Pathfinder 1E Advice for a plot-device as a Spell?

[koesherbacon]

Basically, while the PCs are utterly destroying a group of much lower level thugs, someone else in the inn is going to cast a spell on each of them. The thugs were a distraction, and are doing their job perfectly, since the PCs probably won't notice someone egging on the barfight casting a "Still" "Silent" "Persistent Spell". (Using Greater Rods of XYZ because I realize all those metamagics were going to make the spell-level quite high, but I think I will only need this enemy of theirs to cast it once.

Here's what I have...

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Mister Sandman

• School: Necromancy or Enchantment, not sure which this falls under
• Level: Cleric 8, Sorcerer/Wizard 8, Bard 4, Paladin 4, Witch 7
• Casting Time: Full-round Action
• Components: V, S, M (sand)
• Rage: Medium. Can be increased with “Enlarge Spell”
• Targets: 1 creature per 2 caster levels within line of sight. Can be improved upon with “Focused Spell” and “Persistent Spell”
• Duration: Wears off after 8 hours. Can be increased with “Extend Spell”
• Saving Throw: Will partial
• Spell Resistance: No

Waves of extreme fatigue and exhaustion overflow the target’s psyche, overloading their nervous system with a desire to sleep which cannot be stopped.


Targets who fail their Will save immediately fall unconscious and are asleep for 8 hours, as though they are taking an extended rest. Nothing can wake up the targets after they have fallen unconscious except for literally sleeping it off for 8 hours other than a Greater Dispel Magic. Even so, the target DC to dispel this once in effect is the original DC of the spell +5.


Targets who make their Will save, are instead Exhausted for the 8-hour duration of the spell. If they take an extended rest or are given magical means to overcome Exhaustion, they then are Fatigued for the remaining time of the spell. No magic can cure this Fatigue.


When using “Persistent Spell”… Should a target make their original Will save and become Exhausted, the next round they must make an additional save against the original spell but with a -10 penalty due to the exhaustion they are currently experiencing.


Note: This spell should not be used as anything more than a plot-device by DMs.

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So, what do you think of it so far? What needs work? During this battle, I just need all the PCs in the party to fall unconscious so we can carry onto the next leg of the adventure I'm writing. Falling unconscious is an absolute necessity for this encounter, and I would like to do it more or less by the book instead of Deus Ex Machina'ing it (God I hope I used that term correctly here).

I already looked throughout d20pfsrd to see if there's anything like what I'm looking for, but when I used the Advanced Spell Search and typed in "unconscious" into the "Spell Text" box with all sources selected, all I got were these results and none of them could do anything close to what I'm hoping to achieve.

Call Weapon (Lvl 1)
Color Spray (Lvl 1)
Cultural Adaptation (Lvl 1*)
Lend Judgment (Lvl 1)
Lock Gaze (Lvl 1)
Sleep (Lvl 1)
Undine's Curse (Lvl 1)
Holy Shield (Lvl 2)
Stalwart Resolve (Lvl 2*)
Status (Lvl 2*)
Surmount Affliction (Lvl 2)
Blood Rage (Lvl 3*)
Blaze of Glory (Lvl 4)
Shadow Barbs (Lvl 4*)
Sleepwalk (Lvl 4)
Hostile Juxtaposition (Lvl 5*)
Song of Discord (Lvl 5)
Suffocation (Lvl 5)
Battlemind Link (Lvl 6*)
Unconscious Agenda (Lvl 6)
Limited Wish (Lvl 7)
Earthquake (Lvl 8)
Nine Lives (Lvl 8*)
Scintillating Pattern (Lvl 8)

if you know of something that I don't, please share it with me

Please share with me your thoughts! If you like what I have but think it needs some tweaking let me know! If you don't like it at all and want to share the spell you'd design to achieve the same effects, let me know!

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

A few thoughts...

First, I know nothing about spell balance, can't help you there.

Secondly, It might help if we knew what level and classes your PCs are.

Thirdly, I'm not sure how this is not railroading the party, since you have a very specific objective for them to lose the battle. There is nothing wrong with this per-se, as long as it's clear with everyone that you are doing this on purpose and it's part of the story. I really like how you've built it into the combat encounter and I could see it being entertaining.

Fourth, consider the Witch Hex Slumber as an effective way to try to knock out your PCs. No HD cap on the target, it's a Supernatural ability so shouldn't have and somatic or verbal components. The DC for the save increases with the Witche's level, so make it a high level npc. Just keep in mind that one cannot be the target of this hex more than once per 24 hours. Perhaps combine this Hex (will save) + Drow poison, Blue Winnis poison (Fort saves) + other options to target different PCs with different save strengths.

The spell Suffocation should do what you're aiming to do here, as long as the caster dismisses the spell after the PC falls unconscious. As long as the caster pays attention and dismisses the spell, you don't end up killing the PC.

Finally, consider other ways to incapacitate the PCs. if you can bind them in a spell or trap, you can get manacles or something similar on them while they are conscious. Perhaps some are asleep, some are just bound. The greatest of combatants is still stuck at the bottom of a 20' pit if he has no way to get out. This allows those who stay awake to see what is happening/where they are going even if they can't do anything about it, they can report to the party members who did fall asleep. If you really need them to be asleep or unable to perceive what is going on, slip the bound PC a drug or blindfold/gag/stuff a head in a bag after they are locked in chains.

However, be prepared that this might fail. Players like winning, and so they're going to try everything they can to avoid failing at this.

I tried knocking my party out once in a 3.5 game. They had escaped prison and had a Bounty Hunter pursuing. My plan was to have the main Bounty Hunter keep them occupied while the ranged attacker hit the party with Drow poison arrows. (Here is info for the Pathfinder Version) and I increased the DC for resisting the effects. The plan was for the Archer to keep filling them with arrows until the entire party went down and was manacled.
What actually happened was the Sorcerer went to sleep and was bored for the rest of the night, while the party killed the Archer, engaged in an epic battle with the Bounty Hunter who was much higher level than the PCs, and the PC Barbarian killed the Bounty Hunter, than died when his HP dropped after rage ended.
It was awesome, exciting, (they still talk about the battle year later) but totally not what I had planned. I let them ruin my plans and adjusted accordingly. Be prepared to do the same.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Note: This spell should not be used as anything more than a plot-device by DMs.
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Falling unconscious is an absolute necessity for this encounter, and I would like to do it more or less by the book instead of Deus Ex Machina'ing it (God I hope I used that term correctly here).

Honestly, this is a contradiction. If you've decided that they're going to fall asleep, simply do that, possibly having them roll a save but never identifying what for. That is by the book; the book gives the DM blanket authority.

I'm not sure what you would gain by writing a spell that serves no purpose other than, well, deus ex machina. The fact that it's in writing doesn't make it any less so.

if you know of something that I don't, please share it with me

I think you missed Deep Slumber, which apparently has a Mythic upgrade that would allow it to serve your purpose. This seems like the sort of thing that Mythic rules were intended to rationalize.

Of course, even if you use a spell that's in an actual book, you still have to accept that they might make the save, and the amount of contrivance you'll have to go through to get what you want still amounts to, well, deus ex machina. If you won't accept any outcome other than them falling asleep, you're really subverting the point of the mechanics.

Which isn't such a bad thing. People do it all the time, in D&D and in fiction in general. That's why there's an expression for it.