DotF Spell: Spikes

[Larcen]

Re: Larcen's NUA/NMA

These spells have as their target an OBJECT, and as thus the register as a permanently magicked/non-magicked item.

So "You" is not an object.

Area dispel's (from he SRD)

So I can't see it fooling an area dispel, as written. But I like the idea, and perhaps it should be included in area dispels.

Ok, I dug up the old thread and reread it. The NUA solution is more involved than I remembered, but it is still worth reading. If interested, take a look here:

http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2344&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

 

[RogueJK]

First, your cleric is the only melee fighter in the party?! How did THAT happen? How long you guys been playing like that, and how many people are in the party? Sounds like you guys are asking for trouble.

Well, we've been playing for 7 months. Of those, we've only had the Cleric as our sole melee fighter for about 3 weeks.

I used to have a Dwarven Battlerager (Fighter/Barbarian). He was our only melee fighter. He died, recently, so I replacd him with a Cleric (since we lacked a Cleric, and we sorely needed one).

We're currently around 16th level. Our party is made up of:
Elven Bard/Wizard/Lasher - he doesn't really do much... He kinda just stands around and looks cool. He's got some nifty utility spells, though, and he's pretty handy with his whip. He's played by the DM as a sort of support character, so we don't mind. Great for comic relief. (He was originally the party's only source of healing.)

Elven Fighter/Wizard/Arcane Archer - our ranged attacker. Incredibly high to-hit bonuses, and magic arrows, too.

Elven Sorceress/Air Elemental Savant - our major firepower. Those Chain Lightnings and Prismatic Sprays have saved our butts more times that I can count.

Human Monk/Rogue - our scout. Very good against low AC opponents, but her "Flurry of Misses" tend to put her in bad positions. Her high AC and magic items have allowed her to easily survive, though.

Human Cleric/Church Inquisitor/Divine Disciple/Contemplative - my cleric. ::evil grin:: A Divine Inquisitor of Tyr who has a lot of neat special abilities to help us out. Persistant Spell and Extend Spell are his friends...

Claudius (my cleric) is great in battle, until my DM introduces some Dispel Magics of Anti-Magic Fields. He has a couple of good damage spells (Fire Storm, Slime Wave, Destruction, etc.) but once those are used up, he's relegated to the Fighter role. All the PrCs have severely weakened his BAB, so once Divine Power is dispelled or negated, he's just a guy in a suit of plate mail.

Of the last 3 battles we've fought, he's been completely useless in one, in which we were fighting an order of undead knights who were all protected by anti-magic fields. In another, he was severely weakened by a series of about 4 Dispel Magics in a row.

In the most recent battle, however, he beat the crap out of an Ancient Dragon, in a battle in which he was the only person who could hit the Dragon on anything besides a Natural 20. Our Archer would have helped a lot, if he hadn't been turned to stone by a Beholder that we had killed a few minute before (Freakin' Beholders... )

 

[Larcen]

Well, we've been playing for 7 months...

HA! I really enjoyed reading all that. Thanks for posting it. I wish you had more detail on that dragon fight though! Wow.

It does sound like your cleric should be taking advantage of the Nystul's spell technique I mentioned. Check out that link I posted and see what you think.

("Flurry of Misses" LOL! Too funny.)

BTW, I wish we were using non-core like you guys. The comtemplative PrC always looked so cool to me. How do you like it so far? Also, what are your domains? That Celerity domain seems way too powerful to me.

 

[Larcen]

Off Topic?

Say it just occurred to me, but I am getting way off topic here. Sorry everyone. Don't mind me...

 

[RogueJK]

It does sound like your cleric should be taking advantage of the Nystul's spell technique I mentioned. Check out that link I posted and see what you think...

...The comtemplative PrC always looked so cool to me. How do you like it so far? Also, what are your domains? That Celerity domain seems way too powerful to me.

I *would* use the Nystul's trick, if anybody in my group could cast it, and had Heighten Spell. Sadly, it is a Sor/Wiz only spell, and none of the Arcane casters have it.

For domains, my cleric has War, Retribution, Knowledge, Inquisition, and Celerity. That's not the most domains that a cleric can have, but I'm pretty sure it's close.

In case you were wondering, Claudius is a Cleric5/Divine Disciple5/Inquisitor4/Contemplative1 of Tyr. (I just gained another level, and I'm trying to decide whether to take a level as an Inquisitor or Contemplative.)

I've only taken one level in Contemplative, so I can't really comment on the class. It doesn't seem too overpowered to me, since it has a minumum level of 10 to get in (13 ranks in Knowledge: Religion), you only get a d6 for Hit Points, and you have a Wizard's BAB progression. The access to two extra Prestige Domains is really the only powerful part of the class, and that depends on which domains you choose. Some are overly powerful, and others are less powerful than some regular domains.

The Celerity domain is fairly powerful, but not nearly as much for a low Dex, heavy armor guy like Claudius. The Initiative bonus is really all that I benefit from, since he rarely, if ever, uses a ranged weapon, and the bonus to speed only applies when wearing light armor. It is nice having a cleric who can haste himself, though.

Out of the Prestige Domains, I'd say that Summoning is the most overpowered. It doubles your caster level for all Summon Monster spells. That's just crazy... Divination is pretty nice, too. It gives you +2 to your caster level for all Divination spells. Most other domains only give you +1. Combined with the Knowledge Domain, you could have +3 to your caster level for all Divinations!

 

[Pielorinho]

Greatswords, I think, have a striking edge. Clubs have a striking surface.

If you want the edge of your ironwood greatsword to sprout long thorns, be my guest -- but if I were your DM, you'd be doing a lot less base damage with the sword, probably closer to a heavy mace's damage or less. Greatswords are designed for slicing people, not pounding them, but the thorns will keep you from doing any effective slicing.

Daniel

 

[Voadam]

NUA trick

RogueJK,

To use the Nystul's trick, if either of the elven wizard's has the heigten spell feat, offer to pay for the first level spell NUA. If not then you can still get it into the party by buying a wand of heightened NUA (that should still be within your means at your level, I would think) and giving it to any of the 3 arcane casters who have it on their spell lists. I don't expect many people to have the heighten feat so the wand is probably your best bet.

Glad you like the trick, I'm a bit proud of it.

I would also agree with Pielorinho that the most natural interpretation of striking surface would be distinct from a blades edge. It sounds like the spell adds spikes to bludgeoning weapons although I can picture a sawtoothed sword or axe.

What is the text of the spell (I don't own DotF)

magic weapon provides enhancement bonuses to attacks as well so it sounds like they would not stack

"Magic weapon gives a weapon a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls."

It would seem pretty odd for a weapon spike spell's enhancement bonus to be to the wielder's attack, not the weapon's.

 

[Pielorinho]

I looked last night at the spell's description. I think the only reason they specify that the enhancement bonus is "to attack rolls" is because it specifically DOESN'T apply to damage rolls. It's a bizarre reading to think that an enhancement bonus to a weapon stacks with an enhancement bonus to an attack roll, since the weapon's enhancement bonus applies to attack and damage rolls.

No way would I let these stack. Even though the damage bonus for spikes isn't named, furthermore, I'd consider it an enhancement bonus for purposes of stacking with magic weapons.

This interpretation removes some of the spell's silliness, while keeping (I think) very firmly within the spirit and mostly within the letter of the rules.

Daniel