A few spells

[Knowledge Sinkhole]

Yeah, I guess I'll just give up on BoB. Was an idea originally suggested by a friend, but it just seems to difficult to balance properly.

Thought Vampire has a named bonus: leech. That is why it doesn't stack with itself.

Mute Arrow is less powerful than Silence, as well as Blindness/Deafness, in that it requires multiple rounds of preparation, as well as a successful ranged attack. That is why I thought it should be level 1. If the additional arrows really makes it level 2 (keeping in mind that you need to use an attack for each one), then I might just drop that.

I can understand your aversion to BAB changing spells. However, the environment in which the spell would be use has such spells, so I just need to find an appropriate level for Archer's Spirit. It is less powerful than Tenser's Transformation (level 6) and Divine Power (level 5). Also, restricted use(only ranged attacks). With a casting time of 10 minutes, I thought level 4 seemed right.

 

[Jeph]

That first spell would drop all Animals and Beasts on a minimum roll. Baaaaad idea. And for a Wizard, at level 8, an Int score of 24 (+7) isn't unreasonable, dealing 7 (!)d6 int damage . . . that's an average of 24.5 damage, enough to drop someone who spent an equally gross amount of resources on Int in one hit. I'd say, make it exactly like RoE in every way, except for the type of damage. Oh, and Enchantment instead of Transmutation (like you have it).

 

[Knowledge Sinkhole]

Well, it does Strength damage, not Intelligence damage. But still, too powerful, without a good way of balancing it. So, as I said, I'm just dropping it.

Also, made changes to Mind Games that make it both clearer, and more balanced. See first post.

 

[Bhaal]

Thought Vampire

I like this one. A couple things:

* Since you gain more from people with higher intelligence, it might be balancing to allow them some sort of bonus to their will saved based on their int (a 1:1 int:will bonus might work).

* A caveat saying the caster can choose getting an int or cha bonus might make this useful for sorcerers as well. It definately seems like a spell a sorcerer might choose.

Mind Games

It's kind of like maze, except no will save and they are unconscious where they stood instead of in an extraplanar dimension. That leaves them extremely vulnerable. Some suggestions:

* IMHO the DC for the int. checks are very high. One wizard casts it on another, and both have same int bonus, the victim wizard has a flat 75% failure on each check.

* Better yet, make a will save to negate. Ability checks don't scale well with levels at all, and typically that's a bad thing balance-wise. If they get a will save to ignore the spell completely, the DC for the int checks aren't so bad, and this would make the fine to me. (except to me it seems more like something in the illusion school...)

Mute Arrow

Put this spell at 3rd level and the "1 arrow/5 levels" will make sense without fancy wording. Besides, it's awfully powerful for a 1st level spell. Perhaps you can have two versions: mute arrow and gag arrow (something like that). The lower one would be 1st level and affect 1 arrow, the higher one be 3rd level and act as written.

Mental Wave

I like this one . As already mentioned, its effective str should equal your spellcasting ability.

Archer's Spirit

I like this one, even if it mucks around with BAB's. I'd even think about making a higher level version where you tack on a free feat of the caster's choice: Precise Shot/Far Shot/Rapid Shot/Shot on the Run. They get the feat regardless of the prereq's. Perhaps 6th level, though I'm just guessing.

 

[Xarlen]

I will say that Divine Power is 4th level.

 

[Destil]

I will say that Divine Power is 4th level.

I'd prepair it at 5th, if I could. Don't know how many flame strikes I'd be willing to trade for these, but at least one a day. More with an effective selection of domain powers, feats and stats.

Mute Arrow: If you're working with a archer normaly, then this spell is very good. It's delayed, but not to bad with some planning.

Archer: Delay until after the mage.
Mage: Move 30', cast mute arrow, touch an arrow the Archer has at the ready.
Archer: Fire!

And, again, you can affect 1 target / 5 levels. Quite good for 1st level though since tou can touch up to 6 creatures (and I'd allow objects on willing creatures to count like this) as a full round action it will be delayed 1 round. And it's not like the duration is in rounds, it's very possible that the archer can have some of these made before the battle.

Also, the idea in general is rather good for a 1st level spell. Blindness / deffness is arguable at 2nd, and this stops more spell casting that being blind (you can still send a fireball back to where someone was).

 

[Al]

Brains over Brawn

Surprisingly, I don't have too much of a problem with Brains over Brawn. Whilst it is difficult to specifically balance against anything else, I'd say that it is probably roughly equivalent to Feeblemind. Peg it at 5th, and it shouldn't be horrifically unbalanced.

Thought Vampire

Now this is horrific. With a Permanent duration, you just gave all evil casters a +5 fully stackable Int mod (because who wouldn't use this is conjunction with Fox's Cunning). At top-level, assuming 30 Int, they can get +10 fully stackable Int mod. It gets worse. The new Int mod is what the spell is based off. So, the aforesaid top-level wizard (now Int 40) can cast again, gaining a +15 mod, althougth this supersedes the original +10. He then recasts for a +17 (Int 45), recasts for a +18 (Int 47), recasts for a +19 (Int 48) and signs off with an Int of 49. In effect, the caster can gain (StartIntModx2-1) points of Int if you follow the algorithm through. A smackdown lich of Int 39 can wind up with a totally unbalanced gain of 27 PERMANENT INT POINTS (for total Int 66!). Worse, it is perilously difficult to undo. Since dispel doesn't work, you have to find the victim (who is at best imprisoned under the wizard's tower, and at worst imprisoned under the wizard's tower), or burn a limited wish or better.

What does the caster need? Virtually nothing. No XP, no expensive material component. Just a few smart peasants. This is at least on a par with wish, and possibly epic.

Mind Games

Equally bad. An opposing wizard has only a 25% chance of getting out, but the problem comes as the Int dichotomy progresses. Aforesaid Int 30 wizard can trap, with no chance of success, any character of Int 20 or less (realistically, any non-wizard), unless they make a Will save at -10 (i.e. probably need a 20). A 6th level spell, which, at range, gives a non-wizard a 95% chance of being permanently unconscious with no save and not even affected by dispel magic? Clearly superior to Maze (as you cannot coup de grace a Maze victim and this is permanent), clearly superior to Temporal Stasis (you cannot coup de grace a TS victim, TS can be dispelled and it requires a touch attack) and even superior to Imprisonment (you cannot coup de grace an Imprisonment victim, and it requires a touch attack), this is an epic spell, and a nasty one at that.

Mute Spell

Also broken (sorry). As a one-hit spell, this would probably be at 2nd, equal with Blindness/Deafness. As a one arrow/five levels spell, it's at least a 3rd.

Mental Wave

Make it 5th. It's probably at least as good as TK (aside from no 'Death by Ten Thousand Shurikens with Mental Wave )

Archer's Spirit

Too powerful at 4th. Best equivalent is GMW, with a +5/+5 potentially, but only affecting one weapon, not stacking with existing enhancement bonuses and not giving additional attacks per round. This is at least a very strong 5th, and possibly a 6th.

 

[Knowledge Sinkhole]

Now this is horrific. With a Permanent duration, you just gave all evil casters a +5 fully stackable Int mod (because who wouldn't use this is conjunction with Fox's Cunning). At top-level, assuming 30 Int, they can get +10 fully stackable Int mod. It gets worse. The new Int mod is what the spell is based off. So, the aforesaid top-level wizard (now Int 40) can cast again, gaining a +15 mod, althougth this supersedes the original +10. He then recasts for a +17 (Int 45), recasts for a +18 (Int 47), recasts for a +19 (Int 48) and signs off with an Int of 49. In effect, the caster can gain (StartIntModx2-1) points of Int if you follow the algorithm through. A smackdown lich of Int 39 can wind up with a totally unbalanced gain of 27 PERMANENT INT POINTS (for total Int 66!). Worse, it is perilously difficult to undo. Since dispel doesn't work, you have to find the victim (who is at best imprisoned under the wizard's tower, and at worst imprisoned under the wizard's tower), or burn a limited wish or better.

What does the caster need? Virtually nothing. No XP, no expensive material component. Just a few smart peasants. This is at least on a par with wish, and possibly epic.

The spell drains Int based on the target's Intelligence, not the caster's. Thus, if you want to get 27 points of Intelligence, you'd have to cast the spell on a creature with 64 Intelligence. Good luck finding that. Also, it does not stack with itself, as it states specifically, because it gives a named bonus (leech).

Other than that minor misunderstanding, I really appreciate your comments. I'm going to take another look at the spells, with your criticisms in mind.

 

[Al]

The spell drains Int based on the target's Intelligence, not the caster's. Thus, if you want to get 27 points of Intelligence, you'd have to cast the spell on a creature with 64 Intelligence. Good luck finding that. Also, it does not stack with itself, as it states specifically, because it gives a named bonus (leech).

Other than that minor misunderstanding, I really appreciate your comments. I'm going to take another look at the spells, with your criticisms in mind.

Fair enough then. Still powerful though. If the aforesaid wizard is fighting his equivalent opposite, he could leech 10 points of Int, which does stack with everything, which is still very powerful. Probably balanced at 8th/9th at the least.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I would make Thought Vampire 8th level - it stacks with everything else, and is permanent. The only other spell I know of that gives permanent ability score bonuses is Wish, and this is slightly less useful than that.