[Dusk] 10 Black Spells.

[Michael Morris]

Black won the contents by a hair.... So let's start drafting spells out for this color for next month.

Terror
Illusion (Phantasm) [Fear, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Black 7, Sor/Wiz 8

As phantasmal killer, but the damage on a successful fortitude save increases to 6d6, and both saves are made at a -4 penalty.


Persecute
Enchantment (Metamagic)
Level: Black 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One action
Range: Medium
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes.

Choose a color. If the targetted creature fails its will save all spells of the chosen color are lost as if they were not prepared. Bards, sorcerers and other casters who do not prepare spells are immune to this spell.

Material Component: A strand from a whip.


Sadistic Glee
Transmutation (Enhancement) [Evil]
Level: Black 2, Cleric (Shadrea) 2
Components: V, S, DF, Divine
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature Touched
Duration: 1 minute per level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

Each time the touched creature kills a living creature he gains a +1 unholy bonus to attack and a +1 unholy bonus to damage for the duration of the spell. The maximum bonus of this spell is +10.

Divine Component: You must expend a rebuke undead attempt in addition to a spell slot when you cast this spell.


Addle
Enchantment (Metamagic)
Level: Black 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One round
Range: Medium
Target: One Creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You choose a color. The targetted creature must choose a spell of that color and lose the preparation of the spell. You know which spell they chose.


Agonizing Memories
Enchantment [Evil, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Black 4, Clr (Damosi) 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round / level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject falls into a coma and recalls his most agonizing memories repeatedly for the duration of the spell. For 1d4 rounds after emerging from the coma the subject will be emotionally distraught and be limited to partial actions.


Dark Banishing
Abjuartion (Dispel) [Evil]
Level: Black 5, Clr (Damosi, Shadrea) 5
Components: V, S, Divine

As banishing, but this spell has no effect on evil aligned creatures or "black" creatures (those summoned from Sodrea - see the revised description of summon monster I ). Further you must make a rebuke roll and be able to affect the hit dice of the creature(s) you targetted.


Sirrom's Rite
Enchantment (Metamagic)
Level: Black 7, Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One round
Range: Personal
Effect: 60' emanation from the targetted creature or point.
Duration: 1 round / level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

Whenever any other caster casts a prepared spell in the area of effect they must make a saving throw and any applicable spell resistance. If they fail they lose another spell preparation of the same level or higher than the spell they cast.

Bards, sorcerers and other spontaneous casters are immune to this spell.


Carnival of Souls
Necromancy (Spirtual, Healing) [Evil]
Level: Black 7, Cleric (Shadrea) 7
Components: V, S, Divine x 2
Casting Time: One action
Range: Personal
Effect: 60' emanation.
Duration: 1 round / level (D)

Whenver a creature dies within the area of effect you are healed 2 hit points per HD of the slain creature.

Divine Component: You must expend 2 uses of the rebuke undead ability to cast this spell.


Mind Rot
Enchantment (Metamagic) [Evil]
Level: Black 5
Components: V, S

As Lobotomy (see below), affecting spontaneous casters instead of casters who prepare their spells.


Dark Edict
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Black 6, Cleric (Damosi) 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One action
Range: Personal
Effect: 60' emanation.
Duration: 1 round / level (D)
Saving Throw: Fort 1/2
Spell Resistance: Yes

Whenever a white spell is cast in the area of effect, its caster is dealt 2 hit points / level of the spell they cast and you are healed by that amount.

 

[Hashmalum]

Addle

(snip)

Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)

I'd say the spell is anything but harmless. "Harmless" spells are those the target normally won't want to resist.

If the target creature fails it's will save you learn what spells they have prepared. Choose one spell. They lose that spell preparation. Bards, sorcerers and other spontaneous casters are immune to this spell.

Just knowing what spells the target has prepared warrants somewhat higher than 1st level IMO. To detect a creature's Intelligence and surface thoughts is a second level spell.

Agonizing Memories

(snip)

Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)

Again, I wouldn't call this spell "harmless".

 

[Michael Morris]

You're right - neighter of those spells is harmless - I overlooked their saving throw line because I was using cut & past to save time.

As to Addle's level, I'd like to get some more opinions on this one. Remember that although the spell is 1st level, it is NOT available to 1st level characters. The lowest level caster that can wield it would be 6th. This is one of the reasons why some magi spells are underleveled.

 

[Xarlen]

These look all yumma.

Gimmie another aimed at Sorcerors and Bards.

 

[Bean 2.0]

must kill bards

 

[Mordane76]

As to Addle's level, I'd like to get some more opinions on this one. Remember that although the spell is 1st level, it is NOT available to 1st level characters. The lowest level caster that can wield it would be 6th. This is one of the reasons why some magi spells are underleveled.

Still, the power granted by this spell is both incredibly divinatory, and knowledge is power. Even a day's look at a wizard gives you a great idea of what spells he has access to all the time, because even preparing spellcasters are usually preparing mostly the same spells everyday. This aspect of the spell, in and of itself, puts in on par with Detect Thoughts, which is second level, and the "force a discard" aspect of the spell is akin to a pre-emptive counterspell; I'd say this spell should be third level. While the lowest level caster that can wield it is sixth... still, perhaps it should be a Black 1, Wiz/Sor 3, just so that people can see that it takes a good deal more power to wield for those who are not black magi.

 

[Michael Morris]

Changes Made to Initial Post!!

Since Lobotomy is referenced I'll repost it here in an editted form...

Lobotomy
Enchantment (Metamagic) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Blue 5, Drd 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes

Name a spell and make a touch attack. If the touched creature has the named spell prepared, he loses all preparations of the spell and the ability to cast the spell as if it where not on his spell list. If the creature does not have the spell prepared the lobotomy is wasted.

Sorcerers and bards, who do not prepare spells, are immune to this spell.
The effect of this spell requires a restoration or greater magic to undo.


To make this change make sense, the broken, broken feeblemind spell has to move to make room for this "discard" theme. Tolerating the spell at 5th level is one thing, but when a spell is blocking other balanced spells from being coined, it's time for it to be moved and changed....

Feeblemind
Enchantment (Metamagic) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Black 7, Druid 8, Sor Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: One Round
Range: Medium
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates (see text)
Spell Resistance:

The subject is rendered incapacle of employing spells, spell-like abilities, psionics, or supernatural abilities. The creature's Intelligence is dropped 1d4 points / level of the caster, to a minimum of 3. The creature remains in this state until a restoration or more powerful magic is used upon the creature.

Material Component: A handful of clay, crystal, glass or mineral spheres.


Again, feeblemind has to be moved in order to make the other "discard" spells make sense for their levels. Why use lobotomy or mind rot to remove the ability to use one spell at 5th level, when feeblemind can nix them all? Persecute is 6th level, any lower and it's broken - yet feeblemind is more powerful at 5th?? Yes, feeblemind doesn't remove the spells from memory, but it does remove the ability - and even persecute doesn't block characters from preparing new spells later on. So feeblemind is moved to make it's power comparable to the existing spells instead of letting it be a "legacy" spell completely out of whack with other 5th level spells....

Now, with it out of the way and the other spell rip spells lifted in level other "discard" spells can be coined.

 

[Technik4]

The more I think about dusk the less I think it needs conventional spells. This isnt so much an observation based on these black spells, but just in general. I wonder if theres some variant that could be made with only 6 lists: the 5 colors, and a universal list.

Wizards would get to pick out of only 1 list (including universal), but would get the most variety (ie, they can use spells of the friendly colors as long as they are 1 level lower than their true color, possibly with feats to become a dual-color mage), sorcerors could pick up to 2 colors, but would never be able to use any other color's spells (limited spell list, many spells/day). Clerics would get their colors based on deity, and druids would get green and friendly spells 1 level lower.

Then the magi prestige class could be used to show further devotion to a color, perhaps restricting straight classes in some way. Like, you can only cast up to 5th level spells as a straight class. Then you either dip in to the magic class to be a "straight" mage, or you multi-class to other classes, or join a specific prc for what you are doing (like an order for a deity, a druid prc, or some multi-classed-ish prc (ie Arcane Trickster).

Obviously this would require a lot of work..but morris do you think this could be a variant magic for dusk? It would emphasize a lower magic setting in that spells in general are limited for everyone, and in general they should be less powerful than the phb spells. Some phb spells could be used, but some could be deleted, in favor of more color-ish spells. In other words, get rid of feeblemind and keep the "discard" spells for black.

Maybe Im just crazy

Technik

 

[Michael Morris]

My original idea with the magi was to make them the only spellcasters. That didn't go over well with my players, not all of whom were fans of the MtG game. Having the magi as a set of prestige classes was a compromise and in the end a good one.

While I like to add to the rules, I do not particularly like changing them. Further, I want to make sure that, at the very least, 1st level characters generated using only the core rules will fit in. For one, this keeps my options open as a GM. For instance, if I'm running short on ideas for an adventure I can still plug a module into the setting - indeed I have done this before although this isn't reflected in the setting as it is presented online.

Changing rules can rapildly raise the learning curve. The only rule I routinely use is the spell point system, and that one takes some getting used to. It is also the key limiter on spell users in the setting. While low level spell casters aren't affected all that much, high level casters are reduced to casting maybe 1 / 10th the number of spells they can under the normal rules.

Despite using the spell point rules, I try to keep the spells that need them to be present to a minimum because I do want the setting materials to be portable enough to be used by others. I sincerely doubt anyone has ever run this setting other than me, but individual spells and ideas have leaked into other settings and that's the way I want it to be.

BTW, there is a universal list for magi - Gold spells.

 

[Michael Morris]

More Dark Evil spells ideas...

Despondency
Evocation (Invoke)
Level: Black 4, Clr (Damosi) 5
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Close
Target: One Creature
Duration: 1 round / level
Saving Throw: Fort Neg.
Spell Resistance: Yes

You call upon the divine power of your patron to strike down the strength of your foe. The targetted creature's base attack bonus is set to 0 and its STR score set to 3.

This spell counters and is countered by divine power

This spell can be disenchanted


Gloom *
Enchantment (Metamagic)
Level: Black 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Personal
Effect: 120' emenation
Duration: 1 minute / level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

White spells cost 3 more spell points to cast. This spell is not available if spell point rules are not used.


Discordant Dirge
Enchantment (Metamagic) [Sonic]
Level: Black 4, Brd 4
Components: V, S, Song
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Personal
Target: All who hear within 60'
Duration: While Sung
Saving Throw: Will Neg. (See Text)
Spell Resistance: Yes

While this song plays all other spellcasters who hear it have their spellcasting ability eroded away. On the each round this song is played spell preparationa are lost by all who fail their willpower saving throw. The level(s) of the spell preparations must add up to the number of rounds this song has been heard by the creature. Cantrips count as 1/2 a level for this purpose. A penalty to the willpowers save equal to the number of rounds the song has been played is applied to the roll. Spell resistance is checked only once agains this spell, but willpower saves are made each round the spell is in effect.

For example, Aron begins play of this song on round 1 of the combat and on that round all spellcasters make their save (which is at a -1 penalty because the song has ran 1 round). On the second round Teresa fails her save and now must drop 2 levels worth of spells - either 4 cantrips, 2 1st level spells or a 2nd level spell. Her save was made at a -2 penalty. If noone stops Aron's song on the third round everyone will save at a -3 penalty.

Song Component: You must use a bardic song ability in addition to the spell slot to cast this spell.


No Rest for the Wicked
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Black 3, Clr (Shadrea) 4, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Close
Target: One or more corpses in range.
Duration: 1 round / level
Saving Throw: None.
Spell Resistance: No.

This spell returns unlife to a number of corpses up to twice your level in hit dice. Those corpses must have been previously animated and destroyed via hit point loss on the same day this spell is cast. Corpses that have been utterly destroyed (through fire, disintegration, high level turning, etc.) cannot be restored by this spell. When this spell ends all corpses animated fall disanimate.


Recurring Nightmare
Enchantment (Charm) [Evil, Mind Affecting]
Level: Black 6, Clr (Shadrea) 6, Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Will Negates.
Spell Resistance: Yes.

The creature ensorcelled by this spell suffers violent recurring nightmares (hence the name). She gains no benefit from rest or sleep and so cannot naturally heal or regain spell potential.

The magic of this evil spell is broken by break enchantment, dispel evil, remove greater curse or more powerful magic. Noticing the spell can be difficult though as it only radiates an aura while the spell is active (i.e. the subject is asleep).

Creatures that do not sleep (dragons, elves but not half-elves) are immune to this spell.


Parasitic Bond
Conjuration (Healing) [Evil]
Level: Black 5, Clr (Shadrea) 6
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 hour / level
Saving Throw: Fort Negates.
Spell Resistance: Yes.

When the ensorcelled creature would benefit from magical healing, the spell affects you instead.


Tainted Aether
Abjuration (Ward) [Evil]
Level: Black 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Close
Effect: 60' radius emenation
Duration: 1 hour / level
Saving Throw: Fort Negates. (see text)
Spell Resistance: Yes (see text)

Creatures who enter the area of effect through magic (teleport, dimension door summoning or calling spells etc.) It gains 1 negative energy level. Non-black Summoned creatures are not entitled to a saving throw or spell resistance.


Unnerver
Enchantment (Metamagic)
Level: Black 3, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Medium
Effect: 30' radius burst
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will Negates.
Spell Resistance: Yes

All spellcasters other than you who are caught in the area of effect of this spell must choose a number of spell preparations whose levels add up to twice your level and lose them. Cantrips cost as 1/2 level spells. Bards and sorcerers, who do not prepare spells, are immune.


Victimize
Necromancy
Level: Black 4, Clr (Damosi) 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: One Action
Range: Special
Effect: One or two summoned creatures
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No.
Spell Resistance: None.

Choose one or two creatures you have summoned. They die and you are healed the amount of hit points they had.


Subversion
Necromancy [Death]
Level: Black 8

As circle of death, but you gain 1 hit point for each hit die slain.