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My group is currently going through a side quest related to one of the characters. The character in question is an Elven Archer / Cleric of Shelyn, who is actually more archer than cleric.
In the side quest, she will undergo trials and be rewarded with a gift, custom made by Shelyn herself. She will find that her bow has been replaced with "Shelyn's Defibrillator".
Bow keeps same enchantments it currently has, but gains the following ability:
Healing Arrows (su): As a free action, the owner of Shelyn’s Defibrillator can lose a prepared spell to imbue her arrows with a Cure spell of equal level or lower. This benefit can be applied to all attacks made in a full round action, at the cost of a prepared spell for each attack. Attack rolls for these arrows are resolved as ranged touch attacks. Arrows shot in this way inflict no damage, but instead apply the benefits of the Cure spell applied. If used while in emergencies or urgent times (read:in battle), regular damage dice and modifiers are added as extra healing and are subject to critical hit multipliers. If used in non-urgent times (read: outside of battle), only healing applied by the spell will take place (no extra dice or modifiers). The spell slot lost must be declared prior to the attack being made. Critical misses may result in healing an adjacent enemy.
I made this item in part to give the cleric more options and encourage more healing (hopefully while making it relatively balanced and not OP).
Thoughts?
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Get rid of the (Su) bit and simply make this a ranged weapon enhancement for the magic bow. Make it so that that the range of any spell of the (healing) sub-type in it can be resolved as a ranged touch attack instead of a touch attack. This will still allow your cleric to spontaneously convert spells to cure spells and deliver them.
Drop the free action bit, and the bit about delivering the spell with all attacks in a full-attack. Applying a spell to all attacks in a full-attack is a pretty potent ability. Allow the ability to be used with any (healing) spell, and the action/time to use it is the same as the action/time it takes to cast the spell. For example, Cure Light Wounds can be delivered as a standard action, but Lesser Restoration still takes 3 rounds.
Get rid of the bit about adding in extra damage to the amount healed, and the bit about critcal hits. Just allow this to deliver a touch attack at range. If anythings, add the enhancement bonus of the bow to the HP healed, but thats it.
Mostly, the things I suggest you remove are too easily abused. With the addition of rapid shot, haste, bardic performance, deadly aim, other damage bonuses, etc. a player could make you regret your choice to give this out. Maybe your party isn't like that, but I think you could make this simpler and not able to be exploited. If I have time later, and if I remember, I will write up an example of what I have in mind.
Get rid of the (Su) bit and simply make this a ranged weapon enhancement for the magic bow. Make it so that that the range of any spell of the (healing) sub-type in it can be resolved as a ranged touch attack instead of a touch attack. This will still allow your cleric to spontaneously convert spells to cure spells and deliver them.
Drop the free action bit, and the bit about delivering the spell with all attacks in a full-attack. Applying a spell to all attacks in a full-attack is a pretty potent ability. Allow the ability to be used with any (healing) spell, and the action/time to use it is the same as the action/time it takes to cast the spell. For example, Cure Light Wounds can be delivered as a standard action, but Lesser Restoration still takes 3 rounds.
Get rid of the bit about adding in extra damage to the amount healed, and the bit about critcal hits. Just allow this to deliver a touch attack at range. If anythings, add the enhancement bonus of the bow to the HP healed, but thats it.
Mostly, the things I suggest you remove are too easily abused. With the addition of rapid shot, haste, bardic performance, deadly aim, other damage bonuses, etc. a player could make you regret your choice to give this out. Maybe your party isn't like that, but I think you could make this simpler and not able to be exploited. If I have time later, and if I remember, I will write up an example of what I have in mind.
This is GREAT feedback, thank you!
Please if you have time, post what you had in mind. I'd love to see it.
I would say is wildly overpowered compared to regular healing, but if the intention is to encourage healing (they aren't doing it enough) it will likely work.
The cleric will burn through spells like crazy with this.
I've reworked it a bit, what do you guys think:
Shelyn's Defibrillator
A new ability is added to the characters existing bow:
Healing Arrows (Sp): As a free action, a Good Cleric of Shelyn can use the Cleric's Spontaneous Casting ability to substitute a prepared spell, unaltered by a metamagic feat and prepared in a spell slot of level 1 or higher, to imbue an arrow with a Cure spell of equal level or lower for one round.
This benefit can be applied to all arrows shot in a full round action, at the cost of a prepared spell for each arrow. Attack rolls for these arrows are resolved as ranged touch attacks.
Arrows imbued with a Cure spell inflict no damage, but instead apply the benefits of the Cure spell applied. If used while in emergencies or urgent times (read:in battle), regular damage dice and modifiers are added as extra healing and are subject to critical hit multipliers. If used in non-urgent times (read: outside of battle), only healing applied by the spell will take place (no extra dice or modifiers).
The spell slot lost must be declared prior to the attack being made. Critical misses may result in healing an adjacent enemy.
Overly complicated.
Why not just this:
"Clerics may use a prepared "Cure" spell to activate this bow: They may roll a single touch attack, the target of the attack receives the benefit of the spell. This counts as casting the spell, not as part of an attack routine, it is merely an alternative delivery method intended to increase range. Example: A cleric can normally move and cast a spell, they could instead move and fire this bow once, expending a cure spell."
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Overly complicated.
Why not just this:
"Clerics may use a prepared "Cure" spell to activate this bow: They may roll a single touch attack, the target of the attack receives the benefit of the spell. This counts as casting the spell, not as part of an attack routine, it is merely an alternative delivery method intended to increase range. Example: A cleric can normally move and cast a spell, they could instead move and fire this bow once, expending a cure spell."
I would change "Clerics may use a prepared "Cure" spell to activate this bow:" to "The wielder of this bow may cast a "Cure" spell to activate this bow:".
There is no reason to limit the enchantment to clerics or to limit it to prepared spells. Clerics can spontaneously cast spells cure spells, and this is a valid item for any other class that casts cure spells.
Overly complicated.
Why not just this:
"Clerics may use a prepared "Cure" spell to activate this bow: They may roll a single touch attack, the target of the attack receives the benefit of the spell. This counts as casting the spell, not as part of an attack routine, it is merely an alternative delivery method intended to increase range. Example: A cleric can normally move and cast a spell, they could instead move and fire this bow once, expending a cure spell."
I would change "Clerics may use a prepared "Cure" spell to activate this bow:" to "The wielder of this bow may cast a "Cure" spell to activate this bow:".
There is no reason to limit the enchantment to clerics or to limit it to prepared spells. Clerics can spontaneously cast spells cure spells, and this is a valid item for any other class that casts cure spells.
Fair enough, I was just going for wording that didn't require multiple actions...
Like, you don't need to cast, then draw the bow, then fire the bow.
Sacrifice a cure spell to fire the bow, you may only use the bow this way once in a round, and it counts as a standard action?
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When casting a touch spell with "cure" in the title and a casting time of 1 standard action, a good divine spellcaster can manifest the spell's power into a shining arrow and fire it from this longbow. On a successful ranged touch attack, a creature struck by this arrow takes no damage but becomes subject to the spell's effects. If the spell can target multiple creatures, the wielder may instead cast the spell as a full-round action. When doing so, she performs a number of ranged touch attacks equal to the number of attacks she can perform during a full-attack or the number of targets allowed by the spell (whichever is lower). Each creature hit becomes subject to the spell. A creature does not benefit from multiple arrows unless the spell can target a creature multiple times.
I like cyrads idea of firing energy instead of actual arrows. That's how I would do it too.
I think it may be important to make it so that when you're targeting friendly characters, the attacks are against their flat-footed touch ac. Friendly character's aren't really going to be trying to dodge rays of healing energy.
I think it may be important to make it so that when you're targeting friendly characters, the attacks are against their flat-footed touch ac. Friendly character's aren't really going to be trying to dodge rays of healing energy.
Thats a good point. And I am going to houserule that a character can voluntarily deny their dex bonus to AC for 1 round, if they want to willingly be hit by the healing arrow. This gives them a tactical choice.
Since you're basically firing force arrows, and not actual arrows for this ability, why not let it act as though it had brilliant energy if its healing a target on top of flat-footed? No reason to make beefily armored characters less easy to heal.
Also on what Cyrad said consider limiting targets to being within 30 feet of one another, as mass cure spells are.
Edit: Ranged touch attack... Nevermind...
Touch attacks already ignore armor, shields, and natural armor.
Alright here it is updated so far.
Shelyn's Defibrillator
Effect: Arrows shot leave a short trail of green leaves and red petals which quickly dissipate into smoke and fade away
A new ability is added to the characters existing bow:
Healing Arrows: The wielder of Shelyn’s Defibrillator may use her Spontaneous Casting Cleric class ability and lose a prepared spell to conjure a shining arrow of healing energy imbued with a Cure spell, unaltered by metamagic feats, of equal level or lower for one round. As many Healing Arrows can be conjured as the wielder has attacks per round, each round, at the cost of a prepared spell for each Healing Arrow. Healing Arrows are resolved as ranged touch spells made with the bow. The act of conjuring a Healing Arrow does not provoke an attack of opportunity, but firing the arrow is subject to provoking an attack of opportunity. Healing Arrows inflict no damage, but instead apply healing from the Cure spell conjured, as well as a bonus to healing in the form of the weapon enhancement bonus. The spell slot lost must be declared prior to the attack being made. A critical hit while firing Healing Arrows doubles the spell dice, as per the Magic Touch Spell rules. A critical miss while shooting Healing Arrows has a chance of healing an adjacent enemy, subject to a confirming ranged touch attack roll on the enemy.
Houserule: A character can choose to willingly deny their Dex bonus to AC for 1 full round, at the end of their turn.
What is a critical miss?
Fumble. Roll a 1 on the attack, possibly with a confirmation roll miss as well.
What is a critical miss?
Houserule: Attacks made with a natural 1 on a d20 die.
We houserule that natural 20s are auto confirmed criticals, while anything else in the crit range needs to be confirmed. To balance that, natural 1s are auto confirmed fumbles/misses, and subject to a list of possible silly and varying effects.
Also I just changed the critical part of the item to read as follows: A critical hit while firing Healing Arrows doubles the spell dice, as per the Magic Touch Spell rules. A critical miss while shooting Healing Arrows has a chance of healing an adjacent enemy, subject to a confirming ranged touch attack roll on the enemy.
Healing weapon enhancement
A weapon with this enhancement can fire a stream of positive energy to allow healing spells to be delivered at range. When the wielder casts a Conjuration (healing) spell that would normally target one creature he touches, he can instead make a ranged touch attack with a range of "Close" (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). This enhancement can only be placed on a projectile ranged weapon. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to twice the weapon's enhancement bonus.
Healing weapon enhancement
A weapon with this enhancement can fire a stream of positive energy to allow healing spells to be delivered at range. When the wielder casts a Conjuration (healing) spell that would normally target one creature he touches, he can instead make a ranged touch attack with a range of "Close" (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). This enhancement can only be placed on a projectile ranged weapon. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to twice the weapon's enhancement bonus.
I like the idea of working it as a Weapon Enhancement, but this seems to change the mechanics of this ability too much: Limited by weapon enhancement bonus times 2 instead of spells per day, restricted to Close Range instead of ranged touch attack rolls and weapon range increments, works on all the following spells instead of just "Cure" spells (which means a lot or opportunities for exploit or unaccounted variables):
Cure Light Wounds (Lvl 1*)
Infernal Healing (Lvl 1)
Pick Your Poison (Lvl 1)
Cure Moderate Wounds (Lvl 2*)
Delay Disease (Lvl 2*)
Delay Poison (Lvl 2*)
Path Of Glory (Lvl 2)
Restoration, Lesser (Lvl 2*)
Accept Affliction (Lvl 3)
Cure Serious Wounds (Lvl 3*)
Delay Poison, Communal (Lvl 3)
Remove Blindness/Deafness (Lvl 3)
Remove Disease (Lvl 3)
Sacred Bond (Lvl 3*)
Cure Critical Wounds (Lvl 4*)
Infernal Healing, Greater (Lvl 4)
Neutralize Poison (Lvl 4*)
Path Of Glory, Greater (Lvl 4)
Remove Radioactivity (Lvl 4)
Replenish Ki (Lvl 4)
Replenish Ki (Lvl 4)
Restoration (Lvl 4)
Breath Of Life (Lvl 5)
Pillar Of Life (Lvl 5)
Raise Dead (Lvl 5*)
Heal (Lvl 6*)
Regenerate (Lvl 7*)
Restoration, Greater (Lvl 7)
Resurrection (Lvl 7*)
Remove Radioactivity, Greater (Lvl 8)
True Resurrection (Lvl 9)
Also on what Cyrad said consider limiting targets to being within 30 feet of one another, as mass cure spells are.
Good suggestion. I also didn't realize that mass cure spells are not touch spells. Here's a revision below:
*snip*
A large motivation behind my proposed version is that your draft has many mechanical, thematic, and language issues despite attempts to make it look professional.
1) The word "defibrillator" originates from a medical term called "fibrillation," which refers to the muscle fibers of the heart not contracting properly. The weapon effect has absolutely nothing to do with that. Even putting aside the notion that this term does not really fit the aesthetic of a fantasy world, "defibrillator" is not an appropriate name.
2) Shelyn is not a goddess of healing. While not totally out of place for Shelyn or her servants to bestow a healing weapon, this feels really weird to strictly call this "Shelyn's" bow when she's not a goddess of healing. As opposed to just saying it's a cool healing bow that any good spellcaster can use that happens to be made by Shelyn.
3) The ability has nothing to do with the cleric's spontaneous casting class feature and yet seems to parrot the ability. This adds another level of confusion. Technically, you're not casting a spell, but the text implies you could use metamagic, which you can't do unless you're actually casting a spell. Sacrificing a spell to gain a ranged cure spell could simply be a feature of the bow. As written, this creates the strange case where a cleric can't use a prepared cure spell -- only a cure spell they spontaneously cast.
4) Tying it to the cleric also prevents other classes from using the bow. What about oracles and warpriests and inquisitors? Those classes can spontaneously cast cure spells. This and #3 is why my version simply requires a cure spell. This prevents unnecessary restrictions while naturally synergizing with classes that can spontaneously cast cure spells.
5) How you actually use the ability seems rather confusing. So as (what I assume) a free action, you can sacrifice a spell to create a number of healing arrows that have a cure effect when you hit with them as a ranged touch attack. These arrows last one round. Am I getting this right?
6) If my interpretation is correct, then why is there so much extraneous information? You're not casting a spell, so why is metamagic mentioned? Ranged attacks are not part of the action of this ability, so why mention that they provoke attacks of opportunity?
7) There's no such thing as a critical miss. If that's a homebrew mechanic, I feel like the text about a 25% chance of healing an adjacent target should be reflected in the critical miss rule. In other words, if that's a possibility, then the critical miss rule should say a critical miss ranged attack has a 25% of hitting another target regardless of what kind of arrow you're using. Having this in the item's text also invalidates or does not consider the Precise Shot feat.
@Cyrad: Thank you for your comments.
1) If anyone wants to reuse the item, by all means, change the name. I'm probably not as smart as you. I didn't know the origin of the word, all I thought was "Hey that person is dying, let's bring them back to life with multiple healing arrows."
2) This is a reward from a side quest taken by a Cleric of Shelyn. It is also meant explicitly for this character and not for someone else. It's meant to feel special in their hands, hand crafted by the deity herself. You're right, she's not the goddess of healing, but her clerics can certainly heal. Why wouldn't she give her a bow of healing? Any suggestions for how I can make it so that it's their item, and they won't just suddenly spread the healing by giving it to another divine caster?
3)I disagree, and you are entitled to your opinion. It does in fact piggy back on the clerics spontaneous casting ability, but makes the spell a ranged touch attack using her bow. I did this to limit the number of times it can be used, limited by the spells per day. Metamagic feats were mentioned because people on reddit required clarification in order to prevent abuse of the ability. I do like your interpretation as well though. You disagree, but I thought it was a great way to enhance the clerics spontaneous casting ability.
4)Yup, you got it. It's meant for clerics of shelyn only. I don't want the inquisitor to use it, or the bard, I want the Cleric to use it. She earned it, and I want her to have more flexibility healing people, since she's our healer and has had some trouble doing so.
5)You can replace each of your arrows with spontaneously swapped Cure spells. Run out of spells, or attacks in a turn, and you can't do it. I think most people here understood this fundamental mechanic. I'm not sure it requires more rewording.
6)Metamagic was mentioned to prevent possible abuse, attacks of opportunity were mentioned because someone needed clarification if it was a spell like ability, if conjuring an arrow would provoke or not, etc. I agree though, your wording does not need this clarification. However your description has changed the mechanic pf the item.
7) Indeed, critical misses are houseruled in my home.
All that being said, I think you are onto something though, be it different than what I intended. In your version, does using that weapon ability provoke an attack of opportunity since you are casting the spell? Does your caster have to prepare cure spells in order to cast them ranged or can they spontaneously lose a spell slot to gain a cure spell and still cast it ranged touch with their longbow?
Erm, I'm surprised that isn't simply a (healing) spell-restricted variant of a greater metamagic rod of reach that can be used at will. Starts out as a lesser rod, jumps to a standard one at ~7th level, improved to greater at 13th level. Side benefits in that it transmutes the bow into a gorgeous work of mithral and engraving as is Shelyn's proclivity.
Building it from the metamagic rod of Reach is far less headache IMO. YMMV of course.
Cost-wise you simply add the rod's cost to those of the base bow, if such a thing is of concern.
Erm, I'm surprised that isn't simply a (healing) spell-restricted variant of a greater metamagic rod of reach that can be used at will. Starts out as a lesser rod, jumps to a standard one at ~7th level, improved to greater at 13th level. Side benefits in that it transmutes the bow into a gorgeous work of mithral and engraving as is Shelyn's proclivity.
Building it from the metamagic rod of Reach is far less headache IMO. YMMV of course.
Cost-wise you simply add the rod's cost to those of the base bow, if such a thing is of concern.
I like your thinking:
So far we have a mechanic that is Spontaneous Casting inclined, and now two people have mentioned Reach based mechanics, mentioned by you (@Turin_the_Mad) and @Cyrad. It seems a reach based mechanic would certainly keep action economy in check, as my original draft would let them burst and use their spells more quickly, but also heal for more in a single turn. Both are very different approaches and I'll have to weigh them against each other and see what i prefer.
Thank you very much for your comment, you really got me thinking.
3)I disagree, and you are entitled to your opinion. It does in fact piggy back on the clerics spontaneous casting ability, but makes the spell a ranged touch attack using her bow. I did this to limit the number of times it can be used, limited by the spells per day. Metamagic feats were mentioned because people on reddit required clarification in order to prevent abuse of the ability. I do like your interpretation as well though. You disagree, but I thought it was a great way to enhance the clerics spontaneous casting ability.
The ability is still rather nebulous. The draft does not say you can attack as part of the action. It only says that attacks with the arrows are ranged touch attacks. A major question also arises: are you actually casting a spell as part of this? If you're not casting a spell, then you can't use the cleric's spontaneous casting ability. If you are casting a spell, then we have action economy problems here. If you spent a standard action to spontaneously cast a cure spell, then you can't fire your arrows within 1 round since the text does not explicitly say you can make attacks as part of the unspecified action of using this ability.
All that being said, I think you are onto something though, be it different than what I intended. In your version, does using that weapon ability provoke an attack of opportunity since you are casting the spell? Does your caster have to prepare cure spells in order to cast them ranged or can they spontaneously lose a spell slot to gain a cure spell and still cast it ranged touch with their longbow?
My version of the ability piggybacks onto the action of casting a standard action cure spell (with an option to increase it to a full-round action to shoot arrows at multiple targets). This means that:
1) The spellcaster provokes an attack of opportunity for casting the spell (unless cast defensively) and an attack of opportunity for each ranged attack. Spells like scorching ray work the same way.
2) It doesn't matter whether the wielder cast a prepared spell or a spontaneous spell. It works either way. However, the bow obviously works much better on a cleric or another class that can spontaneously cast cure spells.
3) The wielder cannot use this ability with quickened spells or spontaneous metamagic spells because they modify the casting time.
Healing weapon enhancement
A weapon with this enhancement can fire a stream of positive energy to allow healing spells to be delivered at range. When the wielder casts a Conjuration (healing) spell that would normally target one creature he touches, he can instead make a ranged touch attack with a range of "Close" (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). This enhancement can only be placed on a projectile ranged weapon. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to twice the weapon's enhancement bonus.I like the idea of working it as a Weapon Enhancement, but this seems to change the mechanics of this ability too much: Limited by weapon enhancement bonus times 2 instead of spells per day, restricted to Close Range instead of ranged touch attack rolls and weapon range increments, works on all the following spells instead of just "Cure" spells (which means a lot or opportunities for exploit or unaccounted variables):
Cure Light Wounds (Lvl 1*)
Infernal Healing (Lvl 1)
Pick Your Poison (Lvl 1)
Cure Moderate Wounds (Lvl 2*)
Delay Disease (Lvl 2*)
Delay Poison (Lvl 2*)
Path Of Glory (Lvl 2)
Restoration, Lesser (Lvl 2*)
Accept Affliction (Lvl 3)
Cure Serious Wounds (Lvl 3*)
Delay Poison, Communal (Lvl 3)
Remove Blindness/Deafness (Lvl 3)
Remove Disease (Lvl 3)
Sacred Bond (Lvl 3*)
etc...
1) Changes the mechanics too much. Well, I thought your mechanics could use some changing, and took some creative license with it.
2) The limit per day doesn't have to be there, but a little mitigation isn't a bad thing, especially if you want an ability to do some more powerful things.3) I made it close range for only the reason that bows have a -very- long range, to the point that range penalties will be all but nonexistant, anddelivering cures at a range of 500 feet feets kind of cheesy to me. Also, I was having trouble writing a concise wording for using the bow's stats.
4) Yes it would work on a lot of extra spells, but I don't think thats a bad thing. Just healing hit points all day is pretty boring, IMO. Versatility is more fun. Some of those spells you list have longer casting times and aren't relevant. The others go beyond your original thematic scope, but I think thats for the best. The uses per day mitigates that this more powerful.