Epic Spells

[Sepulchrave II]

Starting out small.

Babau Mob
Conjuration (Calling) [Chaotic, Evil]

Spellcraft: 28 ranks
Components: V,S,P
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: 75ft.
Effect: Twenty called babau demons; see text
Duration: Instantaneous; see text
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: No

Development
52 Days; 52,000 gp; 2080 XP.
Seeds: [Call]
Factors: Increase CR cap by +14 (+28)
Mitigating Factors: Increased casting time (-8), restricted species (-8), reduced range (-4), power components (-4)

Description
In an hour-long rite, you conjure a group of twenty babau demons. The fiends are led by a particularly large, vicious specimen (21 HD, CR 13). The babau are loyal to you for an initial period of 200 minutes; ensuring their loyalty for a further 20 days requires payment of 135,000 gp in appropriate goods and items.

You may deploy the demons in whichever manner you see fit, assigning them roles as guards, soldiers, spies or assassins, or in some other capacity. If you require them to undertake particularly hazardous tasks during this time, they will refuse until an additional payment equal to their initial fee has been agreed. Called creatures act at their own discretion within the limits of the instructions which you give them: as evil creatures, babau will seek to interpret the letter of any contract literally, twisting it for their own ends.

Power Component: Abyssal jacinths worth at least 16,000gp.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Entry-level. Kinda nasty. Bad for sorcerers.

Hideous Affliction
Necromancy

Spellcraft: 24 ranks
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 75 ft.
Target: One living creature
Duration: Permanent (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Development
36 Days; 36,000 gp; 1440 XP
Seeds: [Afflict]
Factors: Increase ability penalty by 12 (+12)
Mitigating Factors: Reduced range (-4), restricted to living creatures (-4), specific curse (-4)

Description
You strike the target with a terrible curse, marring both its visage and its psyche, and turning it into an ugly parody of its former self. A victim of a hideous affliction suffers a -20 penalty to its Charisma. The curse cannot reduce the target's Charisma to less than 1. You (and only you) may lift the curse as a standard action by speaking the proper words of dismissal.

Spells developed using the [afflict] seed are pernicious: If a spell so developed is successfully dispelled or dismissed, it is instead only suppressed for 1d4 rounds. Even suppressing a pernicious spell is difficult, and requires a miracle, wish or an epic spell developed using the [dispel] seed. A dead magic zone will also suppress it, but not an antimagic field.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Beautiful stuff, Sep. The abyssal jacinths are a lovely touch. Is there a list of fiendish names somewhere? Your fiends are always evocatively named, and it would be wonderful to have a stock to draw on.

I wish I had a time machine so I could go and see how all this turns out. And then post it all here; never mind the paradox. I love reading this material, but it takes so much time and energy to write.

Seems like a lot of difficulty (35th level to cast, non-preferred backlash); I guess an insight bonus must be valuable.

Either that or *someone* was paranoid about spellcasters buffing their casting stats.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Seems like a lot of difficulty (35th level to cast, non-preferred backlash); I guess an insight bonus must be valuable.

Gnostic Surge
Transmutation

Spellcraft: 38 ranks
Components: None
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Target: You
Duration: 20 rounds

Development
52 Days; 52,000 gp; 2080 XP
Seeds: [Augment]
Factors: Swift action (+8), no components (+4), insight bonus (+8), increased ability bonus (+8)
Mitigating Factors: Personal range (-4), reduced duration (-6), 8 points backlash (-4)

As a swift action, you untap your higher gnostic functions, gaining a +10 insight bonus to your Charisma score for 20 rounds. The sudden expansion of your consciousness is physically traumatic, and you suffer 8 points of backlash damage.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Stylistic Inquiry

Do you think that it would be better to change the first line to simply

Spellcraft: 24 ranks.

USP could be included in the development data. It looks nicer.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I think it looks better without the period, i.e.

Spellcraft: 24 ranks

Much more streamlined. And the only place USB is used is in the development line, anyway.

BTW, did we ever determine what the mechanical effect of backlash *is*? I seem to recall that straight Con damage seemed unsatisfactory for some reason. Maybe we were wondering what undead sorcerers would use in its place.

Anyway, if we haven't really decided yet, maybe a thread should be started. I'll throw a suggestion into the ring: every two points of backlash reduces the maximum hit points of the spellcaster by 1 hp per hit die. Recoverable by rest. Characters could thus use backlash spells in emergencies, since if they are in the single digits they don't have a lot to lose.

And rather than heal spells neutralizing the cost of backlash, backlash would neutralize the effects of heal.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

A little free interpretation. Descriptive [slay] seed adds the [Death] descriptor. Changed Save to Fort. negates.

Wither
Necromancy [Death]

Spellcraft: 30 ranks
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One living creature
Duration: Permanent (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Development
46 Days; 46,000 gp; 1840 XP
Seeds: [Afflict]; [Time](D) (+6), [Slay](D) (+6)
Factors: Increase penalty by 10 (+10)
Mitigating Factors: Touch range (-8), restricted to living creatures (-4), specific curse (-4)

Description
You touch the target. If the wither succeeds, the target is advanced to the beginning of the Venerable age category, suffering the appropriate penalties (a -6 to Str, Dex and Con scores), without gaining the attendant benefits to mental abilities.

A target who is subject to the wither spell will die when his or her maximum age is reached; such a character is treated as having died of old age and cannot be restored to life until the conditions of the wither are somehow removed.

Spells developed using the [afflict] seed are pernicious: If a spell so developed is successfully dispelled or dismissed, it is instead only suppressed for 1d4 rounds. Even suppressing a pernicious spell is difficult, and requires a miracle, wish or an epic spell developed using the [dispel] seed. A dead magic zone will also suppress it, but not an antimagic field.

 

[Cheiromancer]

It doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but I think the no-cost buyback factors shouldn't count towards the USP. A lot of the spells were given unrealistically long ranges and durations with the intent of using them as a reserve for factors. And also to delineate the extremes of range and duration.

E.g. if a spell would be quite useful at 20 rounds but would still be balanced at 200 minutes, but maybe a little problematic at 20 hours, it is given a duration of 200 minutes. People get back the 4 SP of factors to spend on other things. But the spell should be developed at a cost that supposes that it was originally at 20 rounds.

Power components, backlash, ritual, extended casting time etc. would count towards USP. But not range and duration.

That's my position, anyway.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

Hellball, Jacob-style. This assumes no springboard feat - Jake needs to be 46th-level to access it. I've tried to retain the parameters of the original ELH spell, where possible.


Hellball
Evocation [Acid, Electricity, Fire, Sonic]

Spellcraft: 49 ranks
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 300 ft.
Area: 40-ft. radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half
Spell Resistance: Yes

Development
67 days; 67,000 gp; 2680 XP
Seeds: [Blast]
Factors: Increased area (+3), admixed x3 (+36), [sonic] effect (+4)
Mitigating Factors: 10 points backlash (-10), reduced range (-2), burn 500 XP (-2), restricted shape (-4)

A hellball deals 30d6 points of acid damage, 30d6 points of fire damage, 30d6 points of electricity damage, and 30d6 points of sonic damage to all creatures within the area. Unattended objects also take this damage. The character suffers 10 points of backlash upon casting, in addition to burning 500 XP.

The character points his or her finger and determines the range (distance and height) at which the hellball is to detonate. A sun-bright, fist-sized globe of energy streaks forth and, unless it impacts a material body or solid barrier prior to attaining the indicated range, expands into its full area.

*

I don't know how hellball could effectively have its SP reduced through a feat - a dedicated 'admixture' feat (maybe with Archmage's Mastery of Elements ability as a prereq) is possible, I guess, but it seems rather contrived.

Given that the original hellball only does 40d6 damage, has a Spellcraft DC of 90 and costs 12 times as much, I think we're doing OK.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

BTW, did we ever determine what the mechanical effect of backlash *is*? I seem to recall that straight Con damage seemed unsatisfactory for some reason. Maybe we were wondering what undead sorcerers would use in its place.

I'm more-or-less happy with straight Con damage - it's simple, and it directly reflects a hit to vitality. It impacts Fortitude saves and Concentration checks, as well. Truth be told, I think I'd like it even more if backlash extended to Strength and Dexterity as well - all 3 physical stats to be debilitated. But I suspect this might be a little too much. I don't like the idea of the caster 'apportioning' the backlash to a specific score, though. It's too convenient, and backlash should be anything but.

I hadn't really considered undead casters. Maybe they (and other creatures with no Con score) should treat Backlash as a positive energy effect which does 1d6 damage per point: undead have lousy hit points, anyway. Maybe they can choose a mental stat to apply it to. Maybe they can't use it at all; they don't have a 'lifeforce' to draw upon.

Or maybe they can apply it freely (to the limit of their caster level) - it would make epic vampire-sorcerers, liches and demiliches very interesting. They'd effectively have up to 30 points of free factors to add to every spell at 30th level - specifically to things that [blast] and [destroy], where backlash is preferred. Very destructive, in combination with certain feats. I can't say that I'm entirely averse to this idea.