New Living Spells over at WotC

[Solarious]

But everyone knows that real evil DMs use Living Mordenkainen's Disjunctions on their players. With the Epic level Paragon template.

And of course, it has exactly 666 hit points. Every time.

 

[Matafuego]

Living cometfall anyone? Yeah... carnage.

How does that work?
Since Cometfall conjures a comet... I don't think it's possible, not only by the rules but I don't understand how that would work

I'm gonna capture me a Living Heal spell.

That sounds VEEEEERY nice, I can picture an archmage with an enslaved "Living Heal" who cures him every round, but still, the players could just jump into its space and get healed... That's why I believe beneficial Living Spells should be analyzed more thoroughly...

Making living spells with targeted spells was something I started doing from the getgo. It never made sense to me that they weren't allowed, since the target would be obvious.... whoever got hit by the slam attack or engulf. The concept that targeted spells were more powerful never entered into my head. I suppose they would be neccessarily somewhat more powerful than an equal level area spell.

You could just increase the CR of the living targeted spell, instead of lowering the power of the spell itself...

Precisely, the CR issue is the only issue that prevents you from doing it, but I realize why they say that a targeted spell is usually more powerful since the Living Spell is a targeted version of an area-effect in form of an ooze. Maybe a new CR calculation for targeted spells needs to be done? Or maybe one should consider making an area spell out of a targeted spell and find out the new level? Very similar to what they did with Flesh to Stone.

I think beneficial living spells are a great idea. I could see a nonevil deity with Magic as a domain easily promoting the creation of such things.

Oh yes... But as I said before, it's very difficult to "use". There are lots of questions to consider...
Can someone have it as a pet?
"Animal" (Ooze) companion?
Enslaved?
Dominated?
As treasure?
I imagine a "Living Heal" or a "Living Ressurrection" (can someone do this with spells that have expensive spell components?) are almost near artifact status! Were it not of the control that needs to be have over them, and the need to protect it from the usage of "bad guys". I hope I made myself clear in this point since I feel I'm coming out too wordy

Living greater dispel magic?? Consider it yoinked My players are gonna be frustrated next few sessions...

How about a living wish? When it slams someone, it sucks 5000 XP from them to power the spell. Double whammy!

That sounds weird. Who's paying the XP costs or the Material Component costs? The one who is slammed or the one who casted the spell on the first place? Or the one who crafted the living spell? How can someone craft a living spell? Since on MMIII it says "occasionally took sentience".

But everyone knows that real evil DMs use Living Mordenkainen's Disjunctions on their players. With the Epic level Paragon template.

That... hurt... a LOT!!!

Another thing that needs consideration is... could there be Living Spells made from "Mass" versions of other spells? They are multi-targeted spells and they seem fine by me, but for some reason these were not included in the Original Living Spell Template.

I'm really excited about this new column, can you tell?

 

[Imruphel]

I plan on using living spells extensively in my next FR campaign to represent manifestations of the deities.

Also, I plan to stat them up as either constructs or elementals: I still think having them as oozes is one of those random design decisions that makes no sense. At this stage I am thinking that I will stat them using the construct type but change them to elementals if they are awakened (using the awaken construct spell, for example).

These descriptions are not yet complete. A couple of the passages include quotes taken from Faiths & Avatars which I included in my notes to try and give some inspiration.

I am also considering tacking on class levels to the awakened versions to create specialised servitors of the powers that they represent.

BALANCE OF MYSTRA

This ‘spell predates the Time of Troubles when Mystra was LN in alignment rather than NG.

As such, this ‘spell exists to check the unrestrained use of magic. It does so by combining the effects of greater dispel magic with order’s wrath and banishment and, occasionally, dispel chaos. Versions exist that have not been awakened and these often guard ruins of places where unrestrained magic was used. The ‘spell appears as a great set of silver scales.

BLACK LORD’S CLOAK

Iyachtu Xvim usually manifests as a heavy, greasy black cloud lit by two green, glowing eyes as large as a man’s head. The cloud can speak, cast spells, or hurl black bolts of lightning that burn rather than discharging electricity and deal 5d6 points of damage per strike (save for halt damage).

The ‘Cloak combines the effects of obscuring mist and electricity-substituted fireball or flame strike together with fear.

An awakened living spell would also make for an interesting cleric or dreadmaster of Bane.

BLACK SCOURGE OF LOVIATAR

Loviatar manifests either as a flying black whip that moves as her avatar does and has the same properties as the whips her avatar can create or as a floating, disembodied human female head that laughs maniacally as it flies about, platinum blond tresses streaming behind it. In either form Loviatar can use her kiss ability, speak, write (with the tip of the whip or an animated lock of hair, in either case leaving behind letters written in black blood), or cast illusions.

A great black whip flies about that combines the effects of hold monster (it appears that the victim is bound in the whip), wrack and some spell that causes debilitating pain. Ray of enfeeblement might also be an appropriate choice.

FELL AWARENESS OF SHAR

Shar frequently manifests as amorphous tendrils of darkness where there should be none. These tendrils swirl and writhe constantly and are surrounded by a purple aura. Such darkness sometimes has a single steadily gazing purple eye at its heart, but even if this orb is absent, beings within the darkness always feel the ceaseless regard of a fell awareness. These tendrils of darkness can touch the faithful and transmit messages from Shar directly to their minds, indicate items of importance or direction, or grant numbness and the ability to ignore pain. The tendrils do not heal, just allow the faithful to continue on until they drop dead of fatigue or accumulated injury (at -10 hit points).

This living spell combines the effects of damning darkness, phantasmal killer and silence. It may also include a spell that reduces saving throws as it is supposed to represent an extremely dangerous living nightmare.

FIST OF BANE (CRUSHING HATE)

This great black fist is a combination of crushing despair, crushing fist of spite, dictum, dominate person, order’s wrath, unholy blight and, possibly, feeblemind.

FLAMESKULL OF STRIFE

This favoured servant of Cyric is an unholy amalgam of the spells confusion, flame strike and phantasmal killer.

HAMMER OF LOLTH

The fane could also be guarded by awakened living spells such as the fabled Hammer of Lolth, a combination of blasphemy, chaos hammer, creeping doom, death knell, soul binding and unholy blight. The Hammer of Lolth takes the form of a Huge hammer-shaped, constantly shifting and roiling mass of spiders and lost souls.

MOANDER’S BREATH

Appearing as a brown cloud of pestilence, this awakened living spell combines several spells from the Spell Compendium: junglerazer, memory rot and miasma. Actually, the important one is memory rot. Nauseating breath is another option.

TEARS OF ELDATH

These flying drops of water are awakened living spells that combine the effects of calm emotions, hold monster (possibly) and holy rain (Spell Compendium).

WARDING SWORD OF HELM

A great steel sword is surrounded by watching eyes. The sword is a Mordenkainen’s sword effect while the eyes represent the combined effects of blade barrier and order’s wrath.

WHISPERING WIND OF ELDATH

Eldath appears most frequently as a whispering wind that brings a message and revives plants that it touches to the blooming height of health or a green glowing aura that has all of her healing powers, can speak aloud and in the minds of those within 120 feet, and can telekinese nonliving items within its confines.

This is represented by a combination of cure moderate wounds, neutralise poison, plant growth, remove disease and repulsion.

WRATH OF TEMPUS

The enemy of battlefield looters and despoilers, the Wrath of Tempus is an awakened living spell that combines the effects of blade barrier, chaos hammer and greater bestow curse (to miss in battle). It appears as a great storm of flying weapons.

 

[blargney the second]

Engulfed by Living Heal sounds pretty similar to being in the positive energy plane.

*poof*

 

[Someone]

Living Harm plus undead BBEG sounds... like a recipe for a real quick TPK

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

How does that work?
Since Cometfall conjures a comet... I don't think it's possible, not only by the rules but I don't understand how that would work

It is entirely possible by the rules. Living spells can be applied to "any spell that creates an area or effect ..., but not a spell whose effect is already a creature (such as a summon monster spell)".

A cometfall spell has an Effect: 400-pound ball of rock and ice, and an Area: 5-ft.-radius burst. Nothing in the template about being unable to apply a conjuration spell as a Living Spell. Ergo, living cometfall. Voila.

 

[Matafuego]

Well yes, but since there's a comet falling from the sky I assumed it wasn't possible (since the comet should be falling inside the ooze or something weird like that).

The Living Spells aren't OGC right?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Well yes, but since there's a comet falling from the sky I assumed it wasn't possible (since the comet should be falling inside the ooze or something weird like that).

It sure seems incomprehensible—its one reason I was attracked to it, something to really challenge GMs —but the idea of a slam attack from a cometfall sure seems epic! BOOM!

The Living Spells aren't OGC right?

Nope...

 

[Banshee16]

There's a new article at the WotC site: Living Spells: Acid, Slumber, and Stone.

In it they discuss new Living Spells based on non-area effect spells: Acid Arrow, Deep Slumber (although I believe this is a valid target for the template) and Flesh to Stone.

The good part comes with the "Flesh to Stone" spell:



I love the solution they came up with.
I love this idea of transforming a spell into a "new" one with an area-effect, not only because it creates an interesting creature but because I feel it expands INSIDE the game.

What do you think of this?
Do any spells come to your minds upon which we can apply this idea?

And I've been toying with something they don't mention here...
How about a beneficial living spell?
Living Bless? Living Bull's Strength?
How would you feel about those? What uses could they have? As a pet for a mage so he can cast it on himself freely?

Thanks for reading.

Lucas

Polymorph any Object or Baleful Polymorph could result in a "Change Storm" type effect....

Banshee

 

[Quartz]

Polymorph any Object or Baleful Polymorph could result in a "Change Storm" type effect....

What was that artifact on Krynn called?