D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Spells (New & Changes)

[Kae'Yoss]

It's not ability damage - it's an enhancement penalty.

Which means that it can be dispelled or removed with a single "minor restoration". It may even be that the various stat booster spells will gain the ability to remove it.

You mean minor restoration now removes all penalties? The old lesser restoration only removed 1d4 of a single ability damage, AFAIK.

And sure, it's no ability damage, but a penalty (enhancement?? I think it was unnamed), but you can still screw up one's ability scroes, lowering his mental abilities by an average 10 points total. That will weaken spellcasters of all kinds, and with a lowered will save, you are screwed even more. But the worst is, that this is done without a save, and by a 2nd-level spell. The old harm comes to mind.

Endure Elements has become worthless: it now offers a 24 hr protection vs. not too extreme environmental temperature changes. No longer does it offer 5 reduction vs. a specific element.

Resist Energy (formerly resist elements): only offer 10 in stead of 12 prot vs. a specific energy type.

Given that energy resistance works like damage reduction now (i.e. per attack, not per round), the 1st-level spell Endure Elements would be far to powerful with energy resistance 5, and they probably wouldn't want to give you ER 1 or 2. So they made it an utility spell with a long duration (a spell that's not for combat - just the thing that everyone wants...)

Resist Energy now gives us ER 10, which now is per attack IIRC. This is far more valuable than the old 12 per round (so now melf's acid arrow will not piercy your Resist Acid, even if you're hit with a dozen of them.)

 

[Madfox]

Energy Resistance now also increases with level, it becomes a 20 and even 30 at higher levels.

I also wouldn't call endure elements useless. It still protects against normal environments

Alter self btw completely polymorphs the caster into the new shape. The new shape is limited to your own type with 1 HD or less per level of the caster (to a max of 5) and cannot change more then one size category then your basic size category. Your attributes do not change. You do gain natural movement capabilities (slightly limited as far as speed is concerned), natural attack, natural armour, racial skill modifiers and racial feats. You do NOT gain anything else, so no dark vision, low-light vision or even breathing underwater. By the core rules this spell is great for disguise, but it does not offer much more except perhaps some natural armour and swim/climb movement. With some other sources, like the FR MM, though it becomes quite good. I mean, the asabi have a movement of 50 ft and burrow speed of 20 ft, added with +2 natural armour it is a great form to shift into. If you use Greyhawk monsters the norker is terrible abusive, this small goblinoid has a natural armour of +7!

Foresight btw has not changed.

Instead of expeditious retreat, the travel domain now contains long stride, which grants a +10 ft movement for 1 hr/lvl. Druids gain this spell as well btw.

Tasha's laughter has gained a duration of 1 rd/lvl and is a 1st level spell for bards. Talk about a powerful 1st level spell, because unlike hold person there is no save every round and while the victim might not be helpless, he still cannot much more then laugh.

Most of the changes btw are in moving around the spells to different schools.

 

[Kershek]

Tasha's laughter has gained a duration of 1 rd/lvl and is a 1st level spell for bards. Talk about a powerful 1st level spell, because unlike hold person there is no save every round and while the victim might not be helpless, he still cannot much more then laugh.

The biggest problem here is that you have to be casting it against your own creature type or they get a +4 to their save. So, if you're an elf, they have to be an elf, for instance.

 

[Madfox]

An elf is a humanoid as is a human. You are referring to sub-types and considering the wording of the spell they clearly do not make the differentiation.

Other change - the emotion spell has been split in different spells with different areas and a duration as opposed to concentration.

 

[Kershek]

Hmm, I never considered that subtypes weren't affected. Thanks, I might pick it up now.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

The biggest problem here is that you have to be casting it against your own creature type or they get a +4 to their save. So, if you're an elf, they have to be an elf, for instance.

.... or speak the language in question.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Endure Elements has become worthless: it now offers a 24 hr protection vs. not too extreme environmental temperature changes. No longer does it offer 5 reduction vs. a specific element.

So they turned it into a spell that protects you from things that don't even hurt you? How dreadful.

 

[Saepiroth]

Re:

So they turned it into a spell that protects you from things that don't even hurt you? How dreadful.

Meh, you haven't seen the text... Maybe "not to harmful" means that it doesn't protect against, say, the environs of the Elemental Plane of Fire but it DOES protect against the subdual damage of a blizzard or the desert.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Telekinesis now has a much clearer violent thrust option, plus a whole new option (usable for 1r/level) which is Combat maneuver - once per round you can use telekinesis to perform a bull rush, a disarm, grapple (including pin) or trip. Resolve this attempts as normal except they don't provide AoO, you use your caster level in place of your BAB and your Int or Cha modifier (wiz/sor) in place of Str or Dex modifier, a failed attempt doesn't allow a reactive attempt by the target (e.g. a trip back). No save is allowed against these attempts, but spell resistance applies. It lasts for (concentration) rounds, but no more than 1r per level.

I can see wizards having *great* fun with this variant of the spell!

Cheers

 

[James McMurray]

Well, there goes another 1125 gp down the drain, since I now have to buy a scroll of Telekinesis to transcribe into my spellbook.

Have they fixed Geas / Quest?

Edit: What did they change about the violent thrust? Can you no longer throw a bag of shurikens at someone for 50-bajillion attacks each doing 1 damage?