PC spells.

[Anastasia]

Replies to Stone Skewers.

1. Yep, it's Transmutation. I toyed with Necromancy for the reasons you guys noted, but Transmutation fits the best. Applying the evil descriptor to it is an interesting interpretation. It's nasty, but I don't see it as any nastier as burning someone alive with a fireball or freezing them solid with a cone of cold - or close to this, shredding them with a blade barrier. The damage isn't meant to be sadistic as much as effective.

2. I was thinking level 9 or 10 and sor/wiz as well as druid, and maybe a domain or two its relevant to. Everyone got that just about right. The difference between the levels depends on how you interpret the spell.

3+4 Yes, I intentionally wrote in several unclear points and places where clarity was both desirable and lacking. I think most of you picked up on that. An instantaneous spell plus those stone skewers being left is plain nasty. Merc addressed this in rewriting the spell with a duration, which I agree with, and the rest of you also picked up on and addressed them. Well done.

5 Glad to hear that the style of it worked well.

I'd probably just use Merc's revision since it hammers out a lot of the language issues.

[Merc]

You're so damn lazy! =p

[Anastasia]

Oh sure, I am. It's also a compliment since you went to the hassle to write it all out.

[Corwin]

Borrowing this to make a cleric Not Righteous Aura spell

Righteous Halo
Abjuration [Good, Light]
Level: Cleric 8
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level (D) or until discharged

Holy light washes over you as you call upon your patron deity's power. This nimbus of divine power coalescing around your form shines brightly, as if daylight had been cast upon your person.
You get a +4 sacred bonus to your Charisma score.
As an immediate action, you can discharge the magic to gain a +8 Sacred bonus to Charisma for 1 round. The spell ends after you use it in this manner.

Focus: The holy symbol of your deity.

[Anastasia]

Okay, let's take a look at this.

Abjuration [Good, Light]

Stat boosting spells are Transmutations. See the basic ones in the SRD, as well as Divine Agility and other such spells. Daylight could be argued to make it Evocation, but I'd stick with Transmutation. To save myself the follow up question, the spell you linked is 3.0 and a weird spell that I wouldn't make as an Abjuration in any case.

Holy light washes over you as you call upon your patron deity's power. This nimbus of divine power coalescing around your form shines brightly, as if daylight had been cast upon your person.
You get a +4 sacred bonus to your Charisma score.
As an immediate action, you can discharge the magic to gain a +8 Sacred bonus to Charisma for 1 round. The spell ends after you use it in this manner.

I don't have any problem with the spell as written. I do have a concern past the spell itself - I don't want to see huge ability score bloat. I'm not overwhelmingly concerned about it, but it's fair to mention it now. Anyway it's fine, I'll apply the change above and add it to spells.

[Anastasia]

Adding this version to custom spells. I might bump it up to 10 later tonight, I need to compare it around to some other spells. I'll let you know if I do.

Stone Skewers
Transmutation [Earth]
Level: Druid 9
Components: V, S, DF.
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100ft + 10ft/level)
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 1 day/caster level.
Saving Throw: See text.
Spell Resistance: Yes.

On intoning the final word of power, the caster causes dozens of long stone spikes to grow out of the target's skeleton. This skewers the target from the inside as the spikes erupt out to 10ft from the target's body in all directions. This deals 1d6 points of damage per caster level (maximum 35d6) to the target and causes it to become sickened for 1 round, as well as entangled. On a successful fortitude save, the target only takes half damage and no longer becomes sickened, though it still become entangled. The target remains entangled for as long as the stone spikes remain all over their body.

At the time the spikes erupt, if there are any solid surfaces (such as the ground or walls) within a 10ft radius from the target, the target also becomes pinned in place, as the spikes burrow into that surface, holding the target in place. On the target's turn, attempts to free itself from the pin are done against a CMB of 25 (assuming the target is normal size, otherwise modify opposed CMB by the target's size).

Any creature caught within this radius at the time the spikes erupt takes 5d6 damage from the spikes and also becomes pinned. On a successful reflex save, the creature escapes both effects, and is instead entangled, at least while it remains within a 10ft radius of the target. If pinned, either the target or the creature may attempt to free themselves on their turn by making an opposed check against a CMB of 25 (again modified by the target's size, if it is not normal size).

Characters moving through the space occupied by the stone skewers treat it as difficult terrain, but do not become entangled or pinned (including creatures that were initially caught in the radius and had moved away, then back inside the space) by them.

The target can break the stone spikes so that it is no longer considered entangled, though it takes a few minutes to do so, and stony protrusions remain to scar its body. The stone protrusions (or spikes if they were never broken to aid the target's mobility) eventually vanish though, as they only remain 1 day/caster level. Over the course of that time, any remaining stone slowly breaks off or gets absorbed back into the skeleton.

This spell is ineffective against creatures that lack a discernible skeleton, such as oozes.

[Merc]

Note that I did not include Sor/Wiz 9 for who gets it on my rewrite attempt, and I think I'm the only one that really suggested druid only. I don't know if you still want to give it to them or not, but figured I'd mention it in case you missed it.

If you bump it to 10, I'd probably say increase the CMB from 25 to 30, btw?

[Anastasia]

Note that I did not include Sor/Wiz 9 for who gets it on my rewrite attempt, and I think I'm the only one that really suggested druid only. I don't know if you still want to give it to them or not, but figured I'd mention it in case you missed it.

If you bump it to 10, I'd probably say increase the CMB from 25 to 30, btw?

I'm gonna tweak it tonight, yeah. I had 9-5 coming up so I just wanted it in there for the moment.

[Corwin]

On the target's turn, attempts to free itself from the pin are done against a CMB of 25 (assuming the target is normal size, otherwise modify opposed CMB by the target's size).

We're using CMB/CMD, which are not opposed checks, but checks against a DC. So I think it should be a CMB check against a CMD of ??? (35? However high you want to make it)

[Corwin]

Also, Fireball and Acid Arrow and the rest of the nasty-sounding spells don't list horrific scarring left for days on the target in their writeup. And spells that fuck you up with curses usually say 'can be undone with Greater Dispel/Wish/Miracle/Break Enchantment/whichever', so it'd be nice to have that listed.

[Merc]

We're using CMB/CMD, which are not opposed checks, but checks against a DC. So I think it should be a CMB check against a CMD of ??? (35? However high you want to make it)

Oh hah, I'd remembered to adjust terminology partially for pathfinder's there, but didn't even get it right anyway. Whoops!

[Anastasia]

Moved Stone Skewers to Druid 10. On reflection it's a bit too good for 9th.

[Yuthirin]

It kind of is, yeah. Does a bit too much all at once for it to be 9th.

[Anastasia]

Yep, basically my logic.

[Anastasia]

A lot of epic spells I design you guys don't see. That's normal enough, the bad guys don't reveal their hand. Still, some I design for the sake of it or to express certain mechanical possibilities within the system. Further, establishing a baseline of what level of power can achieve a certain effect is essential to further development. These spells can sometimes be shared and give you ideas.

Soul Harvest is the weakest of the spells. It needs to be rewritten and tidied up, but the concept shines through. Soul Collection is the logical extension of the previous spell, allowing the souls trapped within to be used. Finally, Shape Soul offers the caster a chance to play at being a deity, passing judgment on a soul directly. Such does not come without grievous risks, but it is possible. Shape Soul runs counter to how most souls are processed; as mentioned in Balmuria, most souls becomes what their became in their lives and the gods merely guide the souls along.

Note that none of the spells have the [Evil] descriptor. This is taking a page from Trap the Soul, which is essentially the precursor to these spells. Merely trapping a soul is not automatically good or evil. This is a great and terrible power to have available, and like any great power it can easily be abused. Greater magics than these are possible higher in epic magic, this is merely where I feel the basic potential to do acts of this caliber should be.

Soul Harvest
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 11
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 minute
Target: 1 gemstone focus
Area: 300ft radius centered on the focus
Duration: 1 min/level
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: No

This spell transforms a large gemstone into the prison of many souls. The gem holds the trapped entities indefinitely or until the gem is broken and the life force is released, which allows the souls to pass on. When Soul Harvest is cast, the gemstone used as a focus turns an empty black. Any creature that is slain within the radius and that possesses a soul must make a will save one round after death or have its soul trapped within the gemstone. Note that as the material body has been left behind, any saving throw bonuses from equipment is lost, as well as any spells that were active on the deceased. Once absorbed, a soul is aware of nothing but a dim, hazy passing of sensationless time. This spell is not subtle, as each absorbed soul can be seen passing into the gem.

The gem can absorb a number of souls determined by its value. The gem can absorb 1 hit die worth of souls per 1,000 gold of its value. For example, a diamond worth 25,000 gold can absorb up to 25 hit dice of souls. To absorb a soul, the gem must be able to absorb all of the hit dice of the creature. If the value of a soul is higher than the remaining value of the gem, the soul cannot be absorbed and passes on safely. Unlike Trap the Soul, a soul that the gem is unable to absorb does not shatter the gem.

Once trapped within the gemstone, the souls can retrieved in a few ways. Shattering the gem will free the souls, allowing them to pass on. A Freedom spell cast on the gem can free one soul trapped within, the name and background of the soul must be stated at the time of casting. Finally, the spell Soul Collection can extract a soul from the gem into another vessel or into the hands of a creature capable of handling souls.

Resurrection attempts fail, as does reincarnation. A wish or miracle cannot free the soul, though a properly worded one can provide information on the location and fate of the trapped soul.

A gem used as a focus for this spell can be reused so long as it still has space to absorb souls.

Focus

The gem that is to be used to store the souls.

Soul Collection
Necromancy
Level: Sor/Wiz 11
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: 1 gemstone focus
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell allows souls to be trapped within the gem focus of a Soul Harvest spell to be extracted without shattering the gemstone. The caster may elect to collect as many or as few souls within the gemstone as he chooses. Once these souls are extracted, the caster has several options. He may deal with the souls one by one or at once as he sees fit. At any time he may choose to return to return the souls into the gemstone focus.

Imprison Soul

The caster may elect to imprison the soul in question within a single gemstone, identical to Trap the Soul. Note that as no material body was retained, the shattering of this gemstone allows the soul to pass on instead of reforming a material body.

Collect Soul

The caster, if capable by magic or personal power, may do what he wishes with the soul. This usually involves absorbing the soul into themselves, molding it into an outsider, or consuming it in certain vile rituals. A soul that is absorbed into an entity is considered lost beyond recovery, short of slaying the absorbing entity. A soul transformed into an outsider is likewise beyond recall, as is a consumed soul.

Demand Service

The collected soul may be called on to complete a service for the caster. They must agree to the service of their own will. Should the soul refuse, the caster may return the soul into the gem focus or do something else with it. If the soul is that of an outsider, they manifest a physical body and are bound to complete the service demanded. If the creature is mortal, they become a ghost and are bound to the Mortal Coil until this service is complete. Note that a mortal is aware of the fate they invite by accepting this demand and makes their own informed choice. Once this service is complete, the soul is freed to pass on as normal.

Free Soul

If the caster wishes, they may free the soul. Doing so allows it to pass on as normal.

Note

Deities do not need this spell to extract souls from a gemstone focus they touch. This spell is meant for powerful mortal spellcasters and outsiders who lack divinity.

Focus

The gemstone from Soul Harvest that contains the souls to be collected.

Shape Soul
Transmutation
Level: Clr 11, Sor/Wiz 11
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: 1 deceased mortal soul
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text.
Spell Resistance: No

This mighty spell allows a spellcaster to shape a soul into a form of his choosing. On casting this spell, he chooses one of the following forms to shape the soul into: Lantern Archon, Cherub, Courre Eladrin, Formian Worker, Colorless Slaad, Lemure, Larvae or Dretch. A transformation that matches the alignment of a soul allows no saving throw; for example, a lawful good soul may be transformed into a Lantern Archon automatically. If the soul's alignment and the alignment of the new form do not match, the soul is allowed a will save to negate. For each step removed from its alignment, the soul receives a +3 bonus to the saving throw; these steps stack.

This spell gains the alignment descriptors matching the form the soul is to be shaped into. For instance, changing a soul into a Dretch makes this an evil and chaotic spell.

While this spell is not intrinsically evil, it is at best meddling in affairs that mortals have no business in. Deities take an extremely wrathful view of souls destined for them being stolen and twisted into forms that does not match the form it should have taken. The use of this spell has a 75% chance of alerting the deity or power the soul was destined to of the caster's meddling and his current location. On rare occasions a power grants this spell and permission to use it to one of his most faithful. In these cases no wrath is incurred as long as the use is in keeping with the deity's will.

Material Component

The soul to be shaped.