I need a spell that converts all non lethal damage inflicted to lethal damage. It could be an area spell or a spell which targets a single creature.
Will anyone please help?
Ummm... why do you need this spell? What's it for? And why is it evil? More information would be helpful.
I am the DM and I don't want my players to capture the boss of the dungeon (long story).
And I suppose that such a spell would be evil, but it is not mandatory.
Lethal damage can still knock someone unconscious. Once they're below 0, they fall unconscious and start bleeding- if they're stabilized before that, they're still unconscious. That leaves capture as a possibility.
Maybe they have a contigency (or whoever is doing this) that casts a nasty spell on them. Power word kill is super high level but allows no save. You could also have them teleport away once they drop unconscious but yet party might feel cheated.
Can you expound upon the situation? It sounds like your party wants to take the boss alive and you don't want them to?
But to answer your original question, I can't think of any spell that comes close to what you're asking. Converting nonlethal would be a really powerful tool especially in the hands of a PC, so it might be hard to balance.
They could always coup de grace themselves and intentionally fail the save. I had an assassin do that in my Strange Aeons campaign.
Teleporting away when they drop unconscious doesn't work via most methods (teleport, dimension door) because an unconscious character can't decide where to target a spell. Power word kill is likewise too high level to fit into the normal contingency spell. Slay living or phantasmal killer will work fine, though. :p
In the end, if your party REALLY wants to take a boss alive, they'll probably either find a way to do it (paralysis magic, etc.) or will fail due to your contrived failsafe and get annoyed.
I was referring to contigency + teleport, with the destination already picked. Or getaway. Problem with any spell with a save is that an unconscious character will always resist it and may well succeed.
This seems to fall into the territory of GM fiat.
2nd edition/advanced, I GMed a potion that worked like rage, in that it granted 4 strength and 4 con, but turned into poison when it wore off. It was save or die. If they saved, they still took 3D6 which might kill them anyway. Where there's a potion, or in this case elixir, there has to be a spell. It could instead be an alchemical discovery.
Something like this?
AURA OF LETHALITY
School: Abjuration. Level: Sorcerer/Wizard/Witch/Cleric 3
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Area 20-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will: see text; Spell Resistance: yes
This spell forms an aura of energy around you that converts all nonlethal damage in the vicinity to lethal damage. The first time an affected creature takes nonlethal damage, they may make a Will save to resist the effect, in which case nonlethal damage inflicted upon them is unaffected. Targets only get one chance to resist. The caster cannot resist the effect; all nonlethal damage taken is lethal.
This effect allows attacks that normally inflict nonlethal damage to harm undead and other creatures immune to nonlethal attacks.
An intelligent creature unintentionally inflicting lethal damage due to this effect will notice the difference after making a successful attack, if they make a DC 15 Perception check.
Something like this?
AURA OF LETHALITY
School: Abjuration. Level: Sorcerer/Wizard/Witch/Cleric 3
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range personal
Target you
Area 20-ft.-radius emanation centered on you
Duration 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will: see text; Spell Resistance: yes
This spell forms an aura of energy around you that converts all nonlethal damage in the vicinity to lethal damage. The first time an affected creature takes nonlethal damage, they may make a Will save to resist the effect, in which case nonlethal damage inflicted upon them is unaffected. Targets only get one chance to resist. The caster cannot resist the effect; all nonlethal damage taken is lethal.
This effect allows attacks that normally inflict nonlethal damage to harm undead and other creatures immune to nonlethal attacks.
An intelligent creature unintentionally inflicting lethal damage due to this effect will notice the difference after making a successful attack, if they make a DC 15 Perception check.
Wicked OP. Especially negating regeneration, which you do unintentionally..
Something that creates a suffocation, vacuum, or drowning effect could do this I think. That is, if we assume that becoming unconscious by any means moves you to the unconscious stage of drowning/suffocation. On their first turn after dropping to unconsciousness, they'd go to -1 HP. It's not exactly the same as converting non-lethal to lethal, but it's pretty close.
The spell "Rising water" specifically mentions unconscious creatures beginning to drown immediately in the spell. I'm unsure if that's meant to be a clarification or a rule specific to the spell. All the same, the spell would perform the roll nicely.
Something like this?
AURA OF LETHALITY
It's an excellent starting point, thanks a lot!
Something like this?
AURA OF LETHALITY
It's an excellent starting point, thanks a lot!
Make sure your PC's don't get their hands on this. Will save vs. Negate all forms of regeneration as a third level spell is ridiculous.
Also your unwillingness to actually tell us what you plan to do with this in any detail is concerning to me.
Maybe he's trying not to spoil anything for his PCs, in the unlikely event that they see this thread.
You could include some form of the spell that's single target (Artofregicide is right about this being OP as an aura), and load it into the villain's contingency so that once the PCs reduce him below a certain amount, the damage becomes lethal and he goes down quickly.
Make sure your PC's don't get their hands on this. Will save vs. Negate all forms of regeneration as a third level spell is ridiculous.
How does turning nonlethal damage into lethal damage in any way negate regeneration? Regeneration is effective against lethal damage.
Also your unwillingness to actually tell us what you plan to do with this in any detail is concerning to me.
He wants to use it to make a boss who is impossible to capture alive.
(Which this probably won't do, since they could grapple, pin and tie him up.)
Just realized that regeneration isn't the same as it was in 3.5...
your unwillingness to actually tell us what you plan to do with this in any detail is concerning to me.
As I already explained, I don't want my players to capture the boss alive as it is too early for them to find out what is REALLY going on.
Make sure your PC's don't get their hands on this. Will save vs. Negate all forms of regeneration as a third level spell is ridiculous.How does turning nonlethal damage into lethal damage in any way negate regeneration? Regeneration is effective against lethal damage.
Also your unwillingness to actually tell us what you plan to do with this in any detail is concerning to me.He wants to use it to make a boss who is impossible to capture alive.
(Which this probably won't do, since they could grapple, pin and tie him up.)
Was thinking if 3.5. Being able to do lethal damage to undead, constructs, etc with a nonelethal weapon is pretty broken. Not to mention enforcer builds.
Yes, I'm well aware of the basic premise, but the lack of any further details is concerning. I get the impression that the OP is trying to justify something that basically negates player agency and doesn't really fit the rules.
Undead frequently have good Will saves. Constructs often have spell immunity. Relying on a nonlethal damage build plus a caster with this spell against such foes is (a) niche, and (b) unreliable.
it is too early for them to find out what is REALLY going on.
Alternative way within the rules of making it impossible to torture information out of a defeated foe: Have them take an oath of secrecy on one of these:
Oathtaker
Aura moderate necromancy; CL 9th Slot none; Price 18,540 gp; Weight 20 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
This Large +1 tetsubo (see page 27) is banded in corroded iron bearing brass studs that are embossed with wicked Tien characters of punishment and pain. Once per day, the wielder can bestow a blood geas upon a willing subject who swears an oath to the wielder (the wielder and the subject must agree on the exact nature of the oath). The blood geas functions as a mark of justice that activates if the subject of the blood geas breaks his oath, dealing 12d6+9 points of damage to the subject. If the subject survives, the blood geas is removed, though the subject can swear a new oath and receive a new blood geas if he chooses. A character can be under only one blood geas at a time. A blood geas is permanent unless removed by the wielder. CONSTRUCTION Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, mark of justice, slay living; Cost 9,440 gp
If you as the GM allow 3.5 material look at the book of vile darkness. There are great curse alternatives, the dying curse (which is Nasty) and the Dark Speech (my favorite evil tool in the game) as well as a lot of Evil spells for the majority of 3.5 classes.
Go see tetsubo.
https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0341/38/1408053203546.jpg
Basicly a quarterstaff, with one end shod in studded iron.
Shod means nailed on like a horseshoe.
What does a tetsubo have to do with this?
What does a tetsubo have to do with this?
Ask Matthew Downie. He suggested using the magic item.
Didn't see that!