The Statue Spell

[calypso15]

What does this spell do? It's very unclear as written. So, either:

1) What does it do?

or

2) What do you houserule it to do?

 

[frankthedm]

Statue
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

A statue spell turns the subject to solid stone, along with any garments and equipment worn or carried. In statue form, the subject gains hardness 8. The subject retains its own hit points.

The subject can see, hear, and smell normally, but it does not need to eat or breathe. Feeling is limited to those sensations that can affect the granite-hard substance of the individual’s body. Chipping is equal to a mere scratch, but breaking off one of the statue’s arms constitutes serious damage.

The subject of a statue spell can return to its normal state, act, and then return instantly to the statue state (a free action) if it so desires, as long as the spell duration is in effect.
Material Component

Lime, sand, and a drop of water stirred by an iron bar, such as a nail or spike.

What does this spell do? It's very unclear as written. So, either:

1) What does it do?

1. It lets you be a lump of rock with hardness 8
2. it lets you revert, take your actions in the initiative cycle as normal and then regain stony consistency as a free action. {thus you could do so at the end of your turn]

2) What do you houserule it to do?

1.You suffer no crits, no CDG and energy attacks treat you as an object, but reflex saves autofail
2. Your AC is 3 + size and other non gear, non movement based mods.
3. Non Artifact magic items are non functional while you are a rock. Artifacts do not change to stone.
4. If you are instantaneously petrified while under the effect of the spell, you can resume your natrual shape as a free action.

 

[calypso15]

See, that's about what I thought. But since, as written, it's pretty much up to the GM I got hosed. My GM decided that all it did was give me hardness 8. That's it.

 

[frankthedm]

See, that's about what I thought. But since, as written, it's pretty much up to the GM I got hosed. My GM decided that all it did was give me hardness 8. That's it.

well you see, if you think the spell is kinda vague, it is best to talk with the DM before the issue comes up. If you spring something on the DM in the middle of combat, you should not expect a favorable ruling

Power Attack hoses the spell more than anything else IMHO.

 

[MarkB]

How would you rule the effect (if any) of a Stone Shape spell on the subject?

 

[Piratecat]

How would you rule the effect (if any) of a Stone Shape spell on the subject?

I'd probably have stone shape do d6/lvl (max 10d6 or 15d6, depending if it was a cleric or wizard spell), fort save for half damage. That's the easiest and most consistent way I can think of to reflect the spell's effect without hosing the character.

Let's face it, statue is a suboptimal spell. I've never seen any PC use it, EVER, since I started playing in 1980. I don't want to make it even worse.

Although I now have an image of a medusa wizard, hiding in her own statuary and returning to flesh each round to blast the PCs...

Can you take purely mental actions while in statue form? Could a psion with this ability stay stone and continue to blast his foes?

 

[calypso15]

well you see, if you think the spell is kinda vague, it is best to talk with the DM before the issue comes up. If you spring something on the DM in the middle of combat, you should not expect a favorable ruling

Power Attack hoses the spell more than anything else IMHO.

I thought I had. But he changed his mind during combat when the spell was shutting down his assassin devil. I was a tad upset, but sort of shrugged and said "Alright, but after this combat I would to have never taken the spell then." I'm taking Elemental Body, which is more useful anyway. I just thought the effect of a walking statue was neat and worth taking over that one.

Comparing it to the other similar 7th level spells (Elemental Body, Body of War), his interpretation is very weak. But, as I told him, I don't care if the spell sucks, so long as I *know* it sucks and know not to memorize it in the future.

Calypso

 

[frankthedm]

I thought I had. But he changed his mind during combat when the spell was shutting down his assassin devil. I was a tad upset, but sort of shrugged and said "Alright, but after this combat I would to have never taken the spell then." I'm taking Elemental Body, which is more useful anyway. I just thought the effect of a walking statue was neat and worth taking over that one.

Walking statue? In no edition has that spell allowed mobility while a rock.

Letting the ass-devil sneak you while you were a rock was really dumb.

 

[calypso15]

Walking statue? In no edition has that spell allowed mobility while a rock.

Letting the ass-devil sneak you while you were a rock was really dumb.

I know you can't move while stone. What I mean is the idea of basically someone moving, casting a protective spell on his allies before turning into a solid stone statue. I like the imagery better than the Elemental Body spells, but I'm only willing to sacrifice so much in the name of style.

Calypso

 

[Kilroy]

Let's face it, statue is a suboptimal spell. I've never seen any PC use it, EVER, since I started playing in 1980. I don't want to make it even worse.

I used it once, on a character that was already slow and easy to hit, only because the DM allowed it to stack with Stoneskin, since one was hardness and the other was DR.

It really added to the "you take your turn, then I take my turn" feel of d20.