for the spells remaining duration. All they can hear is a wicked cackling that seems to come from everywhere at once. Each round the victim must make another Will save, success ends the spell, but failure cause 1 point of Wisdom damage. This wisdom damage goes away when the spell ends. If a targets Wisdom is reduced to zero they fall unconscious for the remainder of the spell. This is a sound dependent mind-effecting spell. Anyone who cannot hear is unaffected by this spell.
Component: An ear made of wax which is crushed during the casting.
FEATS
Hidden Glyphs
Prerequisites: Ability to cast Battle Glyphs of 3rd level or higher.
Benefits: The affected Battle Glyph has no visual effect until triggered, becoming effectively invisible. Detect Magic or similar spells will reveal the location of the glyph, but See Invisibility or similar spells will not. If cast on an occupied square increase the Reflex save to avoid by 2. A hidden glyph uses up a spell slot one level higher than the spell’s actual level.
Mobile Glyphs
Prerequisite: Ability to cast Battle Glyphs of 2nd level or higher.
Benefits: Once per round as a standard action you may move a Battle Glyph you've cast to a legal square within close range (25ft +5ft/ 2 levels). This reduces the glyphs duration by 2 rounds and may not be used on a glyph that has already been triggered.
Radiating Glyphs
Prerequisite: Ability to cast Battle Glyphs of 3rd level or higher.
Benefits: Your Battle Glyphs affect a 5ft cube instead and will trigger if anyone moves into this area.
Normal: Battle Glyphs only trigger if touched and not when jumped or flown over.
Potent Glyphs
Prerequisites: ability to cast Battle Glyphs.
Benefits: Increase the DC for all saves involved with your Battle Glyphs by 1.
Glyphologist
The Glyphologist is more than just a master of Battle Glyphs. He's a scientist who has learned the secrets behind turning any spell into a Battle Glyph. Glyphologist are obsessed with symbolism and often over analyzing everything around them. For this reason Wizards tend to make the best Glyphologist, though druids with enough interest in knowledge are not unknown among their ranks.
Role: Glyphologist are seekers of ancient secrets. Many believe Battle Glyphs stem from a forgotten form a magic used by fallen civilizations. Indeed creatures such as the Aboleth often take a great interest in Glyphologist. Usually just before killing them.
Alignment: Glyphologist can be of any alignment. Lawful ones are often obsessed with how things are connected while chaotic Glyphologist are only interested in how to transform more spells into Battle Glyphs.
Hite Dice: d6 (poor base attack)
Saves: Will good.
Requirements: In order to become a Glyphologist, a character must fulfill the following requirements.
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks. Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5 ranks. Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks.
Feats: Any 2 Battle Glyph feats. Spell Focus Abjuration.
Special: Able to cast at least 5 Battle Glyphs.
Class Skills
The glyphologists class skills (and the key ability for eachskill) are Appraise (Int), Knowledge (all skills taken individually)(Int), Linguistics (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the glyphologist prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Glyphologist gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new glyphologist level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a glyphologist, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
1st Level. Glyphcasting: Whenever you cast a Battle Glyph you gain a resistance bonus to saves equal to the level of the Battle Glyph for 1 round. You also gain an equal deflection bonus to AC for 1 round.
2nd Level. Respect of the Ancients: Whenever you make a Diplomacy or Intimidate check against an aberration or outsider add your Glyphologist level to the check.
3rd Level. Bonus Feat: Gain one of the following feats; any Battle Glyph feat, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Greater Spell Focus (abjuration), Magical Aptitude or Spell Mastery.
4th Level. Glyph Formed Magics: A Glyphologist may modify any spell of 1st level into a Battle Glyph. The target is always whoever triggered the Glyph and the duration is always changed to 1 round + 1 round per level. A spell is otherwise unaltered. Spells with a range of personal affect whoever triggered it allowing you to use such spells on allies. A spell so modified counts as both an abjuration spell and whatever other school it originally belonged to. If you are a specialist and one of the schools counts as your forbidden school then the new spell will cost you two slots to memorize. If you are an abjuration specialist and the other school is of a forbidden school you may use your bonus abjuration spell slot on the modified spell without penalty. Any other slots cost 2 as normal.
5th Level. Enhanced Abjurations: Whenever a spell or ability of yours grants energy resistance increase that amount by 5. Whenever a spell or ability of yours grants an AC bonus increase that bonus by 1.
6th Level. Advanced Glyph Formed Magics: A Glyphologist may now modify any spell of 2nd level into a Battle Glyph.
7th Level: Bonus Feat: Gain one of the following feats; any Battle Glyph feat, Eschew Materials, Extend Spell, Greater Spell Focus (abjuration), Magical Aptitude or Spell Mastery.
8th Level. Superior Glyph Formed Magics: A Glyphologist may now modify any spell of 3rd level into a Battle Glyph.
9th Level. Detonate Glyphs: You may cast a second Battle Glyph on a square that already has a Battle Glyph on it. Doing so detonates both Glyphs. Both Battle Glyphs full effects take place on anyone within 30ft of the detonation. If a particular Glyph normally only affects one target then choose one target to be affected. The other Glyph may affect the same target or another one of your choice within 30ft. If one or both of the triggered Glyphs affects an area or multiple targets then treat the overlapped square as the origin point for those spells. Regardless of the original spells range or area no one beyond 30ft can be affected.
10th Level. Ultimate Glyph Formed Magics: A Glyphologist may now modify any spell of 4th or 5th level into Battle Glyphs.
Thanks for reading! Please P.E.A.C.H
Is there any reason for Potent Glyphs to exist? Spell Focus (abjuration) does the same thing but applies to the rest of the abjuration school as well.
Thanks for the questions and opinions, lets get underway.
Is there any reason for Potent Glyphs to exist? Spell Focus (abjuration) does the same thing but applies to the rest of the abjuration school as well.
The bonus' don't overlap, they stack. I hope that answers your question.
Basically it seems like you're trying to make a combination super land-mine/grenade out of something that isn't really meant to work that way and being overly complex while you're at it.
The concept is as follows.
1) Toss down a Battle Glyph.
2) Target makes a Reflex save to avoid.
3a) Target makes their save, you still have something on the field to act as an obstacle. Once you take the feat Mobile Glyphs you can spend a standard action to move that glyph towards somebody else, or even the guy who made their save the previous round.
3b) Target fails their save and suffers the full effect. Sometimes they get a second save.
The Reflex save to avoid only works if they can move away and have an attack of opportunity. I've always enjoyed the notion of using attacks of opportunity on things other than attacks. I am a little worried the concept is too complex, mostly because most people aren't used to the idea of using AoO for anything other than attacking, but dropping this means either the Battle Glyphs are unavoidable (which removes a swath of flavor) or they have to be cast on an unoccupied square (which makes them virtually useless).
It seems to me far simpler to make a single Lesser Glyph of Warding spell that is 1st level with the generally short duration you noted and then use the Spell Glyph function with standard spells (with a limit of 1st-2nd level), although I'd make the duration more like minutes rather than rounds so you can set imminent ambushes.
And there you go missing the entire point. If I wanted to create a low level Glyph that had spells attached to it I would've done that. If I wanted to create a group of spells used for ambushes, again, I would've done that. Instead I sought to give Abjuration the ability to attack in an interesting way. It's battlefield control and it looks to me the spells I created fill that role nicely
Glyph is not really meant to be a tactical spell.
So calling them Battle Glyphs was a poor choice? Got it.
Also, regular glyphs require 10 minutes to scribe. Even a "quickie low-level" one should take at least a minute, and you can't "throw" them anywhere ... it's not a "glyph" if you don't trace or scribe it. Range has to be "Touch".
"Has to be"? Really? So the real issue here is that I called them Glyphs. What was your suggestion for renaming them again? Oh right, you didn't actually offer any suggestions, just criticisms.
Otherwise, I find them generally redundant with other tactical spells, with the exception that they hold their charge a short time.
I was concerned with them being redundant, that's why I tried to make their effects as unique as possible while still filling a role. Blinding and Spinning Glyphs being the most boring. Devouring and Vexing being the most interesting. Plus, holding that charge for a short time is a big deal.
Another simple option would be a Delay Spell Feat that allows the caster to delay the onset of any spell by up to 1 round per level after casting by raising the slot used. Perhaps you delay it a specific number of rounds or for a higher slot have a contingency trigger ... otherwise you burn an alarm in addition to set it off on contact prior to the end of the duration or "fused" time.
IMHO, simple solutions that adapt what already exists are the best.
"sigh". Delaying a spell is not simpler, it's a 100% worse option. Especially since that is not at all what I was trying to achieve.
What I'm walking away from this is that calling them Battle Glyphs was a faux pas on my part. Duly noted. That name evokes an imagery that is different from what I was trying to achieve.
I could stick to my guns and keep the name as is, especially since I can't find a better term that keeps it in abjuration. I could call them bombs, but then the school of magic changes.
Here's my questions for you, the audience.
1) If the term Battle Glyph doesn't suit you, what should it be changed to?
2) Am I trying to hard to put combat options into abjuration? If yes do you think there's a better way to add immediate combat controls to this school?
3) Spending an Attack of Opportunity to avoid. Is this too complex of a concept? What would be a simpler alternative?
4) Potent Glyphs: If there were feats that gave you a +1 to the DC of your fear, compulsion or glamor based spells would you consider them too limited? Even if it stacked with Spell Focus?
Once again, thank you for reading. I do appreciate any feed back (even if it initially pisses me off, I'll eventually get over it).
touche'
New name will be forthcoming.
School appropriate listings will be made available.
You have made some excellent points and suggestions. I was trying to create something out of nothing. I realize that abjurations are primarily defensive in nature, but then why is Dispel Magic of this school and not universal? It made me think that there was room for growth. It was a poor way of thinking.
Also, I apologize if I offended you in anyway. I was looking for feedback, but your post seemed like critical attacks other than suggestions. I don't believe I should have to "read between the lines". Without a face to face context can be difficult to ascertain. Make no mistake I appreciate the time you spent in reading and posting. Perhaps I overreacted.
Did anything come of this? I saw that you said you were a 3rd party guy, so I was wondering if this was polished and released at an time.