a 7th-level spell slot (resisted as 4th)
last 1 hr/lvl
deal 1d8 damage w/o saving throws allowed for every 5-ft of movement made.
20-ft. square per level area
So unless flying or has DR 10/whatever, a 30-ft. charge will require anyone to succeed in ALL 6 Will saving throws or be dazed for 4 rounds.
Also, can't be found unless you've got a rogue.
Yay for underused magical traps.
Is there a question here? It's a good combo, but by the time you have 7th level spells most enemies either can fly or have DR. Circumstantially very powerful, but not overpowered at all at the level you get it.
Or am I missing something here?
Unless it specifically says it does bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, damage reduction does not apply against spells.
You by the rules, could not charge through the Spike Stones. They impede movement and will prevent a charge. You would move to the spikes and stop in the first square of spikes, as the most logical result of trying to charge through squares containing this. As a less logical but more RAW interpretation a character will not even begin to charge through the location because it impedes movement and a character cannot charge through an area which impedes movement, which would result in the player/character somehow being aware that there is a movemnt impairing effect that they cannot otherwise detect.
So, no. No one will have to make multiple will saves to avoid this. A charging character would enter the first trapped sqaure and be stopped, having to make the save for that 1 square. A character not charging would mvoe into the square, be forced to make the save, and then probably not continue moving that way if another option was available.
Most likely, a character will hit the first square at the edge of the area, take damage and (assuming not dazed) will decide whether to keep moving forward, stop, or turn around and leave.
There is absolutely nothing saying they must complete their full movement and take Xd8 damage and make X saves. They can choose their route on a square by square basis.
I'd say Dazing Stone Call would be more powerful/efficient. Sure its Bludgeoning Damage, but it has a massive area that includes aerial targets, allows no save, allows no spell resistance and Perfected uses up only a 2nd level slot unless Heightened. Plenty of ways to get your damage up as well.
Most likely, a character will hit the first square at the edge of the area, take damage and (assuming not dazed) will decide whether to keep moving forward, stop, or turn around and leave.
There is absolutely nothing saying they must complete their full movement and take Xd8 damage and make X saves. They can choose their route on a square by square basis.
Exactly my point
Even if you cast it over the victims so that they have to deal with the terrain no matter what direction they move, they can still jump, mitigating much of the damage that the spikes would otherwise deal.
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Had a player use a rod of dazing with a 3rd level spell on a CR14 Linnorm....10th level player/group, made the check to figure out which save Dragons suck at and used a spell that had a corresponding save. They spent the next 3 rounds sucking out it's hit points while the Linnorm couldn't do anything.
I will not allow Dazing in any form in any campaign I run forever. It is just the most anti-climatic FU ability ever.
It's anticlimactic in my games too, but only because it never works.
Once you recall that it is using a save DC three levels lower, it doesn't seem all that bad with most spells.
I think the problem is the metamagic rod, not the feat. The rod lets PCs use it on their highest level spells, meaning no apprciable decrease in save DC.
Unless it specifically says it does bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, damage reduction does not apply against spells.
Good point about DR and spells. I didn't look up the spell and (falsely) assumed the OP mentioned DR for a valid reason. :/
It's even less circumstantially powerful than I thought at first glance...
If it isn't working then your players aren't very bright. The problem with Dazing Spell is that you cant attach one of the most powerful status effects around to an attack which can target any of the three saves.
It isn't that difficult to figure out what an enemies lowest save is likely to be and then target it. Yes the DC is 3 lower than using a higher level spell but targeting the lower save can often involve a much larger difference. The classic example is something like the Purple Worm with its 17/8/4 save line.
Add to that you can force creatures to make multiple saves then you massively increase the chance of getting Daze to stick. Ball Lightning, Flaming Sphere, Frost Fall, Wall of Fire amongst others, these can also force multiple saves, some forcing multiples in a single turn, and the chance of Dazing the opponent becomes much higher.
Spell Perfection simply adds to the madness.
1) My players are plenty bright.
2) Targeting a weak save with a subpar spell that you could cast six levels ago is like attacking a normal save with a normal spell in terms of your chances of succeeding.
3) Hitting the enemy with multiple saves is one of the few things Dazing has going for it.
4) Spell Perfection is not madness, it's just right for the levels you can get it at. More feats should be as useful at high levels.