Book of Lost Spells On Sale Now

It's out? Cool!

And now I'm *really* nervous!

Cheers!

 

[Charles Wright]

thank you, and you might have just sold them a book...

Good, because I'm one of them.

 

[avatar82]

I'm a little disappointed in how many of these warlock spells are concentration, i want to use hex, and then other spells for fun. my quick first pass seems like "90%" level 1 and 2 spells are concentration here.

it's a big ask for me not to put hex up to play with magic. concentration rule is a bummer.

 

[HarrisonF]

I've spent a while reading more through the book and am now really pleased with it. There are some really neat spell concepts which fix a lot of problems from the PHB spell set (in addition to giving more options as I previously said).

1. More values and types of damage. For example, in the PHB, the most damaging first level spell is Guiding Bolt which is actually a Cleric spell. No idea why wizards or sorcerers didn't get a 4d6 damage spell, but now they do in Rock Bolt!

2. Spells that do less damage, but with added status effects. For example, Acid Wind does damage and causes blindness for a turn. On a save, it only does half damage. The nice part about these is that they are doing status effects and allowing for controller effects, but still allow for some effect on a failure. It kinda sucks when you cast a spell like Hold Person and absolutely nothing comes of it due to a save. You would have been better off if you cast a cantrip. This sort of spell does cantrip-like damage when it fails, so it is still good.

3. Double-save spells. There are a number of spells that require two successful saves before the effect ends if the creature is effected by the initial spell. This is nice since the effects will tend to be more sticky. In a few cases, this is also potentially good against legendary resistance as well.


Individual spell concerns:

1. Caustic Spittle damage. I have stated this previously, but still worry a bit about the balance around the spell.

2. Steel Butterflies duration. This is an attack spell with an hour duration that doesn't entirely explain what the duration is for. Is this duration a typo?

3. Iron Core non-concentration. Rerolling 5 saves during a day without needing concentration seems really, really strong. This may be my vote for most likely to be OP spell.

4. Odd spell ranges. A bunch of spells have things like Range: 50 ft. While there is nothing that prevents this, in the PHB, most spell ranger were a power of 30, such as 30, 60, or 120 feet. It would have been nice to maintain this consistency since it makes TotM easier.

 

[Psikerlord#]

My players got their first taste of it a few nights ago, when I handed them an NPC character sheet containing a lost spell. Their reaction was, "whoa, the necromancer is teaching his acolytes spells we've never heard of? This guy might be scarier than we thought."

Steve

In previous editions I have typically disallowed non-official spells from 3rd party publishers.

But in 5e... with all the houseruling and making it your own... I'm inclined to grab this PDF and see how it goes. I wouldnt allow everything wholesale, but definitely the occasional cool spell. It can definitely add to the fun, esp with NPC casters.

The golden rule to bear in mind - anything you give an NPC - be prepared for the PCs to have it after that fight concludes....

 

[MerricB]

Steel Butterflies should be Instantaneous; it's a copy & paste error which we missed. (I'd copy & paste the header for each spell then edit it. Obviously missed it in this case, and then we missed it during editing/proof-reading as well!)

And yes, the spell ranges are a bit odd. Apologies for that; feel free to adjust them to the nearest multiple of 30 feet for your game. (Not that I need to give you permission).

I'm curious as to the reasons you think Caustic Spittle is overpowered. I mean, I can see how it can be a fantastic spell, but it comes with quite a few drawbacks.

Iron Core - it is certainly a spell where I pushed the limits. Maybe too far. Not sure.

Cheers!

 

[Psikerlord#]

Steel Butterflies should be Instantaneous; it's a copy & paste error which we missed. (I'd copy & paste the header for each spell then edit it. Obviously missed it in this case, and then we missed it during editing/proof-reading as well!)

And yes, the spell ranges are a bit odd. Apologies for that; feel free to adjust them to the nearest multiple of 30 feet for your game. (Not that I need to give you permission).

I'm curious as to the reasons you think Caustic Spittle is overpowered. I mean, I can see how it can be a fantastic spell, but it comes with quite a few drawbacks.

Iron Core - it is certainly a spell where I pushed the limits. Maybe too far. Not sure.

Cheers!

What level is Iron Core?

 

[Charles Wright]

Iron Core
4th-level abjuration
Cleric, Paladin
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 day
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
One willing creature that you touch gains a pool of 5 fortune points. If the creature makes a saving throw and dislikes the result, it can spend a fortune point to reroll the save. The decision to reroll must be made immediately, before any effects of the failed saving throw are determined. The result from the reroll must be used. The spell ends when all the fortune points have been used or at the end of the creature’s next long rest.

 

[HarrisonF]

I'm curious as to the reasons you think Caustic Spittle is overpowered. I mean, I can see how it can be a fantastic spell, but it comes with quite a few drawbacks.

For Caustic Spittle, I think the biggest potential issue is being able to use it from stealth. If you get the jump on someone, you can easily do like 8d6 to 12d6, which is pretty crazy for a level 1 spell. The next best first level spell would be doing 4d6, so it is up to 3 times the damage. Now, I know there are a big drawbacks and risks with the spell, but using it from surprise would remove a lot of the real downside.

Using it in normal combat-type situations, I feel like the risk vs. reward is more balanced. I think I might have added a cap for the maximum damage, like 8d6 or something. In direct combat situations, you won't normally get that high, so it would be mostly a nerf towards the time you can use it without the drawback.

With that said, I really do like the spell and design. I like spells that push the envelope and twist your expectations and thoughts on rules.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Iron Core
4th-level abjuration
Cleric, Paladin
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 day
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
One willing creature that you touch gains a pool of 5 fortune points. If the creature makes a saving throw and dislikes the result, it can spend a fortune point to reroll the save. The decision to reroll must be made immediately, before any effects of the failed saving throw are determined. The result from the reroll must be used. The spell ends when all the fortune points have been used or at the end of the creature’s next long rest.

Ah, yeah, I would rate that as OP. It's like the Lucky feat, but 5 points instead of 3, and at the super cheap cost of a 4th level spell slot instead of a feat. Or compare fighter indomitable, a once/day reroll they get at 10th.

I would amend it to 1 fortune point for a 4th level slot (given the 1 day duration, you can use it when you most need it). Then add 1 fortune point per 2 spell levels, so 2 points at 6th, 3 points at 8th.

 

[HarrisonF]

Another spell question while you are around...

For Molten Strike, it explicitly mentions the material component needs to be within 5 feet of you. Except you normally don't need the material component if you have an arcane focus. Is this an exception to that, or is it supposed to be consumed?

Also, is the casting time for it really supposed to be 10 minutes? Not sure how you would use it in combat if so