Elements of Magic: Questions for the Designer

[Dalamar]

I think the text on the Combining enhancement for Transform is a bit confusing. Lets see if I got it right:
1)You can have another creature absorbed in another, effectively taking the other out for the duration unless they can win the Cha check to control the body. (Does this work if you have Range: Touch, by the way?)
2) You can combine them so that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, essentially creating a new creature. You prolly need the Strong Creature enhancement for this (when? if the new creature's CR is higher than the higher of the two combined? Than the lower?).
3) You can combine the creatures, taking the better of every trait from the two. Don't need Strong Creature.

And on a personal note, I think it's odd that you can change a high-CR creature to anything with same or less CR creature cheaply, but if you choose a slightly more powerful creature, the cost jumps a lot. I.e. you have a frost giant (CR 9). He can change to a a hill giant with a cantrip, but if he wants to become a fire giant (CR 10), he needs to pay 20mp for a one point increase in his CR. Couldn't the Strong Creature enhancement be based on relative CR instead of absolute? So the frost giant in my example would only need 2mp instead.

 

[Kemrain]

That is perhaps the weirdest idea I've ever heard. Screwhead's idea doesn't quite work, because the area of effect would just let people leave their bodies, it wouldn't force them. And I'd never considered costing out a rolling area of effect Move Force spell that constantly changes who it affects.

As for Kemrain's idea, I'll have to reread the exact text of the spell, but I guess maybe yeah that could work. Weird.

Cool.

Is there a way, under EoMr, that you can become incorporeal without leaving your body behind?

My GM said, in our game, "because a Demon's body and soul are one, Move Life would make their whole being incorporeal," and ruled that my Half-Demon could do it that way; however, this doesn't help mortal casters. Might there be a more powerful version of Move Life that didn't leave a shell behind? My Ghost Touch-Enchanted, Incorporeal, Untouchable Combat Monster build needs it. Heheheh.

- Kemrain the Undying.

PS: I hope that my incessant badgering proves helpful in your design of Lycean Arcana. I don't want to be a bother, but I want to make sure LA has everything I could need in an expansion to EoMr, and I'm enjoying the process of figuring all this stuff out. Thanks for answering all our questions.

- Kemrain the Thankful.

 

[Kemrain]

To make the idea of Move Life/Move Force creating a Bubble of Out of Body Experiences less strange, try the same combo with the other Move Spells.

Move Death: With a 10' radius AoE, you could anchor people in place in the streets as you passed by. With a 60' radius, you'd be tagging people for a block in each direction. That'd be a strange scene.

Move Air: As you float past, people rise up into the air alongside you, but those that don't stay within ten feet of you will come down moments later as the AoE leaves them.

Move Fire: Everyone around you starts moving blazingly fast, but needs to react quickly, because you've taken the AoE with you a second later as you speed past.

Move Time: This one, I'll leave up to you, Ranger Wickett.

So, how WOULD you price a mobile AoE that could affect any creature within it?

Kemrain the Moved.

 

[astriemer]

Metamagic Feats

Did you intentionally leave out feats like Maximize, Empower, Extend, and Widen? I'm assuming so as functionally they are basically handled (all except Maximize at least) by just upping the power of the spell using the EoM rules as written. But I was curious just the same.

Also, how, if at all, would you handle some of the other metamagic feats that are appearing such as the following:
Energy Substitution (from Tome and Blood, Magic of Faerun and Miniatures Handbook) - for +0 levels you can substitude energy damage of any type to a specified type when the feat is chosen.
Chain Spell (from T&B) - for +3 levels spell affects target and 1/2 caster level additional targets
Delay Spell (from T&B) - for +3 levels the spell effect can be delayed by up to 5 rounds
Energy Admixture (from T&B) - for +4 levels spell does additional damage equal to the original but from another energy type (specfied when the feat is taken)
Subdual Substitution (from T&B) - for +0 levels spell does subdual damage instead of normal damage
Split Ray (from T&B) - for +0 levels a ray can affect two targets (with each taking 1/2 normal damage)
Consecrate Spell (from Book of Exalted Deeds) - for +1 level the spell gains the good descriptor and also 1/2 of the damage dealt is divine (and not subject to energy resistance)
Purify Spell (from BoED) - for +1 level spell does full damage to evil targets, 1/2 damage to neutral targets and no damage to good targets
Burrowing Power (from expanded psionic handbook) - for +2 power points and expending focus power can bypass some defenses
Unconditional Power (fro EPH) - for +8 power points and expending focus the power can be activated even if unconscious or disabled


Also, I didn't see anything to the contrary so am I correct that there is no damage dice cap on spells (as is 10d6 for example in the traditional system)?

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Incorperal

For turning Incorperal, I would probably do a Transform Void/ Infuse Space, or something like that.

As to my Move Life idea, perhaps add another MP to Move Force to cause others to unwillingly depart thier bodies

I am not sure you need to price out a moving AoE... I think it works well as is.

As to the Metamagic Feats, all those can be emulted within the rules, so there is no need for the actual feats. Well, all the spellcasting ones, not the psionic ones


I actually like the idea of Move Death with a roaming AoE! I think that will be one of my BBEG's permanent spells.. anyone who gets within X feet of him get slowed waaay down!

 

[RangerWickett]

Quick reply, as I've been invited to a pirate-themed birthday. You can become incorporeal already with Transform Space. It's one of the listed options in Transform.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Transform..

I didn't have my book w/ me

 

[Vaxalon]

Did you intentionally leave out feats like Maximize, Empower, Extend, and Widen? I'm assuming so as functionally they are basically handled (all except Maximize at least) by just upping the power of the spell using the EoM rules as written. But I was curious just the same.

Yes, clearly.

Also, how, if at all, would you handle some of the other metamagic feats that are appearing such as the following:
Energy Substitution (from Tome and Blood, Magic of Faerun and Miniatures Handbook) - for +0 levels you can substitude energy damage of any type to a specified type when the feat is chosen.

Use a different evocation spell list.

Chain Spell (from T&B) - for +3 levels spell affects target and 1/2 caster level additional targets

Increase MP

Delay Spell (from T&B) - for +3 levels the spell effect can be delayed by up to 5 rounds

Contingency enhancement, spend more MP

Energy Admixture (from T&B) - for +4 levels spell does additional damage equal to the original but from another energy type (specfied when the feat is taken)

Add another evocation spell list

Subdual Substitution (from T&B) - for +0 levels spell does subdual damage instead of normal damage
Split Ray (from T&B) - for +0 levels a ray can affect two targets (with each taking 1/2 normal damage)

Dunno about those.

Consecrate Spell (from Book of Exalted Deeds) - for +1 level the spell gains the good descriptor and also 1/2 of the damage dealt is divine (and not subject to energy resistance)

That would require a new spell list, "Evoke Good" to allow for "good" damage.

Purify Spell (from BoED) - for +1 level spell does full damage to evil targets, 1/2 damage to neutral targets and no damage to good targets
Burrowing Power (from expanded psionic handbook) - for +2 power points and expending focus power can bypass some defenses

Don't know about those.

Unconditional Power (fro EPH) - for +8 power points and expending focus the power can be activated even if unconscious or disabled

Again, contingency on that one.

Also, I didn't see anything to the contrary so am I correct that there is no damage dice cap on spells (as is 10d6 for example in the traditional system)?

The 10d6 damage cap is only for certain levels of spells.

Yes, there is a damage cap, it's 1d6 per MP spent.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Meta Feats

Subdual Substitution (from T&B) - for +0 levels spell does subdual damage instead of normal damage

1MP Evoke:Life ambient side effect

Split Ray (from T&B) - for +0 levels a ray can affect two targets (with each taking 1/2 normal damage)

Use an AoE and Discriminating to select only 2 targets.
I have a house rule that I am experimenting with that has options for Rays, inlcuding mutliple targets.. but that doesn't apply here

Consecrate & Purify

Hmm.. I was drafting a cheat sheet yesterday, the book shows Evoke can be used with alignments, so you can Evoke Good. There are no side effects, however the Good aspect of the spell would only be subject to Energy Resistance {Good}. I think perhaps we need side effects for the alignments as well, Perhaps an Ambient effect taking the place of the Purify Feat? Perhaps a Major effect to heal those of the same alignment while harming those of the opposite?

Burrowing Power

Add a Hex list to the spell to lower the targets resistance.

 

[Dalamar]

Burrowing power would be using Scry and a rider-spell.