D&D 3E/3.5 Greater Consumptive Field (3.5)

[Alexander123]

I was reading the entry for greater consumptive field and my question is, wouldn't persisting such a spell allow the cleric to gain an almost limitless amount of strength and bonus hitpoints seeing as how there is no limit on the amount of strength and bonus hitpoints a person can gain from this spell?

And if this is so, were the designers of this spell in their right minds when they are doing this?

 

[Alexander123]

I am going to rule that the CL gain from this spell does not apply to another casting of this spell.

 

[Marius Delphus]

Well, first of all greater consumptive field (Libris Mortis) affected by Persistent Spell (SRD: Divine) is a 13th-level spell, requiring four Improved Spell Capacity feats. So given that we're already talking an epic caster, we can probably accept a little grandiosity. However, I'm not sure it's all that bad. [EDIT: Presumably the caster is neither Good nor dedicated to a Good deity.]

Creatures must have less than 9 hp and be within 30 ft. of the caster to be affected at all. Creatures become immune to that day's casting of the spell if they save against it once.

The Strength bonus shouldn't stack; it's subject to the "same source" rule. [EDIT: If you're using the Spell Compendium version instead, the total Strength bonus should be +2 × (creatures killed); check each time a batch of creatures is killed to see if the bonus is replaced.]

For the same reason, the temporary hit points shouldn't stack; only the greatest number siphoned should count. The wording is weird though. It looks to me as though you're supposed to get [1d8×(creatures killed) temp hp]; the alternative, [1d8 temp hp] (roll each time a creature dies), seems contrary to the intent.

The caster level improvement stacks, but it's limited to half your caster level. There's no change in the effectiveness of greater consumptive field based on caster level aside from its duration, which has been replaced by the Persistent Spell. [EDIT: I see there's some kind of cheese surrounding casting the thing again using your newly improved caster level, but I wouldn't change the ultimate cap in that situation.]

HTH. HAND.

 

[Alexander123]

We are actually not talking about an epic caster.

There are various ways to apply the persistent spell metamagic feat to a spell without increasing its caster level.

Such as:

Divine Metamagic.

If you have an Incantrix in your party, (Players Guide to Faerun) through the use of cooperative metamagic.

The spell specifically says a +2 bonus for each creature killed by this spell. And the same source rule doesn't change this fact since that rule applies to multiple castings of the same spell wheras this is one casting of a spell.

 

[Marius Delphus]

As to the Strength bonus, in the Libris Mortis version the Strength bonus is +2, period. See my edit above that applies to the Spell Compendium version.

As to the "non-epic" ways to get Persistent Spell, whatever.

As to the "same source" rule, it's the same casting of the same spell; of course it's the same source.

 

[Alexander123]

As your expertise in these matters is always appreciated, how do you deal with this spell [MENTION=85158]Dandu[/MENTION]?

 

[Dandu]

There is really no reason to allow this spell in most games.

 

[Alexander123]

Makes sense, thank you.