New spell idea

[Sophiestarshaman]

Basically trying to bring Melfs Minute Meteors into Starfinder and make it more scalable and versatile.

Tiny Celestial Bodies
Level: 1st - 6th
Casting time: 1 Action/1 Bonus Action
Range: Self/Medium(100ft + 10ft/Class level)
Duration: 1 Minute/Class level
Classes: Mystic/Witchwarper
Saving Throw: Reflex Half

You create a number of Tiny Celestial Bodies in your space that resemble marbles of colorful swirling energies which float in the air and orbit you for the spells duration. When you cast the spell - and as a bonus action on each of your turns thereafter - you may choose a number of your Tiny Celestial Bodies to turn into either a Meteor for Fire/Bludgeoning damage or a Comet for Cold/Bludgeoning damage and send the number chosen towards a point you choose within range and line of sight. Creatures in the area must make a reflex save or take 1d6 damage, of the chosen type, for each Tiny Celestial Body expended. A successful reflex save halves the damage and negates any critical hit effect.

1st: When cast as a 1st level spell you create 3 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 1 per bonus action which explodes in a 5ft radius.

2nd: When cast as a 2nd level spell you create 6 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 2 per bonus action which explode in a 5ft radius and push 5ft on a critical hit.

3rd: When cast as a 3rd level spell you create 9 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 3 per bonus action which explode in a 10ft radius and push 5ft on a critical hit.

4th: When cast as a 4th level spell you create 12 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 4 per bonus action which explode in a 10ft radius and push 10ft on a critical hit.

5th: When cast as a 5th level spell you create 10 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 5 per bonus action which explode in a 15ft radius and push 10ft on a critical hit.

6th: When cast as a 6th level spell you create 12 Tiny Celestial Bodies, may expend 6 per bonus action which explode in a 15ft radius and push 15ft on a critical hit.

[Pantshandshake]

I like it! A few thoughts:

You should probably define how the push works. I'd expect to see a line that says the creature is pushed in a line directly away from the epicenter, or something along those lines.

You should define what action the casting is. I assume a standard?

I don't think the bonus action bit should stay. Action economy is one of the many things Starfinder tightened up on. I could be wrong, but I don't believe there are other spells that allow to cast, and then use the spell every turn for free.

[Cellion]

Comments:

There's no such thing as actions and bonus actions in Starfinder. Is this intended to be a standard action to form and a swift to fire?

Since you aren't making an attack roll, there is no way to critically hit with this spell. It will never knock back.

The total damage is pretty reasonable as a 1st through 4th level spell, but the 5th and 6th level variants seem too low. Compare to the average damage of other AoE spells at those levels. Did you intend to be able to fire 15 and 18 meteors respectively at those spell levels?

The duration of the spell is too long probably. Minutes per level means that you can cast it prior to combat and it ends up just being free damage with no downsides that stacks with anything else you might be doing.

[Pantshandshake]

Cellion wrote:

Comments:

Since you aren't making an attack roll, there is no way to critically hit with this spell. It will never knock back.

You have to roll to hit the grid intersection (presumably.) I'm in the camp that thinks a 20 on that roll is a crit for at least one target in the AoE, if not everything in the area.

Other than that, I agree with your points.

[Cellion]

Pantshandshake wrote:

You have to roll to hit the grid intersection (presumably.)

Why would you need a roll to hit a grid intersection? No other burst area spell requires this. (Explosive blast specifies an attack roll, but only when firing through a narrow opening)

[Pantshandshake]

I think I got to that from the opposite direction as you, is all.

You say, remove the crit effect, there's no attack roll.

I say, there's a crit effect? Well, that needs an attack roll.

[Cellion]

Ah, gotcha. I think giving it a intersection targeting attack roll would be puzzling because no other spell needs it. Knockbacks on an AoE spell up till now have been done via combat maneuver attack rolls, like in force blast. That also might work in this case.

[Pantshandshake]

Yeah, it's not a thing that Starfinder appears to do, but Paizo's creed has always been "If there's an attack roll, it can crit."

After reading Force Blast, I agree, that's probably a more Starfindery way to handle this. My group doesn't have any magic users, so I'm not super knowledgeable about spell-specific things.

[Sophiestarshaman]

Some excellent constructive criticisms here, much appreciated.. I've probably face palmed about a half dozen times since posting this lol.. 1st being the total mind blank that starfinder doesn't have bonus actions.. Sooo there's no way a swift action would be fair.. Maybe make it a move action to fire them off after the first casting? Or maybe make the first casting a Full Action and thereafter it would be Standard Actions?
And yeah.. The push on a crit thing could be solved with the combat maneuver roll, thanks for that reminder as well.

And oddly enough most of my players picked spell casters.. And my homebrew storyline has a lot to do with lovecraftian occult magic.. So it works out well.

And the damage amount.. Supposed to represent the Bonus action damage level.. Never as high as a main action damage.. Soo no..it was always intended to only be able to throw a 3rd of the tiny celestial bodies that are created so that you have a max use of 3 per casting if you fire the max amount each round.

Ive also started toying with the idea of making this a relic level magic weapon.. Using the marbles as the weapon and there wouldnt be as many and they wouldnt be expended while attacking.. Rather they would have the thrown and returning special properties . Thoughts?