E6: The Game Inside D&D

Kunimatyu · Sep 10, 2007

Raven Crowking said:
Remember that you can use incantations for any sort of spell effect that you want to occur in the game, but that you don't want to have generally available for daily use.

I would restrict Atonement to minor divine artifacts, so that the PCs have to travel to a holy site to Atone.

RC

I agree, the Atonement spell would make an excellent incantation. I'd actually like to have a small list of incantations associated with E6 that allow for basic game mechanics(restoration, stone to flesh, atonement, break enchantment) present in the higher level spells, with a small list of associated mishaps that can be used. Raise Dead/Reincarnate should probably be there in some fashion, but in a way that makes them important storyline events and not just 5K in diamonds down the drain.

Kunimatyu · Sep 10, 2007

rycanada said:
Kuni, could you write a Wall of Fire feat? Did you do so in the last thread? A Cone of Cold feat would be sweet too if we could get an appropriate version of it.

Here's my first take...

Wall of Fire (General)
Prerequisites: Caster level 6th, ability to cast an Evocation [fire] spell.
Benefit: Once per day, you may cast wall of fire at your caster level.

(design note: The wording on this one is deliberately set up to allow Druids and Fire domain clerics to gain access to it, and I think it's possible for a warlock to as well.)

Cone of Cold (General)
Prerequisites: Arcane caster level 5, ability to cast 3rd-level Evocation spells.
Benefit: Cone of cold is considered to be a 3rd level arcane spell for you in all respects, and can deal up to 10d6 damage.
Special: If you cast spells spontaneously, cone of cold is added to your list of spells known.

(design note: I've never been able to figure out why Cone of Cold was higher-level than Fireball -- 60ft cones are almost always worse than 20ft radius targeted bursts, and both fire and cold are commonly resisted energy types. Plus, I like the symmetry of having a 120ft lightning line, a 20ft fire burst, and a 60ft cold cone as 3rd level evocation spells -- all that's missing is a 3rd level conjuration acid ranged touch attack, but sadly Orb of Acid isn't SRD.)

Here's two more freebies:

Ice Storm (General)
Prerequisites: Caster level 6, ability to cast an Evocation [Cold] spell.
Benefit: Once per day, you may cast ice storm at your caster level.

(Once again, prereqs are opened up for clerics and druids.)

Alignment Master (General)
Prerequisites: Cleric level 6, ability to cast spells from either the Good, Evil, Law, or Chaos domains.
Benefit: Choose one of your alignment domains. Once per day, you gain the ability to cast your 4th level domain spell using your divine caster level.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it applies to a different domain.

(I don't like alignment myself, but it's a feature of D&D3.5 at the moment, and the spells aren't overpowered and give clerics something fun to do.)

Hrothgar Rannúlfr · Sep 10, 2007

Kunimatyu said:
all that's missing is a 3rd level conjuration acid ranged touch attack, but sadly Orb of Acid isn't SRD.)

Could we make a simliar spell feat and call it something else? Like "Acidic Burst"?

Kunimatyu · Sep 10, 2007

Hrothgar Rannúlfr said:
Could we make a simliar spell feat and call it something else? Like "Acidic Burst"?

Of course. Doing so in a non-clunky fashion may be hard, however.

Since it'll have no saving throw, level isn't that important, and neither is school. It ignores SR, so having it as a supernatural ability rather than a spell would streamline things(although nobody realizes that about supernatural abilities, so perhaps it wouldn't).

So, d6 x caster level, close range, acid touch attack, 3rd level slot, and ignores SR are the important things. Let's try:

Acid Blast (General)
Prerequisites: Arcane caster level 5, ability to cast Conjuration[acid] spells.
Benefit: By expending a 3rd level spell slot, you may fire an orb of acid as a ranged touch attack. The orb has a range of 25 feet plus 5 feet per two caster levels, and deals 1d6 acid damage per caster level, maximum 10d6. The orb ignores Spell Resistance, and is treated as a 3rd level Conjuration[acid] spell in all respects.
Special: If you prepare arcane spells, you may prepare Acid Blast as if it was a 3rd level spell.

Imp · Sep 10, 2007

I'd just make up a spell. 3rd level, 10' radius acid splash, 1d4/level, half damage next round, or something. Maybe a brief status effect.

(still going back & forth on E8 vs. E6... whether 'tis easier to nerf/ change/ ban existing spells or grandfather in a bunch of others via feats, aye, that is the question; that and a few others)

Scribble · Sep 10, 2007

I really like this concept...

As a DM I always start to get "bored" of my current campaign once it bounces out of this level range...

I think I'm going to try this, but IO'm also going to add in a few things that I got from Monte Cooke's website... Most importantly the minor and major feats idea... Instead of just one feat you can take one major or two minor feats... (Minor feats being things that give you cool abilities but which most likely won't come into play all tat much...)

Kunimatyu · Sep 10, 2007

Imp said:
(still going back & forth on E8 vs. E6... whether 'tis easier to nerf/ change/ ban existing spells or grandfather in a bunch of others via feats, aye, that is the question; that and a few others)

Player psychology is also very important here. Making it seem like options are open, then banning them, tends to annoy people more than a known restriction at the outset, even if a few exceptions creep in.

My own feelings swing towards E6, because I'd prefer to exclude 4th level spells, and then slowly bring a few of them back in.

Here's my basic rubric for including 4/5th level spells in E6:
1) Is there a spell of levels 1-3 that does basically the same thing?
2) Does the effect of this spell realistically require an opposing magic user to neutralize its effects?
3) Is the effect of this spell significantly out-of-line with the effects of a 3rd level spell?

If you can answer "No." to all three, the spell is probably a decent candidate for conversion.

Imp · Sep 11, 2007

Well, I've already stepped in it as far as removing spells goes, having taken out a smattering of 2nd and even 1st-level spells, not even necessarily because they're overpowered, but because they do wonky things to the flavor of the setting. F'rex, I cannot reconcile a "low-magic" feel with enlarge person, which isn't overpowered, but it's just freaky as a standard low-level buff. But you are making good points, Kunimatyu, thanks.

Quasqueton · Sep 11, 2007

Maybe I've overlooked the explanation, but why do you call this "E6"? I figure the 6 is for level six, but what is the "E"?

Is it legal to edit the SRD down and post it (for free)?

Quasqueton

GlassEye · Sep 11, 2007

I wondered the same thing when I first started reading E6 threads. It took me a long while to find the answer, but the 'E' is for epic. Characters become epic at 6th level (compared to everyone else, I guess), so...E6.