Fairygold

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

This spell is a major plot element that supplies motivation to a supporting character in my new Midwood campaign.

Fairygold
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Tiny or smaller fey touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject, along with all its carried gear, turns into a mindless, inert statue made of solid gold. If the statue resulting from this spell is broken or damaged, the subject (if ever returned to its original state) has similar damage or deformities. The creature is not dead, but it does not seem to be alive either when viewed with spells such as deathwatch. Only fey made of flesh are affected by this spell.

A tiny fey turned into solid gold is worth approximately 1,000 gp after being melted down.

There is a one in six chance the affected fey is turned into chocolate instead of gold.

Focus: A wand made from the branch of a tree struck by lightning but which still blossomed with new leaves and flowers the following spring.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Is this supporting character perchance named Gargamel?

Seriously though, it's hard to balance this, since the main point of the spell seems to be to make money. Even polymorhp any object (8th level) "cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine."

Major creation (5th) can make gold, but it only lasts for 20 min/level. True creation[i/] (8th Creation domain) can create perement gold, but it takes one XP point for each GP worth of value.

This spell does require finding a tiny fay, but I'm feeling it should be at least 6th level, and probably higher.

Also, on a much more minor note, I think 1,000 gp for a tiny creature might be a little high.

 

[Tinner]

Also, on a much more minor note, I think 1,000 gp for a tiny creature might be a little high.

Tiny creature is something the size of a cat.
Average weight for a cat is 7-12 pounds.
According to the PHB page 112 there are 50 coins in a pound.
So the proper amount should be 350 - 600 gp per tiny fey.

Of course, being innately magical, a fey may very produce more gold than "science" would expect.

 

[fuindordm]

If you want to ensure that it's balanced, simply give it an XP component equal to 1/5 of the gold created by the spell. That's the going rate according to the core rules... and a wizard who wanted to make money from their magic would do better constructing items and selling them.

If you're a little less concerned about balance, consider that any character who wants to use this spell will likely expend resources trying to capture fairies equivalent to the gold gained.

Why does the wizard using this spell need so much money? If he's high enough level to cast the spell, he could go to a big city and earn as much money quickly by casting spells and crafting items for people. On the other hand, if he's stuck near the small towns for other reasons, they're not likely to have anything worth thousands of gold that he could buy.

It's a fun little spell, but money alone is seldom a person's goal... what does he want to do with the money?

Or is he really after the philosopher's stone, as someone in your other thread suggested, and this spell is simply a stepping stone on his way to creating it? If that's the case, then his goal is probably immortality rather than wealth.

Ben

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is this supporting character perchance named Gargamel?

No, but he's based on Gargamel and Tabriz-Umon from Kobolds Ate My Baby.

If you want to ensure that it's balanced, simply give it an XP component equal to 1/5 of the gold created by the spell. That's the going rate according to the core rules... and a wizard who wanted to make money from their magic would do better constructing items and selling them.

Good call. I'll do that and a powdered gem of the appropriate value as a material component as well.

Why does the wizard using this spell need so much money? If he's high enough level to cast the spell, he could go to a big city and earn as much money quickly by casting spells and crafting items for people. On the other hand, if he's stuck near the small towns for other reasons, they're not likely to have anything worth thousands of gold that he could buy.

It's a fun little spell, but money alone is seldom a person's goal... what does he want to do with the money?

He's an (evil) adventurer and is using it to pay for large numbers of hirelings (kobolds with PC classes from a nearby dungeon complex) and for what adventurers usually spend money on -- bigger and better weapons.

He's also not terribly successful with hunting down the local grig population.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Tiny creature is something the size of a cat.
Average weight for a cat is 7-12 pounds.
According to the PHB page 112 there are 50 coins in a pound.
So the proper amount should be 350 - 600 gp per tiny fey.

Of course, being innately magical, a fey may very produce more gold than "science" would expect.

But, you're forgetting that gold is probably denser than the cat or grig, so an equal volume of gold would have more mass than the cat or grig does.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Fairygold
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: Tiny or smaller fey touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

The subject, along with all its carried gear, turns into a mindless, inert statue made of solid gold. If the statue resulting from this spell is broken or damaged, the subject (if ever returned to its original state) has similar damage or deformities. The creature is not dead, but it does not seem to be alive either when viewed with spells such as deathwatch. Only fey made of flesh are affected by this spell.

A tiny fey turned into solid gold is worth approximately 1,000 gp after being melted down.

There is a one in six chance the affected fey is turned into chocolate instead of gold.

Material Component: Powdered gems worth 200gp.
XP Cost: 200 XP.

 

[Tinner]

But, you're forgetting that gold is probably denser than the cat or grig, so an equal volume of gold would have more mass than the cat or grig does.

Not really. The books state that 50 gold coins weigh one pound. Pretty cut and dried.
More to the point, it's always good to remember that using science to argue about magic is a lot like masturbating with a cheese grater.

It's a brief intense experience, but ultimately painful.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Not really. The books state that 50 gold coins weigh one pound. Pretty cut and dried.
More to the point, it's always good to remember that using science to argue about magic is a lot like masturbating with a cheese grater.

It's a brief intense experience, but ultimately painful.

50 gold coins weigh one pound. But an equal volume worth of gold weighs more than the same volume worth of grig. It makes solid gold in the same volume, which will be significantly more massive, hence more gold.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I had instant flashbacks reading this spell. Cool idea though. Since most fey have spell resistance, it's a challenge for the evil bad guy too.

Cast, cast, cast.

Fizzling flare of energy.

"Drat!"