Campaign-specific remove enchantment spell

[Pielorinho]

In our game, the evil Wakyambi elves enslave spirits and humanoids using demon-tainted crystal shards hammered into their victims' foreheads: those bearing such a crystal are absolutely dominated (i.e., will stomp on puppies, sell their grandmother into slavery, anything), and it's an arduous operation to remove the crystal.

My PC, a dwarven druid with strong ties to Moradin, has gathered a few of these crystals from slain slaves and has spent several levels studying them. I'm now 17th level and am thinking of making a spell, "Purify Crystal," that frees a target from the enslavement.

What I'm looking for are some ideas for the spell's parameters. It should be ninth level. It will probably cause severe (like 2d6) ability damage to all three mental stats for the creature being freed from enslavement--note that while this will knock many creatures unconscious, it's nothing that can't be fixed by a follow-up Heal spell, and such a one-two punch could change the course of a battle.

So:
-What would be an appropriate range?
-Should there be a saving throw?
-Should there be a funky casting time?
-What other features should the spell have?

Daniel

 

[Machiavelli]

To me, THIS is the sort of thing that makes D&D so much fun! I'm going to think long and hard about this one, Daniel.

[Edit] I've had some prelimanary thoughts.

Range: Touch. Something as dramatic as freeing a mindslave from his evil domination by knocking him into a coma with concentrated arcane energy just SCREAMS touch spell.

Save: Will to partially negate. Make it an opposed Will check between the caster and the Wakyambi who enslaved the target, but the caster gets a +9 bonus for throwing the weight of his 9th-level spell at the problem. This has the feel of an epic struggle between the arcane forces that have trapped the soul, and those that work to free it.
If the caster fails the check, he takes the 2d6 mental damage himself. Regardless of who wins the battle, though, the target takes the mental damage, with a Will save for half damage.

Casting Time: Instantaneous.

That bit about the target always taking severe mental damage is iffy, except that it only works on the Wakyambi slaves, so it's not a catch-all damage spell. One with Mettel may not even take any damage!

 

[Pielorinho]

Interesting, Machiavelli--thanks!

Some comments:
1) It's divine energy, not arcane, that I'm using--but that's just nitpicking .
2) I think you're right that the range should be touch and the duration instantaneous.
3) I'm not sure about the dynamic for a save. First, the ritual ties the slave to a demon lord, and I don't want to be casting spells that indirectly target Ogrimach all the time . Second, I'm not sure what I think about a ninth-level spell having a touch range and a save--compare this to Dominate Monster, with a save and close range. (I guess Imprisonment is touch range and a save, but it's also a lot mroe powerful).

Daniel

 

[Cheiromancer]

Why not just use mordenkainen's disjunction? Magic items get a save, but even if they are 20th level items they'll only have a +12 to save. You should have a save DC in the high 20s, so that's acceptable.

A variant MDJ that only affects these crystals should impose a -4 to the save. It might be more suited to a druid, anyway.

If it is touch range and imposes ability damage I think it'd be quite a bit lower level. 7th or 6th maybe.

 

[kirstar]

As a DM to stop MDJ freeing all my NPC's evil mind slaves I would eitehr make them some sort of minor artifact or more llogically it kills them when teh crystal moves magic.

It all depends of course on how difficult the DM wants to make removing the crystals.

If he wanst to make it a real sacrifice then 500xp and a fort save for both caster and target or die.

if he wants to make it easy them limited wish or equiv to do the job.

You need to ask yourself though, is it easier just killing them rippingt he crystal out and rezzing them ?

 

[Cheiromancer]

Mass produced minor artifacts? I think that's stretching it a little. A heavy handed DM can do what he likes, of course; but if you have 17th level characters in your campaign you have to let them get away with stuff.

 

[Ferrum]

3) I'm not sure about the dynamic for a save.

I agree with you here Daniel. From what I know about the campaign, your targets are all going to be willing to have this cast on them, its the enchantment you're breaking that is against being removed.

It might be more work for the DM, but perhaps you could ask that the spell requires a caster level check against the person who crowned the target. That's what would make the most sense to me.

A more simplified version would be having the crystal have a spell resistance towards this spell, and having to make a caster level check to overcome that.

Those ideas aside, I'd agree that for a 9th level spell, having it always work seems plausible.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Alternatively, the touch attack has to hit the actual crystal... out of combat it would not be much of a problem..

In combat, say the Crystal is size Tiny... and AC bonus as needed

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