Home Brewed Spell: Review and Critique


Homebrew and House Rules

Shadow Lodge

Captive Missile
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Range: Medium (100’+10’/level)
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Target: up to 5 creatures (no more than 3/round)
Duration: 1 round/level
Save: None
Spell Resistance: Special (see Text)

For the duration of the spell, as a swift action, the caster may create a dagger of force energy held in the hand which functions as a +1 ghost touched dagger. At his option, the caster may choose one target in range and release the dagger (a free action) which strikes unerringly toward the target as a magic missile dealing 1d4+1 points of damage. In this fashion the caster may create an additional dagger for every 2 levels beyond 1st exactly as Magic Missile maxing at 5 daggers at 9th level. The caster must have a free hand to create a dagger, and he may hold one in each hand (he must have at least one hand free to cast spells as normal). Because he may hold one in each hand it is possible to release up to three daggers in a single round (having created one in each of the preceding rounds and releasing at least one before creating a third and releasing it as well). Spell resistance applies to daggers that have been released, but not melee attacks made with them.


I think this is balanced well against magic missile. It forces you to spread out the damage and also is physical damage rather than force (which is much harder to resist). With those drawbacks, during the duration you get a pretty good little weapon for a low level character.

I will maybe note that magic missile is one of the strongest spells in the game for its level so if you think magic missile is too powerful then this might be too powerful as well.

However compared to magic missile, this will not be useful for as long since damage reduction becomes more prevalent at higher levels and the benefit of a +1 weapon drops off in practical value. Maybe this could remain relevant longer with a two weapon fighter build?

Regardless, I think this is fine and fun. I would maybe take out this text though: "exactly as Magic Missile" in "In this fashion the caster may create an additional dagger for every 2 levels beyond 1st exactly as Magic Missile maxing at 5 daggers at 9th level". It is just awkward to point out that the two spells scale the same way.


I agree with every point made by Excaliburproxy. I want to add, I think this is a pretty cool spell and can see a lot of practical use for it, as well.


When it runs into a shield spell, do both spells end?

Shadow Lodge

Thanks for the responses guys! I would say that Shield will stop the Missile form, but not the physical attacks.

As a note:

Excaliburproxy wrote:
Maybe this could remain relevant longer with a two weapon fighter build?

This was originally written for use by a Daggerspell Mage from 3.5 if you're not familiar they were in Complete Adventurer I believe and are a cool Rogue Splashed wizard build that specializes in dual wielding daggers while simultaneously casting spells.


I vote that you also make a higher level version of it where the daggers are slightly more enchanted, or perhaps do something to go through damage reduction? Could work well as a higher level continuation.

Or! Perhaps make them have a +enhancement equal to ... I dunno, caster level/4?

I dunno. I just wanna see something more come of this for the higher levels, too! Though the spell in and of itself for what it is right now is awesome. Keep up the good work.

Shadow Lodge

For those who see waning usefulness at later levels, Perhaps that's because this is a level 1 spell?

I had thought to make them strike as a melee touch attack that deals force damage instead of physical damage & using casting stat as the source of bonus damage instead of strength. Not sure if that's too powerful for a first level spell, or needlessly complicated.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this idea.


Master of Shadows wrote:

For those who see waning usefulness at later levels, Perhaps that's because this is a level 1 spell?

I had thought to make them strike as a melee touch attack that deals force damage instead of physical damage & using casting stat as the source of bonus damage instead of strength. Not sure if that's too powerful for a first level spell, or needlessly complicated.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on this idea.

I think Midget has the more reasonable idea, I think. Not every level 1 spell needs to be as useful at later levels as magic missile is, but if you wanted to build a character around this effect one way or another, making a "greater" version of this spell is a good solution.

Unlike Midget, here is how I would see the higher level version of this spell playing out:
1: You get more daggers
2: They deal force damage when they auto-hit so most things won't be able to resist it.
3: You add effects to the daggers that will not increase the damage the daggers are doing (this is so the daggers still deal 1d4+1 damage as a magic missile; it is not something that absolutely needs to be true but I think it is cool that the "magic missle" effect is essentially doing the daggers base damage). I suggest adding effects like Keen and Brilliant energy as the class levels up and maybe vorpal at level 18 or so.


That sounds like a good idea. Kinda makes me wanna make a class like a Spelldagger or something that can make magical daggers at will, or something. And can use them as normal daggers, or throw them and blablabla. Though that might be broken, as it'd free up lots of money for other things... I dunno though. I could picture a class focused on one style of fighting like that. Almost like a mix of Rogue/Warlock from 3.5.

Shadow Lodge

in 3.5 I wrote this spell for a character with this build:
Rogue 2, Spell Thief 1 (master spell thief feat) Wizard 3 (practiced Spell caster feat) And then Daggerspell Mage it was a rockin build, especially with Improved (greater) Invisibility.


DarkMidget wrote:
That sounds like a good idea. Kinda makes me wanna make a class like a Spelldagger or something that can make magical daggers at will, or something. And can use them as normal daggers, or throw them and blablabla. Though that might be broken, as it'd free up lots of money for other things... I dunno though. I could picture a class focused on one style of fighting like that. Almost like a mix of Rogue/Warlock from 3.5.

First, they would be disarmed in a dead magic area.

Second, some topics are about cave age campaigns. There's no economy anyway. You have to make things or barter for them. WBL is an abstraction.

Shadow Lodge

Revision One wrote:


Captive Missile
Evocation [Force]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Range: Medium (100’+10’/level)
Components: V, S
Casting Time: Standard Action
Target: up to 5 creatures (no more than 3/round)
Duration: 1 round/level
Save: None
Spell Resistance: Special (see Text)

For the duration of the spell, as a swift action, the caster may create a dagger of force energy held in the hand. These daggers count as daggers in all respects with regard to any Feat or Class Ability. However, When wielding these Daggers the caster strikes using melee touch attacks that deal 1d4+1 points of force damage instead of the normal damage of a dagger, and may strike incorporeal targets with no miss chance. At his option, the caster may choose one target in range and release the dagger (a free action) which unerringly strikes target as a Magic Missile dealing 1d4+1 points of damage.
In this fashion the caster may create an additional dagger for every 2 levels beyond 1st with a maximum of 5 daggers at 9th level. The caster must have a free hand to create a dagger, and he may hold one in each hand (he must have at least one hand free to cast spells as normal). Spell resistance applies to daggers that have been released, but not melee attacks made with them.

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