A query: Harm House rule users ONLY please

[Malin Genie]

As heal not only repairs hp damage but ability drain, insanity, poison, disease, etc I always thought that it was kind of liniting that harm only focused on hp damage.

I was playing around with the idea that Harm could inflict poison (as the poison spell), disease (as the contagion spell,) blindness, deafness, insanity (as the respective spells) or inflict hp damge (6d8 + caster level, maximum 30, in line with the inflict wounds progression.)

None of these effects would grant a save, but the caster has to choose which one to inflict.

Now, in commentary on your person/monster idea I have to agre with previous posters that it feels a little artificial (I note that the spells whch make person/monster distinctions are generally enchantment spells like Hold, Dominate....), but more importantly doesn't really redress the balance issue of the spell itself. It still leaves it as a "no save and lose (nearly) all your hp."

 

[mikebr99]

<mike> do you still retain the down to 1d4 hp or do you allow straight damage as Al does?

Hi Dash...
It does a straight 10 hps damage (or healing) per level. I have dropped the "to a min. of 1d4" out of the equation.

So an 11th level Cleric could touch someone for 110 damage (or healing), no save. etc.

Mike

 

[Cheiromancer]

I have exactly the same house-rule as mikebr99; 10 hp/level, to a minimum of 1d4 hp.

But the "multi-harm" variant sounds good. Contagion plus poison (I would make it strength or dex damage, not Con) plus damage (6d8 + level ), plus either blindness, deafness or insanity (roll d6: 1-2 is blindness, 3-4 is deafness, 5-6 is insanity).

 

[dvvega]

My house rule ... and the process I took to reach it ...

most touch spells (those requiring a touch attack roll) do not have a saving throw OR the save reduces the effect (this is not the standard though).

This would imply a touch and the spell works. However I find it out of whack with other spells of equal level, and the touch attack isn't that hard to make at the level of cleric required to cast Harm.

So I went with the reduced effect. It's a fortitude based save (thus keeping those 200 hit point fighters relatively safe, while wizards are not going to miss a whole lot of hit points) if the save is failed, Harm kicks in (all but 1d4 hitpoints) if not then the target receives an Inflict Critical Wounds.

I have found this is a good balance and the Inflict Critical Wounds damage is nasty enough to make Clerics want to cast it.

I never liked removing the all but 1d4 aspect because it is a great spell for evil clerics to use on their undead minions.