Hello folks! I got the bug to design something for the first time, and I'm looking for honest critiques if anyone has the time or interest.
Kindle Animus:
School enchantment; Level 7
Casting Time 70 minutes
Components V, S, M (a skein of silk and mythril thread worth 500gp; hair, and blood or tears given willingly by each of the ritual’s targets), F (an unlit lantern, candle, or pipe; an item linked to the ritual targets’ shared purpose worth 5,000gp), SC (at least 2, but no more than the maximum number of targets)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 31, 1 success; Sense Motive DC 31, 4 successes; Spellcraft DC 31, 2 successes
Range touch
Target up to 4 creatures of the same type as the primary caster, plus additional targets up to the primary caster’s Wisdom modifier
Duration one month
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); SR yes
Backlash Casters take 4d6 damage and are exhausted. The ritual’s targets are staggered for 10 minutes and exhausted as the animus melds with their psyches and they become accustomed to their new senses.
Failure The animus is unable to fully manifest, the psychic feedback generated by its collapse causing the ritual’s targets to be nauseated for 1 minute; additionally, they are unable to hear or communicate telepathically with one another for 24 hours. Any magic items used as foci lose their magical properties, reverting to mundane or masterwork versions of the original item as appropriate.
Effect
The ritual draws on targets’ emotional bonds and shared purpose to create an animus, a composite thoughtform that melds with their psyches. The animus links their minds and drives them towards a common goal, referred to as the endeavor.
The primary caster maintains a whispered litany focused on the endeavor; if the litany ceases, all targets immediately suffer the ritual’s backlash and failure effects. The primary caster scribes a circle of blood or tears around the targets. Targets take turns focusing on the endeavor, weaving their hair into the silk and mythril thread, and wrapping their left forearm and hand in the strands. They voice their motivations and commitment to the endeavor, echoed by the secondary casters. This continues until all targets are bound and have spoken. The primary caster then holds the foci aloft; all casters slowly build the litany to a shouted crescendo as the targets' desires are drawn out and formed into the animus.
If successful, the material components disintegrate, the lantern, candle, or pipe flares to life, and the animus blooms and settles within the targets' minds. All targets gain the following benefits:
Targets’ minds are linked as telepathic bond, plus the empathic link ability of a wizard’s familiar; the empathic link has no range limitation, and targets may not opt out of either effect.
Targets may act in the surprise round as long as at least one other target is able to.
Once as an immediate action while under the benefits of the ritual, a target may invoke the animus when attempting to decisively complete their endeavor. They may re-roll one attack roll, damage roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus on the second roll. This check or roll must be an attempt to directly contribute to the endeavor’s ultimate completion. Once the re-roll is used, the target loses all benefits of the ritual and is nauseated for 1 round as the animus untethers from their mind; all other targets must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 16 + the primary caster’s Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma bonus (whichever is higher) or be nauseated for 1 round.
Particularly strong emotional connections, motivations, or thematic foci may decrease the ritual's DC at the GM's discretion.
The targets must pursue the endeavor until it is completed. If they are unable to complete the endeavor, they are exhausted for 24 hours after the ritual’s effects end. If the subjects are prevented from working towards their endeavor for 24 hours, they each take a -2 penalty to each of their ability scores. Each day, another -2 penalty accumulates, up to a total of -8. No ability score can be reduced to less than 1 by this effect. The ability score penalties are removed 24 hours after the subject resumes working towards their purpose.
Benefits and penalties imposed by this ritual cannot be removed except by break enchantment, limited wish, remove curse, miracle, wish, or as described above.
School enchantment; Level 7
Casting Time 70 minutes
Components V, S, M (a skein of silk and mythril thread worth 500gp; hair, and blood or tears given willingly by each of the ritual’s targets), F (an unlit lantern, candle, or pipe; an item linked to the ritual targets’ shared purpose worth 5,000gp), SC (at least 2, but no more than the maximum number of targets)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 31, 1 success; Sense Motive DC 31, 4 successes; Spellcraft DC 31, 2 successes
Range touch
Target up to 4 creatures of the same type as the primary caster, plus additional targets up to the primary caster’s Wisdom modifier
Duration one month
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); SR yes
Backlash Casters take 4d6 damage and are exhausted. The ritual’s targets are staggered for 10 minutes and exhausted as the animus melds with their psyches and they become accustomed to their new senses.
Failure The animus is unable to fully manifest, the psychic feedback generated by its collapse causing the ritual’s targets to be nauseated for 1 minute; additionally, they are unable to hear or communicate telepathically with one another for 24 hours. Any magic items used as foci lose their magical properties, reverting to mundane or masterwork versions of the original item as appropriate.
Effect
The ritual draws on targets’ emotional bonds and shared purpose to create an animus, a composite thoughtform that melds with their psyches. The animus links their minds and drives them towards a common goal, referred to as the endeavor.
The primary caster maintains a whispered litany focused on the endeavor; if the litany ceases, all targets immediately suffer the ritual’s backlash and failure effects. The primary caster scribes a circle of blood or tears around the targets. Targets take turns focusing on the endeavor, weaving their hair into the silk and mythril thread, and wrapping their left forearm and hand in the strands. They voice their motivations and commitment to the endeavor, echoed by the secondary casters. This continues until all targets are bound and have spoken. The primary caster then holds the foci aloft; all casters slowly build the litany to a shouted crescendo as the targets' desires are drawn out and formed into the animus.
If successful, the material components disintegrate, the lantern, candle, or pipe flares to life, and the animus blooms and settles within the targets' minds. All targets gain the following benefits:
Particularly strong emotional connections, motivations, or thematic foci may decrease the ritual's DC at the GM's discretion.
The targets must pursue the endeavor until it is completed. If they are unable to complete the endeavor, they are exhausted for 24 hours after the ritual’s effects end. If the subjects are prevented from working towards their endeavor for 24 hours, they each take a -2 penalty to each of their ability scores. Each day, another -2 penalty accumulates, up to a total of -8. No ability score can be reduced to less than 1 by this effect. The ability score penalties are removed 24 hours after the subject resumes working towards their purpose.
Benefits and penalties imposed by this ritual cannot be removed except by break enchantment, limited wish, remove curse, miracle, wish, or as described above.
I have some thoughts, but I'm interested in seeing others' before I dive into my own.
Revisited this and tried to tighten it up. Also, I would appreciate it if a mod could move this to the Suggestions/House Rules/Homebrew forum, as that's probably a better fit!
Kindle Animus 2.0:
School enchantment; Level 7
Casting Time 70 minutes
Components V, S, M (a skein of silk and mythril thread worth 500gp; hair, and blood or tears given willingly by each of the ritual’s targets), F (an unlit lantern, candle, or pipe; an item linked to the ritual targets’ shared purpose worth 5,000gp), SC (at least 2, but no more than the maximum number of targets)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 31, 1 success; Sense Motive DC 31, 4 successes; Spellcraft DC 31, 2 successes
Range touch
Target up to 4 creatures of the same type as the primary caster, plus additional targets up to the primary caster’s Wisdom modifier
Duration one month
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); SR yes
Backlash Casters take 4d6 damage and are exhausted. The ritual’s targets are also exhausted as they acclimate to the animus.
Failure Casters and the ritual’s targets are nauseated for 1 minute by the psychic feedback of the animus’s collapse, and are unable to hear or communicate telepathically with one another for 24 hours.
Effect
The ritual draws on targets’ emotional bonds and shared purpose to create an animus, a composite thoughtform that melds with their psyches. The animus links their minds and drives them towards a common goal, referred to as the endeavor.
The primary caster maintains a whispered litany focused on the endeavor; if the litany ceases, all targets immediately suffer the ritual’s backlash and failure effects. The primary caster scribes a circle of blood or tears around the targets. Targets take turns focusing on the endeavor, weaving their hair into the silk and mythril thread, wrapping it around themselves. They voice their commitment to the endeavor, echoed by the secondary casters. This continues until all targets are bound and have spoken. The primary caster then holds the foci aloft; all casters slowly build the litany to a shouted crescendo as the targets' desires are drawn out and formed into the animus.
If successful, the material components disintegrate, the lantern, candle, or pipe flares to life, and the animus blooms in the targets' minds. All targets gain the following benefits:
The targets must pursue the endeavor until it is completed. If they are prevented from doing so they suffer penalties as lesser geas. Possessing more than 7 HD does not prevent these effects, and penalties can be removed by invoking the animus as described above in addition to the methods detailed in lesser geas. If the ritual targets are unable to complete their endeavor, they are exhausted for 24 hours after the ritual’s effects end.
School enchantment; Level 7
Casting Time 70 minutes
Components V, S, M (a skein of silk and mythril thread worth 500gp; hair, and blood or tears given willingly by each of the ritual’s targets), F (an unlit lantern, candle, or pipe; an item linked to the ritual targets’ shared purpose worth 5,000gp), SC (at least 2, but no more than the maximum number of targets)
Skill Checks Knowledge (arcana) DC 31, 1 success; Sense Motive DC 31, 4 successes; Spellcraft DC 31, 2 successes
Range touch
Target up to 4 creatures of the same type as the primary caster, plus additional targets up to the primary caster’s Wisdom modifier
Duration one month
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); SR yes
Backlash Casters take 4d6 damage and are exhausted. The ritual’s targets are also exhausted as they acclimate to the animus.
Failure Casters and the ritual’s targets are nauseated for 1 minute by the psychic feedback of the animus’s collapse, and are unable to hear or communicate telepathically with one another for 24 hours.
Effect
The ritual draws on targets’ emotional bonds and shared purpose to create an animus, a composite thoughtform that melds with their psyches. The animus links their minds and drives them towards a common goal, referred to as the endeavor.
The primary caster maintains a whispered litany focused on the endeavor; if the litany ceases, all targets immediately suffer the ritual’s backlash and failure effects. The primary caster scribes a circle of blood or tears around the targets. Targets take turns focusing on the endeavor, weaving their hair into the silk and mythril thread, wrapping it around themselves. They voice their commitment to the endeavor, echoed by the secondary casters. This continues until all targets are bound and have spoken. The primary caster then holds the foci aloft; all casters slowly build the litany to a shouted crescendo as the targets' desires are drawn out and formed into the animus.
If successful, the material components disintegrate, the lantern, candle, or pipe flares to life, and the animus blooms in the targets' minds. All targets gain the following benefits:
- Targets’ minds are linked as telepathic bond, plus the empathic link ability of a wizard’s familiar; the empathic link has no range limitation, and targets may not opt out of either effect.
- Targets may act in the surprise round as long as at least one other target is able to.
- Once as an immediate action while under the benefits of the ritual, a target may invoke the animus when attempting to decisively complete their endeavor. They may re-roll one attack roll, damage roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus on the second roll. This check or roll must be an attempt to directly contribute to the endeavor’s ultimate completion. Once the re-roll is used, the target loses all benefits of the ritual and is nauseated for 1 round as the animus untethers from their mind; all other targets must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC equal to 16 + the primary caster’s Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma bonus (whichever is higher) or be nauseated for 1 round.
The targets must pursue the endeavor until it is completed. If they are prevented from doing so they suffer penalties as lesser geas. Possessing more than 7 HD does not prevent these effects, and penalties can be removed by invoking the animus as described above in addition to the methods detailed in lesser geas. If the ritual targets are unable to complete their endeavor, they are exhausted for 24 hours after the ritual’s effects end.