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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Mar 2020 : 18:23:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
I failed a Will save against Wooly's Uncontrollable Laughter and spat out my coffee all over keyboard.
  
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
On a different note, who is up for my spell that prevents portable holes from being put in bags of holding? I will need feedback on naming the spell and balancing level with duration.
I'm not really sure how you could prevent that, without temporarily sealing one or both spaces.
I can see, however, something that temporarily seals and magically insulated one of the devices, rendering it non-magical for the duration and thus allowing one extradimensional space to be stored in another. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2020 : 20:09:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
I failed a Will save against Wooly's Uncontrollable Laughter and spat out my coffee all over keyboard.
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
On a different note, who is up for my spell that prevents portable holes from being put in bags of holding? I will need feedback on naming the spell and balancing level with duration.
I'm not really sure how you could prevent that, without temporarily sealing one or both spaces.
I can see, however, something that temporarily seals and magically insulated one of the devices, rendering it non-magical for the duration and thus allowing one extradimensional space to be stored in another.
Agreed. We are talking 1 minute per caster level duration. The other problem is the spell prevents the touched object from being teleported or plane shifted, including effects such as dimension door or etherealness and the like. So if you need to escape that hungry wyrm, but you have your belt of many pouches warded, be prepared to leave your loot behind for a suddenly lucky wyrm, or wait for the spell to expire and risk the wyrm's "nom nom spell". |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2020 : 00:10:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
I failed a Will save against Wooly's Uncontrollable Laughter and spat out my coffee all over keyboard.
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
On a different note, who is up for my spell that prevents portable holes from being put in bags of holding? I will need feedback on naming the spell and balancing level with duration.
I'm not really sure how you could prevent that, without temporarily sealing one or both spaces.
I can see, however, something that temporarily seals and magically insulated one of the devices, rendering it non-magical for the duration and thus allowing one extradimensional space to be stored in another.
Agreed. We are talking 1 minute per caster level duration. The other problem is the spell prevents the touched object from being teleported or plane shifted, including effects such as dimension door or etherealness and the like. So if you need to escape that hungry wyrm, but you have your belt of many pouches warded, be prepared to leave your loot behind for a suddenly lucky wyrm, or wait for the spell to expire and risk the wyrm's "nom nom spell". |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2020 : 04:10:23
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Dimensional Exclusion, Lesser
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: One carried or worn extradimensional item
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell prevents any part of the affected item from entering or overlapping with any part of another extradimensional item, extradimensional or planar spell effect such as rope trick, gate or Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion, or a portal or fey crossroads. The affected item rebuffs any such contact no matter how much force is applied to the item.
Teleportation and planar shifting spells such as etherealness or astral projection do not function on the item while the spell lasts. A spellcaster who attempts to dimension door or plane shift while carrying or wearing the item may do so as normal. The item, however, will stay at the location the spell was cast.
This spell only affects one single tangible worn or carried item. It cannot function on spell effects, permanent or temporary. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2020 : 04:23:06
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Dimensional Exclusion
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: One carried or worn extradimensional item, or one personally cast extradimensional effect
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell works exactly as lesser dimensional exclusion, but it may also affect extradimensional or planar spell effects such as rope trick or Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. In the case of spell effects, the caster must have personally cast the spell. Dimensional exclusion will not function on extradimensional spell effects cast by another being or cast from a magic item such as a scroll.
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2020 : 23:32:13
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Charge Lock-Wand
Abjuration
Level: Brd 4, Clr 4*, Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: One wand
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Upon completion, this spell prevents activating a wand if its charges drop to zero. It also prevents a recharging wand (e.g., contact with a glowstone) from gaining more than 50 charges. If the wand is out of charges or is fully charged, the spell is wasted.
*A cleric may access this spell if he or she has a minimum Intelligence of 14 and has either the Magic or Spell domain. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2020 : 00:26:27
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Charge Wand
Evocation
Level: Brd 6, Clr 6*, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V,S; see text
Casting Time: 10 minutes plus special; see text
Range: Touch
Target: One wand
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell recharges a wand that has at least one charge but less than 50. The spells fails on "dead" wands or fully charged wands. Charge wand requires extensive preparation from the caster, including preparing or knowing the spell the wand is supposed to cast.
The spell casting has three phases: 1. Conditioning the wand to accept recharging, 2. Attuning charge wand to the spell the wand is supposed to contain and 3. Recharging the conditioned, attuned wand.
Phase 1 takes 10 minutes and requires only verbal and somatic components as mentioned in the spell description.
Phase 2 requires the casting time of the attuning spell and whatever components the spell needs, including materials, XP and/or focus. The caster has 1 minute/caster level to cast the attuning spell. If the attuning spell is not completed within that allotted time, then charge wand completely fails. The metamagic feat Extend Spell doubles the allotted time to cast the attuning spell.
Phase 3 requires the caster to stay in physical contact with the wand for 20 minutes per charge. If the caster has item creation feat Craft Wand, the contact must be 15 minutes per charge. If the caster is disturbed for any reason, charge wand stops and any fraction of necessary time per charge is wasted. From the start of Phase 1 to the completion of Phase 3, the elapsed time may never exceed 8 hours.
The spell does not convey any information concerning the number of charges in the wand. The caster is responsible to obtain such information before casting the spell and potentially wasting time and resources.
*A cleric may access this spell if he or she has a minimum Intelligence of 16 and has either the Magic or Spell domain. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 00:08:05
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Remove Faezress
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 10 minutes, see below
Range: Touch
Target: One weapon, armor, shield or item
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell removes the faezress from drowcraft items, permanently negating all quasimagical properties, but rendering the item immune from decay on surface, even during direct exposure to sunlight. Items that have no enchantment bonus, such as boots or piwafwi, are fully affected in 10 minutes. For every effective plus of enchantment, the casting time increases by 10 extra minutes. Items receive no saving throw, but the caster must remain in physical contact for the full duration of casting. This restriction makes it effectively impossible to affect items carried or worn by another person, especially hostile drow. Remove faezress will not work on items that have already been exposed on the surface, no matter how briefly, unless the item was already protected by an effect such as cloak of dark power. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 29 Mar 2020 00:36:08 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 00:16:58
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| I'm no expert on rules and such, but given its effects, it seems to me that this spell should be at least 4th or 5th level. Permanently nerfing items, even if not truly enchanted, seems like it should be harder to pull off. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 00:30:27
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Disrupt Faezress
Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 standard action, see below
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels), Touch (see below)
Target: One weapon, armor, shield or item
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates, None
Spell Resistance: No
Unlike remove faezress. this spell can in principle be used in combat against enemies using drowcraft items. If the wearer/wielder fails a Will save, the item in question permanently loses all quasimagical properties. The wielder receives a +1 bonus to the Will save for every effective plus of enchantment if applicable.
Disrupt faezress may be used on unattended objects exactly as remove faezress, but the contact time is reduced to 1 minute plus 1 addition minute per additional plus of enchantment. Similar restrictions apply to items moved to the surface. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 29 Mar 2020 00:36:33 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 00:33:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'm no expert on rules and such, but given its effects, it seems to me that this spell should be at least 4th or 5th level. Permanently nerfing items, even if not truly enchanted, seems like it should be harder to pull off.
Thanks for the feedback. I will raise this spell to 5th level. Likewise, I will raise disrupt faezress to 8th level. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 03:04:51
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Delay Item Creation, Minor
Evocation
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V,S,M,XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Target: One item
Duration: 1 day/2 levels, see below
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
When a sorcerer or wizard gets called to urgent business while in the middle of item creation, this spell keeps the item in question available for enchantment while the creator is away. The creator decides in advance how many days to keep the item prepared for enchantment. The duration may be up to one day per two caster levels, maximum ten days. The caster then expends a flat rate of 1,500 XP plus 10% of the item's XP cost plus 750 XP per day and sacrifices 1,500 gp per day plus 10% of item creation cost in diamond dust when the casting commences. The caster must remain in physical contact with the item during the entire hour of casting, or the spell, XP and material components are wasted.
If the caster does not return to the item and resume item creation within the specified time limit, the spell, XP and material components are all wasted. Furthermore, the item reverts to its status just before item creation started, with accompanying time, effort and resources similarly wasted. Only the caster may resume item creation under this spell. The caster may not designate another being to take her or his place in item creation in case the caster's business takes longer than expected. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 29 Mar 2020 05:47:42 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 04:43:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
The duration may be up to one day per two caster levels, maximum twenty days. The caster then expends 1,500 XP plus 750 XP per day and sacrifices 1,500 gp per day in diamond dust when the casting commences.
Minor quibble: One day per two caster levels, max twenty days -- that allows for a 40th level caster, there. Not sure if I'd bump that down or not; just saying.
And a suggestion: Instead of the flat rate of XP and GP, perhaps make it contingent on the finished price of the item? Like maybe a flat rate plus 10% of the total GP and XP costs of the item?
(Like I said, I'm not a rules guru, so I don't know if that'd be more expensive or less -- but I personally like the idea of tying the expense of the spell to the expense of the item being made) |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 05:52:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
The duration may be up to one day per two caster levels, maximum twenty days. The caster then expends 1,500 XP plus 750 XP per day and sacrifices 1,500 gp per day in diamond dust when the casting commences.
Minor quibble: One day per two caster levels, max twenty days -- that allows for a 40th level caster, there. Not sure if I'd bump that down or not; just saying.
And a suggestion: Instead of the flat rate of XP and GP, perhaps make it contingent on the finished price of the item? Like maybe a flat rate plus 10% of the total GP and XP costs of the item?
(Like I said, I'm not a rules guru, so I don't know if that'd be more expensive or less -- but I personally like the idea of tying the expense of the spell to the expense of the item being made)
Yikes! I was thinking maximum twenty caster levels, not maximum twenty days. That was not a minor quibble on your part as much as a major screwup on my part. I like the 10% add on in costs. Edits are incorporated into the spell. Thanks for the catch and the suggested adjustments. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 06:08:00
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| The next spell, charge staff, has the dubious distinction of being catalogued in the original unedited version of Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. Evidently Volo neglected to mention the spell could overcharge a staff, resulting in the equivalent of a 51 charge retributive strike of a staff of power or staff of the magi. Mhair Szeltune of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors reported the issue to Khelben Arunsun. She already had access to the spell and knew its risks. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 13:44:09
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Charge Staff
Evocation
Level: Clr 8*, Sor/Wiz 7, Druid 8
Components: V,S; see text
Casting Time: 20 minutes plus special; see text
Range: Touch
Target: One staff
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell recharges a staff that has at least one charge but less than 50. The spells fails on "dead" staves and should never be used on fully charged staves or nearly fully charged staves. Charge staff requires extensive preparation from the caster, including preparing or knowing the spells the staff is supposed to cast.
The spell casting has three phases: 1. Conditioning the staff to accept recharging, 2. Attuning charge staff to the spells the staff is supposed to contain and 3. Recharging the conditioned, attuned staff.
Phase 1 takes 20 minutes and requires only verbal and somatic components as mentioned in the spell description.
Phase 2 requires the casting times of the attuning spells and whatever components the attuning spells need, including materials, XP and/or foci. The caster has 1 minute/caster level to cast each attuning spell. If any attuning spell is not completed within that allotted time after the previous attuning spell, then charge staff completely fails. The metamagic feat Extend Spell doubles the allotted time to cast each attuning spell.
Phase 3 requires the caster to stay in physical contact with the staff for 30 minutes per charge. If the caster has item creation feat Craft Staff, the contact must be 20 minutes per charge, or 10 minutes/charge if the caster also created the staff. If the caster is disturbed for any reason, charge staff stops and any fraction of necessary time per charge is wasted. From the start of Phase 1 to the completion of Phase 3, the elapsed time may never exceed 8 hours. Staves with multiple spells tend to be rather difficult to recharge because of the disproportionate time spent attuning the staff and because of the increased opportunity to fail to cast attuning spells in a timely manner.
The spell does not convey any information concerning the number of charges in the staff. The caster is responsible to obtain such information before casting the spell and potentially wasting time and resources. Here is the part Volo left out: If the staff is recharged beyond its 50 charge limit, it will explode as if a 51 charge retributive strike on a staff of power or staff of the magi had been executed. Using the absorption property of a staff of magi on this spell is a superlatively reckless gambit.
Sorcerors and wizards may only charge staves with arcane spells using this spell. Likewise, clerics may only recharge clerical staves and druids may only recharge druidical staves.
*A cleric may access this spell if he or she has a minimum Intelligence of 18 and has either the Magic or Spell domain.
EDIT: The spell is also a 9th level druid spell. The target is one staff, not one wand. Added recharge time for creator of staff. Explicitly stated which classes may recharge which kinds of staves. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 10 Oct 2021 12:58:39 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1536 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 15:22:17
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| Recharging staves strikes me as the sort of thing that should be a baseline ability, or something that comes along with the Craft X line of feats. Maybe full casters get the ability for free (wizard staves, druidic staves, clerical crosiers) while other classes need to burn a feat? |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2020 : 16:06:24
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quote:
Originally posted by LordofBones
Recharging staves strikes me as the sort of thing that should be a baseline ability, or something that comes along with the Craft X line of feats. Maybe full casters get the ability for free (wizard staves, druidic staves, clerical crosiers) while other classes need to burn a feat?
This is an excellent question. I assumed a Craft X feat was required to recharge the appropriate magic item without this spell. I also assumed a requirement that only arcane casters can recharge arcane staves and only divine casters could recharge divine staves, with or without this spell. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2020 : 01:06:56
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Spellbook Pen: This silver masterwork writing implement offers optimal writing technique when writing spells into a spellbook. This conserves use of ink and unnecessary smudges or wear on the page which receives the spell writing. The base material cost becomes 80 gp per page. The user must supply or pay for any extra components if applicable.
Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, amanuensis; Market Price 650 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2020 : 15:34:55
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The following technique is an alternative to taking the Brew Potion feat. One thing I found a bit odd about 3.5 edition mechanics is major spellcasters just somehow lost the ability to create magic items without taking item creation feats. My workaround is experienced spellcasters kept their old rituals and maybe tweaked them a bit to make them work.
Featless Potion Brewing Technique
The caster must have an fully furnished and stocked alchemical lab and source of heat as usual. The cost of base materials and ingredients is 50 gp X spell level X effective caster level, plus any costs for material components for the spells involved. (In short, the cost to create is double the cost done by feat.) All ingredients must be fresh and unused. The XP cost is still 1/25 to market price (100 gp X spell level X effective caster level) plus any XP costs for relevant spells. XP costs are only incurred when the caster begins casting the spell into the brewing potion.
Mixing and heating the potion correctly requires (7 + spell level + effective caster level) ranks in Craft(Alchemy) and Profession(Brewer) skills. The environment must be calm during the entire time of creation. Any interruption spoils the process, wasting all spells, ingredients, XP, money and time incurred. The time to create the potion is one day, plus one extra day per spell level.
Any feedback to keep this balanced with Brew Potion. If anything, I would like the item creation feat to be somewhat more appealing. My next task is to detail featless scroll writing. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2020 : 16:01:56
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Featless Scroll Scribing
The caster must have fresh writing implements, paper/vellum on which to scribe the spell and access to an alchemical lab to create the ink-which is a process in itself. All materials and ingredients as with potions must be fresh and unused. The cost for materials is 50 gp X spell level X effective caster level (double the cost using the Scribe Scroll feat), plus material costs for any spells to be put into the scroll. The XP cost is 1/25 the market price as for the feat, plus any XP costs for the spells put into the scroll.
Creating the ink requires (spell level +1) ranks in Craft(alchemy). The caster need only attend the ink creation for one hour, after which he or she leaves the concoction to sit for the rest of the day, plus (spell level + effective caster level) additional days. The ink must be left strictly alone during that time, or else it is ruined and all money, ingredients and time are wasted.
The caster may scribe the spell once the ink is ready. The process requires (spell level + 1/2 effective caster level-round up) ranks in Craft(calligraphy) and one day per spell level. The caster must not be interrupted at any point during this time, or else the scroll is ruined and all resources effort and time are wasted.
This technique cannot work on epic spells, nor on spells increased above 9th level by metamagic feats. This is another more advanced technique, however, that allows for 10+ level spells advanced by metamagic. This other process is longer, more expensive and more demanding of knowledge and effort. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2020 : 17:34:06
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The next spell was inspired by a Gargauth-granted spell in Powers & Pantheons, pages 25-26.
EDIT: I reduced the level of the spell from 5 to 4, added a joke descriptor "Screwjob", and inserted some additional wording about benefits and costs of the spell. The spell lowering was to reflect Gargauth wanting the spell to be more available, but also reflect the 2e to 3e maximum cleric spell level jumping from 7 to 9.
EDIT 2: I added verbiage about the consequences of someone trying the raise/reincarnate/resurrection stunt. At the bottom are rules about corrupting and sacrificing people of power. At the bottom is a note about the rewards of stopping Elminster.
Astaroth's Augmentation
Transmutation [Evil,Lawful, Screwjob]
Level: Clr 4
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Personal
Target: You (or one willing recipient; see below)
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell allows the caster to call upon Gargauth's power to permanently increase his or her abilities. Gargauth extracts a dear price for this boon. Woe to the caster who fails to fulfill or deliberately circumvent the bargain.
Astaroth's Augmentation gives the caster a +1 inherent bonus to any ability score of choice, which is permanent as long as the caster abides by Gargauth's terms. In return for the bonus, the caster must corrupt a person of power or sacrifice a sentient being every three months. Much like other Faustian pacts, the augmentation prohibits the caster from disclosing the existence of the obligations to unauthorized personnel unless Gargauth explicits says otherwise. The terms also prohibit the caster from being raised, reincarnated or resurrected from the dead. These restrictions are intended to prevent meddlesome clerics and paladins from trying to redeem the caster's soul.
The spell also establishes a link between Gargauth and the caster that extends across planes, through antimagic fields, dead magic or wild magic zones and even effects as powerful as mind blank. Gargauth may scry on the caster at will, read thoughts and automatically succeed on Sense Motive checks. While the spell is in effect, the caster emanates an aura of law and evil as if an outsider of the caster's character level. The caster will be unable to detect either the (one-way!!) scrying link or the aura by his or her own efforts.
If the caster fails to carry out the obligations or attempts to circumvent the prohibitions for any reason, he or she suffers 3 points of ability drain in the augmented ability, for a net loss of 2 points in the affected ability. The drain ends the obligation, but the caster is typically too foolish or desparate at this point to accept the loss and move on with life. Gargauth may forcibly end the spell and its obligation(s) at any time, imposing any all penalties in the process. For each obligation failed by caster or forcibly ended by Gargauth, the caster receives a bestow curse (Will DC 25 +1 per previous failure), who ability penalty stacks with the end of the spell. Gargauth always curses the ability specifically augmented by the spell. See below for the consequences of an ability going below 0.
The caster may use this spell multiple times, whether to increase an already augmented score (to a maximum +5 inherent bonus), to increase another ability (also to a maximum +5 inherent bonus), or to offset ability drain (still a +5 inherent bonus maximum, but taken from the newly reduced score). Each casting requires its own additional corruption or sacrifice. Failure to fulfill any commitments results in ability drain(s) for the failed commitments. If a character is somehow raised, reincarnated or resurrected, Gargauth considers the character is willfully noncompliant with the bargain and the Constitution loss stacks with any Constitution drain possibly caused by this spell. See below for the result if Constitution drops to 0 or lower, as opposed to the typical failure of such spells.
Nothing short of a wish, miracle, artifact or divine intervention may remove the obligation(s) without preventing ability drain. The caster may end all obligations at any time and willingly accept the ability drains, but if any ability score drops to 0 from the ability drains, the caster is transformed into a lemure and transported to Avernus. His or her gear and possessions are randomly teleported across Faerun. As a 4th level clerical spell, however, Astaroth's Augmentation requires a minimum Wisdom score of 14 to cast. Draining Wisdom below 14 makes the caster unable to cast the spell, and his or her usefulness to Gargauth may be compromised. This results in a bestow curse (Will DC 25 + 1 per previous failure).
If your campaign uses the book Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, each casting of this spell gives 1 corruption point to the caster, or 1 obeisance point if the caster is already evil. These points do not include corruption or obeisance points incurred fulfilling the terms of the spell.
A cleric of Gargauth may cast this spell on a willing recipient. The recipient faces all the responsibilities, (usually) not the caster. Even if the cleric repeatedly casts Astaroth's Augmentation on recipents who fail, Gargauth still gets servitor lemures. The cleric faces no retribution from Gargauth unless the target was specifically intended to succeed on a mission decided by Gargauth (not necessarily the cleric). If that case, both the cleric and the recipient face the same consequences.
The material components for this spell include three yellow feathers and powdered ruby worth at least 25 gp. The holy symbol need not be dedicated to Gargauth, unless cast by a cleric of Gargauth on behalf of a willing recipient.
Corrupting People of Power
Corruption means shifting the victim one alignment step closer to evil in not evil and then one step closer to law if already evil.
The following holds if the caster converts the victim to knowingly and willingly worship Gargauth. For every step in alignment shift as described above, the caster receives a one day extension until his or her next mandatory service. For every level or hit dice in a non-divine spellcasting class, the caster receives an additional one day extension. For every level or hit dice in a divine spellcasting class that does not grant an alignment aura, the caster receives an additional two day extension. For every level or hit dice in a divine spellcasting class that does grant an alignment aura such as cleric or paladin, the caster receives an additional month extension.
Sacrificing People of Power
The caster must sacrifice one victim whose character level or hit dice equals or exceeds the caster's own character level. If the sacrifice is good-aligned and is neither an outsider nor of a class that radiates a strong alignment aura, then add 2 to the effective hit dice or character level. If the sacrifice is good-aligned and is either an outsider or of a class that radiates a strong alignment aura, then add 6 to the effective hit dice or character level.
If the sacrifice is a baatezu not already in Gargauth's service, double the hit dice. These sacrifices help Gargauth absorb the essence of any baatezu he permanently destroys on the Prime Material Plane. Not that he would tell anyone else. 
As an alternative, Gargauth allows the caster to sacrifice three victims, each of whose character level or hit dice (round up) is half the caster's character level.
NOTE: Gargauth has a burning grudge against Elminster for the setting a trap at the Sign of the Silver Harp back in 1022. To incentivize Elminster's comeuppance, Gargauth offers a one year extension on mandatory services required by the spell to Elminster's sacrifice. If the caster somehow converts Elminster to worship Gargauth  , the caster will also have any and all ability drains and curses caused by this spell to be unconditionally removed. Good hunting! |
Edited by - Delnyn on 13 Dec 2020 13:44:38 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2020 : 18:23:39
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Again, not a rules person... But 3rd level for a permanent ability boost? That seems low, to me, even with the required sacrifices.
Personally, I think I'd make it 5th or 6th, and add some more caveats about having to stick with Gargauth's goals. Maybe the sacrifice and something akin to a paladin's alignment restrictions -- not as stringent, of course, but something like that as an inspiration. |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4688 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2020 : 19:42:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Again, not a rules person... But 3rd level for a permanent ability boost? That seems low, to me, even with the required sacrifices.
Personally, I think I'd make it 5th or 6th, and add some more caveats about having to stick with Gargauth's goals. Maybe the sacrifice and something akin to a paladin's alignment restrictions -- not as stringent, of course, but something like that as an inspiration.
It is a trap, the deity (Gargauth) is providing level adjustment. The spell level should be higher if it was not a trap. The boost of course is not permanent however could last for years. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2020 : 05:15:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Again, not a rules person... But 3rd level for a permanent ability boost? That seems low, to me, even with the required sacrifices.
Personally, I think I'd make it 5th or 6th, and add some more caveats about having to stick with Gargauth's goals. Maybe the sacrifice and something akin to a paladin's alignment restrictions -- not as stringent, of course, but something like that as an inspiration.
Making this a 5th or 6th level spell is totally fine with me. I used 3rd level because that was the level used in the sourcebook. For caveats, where you thinking about restrictions on acceptable sentient beings to sacrifice - such as children or a paladin?
That said, keeping the spell level somewhat lower than expected as a way to spread the spell among a larger pool. Think of Gargauth as the drug pusher who gives a super cheap first fix to get you hooked. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2020 : 05:40:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Again, not a rules person... But 3rd level for a permanent ability boost? That seems low, to me, even with the required sacrifices.
Personally, I think I'd make it 5th or 6th, and add some more caveats about having to stick with Gargauth's goals. Maybe the sacrifice and something akin to a paladin's alignment restrictions -- not as stringent, of course, but something like that as an inspiration.
Making this a 5th or 6th level spell is totally fine with me. I used 3rd level because that was the level used in the sourcebook. For caveats, where you thinking about restrictions on acceptable sentient beings to sacrifice - such as children or a paladin?
That said, keeping the spell level somewhat lower than expected as a way to spread the spell among a larger pool. Think of Gargauth as the drug pusher who gives a super cheap first fix to get you hooked.
I was thinking more of a thing where they had to periodically do other things to push Gargauth's agenda, and/or refrain from certain activities that run counter to his interests.
Again, I'm not a rules person, but it just seems to be that permanently boosting an ability score, for an infrequent thing you're prolly inclined to do anyway, seems kinda powerful. And yeah, I get that it's not permanent in that it can be revoked -- but with the relatively low maintenance cost, it can conceivably be maintained for years, even decades. A boost that can last literally the rest of your life is close enough to permanent that I'm calling it that.
However, given that it's canon as a 3rd level spell, I'll quibble no further. That seems powerful to me, but it was written that way by someone much more experienced in all things gaming. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2020 : 05:59:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I was thinking more of a thing where they had to periodically do other things to push Gargauth's agenda, and/or refrain from certain activities that run counter to his interests.
Again, I'm not a rules person, but it just seems to be that permanently boosting an ability score, for an infrequent thing you're prolly inclined to do anyway, seems kinda powerful. And yeah, I get that it's not permanent in that it can be revoked -- but with the relatively low maintenance cost, it can conceivably be maintained for years, even decades. A boost that can last literally the rest of your life is close enough to permanent that I'm calling it that.
However, given that it's canon as a 3rd level spell, I'll quibble no further. That seems powerful to me, but it was written that way by someone much more experienced in all things gaming.
Don't worry. This spell should be thought of as an elaborate Faustian pact some mortal negotiates with a baatezu. Such pacts typically have restrictions against disclosing the existence of the pact to unauthorized parties-especially clerics and paladins. They also have prohibitions against raises and resurrections. Another nasty part of these pacts is once the mortal fulfills his or her end of the pact, the baatezu engineers the port mortal's demise....unless the mortal has proven his or her usefulness to advance diabolic interests.
I can put these details in the spell description. Think of the caster as volunteering to a no-save geas/quest imposed by Gargauth. Another point I will mention is that corruption points incurred from just casting the spell do not account for corruption points incurred from fulfilling the requirements, such as murder or gratuitous torture. The rough rule of thumb as mentioned in The Fiendish Codex II is a mortal is truly damned once he or she gets 9 corruption points, for any reason relevant or not relevant to the spell-induced pact. |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2020 : 04:09:03
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Senior Scribe Delnyn,
I really like this. The thing that makes this so powerful is the significant roleplay opportunities with this spell.
quote:
In return for the bonus, the caster must corrupt a person of power or sacrifice a sentient being every three months. Much like other Faustian pacts, the augmentation prohibits the caster from disclosing the existence of the obligations to unauthorized personnel unless Gargauth explicits says otherwise. The terms also prohibit the caster from being raised, reincarnated or resurrected from the dead. These restrictions are intended to prevent meddlesome clerics and paladins from trying to redeem the caster's soul.
Man, this really is a huge price to pay. The kinds of intrigue you could pull off with this, are amazing. The jilted lover who just needs to be a little stronger, charming, smarter, etc., making this Faustian deal to get the love of his life, and now is a possible murder-for-hire in the Court, or somewhere else of significance. Very cool man. I love this. I am totally stealing this for my campaigns! ;)
Best regards,
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Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
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Manuel.Hawkins
Acolyte
1 Posts |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
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