DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Ebiris]

Does the See Magic SDA ignore divination spoofing stuff like nondetection or misdirection?

[Anastasia]

Wouldn't be unreasonable for it to, the ability is a little weak.

Any opinion, y'all? Since I think at least Alyssa has See Magic?

[Nephrite]

I think it would make sense that a divine ability would get past those spells, but not epic versions of those same spells, if that makes sense.

[Ebiris]

I mean personally I think it should auto-defeat spells. Same as stuff like Clearsight. The trend is that divine stuff doesn't get stopped by non-divine means, but I'd rather not make an expensive assumption.

[Iron Dragoon]

I don't think it's a problem for it to see past stuff, but then See Magic needs something else.

[Anastasia]

There's a very minor new houserule about earrings in misc rulings.

[Anastasia]

Raging Inferno
Evocation (Fire)
Level: Fire 14, Sor/Wiz 14
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 feet + 10 feet/level)
Area: 5 ft/level radius burst, centered on a point in space
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Fortitude Partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell causes an area to immediately fill with flames from all angles. It does 1d6 fire damage per level (max 30d6) and then continues to do this damage every round in the area.  A successful Fortitude save halves this damage. A save must be made every round a creature begins their turn in the area affected. Any creature attempting to enter this area must also make a Fortitude save upon entering. This fire damage also ignores fire resistance and immunity.


I lowered the damage to compensate for the ongoing effect as well as searing nature of it. If you think it should be lower that's fine.

Sure, we'll try it.

As a side note, I gave Imix one such spell that partially bypasses fire resistance and immunity. Mostly fluff for him since he has elemental lord. I don't mind this occasionally, but if it becomes de rigueur for fire or elemental damage spells I'll take action. It's there, don't overuse it and abuse it, y'all.

[Nephrite]

RE: See Magic, I guess my concern would be that it feels like it trivializes any sort of invisibility or other type of spell. So say you have it, and you can see that two miles (or whatever) away is some sort of free-floating magical effect.

I don't know, I guess it just feels like it's too much of a hard counter, but then again is it that big a deal? Probably not.

[Corwin]

I feel a good deal of SDAs are weak since they require a save that anyone but unnamed mooks will fail from us, like Know Secrets for example which is cool but impractical.

As it happens, it's also a good example of what happens with SDA blockage, since it just says it plain doesn't work on anyone with DvR but everyone else is fair game. I don't think epic spells should block SDAs because you just flat out can't block divine abilities that way. It'd be like saying epic spells get past divine shield or guard against divine blast.

[Anastasia]

I suggest playing your dramatic, looming music of choice while you this flavor piece. Think of it like a movie trailer.

---

Next time, in the upcoming arc of Balmuria 6: The Answer.

An armored man, ragged and unshaven, looks up at the old hermit, his voice strident and desperate. His armor is dented and bloodstained in several places.

"Sylica and the Cauldron, and now a new realm in the the Gates of the Moon and another in Celestia. They call it the Godsrush. New gods walk with the old, and it is said even in Baator new gods claim dominion. Master, what does it mean?"

An elegant warrior holds her own against half a dozen skeletons, as magic missiles pepper her from beyond. She holds the line, bloodied and beaten, but upright. Her armor is damaged to the point of destruction, but she has not fallen yet.

"Saint Alicia defeated Death, and I will defeat the dead!"

A city of shadows, where a hundred dark eyes all lay their gaze on the towering orc that stands amid them, his armor painted opal blue. He shows no fear as he stands amid them.

"Repent! Repent! There is still time to make amends! The Opal Angel's love can break any chains!"

A knight captain kneels before his king in the throne room, as great windows let in the dying light of sunset. Around him the court is solemn, shaken. The knight captain's face is drawn, pale.

"This is the ninth sacrifice that we've found, Your Majesty. Each warrior was torn apart, as if by a rabid animal. The Royal Eyes of Savras divined, and yet all they heard were screams and howling winds."

A young man in noble finery ducks down a row of bookshelves in a dark, dusty place. The thump of footsteps pass, heavy and with the jangle of metal. He holds a book to his chest, breathing heavily.

"Come on, this book has to see the light of day and be spread. Queen of the Horizon, bless me!"

An armored cleric, clad in dragonscale armor, holds a shining bright holy symbol high as golden flames erupt through the zombies and ghouls before him. He stands in the dark, a single light amid the night.

"Restless dead, I deny you! I deny you in the name of the Daughter of the Dragon and the Lady of Light! Return to oblivion!"

A broken, bloodied battlefield. Countless humans and elves lie slain, as barbazu march onward over the carnage. One elf stirs, bloodied and broken, and looks on. After a moment he whispers.

"Elf...Core...why...why has this...?"

A line of warriors stands firm against an onslaught of sahuagin, the beaches manned as the aquatic monsters push ahead. With them is a well dressed bard who wears the symbol of an open palm with a ball of light above it.

"Hold yet! There is still hope!"

A muscled, tall warrior stands in a castle doorway. The castle shakes and smoke fills the room from beyond the doorway. The warrior holds the door, a great shield readied.

"Go! I'll hold them. None will press past me, not until my life is spent! Hear me, Great Protector!"

A broken hero is lifted by the neck, armored sundered and spell pouches burnt to ruin. Her sword slips out of her hand as she is lifted by the neck by a pit fiend, one that wears armor and a simple circlet.

"You think they can help you, worm?"

A brave warrior with blade and shield stands firm, as he desperately blocks a torrent of dragonfire from a looming red dragon above him. He is scorched but intact.

"The Mistress of the Cauldron won't be stopped by you, wyrm!"

An elf dives into the bushes, bow held. A moment later half a dozen mounted knights clad in black thunder past. After that moment the elf emerges and aims at their backs, arrow nocked.

"Guide my shot, Princess of the Cauldron!"

Amid the profane chanting of thousands, a woman clad in all black kneels before a sphere of utter nothingness. A thin band of purple shimmers around the Eye of Shar, as from beyond a voice soothes.

"Fear not the Godsrush. Welcome it. It is nothing to fear."

A blink, as the Eye of Shar glows with a malevolent darkness.

"It is the beginning of the end."

In the dark sits a Queen, a Goddess untouched and wrapped in the shadows as if they were part of her. She is beautiful, yet her gaze is cold as she whispers but one word to herself.

"Soon."

[Ebiris]

Updated Alicia for DvR 5. Numeric boosts aplenty since she had lots of uneven stats. Increased int means a new skill so I took craft (landscaping) so she can make Sylica prettier. She likes gardens and things. Took Create Object for her SDA. It... kinda sucks? She can make more in one go than she can with her true creation SLA if she's making cheap crap but the monetary limit really crimps things, plus we see enough stuff being created out of nothing just with basic alter reality that I'm not sure it has any real utility. But it's flavourful and works as a prereq for the significantly better Divine Creation assuming we ever make it that high in divine rank so there we go.

[Nephrite]

That's a fair point about Divine Shield or Divine Blast, since those beat other things.

I rescind further objection about See Magic beating any form of magical nondetection.

[Anastasia]

Dolmaya is proxied.

Since it's not mission critical to have this sorted today, I'll make a ruling on See Magic this weekend sometime. Will let it mull a few days.

[Anastasia]

Sulia's up to DvR4.

Her main gain is a divine noble SDA, reprinted here and bound for divine rules after.

DIVINE NOBLE
Prerequisite: Noble level 20th
Benefit: The deity gains Group Aid, Improved Favor, Inspire Nobility, Lasting Aid and Noble's Ego as bonus feats. The deity's may affect ten times the normal amount of creatures with coordinate, inspire confidence, inspire greatness and inspire nobility.

The ten times part might be broken on other things, but it's the noble class on a deity so whatever. This let her retrain a few feats, which became great ability (charisma) x2 and fast healing. She's do a level up sometime soon, it's a todo so I'll adjust her spells per day to reflect this change then.

[Anastasia]

Queen's up to DvR2.

The main thing is divine shield, it's a very incremental, basic increase for her. This fits her as she's brand new still.