First go at custom spells

Hi. I've spent a Friday afternoon at work doing some custom spells whilst steadfasting ignoring the bulging intray. Tell my what you reckon. A number of them relate to my character's terrible dorkiness. I am a little unsure of spell levels in particular.

Mourne’s Inter-library Loan
Conjuration [Teleportation]
Level: Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Plane occupied by caster
Target: One book
Duration: Special
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell conjures any non-magic book whose title and author are known by the caster. Spellbooks are considered magic texts for the purposes of this spell. The book must be on the plane occupied by the caster at the time the spell is cast, and must not be chained or similarly secured to a solid object. The spell must be cast in a library. The book will remain with the caster for a period of one hour/caster level, and will be return to its original location if removed from the library. The caster may keep the book beyond this time, but not without considerable personal expense—the caster takes a point of constitution damage/hour beyond this time.
Material component: a piece of paper with the title and author of the work, and the name of the caster, which will replace the book for the duration of the spell, at which point it is consumed.

Mourne’s Osseous Replica
Conjuration [Creation]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 5 minute / cu ft of target
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One corpse, 1 cu ft or larger
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

This spell creates a perfect replica, one cubic foot in size, of a corpse’s bone structure. Material component: Small portions of the corpse, equating to one cubic foot in size, are consumed as a material component, removing the possibility of raising that creature from the dead (see raise dead).

Mourne’s Pseudonatural Intervention
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, Alienist
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level, special (see below)
Saving Throw: Yes
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spells allows the application of pseudonatural template as per Manual of the Plane or Tome and Blood to one creature touched. Upon the spells expiration, the target must make a will save (DC 20) or suffer 2d4 points of wisdom damage and develop a temporary phobia (DM’s decision) due to experience of the insane realms.

Mourne’s Taxonomic Transformation
Level: Sor/Wiz 3
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Corpse touched
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

You permanently preserve the remains of a dead creature so that they do not decay, preparing it perfectly for display. Doing so removes the possibility of raising that creature from the dead (see raise dead). The spell also works on severed body parts and the like.
Material Component: A bottle of formaldehyde.

I think that your levels are all too high, with the exception of "Mourne’s Pseudonatural Intervention"

I might be missing something, but I don't see how Non-Magical book summoning should be a 5th level spell. Even if you took away all the limitations (cast in library, 1hr/lvl, CON damage if keeping the book) it STILL wouldn't be a 5th level spell.

Making a mini-skeleton from a normal sized one could possibly be worth a 1st level spell only because of the "cannot be raised" caveat. Even then I don't think it should be since you could get the same effect mundanely by hiding or torching the body.

There is already a spell somewhere that is used for preserving a corpse, but the point of that spell is to give you time to get the body somewhere to be revived. Since your spell takes away that option, its a 1st level spell at most.

DS

The book spell is a rad idea, need to come up with the otherplanar library where the books come from! I'd actually make it 3rd, maybe 2nd, though.


The pseudonatural template spell, I'd say 6th, like Tenser's Transformation. Spell resistance AND damage reduction (stoneskin) are 4th and 5th level's respectively, but this is much shorter duration, so I'd say 6th.

As Mo's DM, I'd like to say thanks for the advice. Neither of us have any real experience at designing spells, so it's always good to get more feedback.

On the Psuedonatural Intervention, I just was directed to Halo of Glory from the Book of Hallowed Might by Monte Cook, which has a very similar spell (same range and duration) but for the Celestial template. He's got his at 4th level - do you think that the psuedonatural template is worth two spell levels more than the clestial? Or is Cook's spell overpowered for it's level?The Interlibrary Loan spell has some very interesting ramifications I think, especially if someone else goes to get the book and finds it missing! Some people will not like the idea of their library's being 'investigated' like that.

I'd like to keep the Osseous Replica at level 1 myself, because it seems like too majaor a magical effect for a cantrip. But I don't see any problem with dropping the Taxonomic Transformation to level 1, and the Inter-library Loan to 3rd.

I think Pseudonatural Intervention is a high 4th or a low 5th.

Inter-library loan should be kept at 5th level. It involves teleportation magic with unlimited range, and that effect is too powerful for any lower level.

Olive said:

On the Psuedonatural Intervention, I just was directed to Halo of Glory from the Book of Hallowed Might by Monte Cook, which has a very similar spell (same range and duration) but for the Celestial template. He's got his at 4th level - do you think that the psuedonatural template is worth two spell levels more than the clestial? Or is Cook's spell overpowered for it's level?

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I would be cautious using some of Monte's home-spun spells (as opposed to those he might have worked on in Player's Handbook) as the basis for setting spell levels. I have noticed a number in the Books of Eldritch Might which are overpowered. For instance, I have revised the spell chains of vengeance for my own campaign by leaving it as a 4th level spell but dropping its power level considerably:

Al'Kelhar said:

Al’Kelhar’s Chains of Vengeance
Evocation [Fire]
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target: One Tiny to Huge corporeal creature
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Unless the target creature makes a successful Reflex save, chains of fire wrap around it, entangling it and causing 2d6 points of fire damage per round. The target of the spell must be corporeal, no smaller than Tiny and no larger than Huge. However, once subject to the spell, the chains of vengeance are considered possessions of the subject, so changing size, becoming ethereal or gaseous, teleporting etc. does not rid the subject of them.
A creature attempting to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability while ensnared by chains of vengeance must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level + half damage last sustained) or lose the spell.
Every round, on its turn, the subject can attempt to burst the chains with a Strength check (DC 15 + caster level) or escape them with an Escape Artist check (DC 20 + caster level). Each attempt is a full-round action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but inflicts a further 2d6 points of fire damage on the subject. Others may attempt to help (see Aid Another action, p154 Player’s Handbook), but they suffer 1d6 points of fire damage if they try.
[N.B.: This spell is a variant of the spell chains of vengeance from Book of Eldritch Might by Monte Cook. By making the subject creature entangled rather than helpless, the spell has been toned down considerably, and is more in line with the power of other 4th level spells.]

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Having said that, I'd concur with Sabathius42 that your spell levels are a bit high for the proposed magic effects, with the exception of Mourne's pseudonatural intervention.

The inter-library loan spell should be a Conjuration (Summoning) - the spell summons an object to you from another place, it doesn't transport the object from you or your vicinity to another place. An alternative would be to have the spell a Conjuration (Creation), such that it creates a temporary replica of the named book, and can be cast anywhere (this would not make it an inter-library loan, however). Apart from having the book in your hands, you might like to specify what game effect the spell has - this will help you compare it against other spells. For example, if it grants a +2 circumstance bonus to a relevant Knowledge or Profession check, then it's most often no better than a Fox's Cunning or Owl's Wisdom spell, which is 2nd level, but a little more useful in that it may allow you to make an untrained check - thereby setting its level at 3rd. Etc.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

The only one of these spells you really need to worry about the level for is the template one. None of the others are going to be cast under duress, so as long as the inventor can cast the spells you're fine.

In a published product you may need to worry about balance, and if the spells are too low you should be concerned, but if its your home game only, and the spells are a level or two high, there's little harm.

PS

Cheiromancer said:

I think Pseudonatural Intervention is a high 4th or a low 5th.

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Maybe 5th but lower the save DC to 15? I agree that the psuedonatural template is better than the celestial etc., but the backlash is potentially pretty nasty.

Inter-library loan should be kept at 5th level. It involves teleportation magic with unlimited range, and that effect is too powerful for any lower level.

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That was the original logic. It's really a divination spell that uses teleportation magic, so it's usefullness and therefore it's level kinda need to be balanced in comparison with those. And to my mind it's closer to 4th level divinations than contact other plane.

Also, the other major 5th level conjuration [telportation] spell is teleport itself. And it's hardly that good.

I'm starting to think 4th for the ILL.

Al'Kelhar said:

The inter-library loan spell should be a Conjuration (Summoning) - the spell summons an object to you from another place, it doesn't transport the object from you or your vicinity to another place. An alternative would be to have the spell a Conjuration (Creation), such that it creates a temporary replica of the named book, and can be cast anywhere (this would not make it an inter-library loan, however).

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Hmmm. Perhaps Conjuration (Summoning) would be better. Mo?

Apart from having the book in your hands, you might like to specify what game effect the spell has - this will help you compare it against other spells. For example, if it grants a +2 circumstance bonus to a relevant Knowledge or Profession check, then it's most often no better than a Fox's Cunning or Owl's Wisdom spell, which is 2nd level, but a little more useful in that it may allow you to make an untrained check - thereby setting its level at 3rd. Etc.

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I certainly hadn't really thought about it in these terms. I tend to allow library's to give +X to knowledge checks (depending on the library - I've been generally using the rules in the Stronghold Builder's Guide), so one book might not give any more than a +1. It's really for investigative purposes from the way Mo explained it, although it could be used to discover names of creatures for planar binding.

That first one's L-space that is!

Ferret said:

That first one's L-space that is!

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