D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Noteworthy spell changes

[Intrope]

Lightning bolt is a 120' line, rather than an area of 5' wide out to Medium range or an area of 10' wide out to half Medium range.

This is a change to the way the spell has worked all the way from 1st edition (you've always been able to cast it in 5' wide or 10' wide versions), simply to configure it for table top play and to use the new "area of effect" called "line" (which was already in 3.0E anyway - dragon breath weapons anyone?).

Did anyone ever use the 5' wide version of lightning bolt? Now that fireball doesn't fill a volume and therefore is perfectly OK to use in confined spaces, and has a Long range, why would anyone use lightning bolt (apart from those times when you come up against fire resistant critters)?

I'm house-ruling lightning bolt back to its 3.0E area.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

The new area will be larger than the old one, for a caster of less than 14th level; and if you always used the 10' wide area before, then the new area will be better for most casters!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Not too bad for a second level spell, especially if the user is creative. ("I don't have fly, but I can cast levitate on you and then blow you across the chasm with a gust of wind...")

It's a heck of a lot better than it was at 3rd level. It was the lamest 3rd level spell ever.

All of those things you listed are somewhat interesting, but still, I can't imagine having a wizzie who'd ever memorize the spell. Have it on scroll for the very, very rare occasion when it may be useful? Sure. Actually put it in a daily spell slot? Not likely.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[Saepiroth]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [3.5] Noteworthy spell changes

Heh, you want disturbing you should see an "empathic healer" character I made for Mutants & Masterminds.

Instead of that pansy "transfering their wounds to my body" crap, he would rip bloody chunks out of his own flesh and graft them onto their body to heal the wound.

I ended up changing the character because no one in the party wanted me to heal them. Bah.

M&M Is the best system ever. What other system requires absolutely no house-ruling to create an insane armless ninja who can materialize tentacles of pure chaos out of his shoulders, in a Planescape setting?

 

[Demon Knight]

Shocking Grasp now does 1d6/level (max 5d6) instead of 1d8 +1/level (max +20).

I like the change.

I know everyone knows about these, but noone else has posted them here, so I'm including for completeness sake.

Shield now provides a +4 shield bonus to AC, and you dont have to keep track of facing.

Haste no longer gives an extra partial action (since partial actions dont exist anymore). Instead, you get an extra attack during a full-attack action. The AC bonus was reduced from +4 to +1, but you also get +1 to attacks and reflex saves. All modes of speed get an enhancement bonus of +30 ft.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

One of the things that qualifies for the "list of things I really really really hate about 3.5" A lot of the fun of the spell in earlier editions was the creative uses that the spell could be put to--"jump" when someone was next to a cliff, "dive" when they were on a boat, etc. The list of six commands is far more boring.

Command now lists just 6 things you can make the target do.

 

[enworldatemylogin]

One of the things that qualifies for the "list of things I really really really hate about 3.5" A lot of the fun of the spell in earlier editions was the creative uses that the spell could be put to--"jump" when someone was next to a cliff, "dive" when they were on a boat, etc. The list of six commands is far more boring.

I totally agree. Over the years I've had much fun making my enemies do strange or even humiliating things. Cry, Beg, Kneel, among the less humilating.

 

[Darklone]

One of the things that qualifies for the "list of things I really really really hate about 3.5" A lot of the fun of the spell in earlier editions was the creative uses that the spell could be put to--"jump" when someone was next to a cliff, "dive" when they were on a boat, etc. The list of six commands is far more boring.

I loved the command "fall" against fliers

That's not a nice change!

 

[Henrix]

Since noone has mentioned this:

Darkness and Deeper Darkness now shed supernatural shadow rather than the unpenetrable darkness of yore.

A rather significant change. IMO.

 

[android]

That particular spell is seriously dodgy - for instance, the short description says it deals strength damage (which means it stacks with itself), and the full description says that it's a 'penalty', presumably an unnamed one (which wouldn't stack with itself).

Yes, I found this to be very confusing. After discussing with my fellow players, we decided that the new version, like the 3.0 version, does not stack. Shortly thereafter, we found a paragraph in the PHB about stacking spell effects that specifically uses Ray of Enfeeblement as an example and states that it does not stack.

I don't have a page number since I don't have my book with me, but if you look up the information on stacking magical effects (presumably from the Magic chapter), the actual paragraph about RoE is on the left hand page in the first column close to the top.

Hope that narrows it down enough to be useful!

It's unfortunate because I would love for it to be strength damage. Much more effective that way. But perhaps it's too much to ask....

 

[fba827]

Yes, I found this to be very confusing. After discussing with my fellow players, we decided that the new version, like the 3.0 version, does not stack. Shortly thereafter, we found a paragraph in the PHB about stacking spell effects that specifically uses Ray of Enfeeblement as an example and states that it does not stack.

I don't have a page number since I don't have my book with me, but if you look up the information on stacking magical effects (presumably from the Magic chapter), the actual paragraph about RoE is on the left hand page in the first column close to the top.

Hope that narrows it down enough to be useful!

It's unfortunate because I would love for it to be strength damage. Much more effective that way. But perhaps it's too much to ask....

When 3.0 came out and there was a discrepency between the spell list's short description and the full description, the Sage/WotC/etc always say that the full description is the one to be used.

It's reasonable enough to presume that will still hold true for 3.5