D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Sleep = full round action!

[Kae'Yoss]

I may be mistaken but all energy resistances are of the fire/sonic/cold/acid variety. I've never seen a Force Resistance 5 on a creature, I'm not even sure it would exist given the metaphysics (which are broken) of the D&D magic system.

Hm... I really cannot remember why I mentioned it. I think I wanted to say that MM ignores even resistances and you forgot to mention that, but I'm not sure.

Both of which are common, since there are a number of classes, prestige classes, magic items and (in 3rd party product granted) feats which grant Evasion. Energy protection was restricted a little bit in 3.5 (the change in Endure Elements) but even it is fairly common at the 5/10 even 15 point level.

Resistance usually won't be high enough to block all the damage.

Evasion is for 2 of 11 base classes (the PrC's we're talking about are usually taken by members of these base classes anyway), the Items are no standard must-have IMO, and these feats are just broken IMO - This should remain a class ability and really shouldn't be available as a feat.

That wizard would have to have rolled 80 on his 4d6+1/level to get all that party of characters. Then we get into the matter of the rediculously low save, the expected magic items of a party of that level, their tactics versus magic users, etc.

Hm? The way you wrote it I implied that you get 1 creature per caster level (like in wail of the banshee), without any HD cap (you said "I'd lift that fixed HD cap and make it 1 creature per level).

Where did you mention that 4d6 +1/lv? I cannot find it before your most recent post.

4d6+ 1/lv HD worth of creatures sounds slightly better (but still to much I think. Other spells that affect a number of HDs affect less than that on average)

It is a 1st-level spell after all, and they shouldn't scale to be good till 20th level. At most, I can imagine 1d6 + 1/lv HD, maximal 1d6 +10.

I mean come on - if you're 20th level and a DC of 11 frightens you there is something very wrong.

It isn't a DC of 11. It is 11 + spellcasting mod. On 20th-level, this could easily be Int 28 (or more), which results in a DC of 20 (or 22 if you have Greater Spell Focus). Not very hard, but a warrior character can still easily fall for that.

 

[Nail]

It isn't a DC of 11. It is 11 + spellcasting mod. On 20th-level, this could easily be Int 28 (or more), which results in a DC of 20 (or 22 if you have Greater Spell Focus). Not very hard, but a warrior character can still easily fall for that.

I currently have an NPC which has a 36 in its spell casting stat, and Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment). Throw in a feat from Song and Silence for an additional +2 DC. If this NPC heightened a 1st level enchantment spell to 9th level, the save DC would be:

10 + 9 (heightened spell level) + 13 (stat bonus) + 4 (feats)
= 36

Given a Good Will save, plus decent stat, plus magic items, I figure the poor CR 20 target has a 50% chance. Frankly, it didn't matter much that it was a 1st level spell, eh?

Look, the DC of the spell (given all of the possible twinks) is irrelevant. The sleep spell is nerfed beyond recognition, and is useless beyond low level. This is not good, nor is it "balanced".

BTW, what other spells, beyond the "summon" spells, has a full round casting time?

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Not every CR 20 critter has a good Will Save Bonus and/or a high wis score....

 

[Plane Sailing]

BTW, what other spells, beyond the "summon" spells, has a full round casting time?

I believe that well-known game buster, phantom steed... or is that one of the 10 minute casting time spells, to tone down its power?

Call lightning
Storm of Vengeance
Statue
Summon musical instrument
Summon Swarm
Reduce Person
modify memory
mount
hypnotism
Insect plague
Fire storm
lesser geas
dominate animal/person/monster
enlarge person
enthrall
changestaff
creeping doom
antilife shell
zone of silence.

Some of these make sense (they are summonings of some type) but some of them seem... strange choices. Zone of silence?

Cheers