Custom Spell: Alyssarhi's Xenomorphic Infusion

[Velenne]

Alyssarhi’s Xenomorphic Infusion
Conjuration (Summoning) [see text]
Level: Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level (D)

The caster of this spell summons the spirit of an outsider who infuses part of its power into the caster’s body, causing wondrous and fearful changes. Apply either the Celestial, Fiendish, Air, Earth, Fire, or Water templates to the character as if he were a creature with Hit Dice equal to 3/4 his caster level. For instance, a 12th level caster could apply the Earth template to himself as if he were an 8 HD creature.

The caster's type remains unchanged as the transformation is only partial, but he does gain the subtype of whichever elemental spirit (if any) he chooses. Only one type of outsider can be summoned with each casting of this spell. The influence of the Outsider's spirit is readily apparent to any who look upon the caster, but may manifest differently from spirit to spirit.

When you use this spell to summon an outsider spirit, it is a spell of that creature's type. For example, it is a lawful and evil spell when cast to summon the spirit of a devil, or a fire spell when used to summon the spirit of a fire creature.

 

[Velenne]

This is a custom spell created by what will be a 13th level Sorceror/Summoner (Relics and Rituals I; using a celestial matron). I chose Conjuration because that's his specialty and that's where he would draw the knowledge from for its creation.

In creating this spell, I looked at Ghostform (a 5th level spell from T&B) which allows the caster to become incorporeal and used the variables from that. I also looked at Aspect of the Diety (a 6th level spell from Defenders of the Faith).

This spell allows a caster to choose from many possible beneficial forms, so it's definately more powerful than Ghostform. The templates are very well balanced against one another (and the choice for available templates is based the cosmology from our home-brew world) already so I wasn't worried about that. Aspect of the Diety grants the full benefits of the Celestial template though, so I used the "3/4 caster level" clause to balance out the number of choices further.

 

[Technik4]

Regardless of your characters specialty, it seems like its clearly a transmutation. Both the spells you based it off of are transmutations, as is polymorph self, other, shapechange, and a slew of other self-morph-type spells (Change Self, Alter Self, Tensers Transformation). Your character can't change the way magic works on his on whims.

I understand that you changed the spell so you "summon" a spirit to "infuse" yourself with, but it still seems like a transmutation to me. I wouldnt allow someone to make a conjuration that "summoned" a spirit to cast an illusion, so neither would I allow this. YMMV.

Technik

 

[Ciaran]

Technik4 is correct; this clearly should be a transmutation spell. Of course, spells have been known to cross school lines for various reasons; let's not ignore the Power Word spells, that incorporate the effects of a variety of other schools into the Conjuration school. But they're something of a sacred cow, with a history dating back to 1st Edition AD&D, and so they're a bit beyond the scope of this discussion.

If you want this spell to be a Conjuration spell, the change really should be more than cosmetic. Perhaps you must first trap the spirit using a Planar Binding spell, or you must make a Will save to avoid having it take over your body for the spell duration. But as it is, I can't see putting it into the Conjuration school.

 

[Velenne]

Not that I want to offend the great weave of magic, or alter the reality of the way magic works in our fantasy world, but the school seems like kind of an inconsequential thing to nit-pick over. Besides just the Power Word examples, there are many more spells which might seem to duplicate the effects of other schools. Further, our custom magic system allows for some overlap between schools (as we have nearly twenty of them, some redundancy is expected) so I don't think it's too big of a deal.

The idea of binding the spirit is a good one but I don't want to add a potential drawback if the spell doesn't need it, and right now I don't think it does. But some of you may feel diffently. Feel free to comment:

 

[DreamChaser]

If conjuration (which I like the idea of) then this spell would be blocked by effects that prevent planar travel and summoning.

If transmutation (which would be lame since everything else is already transmutation, the most bloated and overused school in any incarnation of D&D. period) then this spell would only be blocked by antimagic because the effect would be internal to the caster (which is why so many spells end up here)

*rolls eyes* now that the completely useless school discussion is out of the way.

Make the HD equal to his level up to the sixth level spell effect cap. The 3/4 thing just begs for arguments during games about rounding up or down.

Make it a full round casting spell (to balance the higher hit dice)

Add (if you have the Manual of the Planes) the Axiomatic, Anarchic, Ice, and Wood templates to the list. Make sure you note that the Celestial & Fiendish (along with the Axiomatic and Anarchic) templates are alignment specific so they count as a spell of that alignment.

Other than that, the spell looks okay to me.
DC

 

[Velenne]

The 3/4 thing just begs for arguments during games about rounding up or down

It's 3E man! Always round down!

Make the HD equal to his level up to the sixth level spell effect cap

I'm not so sure that would be balanced. The minimum caster level of a 6th level spell (11 caster level = 11 HD) would ensure that all but the bare minimum caster level would gain the full benefits of these templates. *shrug*

 

[Vadicus]

Hmmm

Apply either the Celestial, Fiendish, Air, Earth, Fire, or Water templates to the character as if he were a creature with Hit Dice equal to 3/4 his caster level. For instance, a 12th level caster could apply the Earth template to himself as if he were an 8 HD creature.

Can you summon an 8 HD creature at 6th level? It would seem more fair to use 1/2 caster level (and easier to calculate).

 

[Velenne]

I don't understand the relevancy of your first question. You go backwards, not forwards with the 3/4 HD.

For instance, a 12th level caster could apply the Earth template to himself as if he were an 8 HD creature.

A 6th level caster can't cast this spell. Minimum is 11th level (if you're a wizard), and you'd get 8 HD.

...

Hehe, gooo math skills. Change that to "as if he were a 9 HD creature." 12 * .75 = 9, not 8. This is why I took the Math For Idiots college course.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand:

The reason it's not half is because if that were the case, only a 24th level caster would gain the full benefits of most of the templates and that seemed FAR too excessive. A 24th level wizard would scoff at SR 24 (as would any of his enemies) from the celestial template, or an extra 2d6 damage with his unarmed melee strikes from the fire template (look I'm an epic level wizard in melee! FEAR all ye uber-HD epic monsters!) .

 

[Velenne]

Also DC:

I considered adding those other templates but it seemed to overemphasize the utility of the spell, and thus throwing off the balance. This way seemed to allow for the most general and largest of the planes (in our cosmology) to be tapped.