New Spell: Watery Prison

I'd like to know what level you think this spell should be at, I'm hoping for something low though, like 3rd...

Watery Prison
Conjuration (creation) [water]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components:V,S
Casting time: 1 Full round
Range: medium
Target: 1 Creature Large sized or smaller
Duration: Concentration (up to one minute/level)
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell resistance: Yes
This spell conjures a 10 ft radius globe of swirling water around the target. The caster must maintain concentration on the spell which has a maximum duration of 1 minute per caster level (max 10 minutes). The target is trapped in the middle of this globe, always being pulled toward the center. The creature can escape by swiming, but it must make a swim check (DC = 20 + the caster's INT modifier) and move at least 15ft to exit the globe. Each round on the caster's intiative the creature is pulled back to the center. The creature can hold it's breath as per the rules on PHB p.84. The creature is treated as being underwater as per the rules on DMG p.92. The caster may momentarily allow the globe to droop and free the creature's head. This effect makes this spell an effective way to interrogate, and the DM may assign bonuses to the PC's intimidation check.
What do you think?

I'm not going to just say what level I think it should be at. It seems you still have some work to do on this spell. Some things that you might want to clear up are:

--School of magic. You have Evocation listed. Yet in the first sentence of the description, you state, "This spell conjures a 10 ft radius globe of water around the target." You should either change the school or the description.
--Casting Time: If this is actually going to be a conjuring or summoning spell, maybe CT should be raised to 1 round. 1 standard action seems like a fast time for a spell that holds a target immobile and drowns them at the same time.
--Duration: The ridiculous rules for the time it takes to drown aside, the duration should be limited either to 1 round/level (if used to drown a subject) or 1 minute/level (if used to capture/interrogate a subject).
--You state the target is suspended in the globe and cannot exit by normal means. How are they suspended? What is keeping them from floating to the top or swimming to the edge or sinking to the bottom and walking out? How are they suspended? Are they Held like in the various Hold spells? Why wouldn't/shouldn't a Swim check help them out here?
--Attacks: Regarding the target attacking or others attacking the target, just use the rules for attacking while underwater and any penalties that land targets have for attacking someone underwater and vice versa.
--Purpose of the spell: A spell like this should have one purpose. Either drown a subject or capture/interrogate one. If you are going to use the drowning, as suggested above make the duration 1 round per level and if you don't want to follow drowning rules, perhaps state something like the target loses 1 point of Con per round until 0 Con (then they drown/die). If you are going to use it to capture someone, then perhaps allow a Swim check each round for them to swim to the top and be able to breathe before sinking back down to the middle. This keeps the target busy with getting to the top and breathing and while essentially holding them in place does not leave them totally helpless. Or allow a Swim check in the drowning version too (which should help keep the level low).
--Also, what effect does this have on Fire creatures? Are they so hot that their fire evaporates the water? Or does the water smother them? Does the spell produce a continuous flow of water or is there a limited amount that would end the spell if enough could be evaporated or destroyed?
--Misc: Where do you come up with the -8 penalty to Reflex saves for them to escape the bubble if the target's head gets out of the water ball? Why wouldn't 5 ranks in Swim give them a +2 synergy bonus to their check/save to escape? Why a -8 penalty to Reflex? What if someone got a long enough pole to the target and tried to pull them out? What if they were near a tree and tried to climb it to get out of the ball of water? Does the water follow the target? Is the target protected from fire attacks? Would a fireball destroy the water sphere?

Hawken, thanks for your review. Here are my answers to your questions:
I'm not going to just say what level I think it should be at. It seems you still have some work to do on this spell. Some things that you might want to clear up are:

--School of magic:
I changed the school to Conjuration (creation).

--Casting Time:
I increased the casting time to 1 full-round, but I also increased it's range, otherwise it seems too underpowered for what I want it to do.

--Duration: A target with a constitution of 10 will take 2 minutes to drown, so the duration must be at least in minutes.[edit, the rules are contidictory on this, in the DMG p. 304 under "drowning" it says twice Con in rounds, while in the PHB p.84 it says Con in rounds]

--You state the target is suspended in the globe and cannot exit by normal means. How are they suspended? What is keeping them from floating to the top or swimming to the edge or sinking to the bottom and walking out? How are they suspended? Are they Held like in the various Hold spells? Why wouldn't/shouldn't a Swim check help them out here?

Click to expand...

Good point. I changed the text so that the globe is one of swirling water that always pulls the target toward the center, and they can escape with a successful swim check DC 20 + Caster's INT modifier.

--Attacks: Regarding the target attacking or others attacking the target, just use the rules for attacking while underwater and any penalties that land targets have for attacking someone underwater and vice versa.

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Actually that's what I did, I just calculated the values and re-wrote them in the text of the spell to save people the trouble of looking up those rules.

--Purpose of the spell: A spell like this should have one purpose. Either drown a subject or capture/interrogate one.

Click to expand...

I think the drowning and interrogation go hand in hand. It's not a very offensive spell simply because it requires the caster to maintain concentration. The caster won't use this spell until the end of combat (unless he's sure that the target's friends won't be able to disrupt him) and if the caster just wants to kill the creature, Hold Person works much better because you can Coup de Grace. At least thats what I think, please explain how I would be wrong.

--Also, what effect does this have on Fire creatures? Are they so hot that their fire evaporates the water? Or does the water smother them? Does the spell produce a continuous flow of water or is there a limited amount that would end the spell if enough could be evaporated or destroyed?

Click to expand...

I don't have an answer to this question. I'll do some research, but are fire elementals and the like damaged by being submersed in water, what happens? Where are the rules at?

--Misc: Where do you come up with the -8 penalty to Reflex saves for them to escape the bubble if the target's head gets out of the water ball? Why wouldn't 5 ranks in Swim give them a +2 synergy bonus to their check/save to escape? Why a -8 penalty to Reflex? What if someone got a long enough pole to the target and tried to pull them out? What if they were near a tree and tried to climb it to get out of the ball of water? Does the water follow the target? Is the target protected from fire attacks? Would a fireball destroy the water sphere?

Click to expand...

I just made that up arbitrarely. I revised it below.

And here is my revised spell:

Watery Prison
Conjuration (creation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 3???
Components:V,S
Casting time: 1 Full round
Range: medium
Target: 1 Creature Large sized or smaller
Duration: Concentration (up to one minute/level)
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell resistance: Yes
This spell conjures a 10 ft radius globe of swirling water around the target. The caster must maintain concentration on the spell which has a maximum duration of 1 minute per caster level (max 10 minutes). The target is trapped in the middle of this globe, always being pulled toward the center. The creature can escape by swiming, but it must make a swim check (DC = 20 + the caster's INT modifier) and move at least 15ft to exit the globe. Each round on the caster's intiative the creature is pulled back to the center. The creature can hold it's breath as per the rules on PHB p.84. The creature is treated as being underwater as per the rules on DMG p.92. The caster may momentarily allow the globe to droop and free the creature's head. This effect makes this spell an effective way to interrogate, and the DM may assign bonuses to the PC's intimidation check.

italianranma said:

Watery Prison
Conjuration (creation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 3???
Components:V,S
Casting time: 1 Full round
Range: medium
Target: 1 Creature Large sized or smaller
Duration: Concentration (up to one minute/level)
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell resistance: Yes
This spell conjures a 10 ft radius globe of swirling water around the target. The caster must maintain concentration on the spell which has a maximum duration of 1 minute per caster level (max 10 minutes). The target is trapped in the middle of this globe, always being pulled toward the center. The creature can escape by swiming, but it must make a swim check (DC = 20 + the caster's INT modifier) and move at least 15ft to exit the globe. Each round on the caster's intiative the creature is pulled back to the center. The creature can hold it's breath as per the rules on PHB p.84. The creature is treated as being underwater as per the rules on DMG p.92. The caster may momentarily allow the globe to droop and free the creature's head. This effect makes this spell an effective way to interrogate, and the DM may assign bonuses to the PC's intimidation check.

Click to expand...

I think this spell should also contain the [Water] descriptor.

Kind of a cool image if nothing else. I think it's maybe a bit overpowered, but it does allow for a chance to escape. Maybe make the swim check DC 10 + caster's INT (or maybe 13+ caster's INT, sort of like additional saves). Nobody's going to make a swim check vs. DC 24. The thing does have the power to outright kill a creature as a 3rd level spell, after all...

It strikes me as being a 4th level spell, IMHO.

It either deserves the nerf bat, or uppage to lvl 4.

4th level, do you really think so?
The way I see it the spell is only effective if there is only one enemy left. By the time the spell comes into effect that last enemy would've been easily overtaken anyway by the remaining PCs.
Still, how does it look now? (I edited the first post)