Custom Spell: Perfect Endurance

[MonkeezOnFire]

I have an idea for an adventure where a dao hires the PCs to find some thieves that have stolen the only copy of a new spell that the dao has created. I came up with the following:

Balah's Perfect Endurance
???th level Abjuration

Casting time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack, forced to make a saving throw or forced to make an opposed skill check
Range: Self
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round

Your body hardens into a stone-like substance putting you into a protective stasis. Until the start of your next turn you are immune to all types of damage, any spell that targets you automatically fails, and you cannot have any conditions applied to you. During the duration you cannot make any reactions and your movement becomes 0.

The intent being that the user becomes totally unkillable for about 6 seconds, basically an uber Shield. However, I'm really not sure what level the spell should be. Getting immunity to everything is certainly a powerful combat ability, but I don't think it's level 9 material. My gut instinct is telling me to make it at least 5th level which is higher than Stoneskin, Blink, Mirror Image and other defensive spells. But what do you think?

 

[MechaTarrasque]

Since this seems like a natural fit for Contingency, it has to be 5th level or lower, so it seems like 5th level is a good place for it. That will keep it from being overused. Add concentration and it would be a good 4th level spell.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

concentration seems strange here, because your concentration can't be interrupted ends other concentration spells on use.

 

[Saeviomagy]

concentration seems strange here, because your concentration can't be interrupted ends other concentration spells on use.

Which would be an interesting tradeoff - do you want to keep concentrating on your other spell, or drop it to take zero damage for a round.

I'd agree with MechaTerrasque: 5th level seems about right for it if it doesn't interrupt concentration. 4th if it does. 3rd is too low for the interrupting version, while 6th is into "one spell of this level per day" territory and seems like a bad place for a 1 round defensive spell.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Which would be an interesting tradeoff - do you want to keep concentrating on your other spell, or drop it to take zero damage for a round.

I'd agree with MechaTerrasque: 5th level seems about right for it if it doesn't interrupt concentration. 4th if it does. 3rd is too low for the interrupting version, while 6th is into "one spell of this level per day" territory and seems like a bad place for a 1 round defensive spell.

I am not so sure. Total immunity for a round with no real tradeoff. That may well be a deatheffect or a dragon breath. So 6th level is not too out of place. 5th level if it stops concentration.

 

[Gonat]

I think that 4th-5th level are to be considered only if the spell casting time is changed to 1 round, if the caster has to plan beforehand. But as a reaction spell? Sixth or more in my opinion (probably shoud be more).
It's not a simple damage absorber, it's total immunity from anything (except DM fiat and some fringe cases).
It only last for one round but in this edition a combat last for... 3-4 rounds? And is really rare that a PC of high level (high enough for a 5th level spell) is down in the first 1-2 rounds). A garanteed immunity for a round is big. How many times per adventuring game a PC is really at risk of death?. I think 1 spell slot reserved a day is more than enough 95% of the time.
And the condition and spell effects imminity are not to underestimate either. One round is often all you need to totally change the way the things are going in a scenario.
I will be carefull with a spell such as this. A test (Arcana maybe?) or save somewhere for the spell to activate will be nice (IMHO).

 

[Tormyr]

5th level is probably pretty close. It is more powerful than resilient sphere but only lasts 1 round.

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

Thanks for the input everyone. General consensus seems to be cut between 5th and 6th level or lower if the spell is tweaked to disrupt the user's concentration or changed to an action (making it proactive as opposed to reactive).

Since I'm using the spell as a macguffin of sorts in an adventure, I'm okay with it being a bit ahead of the curve in order to make it feel more special. When the PCs track down the spell, I want them to heavily consider what they should do with it. They could just give it back to the dao (but he's not the nicest being in existence), they could keep it to themselves, they could distribute it to everyone so that it eventually becomes a standard spell that anyone can learn upon level up, or they could deliver it to another authority they respect for safe keeping. All that being said I think 5th level will suit my game.

Also 5e doesn't have a standard way of resolving things that happen at the same time (that I'm aware of anyway). So I think the spell should clarify what happens when the user begins their turn in an effect like web that triggers when a creature starts their turn in an area. Thematically I think it's appropriate that the user would be vulnerable to such effects. When you come out of stasis and you're in a cloudkill, it'll mess you up.

 

[Bear_Jew67]

I'm pretty new to homebrewing myself, but I believe that total immunity for a 5th level reactionary spell is a bit low. Unless you allow Psychic damage to penetrate the stone casing, which would make sense as that type of damage isn't on the physical side, I would have to put this at a 6th or 7th level spell.

 

[jaelis]

You could consider making it last until the _end_ of your next turn, and rendering you incapacitated during the duration. So you get total immunity, but at the cost of a turn as well. That would make it more reasonable for a lower level slot.