Building Spells

[Davido1000]

One thing that i found disappointing in the release of the GMG and SOM was no rules or guidance on how to create your own spells. I gm 2 spellcaster players, each in different games that have shown interest in making their own custom named spell. At lower levels this is quite simple but as you reach higher levels the damage scaling and effects become a little hard to follow. Is it out of the question that Paizo would be willing to release a supplement on how to create custom spells?

[Ravingdork]

I like to reflavor existing spells and highly recommend doing that.

For example, I had a psychotic character known for ripping out the hearts of his enemies and wanted to use 1st Edition's death clutch. Since it didn't exist in this edition though (and still does not as of the time of this writing), I spoke with my GM and we decided to use a reflavored version of the finger of death spell. It's worked quite well I must say!

DEATH CLUTCH - SPELL 7
[RARE] [DEATH] [EVIL] [NECROMANCY]
Traditions divine, primal
Cast ◇◇; somatic, verbal
Range 30 feet; Targets 1 living creature
Saving Throw basic Fortitude

You chant an unholy litany while reaching out with a grasping motion toward your target. You overwhelm the target’s autonomic processes, causing its heart to beat with such speed and violence that it risks tearing itself free. You deal 70 negative damage to the target. If the damage from death clutch reduces the target to 0 Hit Points, the target dies instantly as you cause its heart to leap out of its chest and into your hand (or at your feet if your hands are occupied). If the target does not possess a heart or heart-like organ, it instead tears free a different life-giving organ, or a large mass of viscera.
Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 10.

[breithauptclan]

Ravingdork wrote:

I like to reflavor existing spells and highly recommend doing that.

Yes. This also pairs well with uncommon or rare spells. It could very well be that this PC spellcaster is the only one in the area that is able to cast the spell or even anything similar to it.

But we also do have rules for creating monsters, creating custom magic items, and creating staves. So creating custom spells may not be out of the question.

I would expect that the creatable spells would be noticeably lower in power to the dev-created spells printed in the rulebooks though. Much like how the personal staff rules are rather limiting and the staves created with the strict RAW rules are typically less powerful than the printed staves. It is much easier for individual tables and players to houserule additional options than it is to try and walk back something that ends up being too powerful for society play.

[Davido1000]

Thank you for the advice. I have been doing my best with looking at other spells and sort of re-flavouring them. Ive also looked at 5e and kind of toned them down and 2e-ified them. I just think it would be nice to have some coded reference to fall back to, especially damage averages for higher level spells.

[Davido1000]

Ravingdork wrote:

I like to reflavor existing spells and highly recommend doing that.

For example, I had a psychotic character known for ripping out the hearts of his enemies and wanted to use 1st Edition's death clutch. Since it didn't exist in this edition though (and still does not as of the time of this writing), I spoke with my GM and we decided to use a reflavored version of the finger of death spell. It's worked quite well I must say!

DEATH CLUTCH - SPELL 7
[RARE] [DEATH] [EVIL] [NECROMANCY]
Traditions divine, primal
Cast ◇◇; somatic, verbal
Range 30 feet; Targets 1 living creature
Saving Throw basic Fortitude

You chant an unholy litany while reaching out with a grasping motion toward your target. You overwhelm the target’s autonomic processes, causing its heart to beat with such speed and violence that it risks tearing itself free. You deal 70 negative damage to the target. If the damage from death clutch reduces the target to 0 Hit Points, the target dies instantly as you cause its heart to leap out of its chest and into your hand (or at your feet if your hands are occupied). If the target does not possess a heart or heart-like organ, it instead tears free a different life-giving organ, or a large mass of viscera.
Heightened (+1) The damage increases by 10.

Oh man one of my players needs this spell!