Permanency

77IM · Mar 5, 2019

Let's bring back an oldy but goody, permanency. D&D worlds are full of permanent magical effects, installed by high-level casters, and I'd like some mechanical support for that trope. The question weighing on my mind is, how can this be abused?

Permanency
6th-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a rare type of magical diamond found on the astral plane, worth 10,000 gp)
Duration: Instantaneous

When you cast permanency, you target a magical effect within range that you can see. The targeted effect must have been created by a spell cast at 5th level or lower, and the targeted effect must have a duration of at least 10 minutes.

If the targeted effect is on a creature, the creature must be willing, and must be capable of attuning one or more magic items. For the duration of the targeted effect, the number of magic items the creature is capable of attuning is reduced by one. If the creature dies, the targeted effect ends.

The targeted effect's duration is extended to 24 hours if it isn't already longer, and if it required concentration, it no longer requires concentration. For its remaining duration, if the targeted effect is subject to dispel magic, it is merely suppressed for 10 minutes. The targeted effect may end early as described by the spell which created it (for example, invisibility will end if you attack).

If you cast permanency on an identical effect (including the same target) every day for a year, then on the final casting, you may choose to extend the targeted effect's duration to permanent, if it isn't already. If you do, the permanency spell's material components are consumed.

At Higher Levels. When you cast permanency using a spell slot of 7th level or higher, you can target the effect of a spell cast at up to one level less than the spell slot used for permanency. However, the material component increases to two astral diamonds at 7th level, five astral diamonds at 8th level, and ten astral diamonds at 9th level.

The Crimson Binome · Mar 5, 2019

I'm looking for an obvious exploit, but I'm not seeing one. Good job!

Tony Vargas · Mar 5, 2019

77IM said:
Components: V, S, M (a rare type of magical diamond found on the astral plane, worth 10,000 gp)

...saw what you did there...

generic · Mar 6, 2019

Nice work!

I don't see anything that is immediately and practically abusable, but here are a couple interesting things you could do with the spell...

1. Permanent Creation, allowing you to generate gold that (after a year) would remain real forever. (Just another way for your lich BBEG to ammass a ridiculous amount of gold.

2. Permanent Flesh to Stone, allowing your wannabee-medusa to turn enemies to stone--forever.

And so on..

Spohedus · Mar 6, 2019

Improved invisibility with permanency would be a potential exploit, more so for NPC applications.

Scratch that. I realize the duration was too short

Spohedus · Mar 6, 2019

Fly is another

The Crimson Binome · Mar 6, 2019

Spohedus said:
Fly is another

That's not an exploit. That's spending 10000gp and an attunement slot for a personal carpet of flying that you can't be knocked down from.

77IM · Mar 6, 2019

Yeah, I made the duration of the targeted spell be 10 minutes or more because that eliminates a lot of very powerful 1-minute combat spells, notably haste, but also greater invisibility, vampiric touch, globe of invulnerability, and blur.

In DDB you can sort by duration so I went through and kinda sanity checked my assumptions: https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells?sort=spell-duration

It looks like very few of the 1-minute effects are things you'd want to make permanent in a dungeon, and most of those are probably better handled by being loaded into a glyph of warding. The one classic effect in the 1-minute category is reverse gravity. We could maybe make the duration limit 10 minutes for spells targeting a creature and 1 minute for spells targeting an area? That might be too fiddly.

Most of the 10-minute spells look pretty safe; lots of utility spells, and some good wall spells, illusions, and area effects -- exactly the kind of stuff that mad wizards like to make permanent in their dungeons. The only personal spells that seem potentially strong are the investiture spells and maybe fire shield, but I think I'd allow an expensive magic item to create those effects. At 10,000 gp minimum, that's in the very rare category.

The 1-hour spells actually have some pretty good ones, like hex/hunter's mark, enhance ability, tongues, freedom of movement, regenerate, pass without trace, true seeing... these are actually some great spells. For most of them there's a magic-item equivalent (e.g. hex isn't that great compared to a +3 magic weapon that doesn't take up an attunement slot; a ring of free action for freedom of movement, etc.), but I worry about regenerate, since the nearest equivalent (the ring of regeneration) is kinda lame. I guess that item is very rare (5,001-50,000 gp), and casting permanency at 8th level is 50,000 gp, so at least it's at the high end of the price range (nearly legendary).

Kurotowa · Mar 6, 2019

On the one hand, I can see why the official Devs didn't include the spell in 5e. It greatly constrains the design space and forces them to check every current and future spell to make sure it doesn't break the game if Permanent. On the other hand, if you as DM want the spell in your campaign, this seems like a best case version of it. Well done.

ETA: Here's a question for you, though. Which classes get it on their spell list?

77IM · Mar 6, 2019

Gosh, I hadn't actually thought about that...

Definitely, wizard, since this sort of complex magic is their deal. I could maybe see sorcerer since they have metamagic and this is sort of a "super extended spell." Strangely, the bard has a lot of permanentish spells on their list (teleportation circle, programmed illusion, guards and wards, symbol) so I could see them getting it, although it doesn't feel especially bardly.