So I want martials in my world a unique ability to counter magic to some extent, so I was thinking of using a suped up version of spell storing weapon enchantment: the spell catching weapon enchantment.
So while wielding the weapon in question and targeted by a spell third level or lower and the wielder succeeds his save (if there is no save he is allowed a will save with the appropriate modifiers) the wielder can chose that the spell has no effect whatsoever and is instead trapped inside the weapon. The spell can then be released by the wielder as it's original casting time as if he had cast it using all the appropriate modifiers and statistics as if it had been cast by it's origonal caster or item. A spell catching weapon that has a spell inside cannot catch another spell until the one it is storing has been discharged, and then 1d4 rounds after.
is this too strong? It's just something I'd thought of and I'm thinking it should be a +3 or a +4, but I don't know which.
Thanks in advance.
Raise it to a +5, and also include any spells with attack rolls that miss you by 5 or less.
So while wielding the weapon in question and targeted by a spell third level or lower and the wielder succeeds his save (if there is no save he is allowed a will save with the appropriate modifiers) the wielder can chose that the spell has no effect whatsoever
First: love the idea. Very cool.
Second: I quoted the relevant bit - what if the spell targets many people and the wielder is only one? Does the spell not work for everyone?Just something to think about when finalizing the wording.
As to your question, I'd say +2 or +3 is fine.. again depending on the power level you end up with.
The spell does indeed not work for anyone. Say your party is targeted by a fireball, you have a longsword with this ability, and you make your save nobody takes damage, because it gets captured be the sword.
I think I'll say you also get a bonus on your save equal to half your enhancement bonus minimum 0 and make it a +3 ability and call it a day. It should be fine, but I'd still like to hear other opinions.
Personally, I wouldn't allow AoE spells -- picture it. A glowing pea lands 15 feet away from you. How do you capture it before it explodes?
But any melee or ranged touch spells targeting you, sure. Or any spell that targets one or more creatures including you, although it would only capture the effect on you (not your friends). Hmmm, therefore, maybe it would only affect one creature when you release it?
Also, I would not give a bonus on a save for a weapon enhancement! Maybe you could make the caster level on the recast spell equal to the enhancement bonus on the weapon? (And yes, that's a max of 5. I think the return volley should be a lot weaker than the original.)
And even so, I think that +3 is still reasonable.
Remember, even a very weak version of this is going to make martials a lot more flexible. A lot. And then you get the magus getting a look at this enchantment, or the bard...
A ring of spell turning works 3 times per day, and is 100k.
This is more powerful.
A ring of spell turning can turn 9th level spells. This is no where near that powerful.
So while wielding the weapon in question and targeted by a spell third level or lower...
A question: I've got a sword with this enchantment, and I've captured a Magic Missile spell. Cool. But then a scorching ray comes my way, and I'd rather have that instead. And look! I made my save! Can I substitute the spell my sword is holding, or do I have to release the first one before I can "catch" another? What if I make my save, but would prefer to keep the first spell, Magic Missile?
A ring of spell turning works 3 times per day, and is 100k.
This is more powerful.
A ring of spell turning can turn 9th level spells. This is no where near that powerful.
So while wielding the weapon in question and targeted by a spell third level or lower...Only if that 9th level spell is specifically targeting the user. No area spells, no effect spells. Furthermore, it takes a standard action to activate, and can only be activated 3 times per day.
But that duration is also undefined - it just works on the next 9 levels worth of spells cast at the ring wearer. That means it can effectively spell-turn 27 levels worth of spells a day. That's really not all that limiting...
A question: I've got a sword with this enchantment, and I've captured a Magic Missile spell. Cool. But then a scorching ray comes my way, and I'd rather have that instead. And look! I made my save! Can I substitute the spell my sword is holding, or do I have to release the first one before I can "catch" another? What if I make my save, but would prefer to keep the first spell, Magic Missile?
OP already answers this question.
A spell catching weapon that has a spell inside cannot catch another spell until the one it is storing has been discharged, and then 1d4 rounds after.
So, you'd take full damage from the Scorching Ray, nor would you get a saving throw.
**EDIT** Just realized that the OP's property triggers a Will saving throw automatically for spells that don't have saving throws, disregard my previous statement.
An at-will spell absorption should be at least +4. I don't really care if it only works against 3rd level spells or lower -- that's still really powerful. I also see a number of ways this can be abused beyond its intentional protective effect. For example, a spellcaster can cast a spell on themselves to absorb the spell and then hand the weapon off to a familiar, a retainer, or another party member so they can essentially cast multiple spells in a round.
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Have you considered making it fully adjustable? Call them Weapons of +x Catching
Allow it to 'catch' any spell of level = enchantment Bonus used.
This would let a +1 Catching version catch up to a Level 1 spell, a +3 Catching one could catch up to a lvl 3 spell.
Or possibly Spell level = Echantment bonus used -1.
So +2 Catching catches lvl 1 spell, a +4 Catching would be need to catch up to lvl 3 spells.
Either option can allow the player to select just how strong they want their enchantment to be. Also I would say the weapon can be used any time it is within the effect of the spell. But maybe have the player wielding it make an opposed 'level' check vs caster level check of the spell. The Caster level check for the caster would be d20+Caster Level+Spell Level, the wielder of the weapon catching the spell could be BAB based so full BAB Classes are more skilled Could be D20+BAB+Catching Bonus
Maybe add base weapon bonus too (D20+BAB+Catching Bonus+Enchantment Bonus), this would let a +3 weapon with the +1 Catching be just as good (+4 Total) at catching a level 1 spell as a +1 weapon with +3 Catching is (+4 Total) at catching a level 1 spell.
These methods would still leave chance involved with being able to cast, and put full casters on more or less even footing as full bab classes, partial casters on level footing with partial bab.
I agree it should catch+store the spell, and not be able to catch any more for a period of time until the stored spell has been released. I would say the spell can be willingly released upon a confirmed critical hit into the target (area spells still impact the area as if the attacker had cast the spell on that target). Or can be released safely via a 1min/spell level ritual.
If released safely via the ritual the weapon can Catch a new spell immediately, if released via combat the weapon can not catch a new spell for Some period of time (Maybe 1d4 Rounds/Spell level)
A question: I've got a sword with this enchantment, and I've captured a Magic Missile spell. Cool. But then a scorching ray comes my way, and I'd rather have that instead. And look! I made my save! Can I substitute the spell my sword is holding, or do I have to release the first one before I can "catch" another? What if I make my save, but would prefer to keep the first spell, Magic Missile?OP already answers this question.
A spell catching weapon that has a spell inside cannot catch another spell until the one it is storing has been discharged, and then 1d4 rounds after.So, you'd take full damage from the Scorching Ray, nor would you get a saving throw.
**EDIT** Just realized that the OP's property triggers a Will saving throw automatically for spells that don't have saving throws, disregard my previous statement.
Oops, sorry for lack of reading.
