Rebuilding Evocation

[FireLance]

One other thing I'd like to do is to make the various effect types more distinct from each other, so that a [Fire] spells really feels different from an [Electricity] spell or a [Sonic] spell. For now, I've got five different types and effects:

1. [Fire] spells affect an area and allow a Reflex save for half damage. A 1st-level [Fire] spell would either affect a small area close to the spellcaster (burning hands) or affect a single 5-foot square at range.

2. [Electricity] spells affect a target or targets and require a ranged touch attack. Lesser orb of electricity works fine as a 1st-level [Electricity] spell (although I might change the effect to a ray and rename the spell). Scorching ray should be changed to an [Electricity] spell and renamed accordingly (shocking ray?). Lightning bolt could affect up to one target per level in a 120-ft. line.

3. [Sonic] spells affect an area, and allow a Fortitude save for half damage, and should generally deal less damage than a [Fire] spell of the same level.

4. [Force] spells affect a target and require a normal attack roll ([Force] spells do not ignore armor), but the attack roll modifier is equal to caster level + Charisma (for warmages). [Force] effects continue to ignore the incorporeal miss chance. Magic missile will need to be changed to incorporate the attack roll, but damage can be upgraded (say, to 1d8) to compensate.

5. [Light] spells hit automatically and do not allow any saving throws to reduce their effect. A 1st-level [Light] spell would thus work very much like magic missile. A [Light] spell has its maximum effect against undead. It deals less damage (say, 25%) against other types of creatures, and half damage to constructs and inanimate objects.

 

[Vrecknidj]

If fire spells allow Reflex saves, but the others don't, how will this affect Evasion?

Dave

 

[FireLance]

If fire spells allow Reflex saves, but the others don't, how will this affect Evasion?

Evasion continues to work as normal, and effects that don't allow evasion will need to be scaled to take this into account. [Electricity] spells will probably be pegged to ranged touch attack spells like orb of electricity and polar ray, [Force] spells to spiritual weapon and Mordenkainen's sword, [Sonic] spells to sound burst and greater shout, and [Light] spells to searing light and sunburst (scaled down slightly to take into account the auto-hit and no save elements).

 

[WhatGravitas]

One other thing I'd like to do is to make the various effect types more distinct from each other, so that a [Fire] spells really feels different from an [Electricity] spell or a [Sonic] spell. For now, I've got five different types and effects:

This sounds interesting, but I think to make Evocation more interesting and unique... you need to introduce some "nifty" effects, making them more than damage dealers, like:

Creatures who take damage from a [Fire] spell and have failed a Reflex save, must make another or they're knocked down (it always buggered me, that the explosion-like fireball cannot know anybody from their socks)

For [Electricity] they must save (Fort) to avoid being dazed one round (also - somebody hit by electricity have at least some spasms for the moment)

For [Cold] it's one rounds of slowing (generic, eh)

[Sonic] can deafen... (logically...)

And [Acid] sickens or nauseas the targets.