I say simple b/c it is meant to be more for looks than, actually functionality. I would like to keep it 0 or 1st lvl.
Elemental Skin
Transmutation or Evocation
Lvl. 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of the element)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
The targets body is coated in a thin layer of an element he or she chooses. This second skin causes the targets body to look on fire, or ice...etc(think iceman, or sunspot from marvel comics). The target is granted a +1 bonus to AC and resistance of 3 vs. the element their body is covered in.
Thoughts...?
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Two thoughts;
For a cantrip, I'd skip the AC bonus entirely, and have the spell grant 5 pts of energy resistance to a single element, but the energy resistance is ablative / one use, so that if you take 3 pts of fire damage in the 2nd round, you only have 2 pts of it left for the remaining 8 rounds.
A character with that spell could, in theory, stand around casting that cantrip over and over, and effectively ignore most of the damage from the 1d6 cold or fire damage per minute from extreme cold or extreme heat, but I don't see that as being an abusive use of a cantrip.
Or;
As a 1st level spell, I'd increase the duration to 1 minute / level, increase the armor bonus to +2 (and clarify that it is an armor bonus, so that it won't stack with mage armor or bracers of armor), and allow it to provide energy resistance 5 against one energy type. The armor bonus suggests that the users flesh would take on a harder appearance, perhaps metallic copper or silver when electrically resistant or like smoldering coal when fire-resistant, crystalline like salt for acid resistance or icy and covered with frost-rime patterns for cold resistance.
Compared to mage armor (1 hour / level duration and AC +4) and resist energy (10 minutes / level duration and energy resistance 10), it doesn't seem out of line.
I'd add a material component, appropriate to the element type chosen, such as a bit of copper for electricity resistance, a chunk of coal when fire resistant, a bit of ice or meltwater for cold resistance and a pinch of alkali salts for acid resistance.
I say simple b/c it is meant to be more for looks than, actually functionality. I would like to keep it 0 or 1st lvl.
[...]
The target is granted a +1 bonus to AC and resistance of 3 vs. the element their body is covered in.
This part doesn't seem as much looks as functionality.
+1 to AC is 1/2 the benefit as the first-level spell shield of faith albeit without the increase at higher levels. It is also untyped which is a bad thing cause it will stack with everything.
Resistance 3 is roughly 1/3 as powerful as the second-level spell resist energy.
Give the AC bonus a type then I would say 1st-level spell. I really don't see a way get to be a 0-level spell.
I say simple b/c it is meant to be more for looks than, actually functionality. I would like to keep it 0 or 1st lvl.
Elemental Skin
Transmutation or Evocation
Lvl. 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of the element)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yesThe targets body is coated in a thin layer of an element he or she chooses. This second skin causes the targets body to look on fire, or ice...etc(think iceman, or sunspot from marvel comics). The target is granted a +1 bonus to AC and resistance of 3 vs. the element their body is covered in.
Thoughts...?
I am not sure if the AC is A) only against the chosen element, or B) a standard bonus to AC.
In case of A, it creates an unusual mechanic, since the AC bonus only applies to some attack (where AC is normally a fixed DC (whether normal, touch og ff).
In case of B, I think it becomes too good for a cantrip. Other cantrip doesn't even come close to AC+resistance. Especially since the bonus is untyped, it continues to be useful even at high levels, if the players don't mind spamming cantrip while walking around in a dungeon.
Personally I would remove the AC bonus, and just have the spell grant resistance 3 against the chosen type. It is still a really useful for a cantrip, and one that I could see get more use than most other cantrips.
It would add a line stating that you can only be affected by one casting of the spell at the time.
You might the ability to have it made permanent through permanency.
Elemental Glow
Evocation
Lvl. 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a piece of copper for electricity, matchstick for fire, drop of water for water etc...)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
The targets body is covered in a glow of elemental energy related to the element type chosen. This second skin causes the targets body to look on fire, or crackling electricity). The target is granted 5 points of resistance toward the element their body is covered in. This resistance is ablative in that if you took damage of the energy type chosen the resistance is reduce by the amount of damage taken, but only of that type all other dmg is dealt the same. The glow remains until the end of the duration.
This glow does not give off the same amount of light as a torch, but does outline the target with the glow.
This spell could be made permanent.
How 'bout now?
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Elemental Glow
Evocation
Lvl. 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a piece of copper for electricity, matchstick for fire, drop of water for water etc...)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yesThe targets body is covered in a glow of elemental energy related to the element type chosen. This second skin causes the targets body to look on fire, or crackling electricity). The target is granted 5 points of resistance toward the element their body is covered in. This resistance is ablative in that if you took damage of the energy type chosen the resistance is reduce by the amount of damage taken, but only of that type all other dmg is dealt the same. The glow remains until the end of the duration.
This glow does not give off the same amount of light as a torch, but does outline the target with the glow.
This spell could be made permanent.
How 'bout now?
Candle-light intensity might be a useful yardstick for illumination, rather than the 'not as much as a torch' text, and the 'outlines the subject' verbage which could be interpreted to imply a faerie fire like disadvantage (which, I'm suspecting, you wouldn't want).
It should also be specifically noted that this appearance of being 'on fire' or 'crackling with electricity' doesn't affect ones equipment or cause any sort of discomfort or damage to creatures or objects touched.
If made permanent, the 5 pts of energy resistance might regenerate every 24 hours, so that it doesn't just go away completely the first time you take 5 pts of the relevant energy damage.
I prefer cantrips to have fixed durations like '1 minute' (like dancing lights or guidance), but create water, detect magic, ghost sound, light and purify food & drink are all examples of cantrips with durations or effects that are based on caster level, so there's precedent for that. It's not a game-changer in any way, IMO, with a 1 minute fixed duration or a 1 minute / level scaling duration.
As a permanent effect, it's a cool visual effect that gives the recipient 5 pts off one specific type of elemental energy attack per day. That's not unreasonable for a cantrip level thing.
While I can see visuals for electricity (copper or silvery hide, perhaps crackling with energy), acid (crystalline appearance, glistening with greenish sweat and / or hissing with acrid fumes), fire (appearance of hardened magma, dark with red, orange and yellow cracks revealing hotter insides) and cold (ice blue, steaming with cold fog that swirls off of body), I'm not sure what sort of appearance fits with a sonic aura (or if you even intended sonic energy to be an option, since it's not really 'elemental' damage).
Elemental Glow
Evocation (Fire, Earth, Air, Water)
Lvl. 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a piece of copper for electricity, matchstick for fire, drop of water for water etc...)
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
The targets body is covered in a glow of elemental energy related to the element type chosen. This second skin causes the targets body to look on fire,or like it is crackling electricity etc... The target is granted 5 points of resistance toward the element their body is covered in. This resistance is ablative in that if you took damage of the energy type chosen the resistance is reduce by the amount of damage taken, but only of that type all other damage is dealt the same. The glow remains until the end of the duration. A target can only be the recipient of one of this spell at a time.
This glow only gives off equal to that of candlelight.
This spell could be made permanent.If made permanent, the 5 pts of energy resistance regenerates every 24 hours, so that it doesn't just go away completely the first time you take 5 pts of the relevant energy damage.
How 'bout now?
All this math is killing my buzz on the spell. I just wanted a Starburst like glow when I went into battle as a wizard.Cause I drew my PC he looked cool If light or Fire was bursting from around his collar and stuff.
All this math is killing my buzz on the spell. I just wanted a Starburst like glow when I went into battle as a wizard.Cause I drew my PC he looked cool If light or Fire was bursting from around his collar and stuff.
I'm not sure why you went for the AC and energy resistance at all then. If you just want an effect, I would think you would want the spell to give the glow and maybe a minor boost to intimidate for one minute.
I asked my GM for something similar, a one-minute cantrip that caused an eerie shadow effect to emanate from my witch to impress the local riff-raff while he was doing readings. No mechanical impact at all, just a visual effect.
All this math is killing my buzz on the spell. I just wanted a Starburst like glow when I went into battle as a wizard.Cause I drew my PC he looked cool If light or Fire was bursting from around his collar and stuff.
I'll just start casting light on myself, it does not say it has to be a rock or pebble, I'll just cast it on my longcoat Or my body for that matter.
All this math is killing my buzz on the spell. I just wanted a Starburst like glow when I went into battle as a wizard.Cause I drew my PC he looked cool If light or Fire was bursting from around his collar and stuff.I'll just start casting light on myself, it does not say it has to be a rock or pebble, I'll just cast it on my longcoat Or my body for that matter.
Dancing lights might be better because you can control the brightness of that. You can always work on fluff for spells anyway.
I think your spell is fine as a cantrip without the mechanical benefits. I love that sort of thing, but then I love role playing and am lucky to have a GM and a group that enjoys that sort of thing too.
In fact I think I'm stealing this (without the mechanical benefits) to send to my GM to add to the shadow effect cantrip.
Dancing lights might be better because you can control the brightness of that. You can always work on fluff for spells anyway.
I think your spell is fine as a cantrip without the mechanical benefits. I love that sort of thing, but then I love role playing and am lucky to have a GM and a group that enjoys that sort of thing too.
In fact I think I'm stealing this (without the mechanical benefits) to send to my GM to add to the shadow effect cantrip.
STEAL AWAY, and you are right I just want a shiny effect to impress.
The target is granted 5 points of resistance toward the element their body is covered in. This resistance is ablative in that if you took damage of the energy type chosen the resistance is reduce by the amount of damage taken, but only of that type all other damage is dealt the same.
This 'ablative' resistance already exists--protection from energy.
Use the existing mechanics instead of inventing new ones that do the same thing. Common mechanisms and wording make it much easier to understand.