Has anyone used the Companion Spirit?

[TheGogmagog]

Has anyone used the companion spirit (DMGII p195)? If so, which one?

I was starting a game, and we thought we were going to be short a cleric. So as the DM, I was going to offer a salve companion spirit in lieu of the Wizard's familiar. Then, I thought a good defense like Rampart, Shadow or Shroud might be more usefull to them than healing damage after they took it. So then I was going to let the Wizard chose his spirit with ONE of the general or specific qualities.

Reading through in greater detail, I read re-read and re-re-read the Magical Storage one. You cast the spell once into the Storage and each team member can cast the spell back out. First, I compaired to the Salve spirit. 3 hp healing per team member (15hp), or one cure light 1d8+1 per team member. Then I thought about the other uses like Snake's swiftness (from a druid).

Perhaps it's just that I was making it available 4 levels early that makes it seem overpowered.

 

[KarinsDad]

Our group took Magical Storage and Flame SCs.

I do not consider it really overpowered since they pay XP and gold for it.

Our group is currently at 7th level and the SC has some limitations for them. For one, the NPC cohorts are limited to the 4th level ability whereas the PCs are not. Hence, if the PCs do not put a first level spell into the Magical Storage, the cohorts cannot use it.

Plus, they only sometimes put cure spells into the storage. At lower levels, they often put Protection From Evil. Now, they are putting various fire spells into it.


Granted, the Magical Storage one is fairly versatile. But, I consider it similar to a handful of Pearls of Power handed out to the group, but limited to the one specific spell per day.


Also, by the time the PCs get to level 16, they are giving up about 25% of a level's worth of XP and 5% of a level's wealth in order to gain these abilities. It's effectively buying an inbuilt magical item for each PC.

 

[kreat]

I play in KarinsDad's group - I'll second his comments.


We typically have used the magic storage for healing or protection from evil. At lvl 6 we could all cast a cure light wounds - for the number of times we used it we could all have bought poitions and probably have spent about the same amount of gold and certainly less XP. I don't find that overpowered at all.


I don't think we've ever needed the fire resistance from the fire spririt - we've activated it but I'm not sure we've ever been attacked by fire The xtra fire damage we just picked up will certainly be useful but not anything we couldn't do with feats/magic items/etc.


I think it gives the team a nice identity as well both in story and game mechanic terms.


Chris 'Baroch' Davis

 

[KarinsDad]

I don't think we've ever needed the fire resistance from the fire spririt - we've activated it but I'm not sure we've ever been attacked by fire

How about Vortigen's Fireball on Sunday? How about his Burning Hands? How quickly they forget.

And, you will need it soon where you are going. Very soon. Bwa ha ha ha ha.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

We typically have used the magic storage for healing or protection from evil.

And I think as long as you do, then it isn't overpowered. But try chain lightning 8 times a day (albeit, by a party of 8) and suddenly Magical Storage doesn't look so balanced...

 

[KarinsDad]

And I think as long as you do, then it isn't overpowered. But try chain lightning 8 times a day (albeit, by a party of 8) and suddenly Magical Storage doesn't look so balanced...

Chain Lightning is a 6th level spell. Magical Storage is limited to a 5th level spell and even then, you do not get this ability until 16th level.

So, 4 or more 9D6 (or even 10D6 if a Sorcerer put the spell in) Cones of Cold are not really that devastating at that level considering that the main casters in the group could be casting 8th level spells.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

My mistake. It should be arc of lightning, which is 4th-lvl.

 

[KarinsDad]

My mistake. It should be arc of lightning, which is 4th-lvl.

Only if you have a Druid in the link. Even so, 7D6 damage at 13th level (or 9D6 damage at 16th level if an arcane caster adds it in) against a few (2 to maybe 4 or 5) opponents is still not very overwhelming at those levels. Remember, the Druid who adds this spell to the link is giving up a 13D6 (to 15D6) Arc of Lightning spell and personally gains a 7D6 Arc of Lightning spell in return. So, not every PC gains here.

We're also talking 24 average points of damage if the spell is failed against, 12 if saved against (DC 16 which is also fairly low), versus 13th level creatures. A typical Whirlwind attack would probably average more damage than this.

Granted, Arc of Lightning does not have spell resistance (the bigger, better, badder syndrome of Spell Compendium), but there are still standard NPC defenses against this (Lightning Resistance / Immunity, Evasion, False Life, Regeneration, Fast Healing, massive hit points, etc.), especially at these levels.

 

[kreat]

KarinsDad - yeah I forgot about those fire attacks we got hit with - I think all of them missed me. I was too busy with the Psion and the Dragon - they definetly didn't hit me with any fire
By the time I got arounf to Vorty he as easy pickins




I

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Only if you have a Druid in the link. Even so, 7D6 damage at 13th level (or 9D6 damage at 16th level if an arcane caster adds it in) against a few (2 to maybe 4 or 5) opponents is still not very overwhelming at those levels.

7d6 (or 9d6) x 8 PCs = 56d6 (or 72d6) damage per day

With 4 characters that's still 28d6 (or 36d6).

That's a heck of a lot of damage. And there's not too many BBEGs that can stand up to that kind of hammering, potentially all in one round.